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Table of Contents URL: fiction/42441/elder-cultivator

Elder Cultivator

by Halosty

Original ONGOING Xianxia Male Lead Strong Lead Action Adventure Fantasy Martial Arts

Anton is a great-grandfather. He is living quite a happy life, despite his advanced age and declining health… until a group of cultivator bandits moves into the area. The nearby guardians of the area, the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, are unable to track them down as they continue to ravage nearby towns. During one desperate winter Anton is out on a hunt when his family- his entire village- is killed or taken as slaves by the bandits. He lacks the strength to fight them, and he wasn't even present for their arrival to die with his loved ones. At the pit of his despair, he wonders if he ever had any chance to change things. What could he even do? He cannot even pull his best bow, and his eyesight is failing. If he had been a cultivator… perhaps there might have been a chance, but he was decades- perhaps even most of his life- too late.

Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge (2022) Notes on cultivation levels:

There are five general stages of cultivation, though the fifth is extremely rare. Each cultivation style might have their own name for the stages.

1. Body Tempering

2. Spirit Building/ occasionally System Creation (Ninety-Nine Stars) 3. Constellation Formation (Ninety-Nine Stars) 4. Life Transformation/Galaxy Construction (Ninety-Nine Stars) 5. Ascension

Cover picture courtesy of gej302.

Chapter 370

Now that the armies were within sight of the enemy defenses, everyone was able to take note of the unnaturalness of the area. Constructed walls were quite normal, but the lack of plant and animal life was a stark contrast from the surroundings. Cultivators were known for taking anything of use to them, and while the invaders would certainly find uses for lumber and medicinal herbs, uprooting trees was completely unnecessary.

The end result was a low point in the surrounding natural energy, sustained only by the flow from adjacent areas. Nobody was quite certain if it was an intentional tactic, some sort of petty vengeance, or if the invaders legitimately thought every plant and tree to be of value. It could be any combination of those factors, but it seemed like an unnecessary amount of effort. It would also have the effect of reducing what they could rely on to power their formations.

It would also take a very long time for the area to recover any of the ecosystem, but obviously the invaders didn't care about that. They would only be around for a short time, and seemed intent on getting away with everything they felt had value. Which was exactly why they all had to die. There was no way anyone was going to let this venture be profitable for them if they had the chance, and they did.

Trebuchets were the first to begin to fire. There was little in the way of freestanding rock, so the local alliance had to resort to what they had brought with them or begin carving out sections of the ground around them. Not an optimal situation, but they had learned from Diamond Hill Sanctuary and stocked up on as much ammunition as they could. Everyone with a storage bag had at least one sizable boulder or other functional pieces of ammunition. With only a few dozen trebuchets they would have over a hundred shots each and thus not have to dig into the local supplies. The cultivators had little else in the way of bulky items they needed to carry, with only the formation masters requiring much other space. And while everyone might have liked to bring a mountain of medicines with them, they simply didn't have them to take up that space.

The trebuchets began the bombardment, boulders smashing against the enemies' formations a significant distance from the walls. WIth the ability of multiple cultivators contributing their energy to each trebuchet hundreds of cultivators were able to contribute, but they were only a small portion of the total. Nearly a thousand cultivators were present just from the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, and they were pulling forces from many more groups of different sizes and strengths.

Those who studied formations organized groups to defend the trebuchets and others with ranged abilities that could contribute to the bombardment, making use of their combined energy to sustain temporary barriers.

A few of the trebuchets did more than hurl rocks. Making the utmost use of their range they launched projectiles up and over the face of the barrier to bombard the area from above. The barrier of course resisted such attacks just as easily, but what happened after that relied on how the defensive formations were made. First, it could be designed to annihilate incoming projectiles. That was the most energy intensive option, but also allowed for killing careless cultivators who tried to rush through, as opposed to solid barriers which would simply stop them. There was also the possibility of combining solid and retributive barriers, lashing back at anything that struck the barrier.

However, the invaders had opted for the simpler approach of a purely defensive barrier. It avoided messing around with complicated situations that might waste energy… in most cases. There was just one issue. If something landed atop the barrier, what happened to it? It was possible to halt its momentum before letting it drop through, which had its flaws. The option that had actually been chosen was to keep the barrier firm, which involved holding up the object in question. Normally barriers were sloped on top so that such objects would slide off. In the case of anything vaguely roundish it worked flawlessly, even with a much more gradual slope like was required for a large scale formation. However, for oddly shaped objects it worked quite differently.

A tangle of western creeper certainly didn't function as a ball. It also had the advantage that its thorns were quite adept at piercing through energy. For something with the power like the formation they were up against it couldn't truly ignore it, but it didn't need to. All it needed was a slight hold and then it could just… sit there. At that point it was a constant drain on the formation, which would either try to reform around or through the thorns or have to deal with imperfect flaws. And the weight of the plant… while minimal, it still required support from the formation's energy.

Formations simply set up and left to their own devices were easily exploited by such tactics, but the invaders clearly had actual formation masters with them. A quick adjustment on their part and a tangle of western creeper could be allowed to fall through the barrier with no further expenditures of energy, and the opening would only be formed for the briefest moment. Some attempts were made to attack through the openings, but few had the skill to do anything with it.

Those who could make such shots chose not to. The western creepers were only one part of the puzzle. They might fall harmlessly where there were no enemy soldiers standing, but other combinations were possible. The Grasping Willows, Wandering Bush Sect, and the Pink Pollen Sect all added their own little additions to the puzzle. Bundles of poisonous powder that would be happy to scatter about came along with anything that could perform the same function as the western creeper of sticking atop the barrier. They could either stay there, causing a constant drain, or drop through- hopefully causing damage to those below.

Once the ploy had become clear there was another option- having someone burn whatever landed atop the barrier- but that still took effort of some kind to deal with, and kept the formation masters distracted with constant decision making. Given what was known about the invaders, there couldn't many proficient in formations, and having a large group fighting for control over the defensive formations would be detrimental even if they had them.

Things sprang into motion as the enemy formation reacted to an intrusion from underground, signaling the Black Earth clan with some specially trained giant lizards to help them with quick burrowing had reached their positions. It had been expected that the formations continued underground, but if they hadn't it would have been an excellent way to circumvent them. There had to be a limit to how deep they went, but there could only be so much probing done. If they were too slow to take advantage of any openings they found their opponent might repair them.

At this point the main body of cultivators moved forward to begin attacking the formation together, forcing the enemy to keep resources devoted to them. Cultivators could move quickly, so if the invaders were allowed to think freely they could deal with the burrowers before returning to the main siege, but they had to devote forces to fighting off this assault or accept the formation being broken through rather quickly.

The ants were a factor as well. Some were scattered among the main assault while a large force attacked from the southwest, tearing at the barrier and forcing it to react to different locations. Because all of the visible forces were further to the north, the forces ready to react to the ants who were ripping and tearing directly at the barrier and thus the energy powering it were unprepared. And there were precious few responses they had to deal with them at range. Were they supposed to shoot arrows that might kill one or two ants each? They certainly tried that and were disappointed. Lobbing large balls of fire at the ants would have been highly effective… if they were easily damaged by energy. As it was, the distributed nature of the attacks focused insufficient power on any single point, which meant even the younger and less developed ants were able to resist it. There was also the ever-present difficulty of attacking out of such a formation, which caused ripples in the energy flow even when a formation was developed by formation masters.

The formation simply couldn't hold as it was. It wasn't quite at a failure point, but it was voluntarily retracted to cover a smaller area, directly defending the walls. That forced the attackers to move closer and left them more vulnerable but they had momentum on their side. They pushed forward as great waves, weathering the attacks of their enemies and countering with their own. The walls had already been scoured for weak points, and they were the primary targets.

The formation was no longer able to hold itself completely, breaking apart in limited areas and leaving the walls open to direct attacks. Heavily armored cultivators from the Iron Fist Sect crashed into the walls… and sent a section tumbling back. A particularly eager young man from their ranks let his momentum carry him all the way through the wall… where he found himself suddenly over an open pit. Caeus was yanked backwards by his fellow disciple Printza as they observed what very well could have been a trap… but was in fact just a large hole in the ground.

Any who had the experience could recognize it as a quarry, though not a particularly well organized one. Large pits seemed to go everywhere, with some being backfilled with tailings from other work. Small tunnels shot off from the pits which were more like proper mines… but without any of the structural integrity.

A many-legged lizard burst through the bottom of one such pit, providing another avenue of entrance for more attackers, starting with the Black Earth clan.

It was unclear if the invaders had overestimated the structural integrity of their walls or the power of their formations, but neither were holding as well as they might want. Nor was the morale of those assigned to the walls, as they began to retreat through what winding paths that were all that remained between the holes filled with rocky rubble or nothing at all.

Only a small number of structures stood in the middle of the area, most prominently a large pagoda surrounded by a number of buildings similar in style. Then there were various cobbled together rocky structures, and fields of tents that were barely half sound.

The attackers were tempted to give chase while their opponents were out in the open, but great power could be felt from the pagoda and those within it. Instead of rushing into danger, orders were given to halt so that the situation could be reassessed- though work continued at properly capturing at least one section of the walls, or the ground beneath them in some situations. Efforts were also made to move up the siege weaponry and properly disable the portions of the formations that could be reached.

Catarina involved herself with the latter, of course, but she found her previous plans were thrown completely off target. In a good way, perhaps, but it still involved significant recalculations. She was already exchanging excited glances with the other formation masters present.

The battle turned into an unofficial ceasefire for the moment, with the invaders retreating to their central section where they had put up smaller but slightly more structurally sound looking walls. The formations there seemed more strictly put together as well, and great power radiated from there- but the area encompassed by the walls seemed to make it suboptimal for them to harass the attacking forces from that distance. The defenses seemed poorly thought out in the larger section, where they simply didn't have the manpower to hold the entire area. It seemed a waste of time and lives to even attempt to protect the outer walls, but there was doubtless some reason for it. Perhaps they were waiting for something.

Chapter 371

There was a lull in the battle as the forces of Brogora took stock of the situation. They were now moving into what had been the outer walls of what they thought was a large area of land occupied by the invaders. They had been half right, as they had kept control of the area… but large portions of the stone had been dug out to great depths. The land had been quarried for some of the valuable stone while various passageways snaked out in all directions to mine any found veins of metals.

No care had been taken to what the area might look like after they left, and while the cultivators of Brogora had at times gone to extreme lengths for resources they at least took some consideration for the structural stability of the area. Now it looked like everything might fall apart if they stepped in the wrong place, though unfortunately the central spire where the large pagoda and other ancient buildings stood seemed quite stable.

One other piece of information quickly came to the forefront. At the unfortunate sacrifice of their tiniest companions, the ants discovered that the formations in the center of the area were actually able to affect them, scorching the first group to attempt to breach the area. Previously certain formations had been capable of preventing them from passing through easily, but to actually burn a whole company in a retaliatory attack was unheard of. Though it was only the weakest of their members, it seemed likely that older and stronger members would still be in danger.

The local formation masters were scurrying about everywhere, trying to take stock of the inner formations and how the outer formations might still affect them. Though the effects had been condensed into the center of the area, nobody wanted to begin an attack and then find they were suddenly subject to a suppressing effect or other dangers.

Nor did the idea of being in the area if everything collapsed sit well with anyone. Cultivators could survive falls from great heights, but combining that with falling rocks crushing them from every side it was far too dangerous for the majority of the cultivators present. Even an Essence Collection or Life Transformation cultivator didn't want to have to dig themselves out of rubble.

The Black Earth Clan was currently surveying the stability of the area with some of the others, much more carefully now that they realized how much damage there was to the area.

If that was all then the attackers would have still been at a significant advantage. If they were able to set up and entirely surround their enemies, co-opting their formations would ultimately be possible. Unfortunately, power was building up in the center. It was difficult to pick apart exactly how many Ascension cultivators were present, but it was not insignificant. No individual group had come more than five ascension cultivators among their ranks as far as anyone was aware, but this was a combination of many smaller groups of invaders. They had more than just ten or twenty, though their numbers likely didn't exceed fifty. Even so, it was a worrying amount even with somewhere around half of the continent's forces arrayed against them.

Whatever they were gathering power for had to be stopped- yet a direct siege was extremely dangerous. It might even be exactly what they wanted, a tight gathering of attackers to destroy all in one fell swoop. Yet the local cultivators didn't have the luxury of waiting around to see what might happen either.

Those with longer ranged attacks organized as quickly as possible to begin another bombardment. That included the trebuchets, with new operators changing shifts with the first group to maintain optimal levels of power. Whatever they were doing in the center it should be harder to do while under attack. The rest of the troops were poised to move into melee if they had to, but remained at the outer ring atop or around the walls. The area between the walls and the inner section was almost completely drained of natural energy by the formations pulling in power, but more was coming from inside. Much more.

Catarina and the other formation masters began to dismantle pieces of the outer formations in the most efficient way possible- by completely destroying the parts of the walls that had previously sustained the defensive formations. They targeted key points while keeping certain portions that formed an interconnected weave throughout the area. They already had plans for what to do with the formations if they broke through, and though those had to be modified now they still had a basis to act on.

What exactly they were doing was a secret, even from the majority of the army. It certainly couldn't be explained now where they were close enough to the invaders to potentially be overheard, no matter what precautions they took. Instead they gave orders to people, having them topple certain sections of walls.

"Anton!" Catarina ran up to her grandfather. "I need you to cut these runes into the far side!" She showed him the runes and was able to designate a precise spot they should go. Obviously she didn't intend for him to walk over to the other side or she could have done it herself. Instead, he made use of his archery skills. He might not have been up to his granddaughter's level of experience with formations but he had worked with her before. In the first of Everheart's tombs she had organized their group to deal with formations, and while his position had mostly involved destruction or destabilizing attacks at that point he was now capable of more. He was able to make each shot in just the right spot and to just the right depth, but he could see the actual formation masters were dealing with much more complex problems while some like Catarina organized the others.

The invaders didn't just allow them to move freely. While they didn't have a great number of cultivators able to attack from their position in the center they certainly weren't without some options. While the might find it difficult to kill any of the formation masters, they were able to attack the walls. Especially without formations holding them together the walls were shoddy workmanship at best. It became the job of the majority of the local armies to protect the walls, except where the formation masters said they could let them fall.

The pulsing energy in the pagoda continued to increase, waxing and waning slightly but ultimately growing stronger and stronger. The formation masters moved frantically but with purpose, trying to complete their own designs before the enemy finished.

Then news came from the east. A small detachment of soldiers from Facraona charged up the mountain, mostly Essence Collection cultivators that had not been involved in the main attack. The news they brought was… worrisome. Great power growing in the east that could be felt from the base of the Cragtooth Mountains where they had stood as a deterrent force. The source was fairly easy to pick out as they had felt it many times in the recent days. Paradise.

That was, in theory, a good thing. In practice… it was a danger. Normally Paradise's attacks had been swift and powerful- even if he spent a minute or so gathering a mouthful of water it was still quite rapid for the volume of water he produced. Only rarely had he built up for a larger attack, such as when their new and yet unnamed inland salt sea had been formed. It was fairly certain he intended to target the invaders, but the potential for collateral damage was not something they could ignore.

After having it pointed out, Anton could feel the power building up. Soon other people would be able to feel Paradise there, well outside even Anton's normal range. A single point hundred of kilometers away, and a great cause of uncertainty.

The same young man sat nervously at the base of the pagoda where the Integration masters were gathered. He knew they had some plan to wipe out the enemy forces, but he couldn't help but wonder if it would be of any help to him in particular. Even so, he couldn't do anything except provide his own energy to assist them, of specific interest being his ascension energy. That power was what set them apart from the cultivators here in this lower realm, for all the good it had done them.

The locals weren't supposed to be this strong. The Integration cultivators had assured everyone they had a solution when they came here, and maybe they had been right. But a solution that kept them alive inside their fancy pagoda might not say anything for the rest of them. When the enemy forces began withdrawing he almost wondered if they could even do that. Except with such a powerful buildup of energy, it hardly mattered if the armies from the lower realm got a little distance. Though he was worried about that strange thing to the east.

The first to be sent away were any Body Tempering cultivators or those in Spirit Building. Riding along with them went the ants, as they were slower than any of the others. Whatever was going to happen, they weren't needed anymore. And if anything went wrong… they were most likely to die in the disaster that followed.

Essence Collection cultivators went next, and moments later Life Transformation cultivators began to pull away. The formation masters had finished their work, such as it was. And even if they hadn't, it was too late. The pulsing energy in the pagoda seemed to be sticking to a peak instead of fading now, and a burst of energy from far to the east set them all moving. Lines of energy connected from their modifications and additions to the outer formations, hundreds of formation flags having been set into the ground along with stone pillars like those used by Heavy Mountain Gate.

The rush of energy from Paradise strangely enough seemed to go straight into the air rather than approaching them. That meant the immediate consequences of the attack weren't felt, but the invaders in the Pagoda were ready.

It seemed the local's formation wasn't, though. As ripples of energy spread outward it began to reflect them back but then its energy faded for a moment. And if all of the formation masters had fled like they were supposed to, that would have been the end of that. A huge wave of energy began to flow in all directions, threatening to overtake the fleeing cultivators. But suddenly the huge masses of ascension energy twisted in on themselves, momentarily battering against the Pagoda instead of spreading out from it.

At the same time, a giant wolf and its rider tumbled away from the area, having barely resisted a few moments of the wave of power. The figures quickly found their feet and the wolf moved with blinding speed that would soon overtake the trailing cultivators.

Even for a formation that had been planned out ahead of time, it was impossible for something put together in a timespan of less than a day- and optimally weeks or months- to resist such a huge wave of ascension energy. Even if it was able to capture that energy for itself, nothing was able to withstand the force. The energy wave began to ripple out again at the point the Essence Collection cultivators were starting to overtake the Spirit Building cultivators, kilometers away from the central point. But none of them would be far enough.

Then a column of water flowed from the sky, not forgotten but difficult to track even with its immense power. The arrangement of the energy was much different than the ascension energy, but it somehow managed to match to a certain extent.

The column of water did not rain or fall atop the area, but instead hammered down on it. There was no spreading out as one would expect from such a mass of water being hurled through the sky, and instead it was held tightly in its shape by the power flowing through and around it. In the end it came down in a 'small' area less than a kilometer wide. The flow only lasted for a single instant but it dragged some of the surrounding ascension energy back to the center of the area where the failing formation was trying to contain it.

The outer ring continued to expand, unaffected by Paradise's attack.

Though it was quite possible for all of the strongest cultivators to continue running and perhaps try to outpace the wave of energy, they did not. In such a case it might have been expected for them to simply protect themselves, or those from their sects… but everyone was disorganized in their hasty retreat.

Even so, as the wave reached the rear lines they stood together. The slowest cultivators had been the first to go, and subsequent groups had mostly caught up to them. Everyone got as far as they could, then combined their energies to resist the radial attack.

Fire and ice twisted together with earth, the power of the sun, energy shaped as giant vines, and even mists of blood. The force of the wave of energy pushed over and through the combined barrier… but as it continued to expand it also lost its density of power. More importantly, it lost any form of control turning it into deadly power.

Even the brief collision had been dangerous. Many were injured, some died… but compared to what might have otherwise happened the group of cultivators was far better than they could expect. They were alive, and though it wasn't completely clear through the fog of energy in the Cragtooth Mountains it seemed that the invaders were not.

Chapter 372

The local cultivators were ultimately fortunate to receive the amount of casualties they did. If the battle had gone the way they expected, their predictions were for greater losses. Even the optimal projections where the experimental formation for suppressing ascension energy had expected more loss of life.

That was not to say there was no damage. In addition to the deaths and injuries sustained by their cultivators, the ring of ascension energy spread over a large distance beyond the reaches of the Cragtooth mountains, devastating plants and wildlife. The damage would have been much greater if not for their formations and Paradise, and they could have even been wiped out. In a strange twist of fate, the ultimate damage to the region was minimized because of what the Twin Soul Sect and Flying Blood Cult had done leading up to the battle at Black Soul Valley. WIth mass abductions in Facraona even decades later the area had not been settled much, and the area to the west was not heavily settled to begin with.

Yet it couldn't be said that no damage was done. The area was now bare of natural energy except a thin amount that slowly crept in from the surrounding area. In addition to the intentional actions in the Cragtooth mountains to strip the area of its resources, the surroundings would take a long time to recover.

Another ultimate disappointment was the utter annihilation of the invaders. Everyone involved had wanted them dead, of course, but their destruction included every piece of equipment that had remained on them, as well as the resources scoured from the surroundings and dug out of the mountains. Now there was only a strangely shaped lake devoid of life, with tens of kilometers around it being damaged to various extents.

Over the last two decades the continent had been carefully developing their natural energy production, including seeding plants of certain varieties outside of where anyone lived. The natural feedback loop of plants that required natural energy to grow strong that ultimately produced more than they consumed had now been disrupted. It was a huge loss, but at least they would be around to recover from it.

It was also a reminder that, barring the presence of Paradise which they could not control, they had ultimately lost the engagement. They'd grown complacent with their triumphs over the invaders and didn't fully understand the limits of their capabilities. They couldn't have, but it was still jarring to realize what could be done.

That lesson they would keep in mind as the continent turned its eyes towards Estary, still under the control of the invaders and with very little information coming from the area. The invaders had been fairly well cleared out of everywhere else, including Ambati which was now back in communication with the rest of the continent.

There were some hopes that Paradise would take a position to the north of Estary given its coastal position, but there was no actual way to control him. Despite the worries of the invaders in Facraona, he had mainly stayed to the east side of Facraona.

Advances into Estary were slow and methodical, as the invaders had much longer to settle themselves in the area. So far they appeared to be content with remaining where they were- and given the success of the rest of the continent killing the invaders it was understandable. Yet the danger of backing them into a corner was now well known, and the sense of urgency had dulled.

It wasn't a pleasant thought, but they had already had sufficient time to cause whatever damage to Estary and its people that they were going to. If the information was correct that at the end of the season they would have a window to leave through whatever methods allowed their traversal. Nobody wanted to just let them get away, but it was an unfortunate matter of weighing the costs. Despite the victories throughout the continent, everyone was worn and weary. So much death in a short amount of time was devastating to deal with, and even if the basic resources necessary for life were produced in abundance by cultivators the normal cycle had been disrupted.

The continent wouldn't starve if they went a year without proper harvests. The great loss of life meant fewer mouths to feed, and the ability of cultivators to efficiently work individual jobs meant that some people were able to get back to maintaining the world without undercutting their ability to fight. But nothing was going smoothly, and the mental toll on the people was mounting.

Standing where he had once been in the Mistly Hill Palace, Anton found it hard to reconcile the two images. Part of it was that he was a different person, his cultivation having advanced from Spirit Building to Life Transformation in the decades since he'd come to them with news about the spiked rollers being killed. Elder Byrne had been one of their best, at the peak of Spirit Building, and had helped identify some of the buried equipment they had discovered in the creatures' lair. That included the difficult to use bone bow, now in the hands of Nthanda, as well as many less impressive pieces of equipment that had faded from memory.

The other more depressing change was that while most of the structures remained intact, none of the members of the sect remained. Each building was at best an empty husk, though some were piles of rubble. The only thing of comfort was that no bodies littered the area, though it was a small comfort. There were signs of battle from the previous months, so there should have been some bodies. The invaders weren't known to nicely clean up after themselves. Likely wild beasts had come through and cleaned up the area, to a certain extent.

Recreating a battle from over a month before without any bodies to show for it was basically impossible. Anton would have liked to say that a certain spatter of blood was one of the invaders or a collapsed wall had resulted in one of their deaths, but it could have very easily been the people of Misty Hill Palace. At least the signs were enough to show that things hadn't been easy for the invaders.

So far there were no signs of people still in the area. They were near the border still, and Anton could sense vague masses to the north where there were certainly some cultivators, but it was unpleasant to have the sense of such a large area being… empty.

It was not to the same extent as the Cragtooth mountains where the plants had been stripped bare, but the fields were empty of the foods rich in natural energy and the various herbs that would have been growing. The same was true in the wilds, with areas plucked bare of nature's bounty. Even the weakest pieces of equipment had been taken from the Misty Hill Palace, unlike the previous time where the Luminous Ocean Society had a few less valuable items last in some form until the modern day.

The lowest level of equipment was not that different from before, so there had to be some change either in the needs of the invaders or some desire for revenge. Though Anton wasn't willing to give up on the possibility that local cultivators had come through to try to arm themselves with something once the invaders were gone. He wasn't necessarily a fan of looting sects that might still have a chance to return for their equipment, but if it was used against the invaders it would be worthwhile.

The hardest part was just not knowing. The all-or-nothing results weren't entirely unexpected, but were quite frustrating.

Anton was tempted to move ahead of the other scouts to push for information, but what was that going to accomplish? He might save someone, but even he didn't value his life so little that he actually went through with the idea. If he was going to die in this war, it needed to be for serious benefits. Otherwise, he knew there was still much good he could do in the world after they won. And he firmly believed they would win, even if it cost them dearly. Unless there was a serious divergence from the expected forces that had come to Estary. Yet when the invaders were descending from the skies, nobody could say there was anything remarkable about the numbers or power of the cultivators who had come to Estary. It should merely be bad luck that they were matched up with the various groups they came against, the invaders coming out on top more than in any of the other countries. There was every possibility that there was something special about the forces invading Estary as a whole and they were being taken seriously, but chances were that it could have gone the other way. But with a few initial victories they could have begun to work together and overwhelmed the rest of Estary, just like happened the other way around in Graotan, Ofrurg, and eventually Ambati.

News from Aicenith had become more frequent as a portion of resources could be devoted to teleportation. With both sides being well secured the risks of the travel were minimal, as arriving exhausted of natural energy was the main side effect. Simply transmitting missives was theoretically cheaper, but sending through cultivators from known sects was more secure. The other continent was doing similarly well to Brogora- huge losses, but ultimately resulting in victories. The remaining invaders were spread out in more different locations there, but each involved fewer groups concentrated together.

The two continents had only recently begun interacting with each other, with a single generation being quite minimal by cultivator standards. They maintained no animosity, but they also felt no obligation to each other. Outside of the current invasion, at least. Neither had the forces to spare to help each other- volunteers like Chikere and others from the Million Sword Vault being a notable exception- but ultimately they all wanted the invaders defeated. It appeared that was going to happen, but it would take many decades to recover.

The question was, would the world remain in its relative state of harmony after the invasion? People could only speculate, though the significant damage to the population might actually help in that case.

Careful weeks of scouting had indicated that the invaders had ultimately congregated in central Estary, generally around the trade city of Yedo and branching off to the north. Though it appeared that they were separated into different groups, any large movements of troops would undoubtedly alert them and allow them to respond, moving troops where appropriate. It didn't seem that it would be so simple to surround them, and even if it was possible a significant amount of resources had been devoted to improving the defenses of Yedo itself. Even from a great distance the formation masters of the continent could tell that it would be nearly impossible to break down the barriers in a short period of time.

Then there was one other thing. A single cultivator that could be sensed through all of the barriers, though it was unclear if it was on purpose or simply could not be hidden. Either way, the power was another step stronger than even the most powerful Ascension cultivator seen up to that point. While Life Transformation cultivators had been able to match up against the other ascension cultivators- usually in groups- that increase in power would allow them to dominate a battle, killing as they pleased.

Of course, nobody was undefeatable. It was simply a matter of how much it would cost in lives. That one cultivator alone would not be able to stand against their armies, but as an addition to a battle that otherwise might be considered even, it was an uncomfortable factor to consider.

It was also unknown what might not be knowable just from sensing them from afar. Most people were quite certain that they had a good estimate on the unknown cultivator's power, but it was still a concern. As a unique factor in the situation, it bore serious thought as to how they came to be, and if there might be others hidden among the remaining invaders.

Chapter 373

The invasion had been just as bad as everyone expected in Estary. Though the local sects intended to put up a fight, their success had been limited. Adrastea couldn't pin her finger on exactly what led to their failure, though part of it was likely due to their failure to maneuver enough forces to the locations the invaders landed in. There was really only a short period of time to anticipate that landing, and nobody had really been sure how the invaders would arrive before that. Some of the sects and cities had held on, but Yedo in particular had fallen quickly to the power of the invaders- their initial descent crashing through the city's formations and landing them within the city. At least that was what information had been gleaned by those to flee the city.

Tranquil Cloud Palace had the good fortune to have developed a number of formations masters, and instead of focusing in direct barrier they focused on concealing formations. The peaks upon which they made their home were large enough that accidentally stumbling upon their community was unlikely, and their exact location had been kept secret.

For a long time Adrastea had believed it to be unnecessary paranoia. Estary was one of the most peaceful countries to be found on the continent, and the Tranquil Cloud Palace among the stronger sects. In truth the border skirmishes with Ofrurg had been an issue, but after slavery was rather forcefully abolished from within their borders the tensions had faded somewhat.

But Tranquil Cloud Palace had kept their location secret in the one way that mattered, and now it was saving now only themselves but many others. Too many, probably, but that couldn't be helped.

Adrastea passively felt the cultivators scurrying around the nearby peaks. Nothing could be so secret that they wouldn't know about the peaks the Tranquil Cloud Palace inhabited, but with the formations inhibiting the ability to use energy senses it required manual searching to find them. Some got very close to the sect, but the bewildering nature of the formations was stronger just outside in a way that wouldn't be noticed. The thick layers of snow and their placement at the same level as the clouds provided natural cover and confused the landscape for the searchers.

They could have just killed anyone who got close, but in a way that would reveal them more than others. There were plans to kill some of the searching invaders away from the sect but enacting them was dangerous. Their presence might be revealed too far away from the formations, and anyone who went out might find it difficult to return. There were tokens that responded to the natural energy of members of the Tranquil Cloud Palace that could guide their way and protect them from the effects of the formation, but they didn't want to risk losing any and having their enemies discover some other way to use them.

But now they were sitting here with too many people. Tranquil Cloud Palace numbered in the thousands with their disciples, but now they had tens of thousands sheltering within their gates. Even without knowing precisely where they were, local towns and cities had many fleeing in their direction. They didn't have the heart to refuse anyone, and during the first days there hadn't been invaders directly breathing down their necks.

Now they were one of the remaining pockets of resistance in Estary. Hopefully there were more than they didn't know about, but obviously cooped up on top of their mountain they didn't get much information except a sense of the largest masses of invaders- and those scouting their mountain.

Remaining in hiding wasn't glorious, but unfortunately there were other issues with it not being sustainable either. Tranquil Cloud Palace had stored up a large amount of food for the sake of emergencies, but even with some of the fleeing refugees bringing some of their own there were simply too many people to feed for long. Even now the rations had been cut several times. Even for Life Transformation cultivators like Adrastea herself.

They had to do something, but what…? That would have to be answered by a new presence she sensed. One of a group that showed no hesitation to openly display themselves as they walked the slopes… and were quite enthusiastic about how they engaged with any invaders they came into contact with.

The interesting part was she recognized one of them. The last time she'd felt that aura in person was decades before, so many times weaker. After that, their paths had never crossed again, though she'd certainly heard about Hoyt's rise in cultivation. Even with more Life Transformation cultivators than ever, how could they have not kept track of the names of the Life Transformation cultivators of their neighbors to the south?

There were others from the Order as well, plus a pair from… the Frostmirror sect and the Glorious Flame Palace? Yes, she remembered hearing about that unlikely marriage, and unless there was another pair of Life Transformation cultivators from those sects who would walk through the mountains holding hands as if they were going on a stroll through town… it should be the same ones.

Adrastea carefully made her way towards them. They weren't exactly close to the proper center of the Tranquil Cloud Palace, and she didn't want to be noticed with them. Being tracked back to the sect was theoretically possible if the wrong person got a lock on her. She kept her spear at the ready and her energy restrained but ready to react to anything.

A short while later she reached the group as they were postulating how to navigate a ravine. For cultivators of their strength nothing was impossible, but jumping tens of meters to the other side might be unnecessary. Yet while they talked a woman riding upon a wolf did so several times back and forth.

Approaching a group of cultivators who were nearly as high in cultivation individually as herself was a bit dangerous, not because she suspected the Order would choose to attack her, but because they might act without thinking as she revealed herself.

She started with slipping a portion of her energy over to the side and slowly revealing it, making sure her style was clear so they could recognize she was not one of the invaders. With another portion of her energy she threw her voice from a different direction. She wanted to announce her intentions, and while the situation was serious she couldn't help but be a little bit playful.

"Hoyt. You didn't sneak anyone across the border again, did you? What would your grandfather have said about that, hmm?"

Well, that was that. It would be rather embarrassing if he didn't remember their encounter, but at least her cultivation should have been notable at the time. That was the sort of thing most cultivators tended to remember.

The man turned his head back and forth between the voice and the revealed strands of energy. "You… were one of the border guards, correct? We've been looking for people. Locals, obviously. The invaders are rather easy to find. Are any others with you?"

"That's right, I did spend some time protecting the border. It's Adrastea, by the way. As for others… I'm alone here."

"We'd hoped to find more. We've brought armies from Graotan, Facraona, Droca, Ambati… Ofrurg. Basically the rest of the continent."

"Ah, I misunderstood," Adrastea admitted. "We have many sheltered with our sect. I would love to talk but… all of you have been too obvious. If you could go to that peak to the southwest, I will meet you there. We'll throw off any observers."

"What about grandpa?" the woman on the wolf asked. "He made some stupid excuse about his knees hurting and is still at the bottom of the mountain."

"Anton will be fine," Hoyt said. "And he'll be able to cover us as we approach."

"Ah, you have Kseniya's apprentice with you?" Adrastea asked, then shook her head. "Is he really nearby?"

"Twenty kilometers at most," Hoyt shrugged. "Which is close enough."

"I do recall hearing something like that. Well, you can bring him along or not… when we get back to the sect we can talk more about these armies."

The sect head of Tranquil Cloud Palace was Arezou, a woman that Adrastea looked up to as a mentor and teacher. Even if they fought in different styles, there was much to learn from her. Arezou had suggested several times that Adrastea might become the next sect head, but such decisions would obviously now be waiting.

"Greetings, allies from the Order… and elsewhere." Arezou bowed, her flowing robes exaggerating the movement. "I have heard tales that you bring armies to Estary."

"That's right," Hoyt nodded. "Though our losses have been great, the majority of the invaders have been slain throughout the continent… except for those in Estary. Until now we had not been able to find… and active groups."

"That matches our understanding of the situation as well," Arezou nodded. "Things are dire here. Perhaps Infinite Wisdom Forest might have been able to conceal another large group. Maybe others, but we have received no contact. As for your armies, we should warn you. A cultivator of great power advanced their stage to a level difficult to comprehend."

"We took note of their presence already," Hoyt replied. "But we were unaware that they had advanced while present here. Are you certain?"

"Quite. It is not something that could be mistaken by any within hundreds of kilometers."

"That's somewhat concerning," Hoyt said. "It makes me wonder where there have been no others of… whatever that next step beyond ascension is." He looked to his companions to see if they had answers.

Catarina lit up, "Well, it's just speculation but… I imagine they can't come here. Or at least it would be very uncomfortable. This world isn't meant to have power of that sort, and the disconnect from our natural energy would be even greater for them. If we consider the effort for a stronger cultivator to come here scales in a similar fashion as teleportation- even if it involves a smaller sacrifice- then it would be a difficult undertaking. Perhaps the cultivators at the first step of ascension are the best they can send. Or they just thought they wouldn't need more."

"I am concerned that it might be the latter," sect head Arezou shook her head. "Unfortunately, that's not something we can solve right now. Another question, if I might. You must have noticed how many people we have sheltered here. Along with your armies, did you bring food?"

Hoyt shook his head. "Not enough to share, but… it should be possible to get more. Bringing it here, however… might be impossible."

"That is an area of concern," Arezou admitted. "But with the support of your armies, it might be best if we simply left the area. That would unfortunately reveal our location by moving so many people, but it's better than letting them stay to starve. And many of us can help join the fight. Such as it is. Tell me honestly, do you believe your forces are sufficient to defeat the invaders occupying Estary?"

Hoyt thought for a while and shook his head. "Not for certain. That specific cultivator is one of the major concerns, and how Yedo has been fortified. However, as unpleasant as this might sound, we might not have to defeat them. They must leave at some point, and the window for that activity begins at the end of the season, and in theory should last approximately most of the rest."

"Hm." She grimaced, "And so they might simply be allowed to leave? A bitter taste, but… not unreasonable. I do believe all of us would prefer to survive, if that is the only option we have."

"We haven't given up on some sorts of assault yet," Hoyt said. "Though Yedo may be unassailable, other parts of the country may be possible to save. At the very least we might reclaim some of the resources…"

"Things are that bad, are they?" she shook her head. "I suppose there's nothing to do but what we can."

"If we can find anyone else, we'll do our best to get them out of danger. If there are others as well hidden as yourselves, perhaps things aren't quite so grim as they seem."

"Hah. Perhaps," Arezou admitted. "But I wouldn't bet on it." She carefully placed her hand on a spear resting nearby, "Even so, it's good to know there are still things worth fighting for. We were beginning to think we might be all that was left. News of victory elsewhere… it won't make things instantly better, but the people could use some good news. After that, we'll figure out what is possible with what we have."

Chapter 374

Moving larger numbers of people- even cultivators- was relatively slower. Thus, when the invaders were approached with any sizable group they began to pull back to fortified locations.

That was useful for the sake of extracting people from Tranquil Cloud Palace, but not so great if they wanted to whittle down enemy forces. There were always exceptions where they could take out a few enemies. Ambushes worked to some extent, but ultimately the invaders were taking notice of the renewed resistance in the area and keeping safe.

The next goal was finding more survivors in Estary. The general patterns of destruction continued, though a few remote villages remained unscathed. Further information about the occupied cities indicated that at least some of the locals were still alive, but information was scarce. Plans were being developed for how to retake the cities while not opening up other countries to counterattacks.

In northern Estary but not so far north as to reach the coast was a sizable forest. The individual trees seemed to be nothing impressive, but the vast expanse they covered had once made the area nearly unpassable. Long in the past beasts had fully taken over the forest, but up until the time of the invasion safe passageways had been maintained by a sect that moved into the depths of the area. Infinite Wisdom Forest found that while the trees were bland on the surface, their value as materials for paper was exquisite, and there were cultivation secrets to be gleaned from the entirety of the forest itself.

Now that same forest protected them. Unlike Tranquil Cloud Palace, their location was not concealed to any significant degree. The core of the sect grounds was at the intersection of main highways, including the one from the coast that eventually ended up in Yedo. With such an obvious path, the effort required to conceal themselves would have been tremendous. Yet they still stood strong against the invaders, if isolated.

Sieges had come, but none had broken through their defenses. The power of formations was determined both by the maximum intensity that could be withstood as well as the total amount of power that could be drawn on. The replenishment rate was also a key factor in the latter, and Infinite Wisdom Forest made use of what they had available to achieve all three.

The functionality was a secret, but one that once known would be completely devastating. Fortunately there were no traitors in their midst. They had eradicated the members of the Twin Soul Sect that had wormed their way in, and any information they had gathered clearly had not been disseminated to the invaders. Not that many knew exactly how the defensive formations functioned.

Before the recent boost in cultivation around the world, it would have been unlikely for them to withstand the sieges they'd now weathered. It wasn't due to a great increase in knowledge or changes in the formation itself, but simply the power was greater… without it being obvious that anything had changed.

The source of power for the formation was the forest. The entire thing, not some small portion of it. Nor did it mean there were energy gathering formations throughout to channel power to the core. Instead, the trees themselves had the property to evenly distribute the natural energy in the area around them. Nobody was quite sure exactly how it functioned, but the root systems connecting them together were a significant part. Most importantly, it was so efficient that it was nearly impossible to feel the flow of energy.

There had been some concern when the invaders began looting the forest and cutting down the trees, but they soon gave up on that project. Nothing of the trees immediately displayed value, though the invaders certainly took advantage of the herbs that had been encouraged to grow wild, synergizing with the trees as their growth and energy dispersal cycles alternated. It would take decades to replant them and a similar length of time to return the populations of beasts back to where they ought to be, but for the most part the trees had been left alone after a certain point. It was a great swath of area, and even though the invaders were greedy for everything they could get their hands on they had standards… and didn't know what they were dealing with.

The initial siege had been easy to withstand, though they were unable to cause significant damage to the invaders in turn. As Estary began to be overrun, several groups had banded to gather at various points to try again, but the defenses held firm, seeming to be indefatigable. And in a way they were. Compared to the invaders at least, the forest as a whole recovered expended natural energy at a faster rate. The invading groups would have to sustain a full power bombardment for long enough to at least half exhaust themselves before they would really notice a drop in the forest's reserves, and thus with days or weeks between the attacks nothing really happened. There were concerns about a combined attack by all of the invading forces. That seemed to be inevitable, especially with the disturbing breakthrough that had happened recently.

Yet for the moment the invaders seemed content to sit in their cities and count their loot. Not that Infinite Wisdom Forest had much more information about that topic, though they were constantly sending out their best scouts hoping the situation would change. And something had. Infinite Wisdom Forest hadn't just been left alone, but a number of watchers had been assigned to the area to keep tabs on them. Now there were fewer, and word was that other places saw similar drops in free cultivators. It was unlikely they just got bored, but without knowing what caused it it didn't make any difference . They still couldn't fight back against even a moderately sized group, and thus they had to shelter in place, no matter how demeaning it was to avoid combat. As many pairs of eyes that could kept watch for further changes, hoping there might be something… but not counting on it.

The eventual retaking of Estary started from the east, with significant portions of the armies set to intercept anyone from the rest of Estary. Gathering all in one place would make it easy for their enemy to move however they wished, potentially surrounding them- though they would likely be more effective behind their fortifications on an individual basis.

If some progress could be made in retaking Estary's territory and there were fewer concentrations of invaders to worry about, the locals could begin consolidating into larger armies- though they were already working with the combined might of several large sects at minimum. The invaders at base had high cultivations, and no amount of anti-ascension techniques was enough to completely overcome that point. The actual strength of each sect was also significantly reduced from the recent losses, and though the invaders' losses were unclear in Estary their remaining numbers were concerning.

When they began the first attack, the biggest concern was that other occupied settlements would come with reinforcements. The outer edge of the area was carefully monitored, but there was a good quarter portion of Estary occupied and many large cities dotted about. The full extent of the invader's forces couldn't be determined, though at least it was fairly certain they only had one of the second-tier ascended cultivators. And that one seemed happy to remain in Yedo despite certainly knowing about their presence in the area. And why not? They had a fortified city… and perhaps no sense of unity with the rest of the invaders as a whole.

That was what they were hoping, and as the first city fell there was an amount of justification felt. It was unfortunate that they weren't able to annihilate the invaders, but their forces simply weren't sufficient for that. Still, they inflicted more casualties than they took, and the invaders could only flee into already-occupied territory. Though they would inevitably join up with other invaders, as long as they didn't proactively organize themselves into a greater force the allied armies of Brogora had plans to take them apart piecemeal.

It would be a problem if all of them fled to Yedo, but if their plan worked they could carve out a section that would allow them to make a move on the central city. It wasn't quite clear if that was ultimately the best move, but they couldn't just ignore the strongest congregation of enemy forces either.

Anton didn't like that he couldn't tell what was going on in Yedo. The main bulk of the army was still fifty kilometers away, but he should be able to sense that far easily. If he was blocked by a formation that would be one thing, but finding himself blocked by the aura of another cultivator was… concerning. He was reminded of his first encounters with Vandale, a vast gulf of power between them- except without any of the kindness or warmth that came with it.

Instead the power was… bright. Even as enemies it wasn't entirely unpleasant, but it was concerning in the same way as any other source of power that couldn't be controlled. Knowing that this cultivator would actively work against them didn't make things any better. At least it seemed they didn't have long range sniping abilities like himself. If they did, there was no doubt they could wander about the region and pick people off as they pleased. Unless they had some major deficiency that made them slower than would be expected for their cultivation, killing a few key targets and leaving would be trivial. Even if they were attempting to conserve their ascension energy, it would be more efficient to kill people who weren't expecting it and rest, rather than face everyone at once.

The problem was… how much range did they have? Maybe they were a melee combatant, as so many were. In that case Anton could still imagine the destruction they could wield, sweeping swaths of death through the lines of their armies. But if they had an effective attack that could reach even ten or twenty kilometers, serious damage could happen if they attempted an attack. The trebuchets would need to be within that range to attack the city, and there were precious few things with longer ranges or more efficiency than the weaponry put together by Grant.

Perhaps if he had been given time, resources, or motivation they might have something more grand to make use of, but ultimately most sources of attack simply fell off with range. Even Horizon Shot technically grew weaker at the end of the range, but due to special control techniques and the speed of the projectiles it was minimized. It required both, since an attack without natural energy augmenting it became instantly worthless in most cases- and slow attacks were both easily dodged and required more effort to sustain.

Their forces were now at a strange impasse, as armies worked their way in from the east. Yedo couldn't be put out of consideration, but they also couldn't necessarily deal with it. Yet the thought of leaving it was unpalatable. Just because the invaders would be leaving at some point didn't make things better. Anton would have found it more disturbing if the bandits had taken up residency in Dungannon, but just because they took what they wanted and left behind only destruction didn't make the situation better.

For the moment Yedo was standing, and possibly even had civilians from Estary inside- likely being forced to labor under the invaders. When the time came for them to leave, would they simply go, or would they raze the place to the ground, causing as much destruction as possible? Anton would bet on the latter.

A brief thought passed through his head. He knew such an intrusive thought was ultimately unfair, but teaching people to cultivate and be able to stand up for themselves might have made things worse. It might have made them be seen as a threat.

Or the invaders might have simply wiped out cities with a wave of their hand, nobody even having the slightest hope of resisting their every whim. Keeping your head down when facing overwhelming forces was something people might accept, but if there was a real opportunity to fight back most humans would prefer that option. And Anton had given it to them.

His only regret was maybe that it hadn't been enough. Yet he couldn't say that despite all the destruction they had witnessed, they had survived. And they would continue to, as a whole if not the specific individuals alive at this instant. He would like to shift the numbers as far in their favor as possible though, but he was unsure if that meant more fighting or simply letting things be. And he hated that he wasn't strong enough to force his preferred option, though he was unsure if it was even possible. After all, he had forsaken ascension, and even if he could he would be taken away from this world. That brought up more thoughts… but those would best be explored after the war.

Chapter 375

Over the course of the next week, more successes were made along the eastern front. Fleeing cultivators would inevitably join up with others, but some effort was made to drive them more towards the north or west, away from Yedo. If their strategy wasn't already obvious to the invaders, it would be soon. Either way, they were in for more difficult battles if they continued to press forward.

It was difficult to build up momentum with minor victories, and the questions continued to come up. How much was it worth it to continue fighting? Was revenge or punishment a worthwhile goal? Could they save more lives than they lost?

The latter was ultimately the most important for the sake of besieging Yedo, which was central to the invader's power. Killing an ascended cultivator who made it to the next stage would be a huge blow to these invaders, but would it be worth it? Part of that depended on how it would affect things in the next cycle, unknown centuries in the future.

Only one thing was certain. The invaders didn't have the confidence to take on the remaining armies outside of the defensive formations of their cities. There was nothing for them to gain by biding their time, unless they expected more resources to magically appear in their pockets. That might be the results of what would happen if the combined forces of the continent majorly failed in an assault, but the window for the invaders to return home, however that was accomplished, was coming up soon.

A combination of every factor brought forward plans to test Yedo's defenses, and hopefully the power of the cultivator residing there as well. Precautions were being made to ensure that the formations could not extend beyond the reach of the city, which would at least allow the armies to retreat if things weren't going well. To that end, more forces were being gathered to have the best chance of success- while not leaving anywhere vulnerable. If some of the invader's forces got out of their containment and into the main parts of the other countries that were relatively unmolested, they would have much to gain before they retreated. Special care was taken about the sea, with fleets keeping watch on the harbors to the north. Unfortunately Paradise still seemed uninterested in making his way along the north side of the continent, so they couldn't count on that particular factor.

When the time came, the combined armies had over a hundred Life Transformation cultivators on the ground, and proportionate amounts of lower ranking cultivators compared to what was available. There was some swelling in the numbers at low Essence Collection and Spirit Building, a consequence of the city militias and the majority of people having taken up cultivation to some extent. Even if they didn't intend to fight, plenty of people found reasons to join up when the time actually came.

Siege engines were prepared as they could be, tunnels were dug as close as deemed reasonably safe to avoid sensing. Cultivators stood together, organized to be close enough to defend each other or have the option to spread out to avoid incoming large scale attacks. If they were lucky they might take Yedo within a few hours, but the actual intention was simply to test the defenses.

The momentum of the assault began, first bombardments at long range followed by cultivators moving closer, keeping a steady pace that would not exhaust them but ready to move with haste once the counterattacks began. They had barely even begun something that could be considered a true offensive when atop the walls appeared a woman. Even those who were deficient in their ability to sense energy would be able to recognize her as the Ascension cultivator who had achieved a breakthrough… and that was before she released her aura.

The woman had an unearthly beauty. She appeared ageless- not young, but without the signs of time having ravaged her features. As her aura spread people could not help but look, even if they knew better. The first to be struck blind were the Spirit Building cultivators, and those closest to her. It took only an instant before people turned to flee, not that they could have taken a step closer to her if they tried. The woman was more akin to a massive otherworldly force than a person, and the instinctive reaction was awe and fear.

Back with the siege engines, Anton did his best to shield those with him from the effects of the aura. He always had his own energy spread out to begin with, ready to form energy bows anywhere within his radius. Most of those around him staggered back and shielded their eyes, but with his protection they didn't simply flee- and though they were blinded momentarily, they recovered.

The invaders were unwilling to leave the city to chase them, merely harassing them with their longest ranged attackers as they fled. There was some comfort to take from that, even though it was clear that they could not consider further assaults on the city. Even Life Transformation cultivators had been staggered by her presence up close, the power released against them. A few had even received injuries from a mere glance. The worst part was that it was clear to everyone it did not take unreasonable amounts of effort for the woman. Not that it would matter. She only had to be able to maintain such an aura for a short time if fighting reached the city walls, and they would have to bring sufficient forces to bear to be a risk.

Waves of discouragement rolled through the armies, but after retreating to a safe distance the armies reformed, ready to hold their ground.

The leadership of the combined armies gathered together to discuss what had happened. Elder Sarka of the Glorious Flame Palace crossed her arms, glaring at no one in particular. "What the hell was that, huh?"

"I do believe that is tied to her particular aspect," Adelina explained. "It is too…" she gestured vaguely as she thought the words, "Eccentric for that to be expected. A specialist in wide scale combat suppression. No doubt with some formidable close-range combat skills as well, but little in the way of targeted ranged attacks."

"Didn't I see you fall to your knees when she looked at you?" Sarka countered, but with considerably less animosity behind her words than previously. "How does that not count?"

"Though I will admit I was struck with significant force," Adelina shrugged, "Are you telling me you could not do something similar to any Spirit Building cultivator? Maybe some in Essence Collection as well."

Sarka frowned, "It's not really clear what the difference between the levels of Ascension are, but I admit the power difference is close to achieving another tier. It doesn't make it any easier to fight."

"But," Catarina interjected, "I think it should be noted that we are not dead. With such a battlefield suppression ability, if they are not willing to leave their fortifications to come to us, it indicates they are still wary of us. Our numbers seem sufficient to cause concern, at least."

"Unfortunately she was behind the formations," Anton said. "I wasn't able to attack her directly, so it's not quite clear what anti-ascension techniques might have done."

"I cut apart her aura," Chikere commented. "Just a sliver. It reformed quickly, but if we could focus on her… I think we could kill her."

There was a rustling outside the command tent as someone called inside. "Great elders, pardon the interruption but some sort of messenger bird has left the city to the northwest."

Anton's eyes flashed, and he ran outside. He was already extending his senses in that direction, and a flying target was easier to pick out as the only thing in the skies. His first shot came with the feedback of some sort of defenses resisting him. The several after that were merely used to soften up those defenses as they were already on the way, but the next had more effort put into it- a mix of anti-ascension techniques and the mysterious extra energy from beyond death. Some portion of that combination allowed the attack to pierce the large creature, dropping it from the sky.

"I do believe I will be keeping watch out here," Anton said back towards the tent. "We should send for Kseniya as well."

Back inside the tent, Adelina clapped her hands. "Well. That is likely to have been some form of message. Perhaps not one of desperation, but a desire for cooperation. These invaders have been shown to be… risk averse. It could be that they are unwilling to individually risk themselves in an assault, and would prefer to gather forces sufficient to annihilate us. Though if they truly make the attempt we do have more forces about, I still think given what we know now we should wait. We can still focus on other cities, but there is too much risk to assault Yedo… or leave it unwatched."

"I truly hate to agree with you," Sarka said. That was it, but it was technically all that was needed to get her point across.

"From the brief observations we had of the formation in action…" Catarina commented, "It seems infeasible to try to overpower it with some sort of encircling formation. And creating something a hundred kilometers across is… not something that could be completed in a timely manner. Any closer would be risky."

Sarka grunted, "I want to be sent to a team involved in the active projects. Assaults on other cities and herding them where we want them to go."

"Good idea," Adelina nodded. "We will of course need some members of the Glorious Flame Palace here for the diversity of abilities in case there is an attempt to sally forth… but those with talents best used elsewhere should be reassigned. Unfortunately even if we are somehow successful at eradicating every other pocket of invaders, Yedo will be difficult. Some Spirit Building cultivators actually died to that woman's aura, and others appear to have sustained long term damage to their eyes. Numbers alone won't be sufficient, and if we only count our stronger cultivators fighting against formations and the suppression of that aura… it's just not enough."

Everyone nodded. One area they had an advantage was being able to draw on the entire continent's population, with everyone that could taking up cultivation. Weaker cultivators were always more vulnerable, but there hadn't ever been truly omnidirectional abilities that would kill them.

With nothing better to do, Anton took his daily shots at the barriers surrounding Yedo. He never exhausted more than a tenth of his maximum reserves total, except for the mysterious extra energy. He was certain it was a different type, neither 'upper' nor 'lower' energy but something different. Unfortunately unlike ascension, there seemed to be no knowledge in this world about what it might be. Something tied to reincarnation perhaps, but Anton could only speculate beyond that. There was no indication of some other layer of reality to interact with, and he wouldn't even know how to ask the invaders about it if they would be willing to talk.

He didn't know what he expected, but if he could get an arrow to slip through the barrier and through the defenses of the second tier Ascension cultivator… well, that was where the thoughts kind of ended. Because he couldn't really do the first. What he could do was shoot down anything that tried to leave the city. Even tiny blips of energy would be annihilated. Surely the rest of the invaders would still have a chance to learn that there was some sort of communication being attempted, but the details would be in question.

Capturing the information hadn't been possible. The very first target had annihilated whatever message it carried as the giant bird fell. Yet the atmosphere of Yedo wasn't one in desperation. Instead, it was likely some sort of intent to bargain, perhaps some offer to organize with others and some way to split the loot. Because that was the attitude the invaders had come in with, and why they were ultimately so disorganized. They hadn't thought they'd needed to be, outside of some initial rules. If they felt safe in their cities, why would they join forces?

Anton wished he could stay awake continuously, and he did so for the first several days before Kseniya had arrived. Now they alternated much shorter shifts, ready to shoot anything that left the city. Even if it came from the far side it was hardly much further away by their standards. Even beneath the city was being watched- though more as a coincidence as further tunnels were being dug with the intent of possibly collapsing them and the city above. The depth they had to be at meant that was a great deal of work. But at least there were constantly people monitoring the area, just in case.

Arrows faded into the come of protection over the city, causing minimal damage but at least keeping the guards on the walls twitchy. That was something at least. Anton couldn't help but think about how they either too much or too little time to wait. Not enough time to act, but the sooner the invaders could be gone the sooner they could get to healing the world from the damage it had suffered.

Chapter 376

A depressing atmosphere settled over the city of Yedo, the result of an air of authority that was decidedly not happy with how things were going. For a short time after making an advancement in cultivation Fajra had been in a good mood, but upon realizing how restricted she was due to the limits of being in a lower realm, she had lost her brief spout of positivity.

It had been far too difficult to gather the resources necessary for her advancement, resistance from every angle as morons with the tiniest progress in cultivation had resisted her. Her personal participation had been necessary far too often, and though the final count of resources was quite abundant some of them had been tainted. Some berries were quite abundant in lower energy but had the nasty side effects of draining upper energy. She was lucky to have noticed before consuming them. Those responsible for bringing her the tainted goods were punished, of course.

Things had taken so long to settle that by the time they had been ready to branch out to snatch whatever leftovers were missed, it seemed that the locals were… winning? Fajra understood that something was wrong this time, especially the way everyone seemed to know how to disrupt their energy, but even so the results of everyone else was disgraceful.

How were people so prepared? It must have been some fault of the previous iteration, failing to properly confuse the records. That was what had been thought until some interrogations had finished with the consensus being that the issue was… Everheart.

Fajra killed the one who brought her that information. They should have known better than to say that name. It was a ridiculous notion. Everheart couldn't have possibly come to this world. The man wasn't even a full cycle old.

Yet the answer remained consistent… and more importantly those who really knew what they were talking about had the same sort of reaction as any reasonable person. Everheart. Ugh. What could be said about him? Far too much, really.

The Radiant Beauty Sect in particular had some encounters with him when he was new. Not only had he run off with one of their genius disciples but he sold them an entire warehouse full of tainted lightstone, worse than low grade somehow disguised as high grade. Probably through some formation or other.

Just thinking about him required Fajra to vacate her room for a week while repairs were made and furniture was reacquired. Somehow he continued to cause trouble even when he wasn't around.

And further reports agreed. Everheart, Everheart, Everheart. It seemed this was the lower world he'd actually come from. If they'd known that before they would have approached things much differently. The arrangements allowed them to take what they wanted, and required them to suppress any sects that had gotten too effective, but if they had known… things would have been treated much more seriously.

What were those fools in the Exalted Archipelago doing? Shouldn't they have reported that? Perhaps they had, and the Exalted Quadrant had simply remained silent. How frustrating. They were prominent enough that it would be difficult to do anything about it, and there was the issue that if the rest of the world was to be eradicated they would have sole control over an entire lower world. Their reach was already spread too far, it couldn't be allowed.

But Everheart. Damn that man. Here he was still causing trouble after he'd been dead for a century. The amount of damage he'd caused in the upper realms was simply infuriating for the short time he'd survived. It wasn't enough to kill him, but everything he cared about had to be destroyed as well.

Yet… she couldn't. Fajra was well aware of the difficulties of being in this lower world. This was why Augmentation cultivators would never come to such a place. If Fajra had competent armies that actually took advantage of the openings she made for them it would be one thing, but the disorganized mess she had under her control simply couldn't handle it. They couldn't even get a message out of the city, and she had been loathe to send one since it would involve promises to others.

Ah well. While she would like the merits that would have come with annihilating any remnants of Everheart's presence, she had already gained sufficient benefits. The others could fight over the remaining scraps, but she would simply wait until it was time to return to the upper realms. She couldn't be blamed for the failures of others, and her position would be elevated. Besides, there were a few people she would be quite happy to never hear from again.

The Island Tenders were never meant to attempt to direct Paradise, but simply maintain the island sized turtle's back as a viable resting stop for those who happened to pass by. They had fulfilled those duties and were rewarded with a very comfortable place to cultivate, though it was a tradeoff between a great source of natural energy and the resources that might have been gathered by interacting with other areas.

That had been enough, but Erin had talked with the others and if there was any chance of assisting with the war, they wanted to do it. Paradise hadn't gone back to his normal patterns, either. He was hovering along the eastern coastline of Facraona, swimming back and forth. The real problem was that he wouldn't just go north around the coast.

There were several possible reasons proposed. First was that the area could be the territory of some other creature. Previously that would have been completely absurd, and it had to be admitted that it still seemed rather implausible given how happy Paradise was to chomp on a kraken. Plus, ships passed along the northern side of the continent all the time and had never run into any issues. Not with anything on the scale that could harm Paradise, at least.

The second option was that perhaps Paradise didn't know how to get to his targets. It was quite certain he could feel ascension energy, given how he had expertly targeted some of the invaders. The devastation he had caused in the surroundings was unfortunate, but it would still be useful. With the invaders being more or less directly west, swimming in an area that he could seek passage in that direction made sense. Except he swung much further to the south, so that didn't quite fit. It wasn't as if his normal travel path was matched with the centerline of the continent.

Then there was the easy answer. It was too cold. At first Erin thought it was silly, perhaps the most powerful creature in the world being afraid of a little bit of cold water… but it made more sense upon further consideration. Paradise seemed to make use of the natural energy from the ecosystem on his shell, and even if he could withstand colder temperatures, that might not be the same case for the plants.

To test that theory the Island Tenders had sent messages asking for help from fire cultivators, but the response had been quite underwhelming. After all, they were currently occupied with important battles. Who had time to spare heating up a turtle? A few people wouldn't be enough either, and if nothing happened in the end it would be a complete waste of manpower. It was likely that some people were cautious about coming for other reasons. It would require making a very large amount of heat right around Paradise. Would the turtle see it as an attack? Even if everything worked and he made his way towards Estary… would his presence help? They might just end up with more craters, unusable land. The deaths of the invaders would be a benefit, but the costs might actually be higher. Especially now, with them contained.

Erin considered the situation and wondered if she might eventually be able to do something about it. She certainly wasn't a fire cultivator, but did it require fire? Maybe just heat, though the only hot thing she had to be familiar with was the summer sun. Not exactly an extreme example to derive special techniques from. And of course the war would be over long before anything happened, even if she was a genius with a higher cultivation. But it was a shame to see Paradise patrolling back and forth so desperately without being able to do anything.

It was strange that there was such a small window of time for people to come to the world or leave, especially when the time between such points was so long. However, that was what the invaders believed so even if it wasn't correct they would act like it. Anton couldn't honestly say he would understand more about celestial cycles than them, because he had been studying cultivation and the workings of the world and the stars for less than half a century. Many things had been mysterious even to Vandale who had studied the celestial bodies for multiple centuries.

Those circumstances laid upon Anton a strange sense of urgency, but no way to overcome it. He still believed that he was best serving the course of the war by monitoring Yedo and preventing anything from leaving. There was something meditative about the process, and Anton imagined the shots he had taken all from one particular spot and how they blossomed across the sky like a work of art.

A deadly one, but many of the most beautiful things in nature were deadly. Bright colors often signified poison. Volcanoes and lightning had their own beauty in their destructiveness. And stars… they were just burning balls of fire so hot that the sun made the planet warm from an unfathomable distance away. Yet as stars went, it was practically touching the world compared to everything else.

Did that have something to do with it? The actual distance between the stars, would it somehow become short enough to travel between at a certain point? No, that made little sense. Anton had seen and studied the orbits of the planets in their system, had records of how long their individual rotations took, their cycles. When compared to the distance to the next star, a change in distance over mere centuries would simply be insignificant. And traveling between the stars at any speed would take lifetimes, even for the most powerful cultivators. There had to be some special phenomena involved, something he would like to study. Perhaps he could figure out what it was as the invaders left, see what could bring them away. Then he could better prepare the world for the next time. It was unfortunate that he wouldn't be personally present for it, but even the most optimal projection for a cultivator's life span was around four centuries. Having started late, Anton thought he'd be lucky to reach two or three. And with the time between cycles being potentially five or six centuries- if it was consistent- there was no way to stretch that out. At least the others might be able to influence the world after they ascended and change things from the upper realms… somehow.

Anton squinted, his eyes locking on a tiny speck of energy. If it was simply natural energy he might not have noticed it, but he was quite sensitive to ascension energy. The tiny bubble floated out of the city, and he formed an arrow upon his bow, launching it and himself forward. Closer, closer, and he struck- annihilating whatever went along with that piece of energy. Perhaps keeping his ability to sense it hidden would have been best, but if that had been the message itself and it got away then he would have failed.

There were more. Perhaps intended to be hidden by his interaction with the other, additional motes of energy floated away from the city. It appeared to be one specific cultivator from the energy signatures, and he personally eradicated them all. Except for one, which he captured by adjusting his arrow at the last moment, grabbing onto the energy. He brought it back, containing it and sustaining it. When it was Kseniya's shift, he would make sure she was as familiar with the energy as possible. As the armies continued their advancements freeing cities, it would be a shame if any of them actually coordinated with Yedo. While they couldn't help but drive other cultivators together, Yedo was watched with enough forces to prevent any of the other cities from approaching… without prior coordination, at least.

Chapter 377

"I found it!" Catarina exclaimed, well within the distance that made it plausible that she could be talking to Anton. Then again, it could also have been nearly anyone among the forces surrounding Yedo.

When he caught her eye and she began to approach, Anton assumed she probably intended to address him. "Congratulations. Where?"

"On the moon!" Catarina gestured to the sky.

That raised further questions, and made Anton think perhaps they were not talking about what he thought. "So you found… what, exactly? I thought you were looking for a solution to… this," Anton glared towards Yedo. "Unless you somehow returned there without me knowing?" There had been some plans to re-establish the teleportation formations to the moon, but that project was unlikely to have been completed in the middle of the invasion with how much was left.

"The answer! See, it's all about the flow of the world. We were working on that back in the mountains, it just wasn't quite right. And I just realized what we were missing." Catarina took a deep breath. "Can you feel it?"

"There are a great number of things I can feel," Anton said. "You'd have to narrow it down significantly."

"The flow. On the moon, Everheart had formations for a lot of things. Right at the end he had tons of them relating to the flow of energy."

"You mean with those trials? Or whatever they were…" Anton shook his head. "The questions about ascension?"

"They were more than just questions. I didn't make it all the way to the end because I was inspecting everything, but I have been working with people who did. There was one set strongly attuned to the flow of ascension energy and we thought we knew what it was for. It was kind of like what was at the Chain Harmony Sect." Anton just waited for her to continue her explanation. "Anyway, it barely worked in the Cragtooth mountains because we had the wrong idea. Now we could make it work better how we planned, but it's kind of intense, energy-wise. But with what I found I have a solution!"

"I hope you've discussed this with the other formation masters," Anton said.

"They know," she said. "Speaking of which, we should get started."

"Great. Just one question. Is this one of those things where you don't want to say what it does because it might not work or…?"

"Oh, I forgot. It'll help kick these guys out faster."

"That's probably good," Anton nodded.

"Yeah. We have to get started though. Bye!"

Something was up at the fifty kilometer mark outside of Yedo. Fajra could sense it, though it was well outside of traditional vision. Some of this world's strongest cultivators were involved, those in Life Transformation, so the activities were notable. It was outside of the feasible attack range for most cultivators, and even Fajra herself would only be able to marginally affect things there on a wide scale.

Those cultivators who had the ability were called upon to make attacks from the safety of the walls. It didn't matter what it was, any sort of formation made by the enemy was not allowed to be completed. Unfortunately the formation masters themselves were defended by the strongest members of the enemy army, and resisting attacks that were strained to their limits was something they could keep up longer than those from the upper realms.

Soon enough, attacks on the cultivators were given up- though they didn't leave any completed sections as they were. It was unfortunately the case that the materials used in constructing the formation were quite durable and resistant to attacks with ascension energy. More concerningly, even without being complete something about the formation seemed to deflect their attacks.

Given the limited numbers of cultivators suited for such a situation, they realized their efforts would not be sufficient. Perhaps they should move out in force to destroy the work, but there were some mitigating factors.

First was that it could simply be a trick. Simple formations that looked to be part of something larger and more important precisely to draw them out. Nobody wanted to lead such an effort, and outside of their own defenses the battle would be far too… fair. Was the risk worthwhile? The second factor indicated it was not.

The distance required to make even a simple ring was several hundred kilometers of work. At the rate that was being done, they would not accomplish their work before the point at which the tides would change. That meant unless progress accelerated, they could simply leave before anything was finished. Upon advice from the formation masters among them, they waited and watched.

Sending someone out stealthily didn't work either. There was always someone watching, and not just watching but annoyingly able to target anything within the entire area. Two snipers, clearly making use of the same techniques. They were key targets to take out if the opportunity arose, but they never got far from the majority of the army. They simply continued to rain arrows down on them day and night without a moment of peace. It was so annoying, as she had to lower her own sensing ability to get any rest, or be constantly woken up by pins pricking in her mind.

At least it wouldn't be a problem to maintain the formation. They had plenty of energy to spare for that. At the current rate of damage nobody would even die. Not that it would ultimately make a difference. There was only one possible result for those who resisted people from the upper realms, and this city had been quite a pain to conquer. The rest of those involved… well, perhaps they wouldn't immediately have retribution visited upon them, but things weren't going to go well for them either. Not if Fajra had anything to say about it, and she would. Along with everyone who lost their disciples.

Days passed, turning into weeks. The formation was perhaps a quarter done, sections of it randomly splayed out around the city at great distance. It was nowhere near complete, and it was nearly time. Soon they would be ready to return. The plans to dismantle the city were already in place, but it needed to remain as it was until the time came.

And then it happened early, and all at once. Fajra was the most sensitive to the tides as the strongest among them, and had been responsible for protecting a large group as they descended. All it really required was following the flow of the tides, and while the reverse was somewhat more energy intensive most of the effort wouldn't be on her own part. So when she found her feet lifted off the floor, Fajra was surprised.

No, it couldn't be. It was too early. This wasn't the start of the flow, but the final tide. Yet she couldn't deny it either. Fajra might have been able to remain in place if she was willing to let her upper energy be ripped from her body, but there was no way that was happening. Thus, she crashed into the roof and then through it. Around her she saw the effects had come into place on the strongest first, such as the Integration cultivators.

She wasn't sure quite what was going on, but Fajra was not happy. She gathered a burst of upper energy to at least destroy something on her way out, but as she thrust it towards the ground it merely rebounded towards her, shoving her further away. Results like that weren't something she was willing to test further, and then there was the issue of the others. She was being pulled ahead, and while Fajra would most certainly be fine many would not be able to breathe if they were separated from her. She wasn't responsible for all of the fools who died elsewhere, but she at least had to care for the disciples of the Radiant Beauty Sect.

She stretched out her energy, wrapping it around them. Most of those present were smart enough to go outside to look at what was going on, and though her energy couldn't quite reach them they stretched out towards her and attached themselves. She pulled them closer, and they began to move into the sky.

The shifting of the flow of the world had indeed been happening gradually for a while, but when it finally flipped Anton felt the force of that change. The ascension energy in the area suddenly and violently was forced upwards away from the world, and Anton could tell it wasn't welcome. He could sense whatever connection he had to it was cut off for the moment, as the current turmoil disrupted even his irregular connection to that source of energy.

When he saw people flying up into the air he almost didn't even think to shoot them. But as they pulled away from the defensive formations of Yedo, he started to shoot. Even if they were intentionally expelling these people from the world, he could try to take some of them out. With all of those present surrounded by bubbles of energy from the Ascension cultivators, Anton focused on disrupting the energy as much as possible. He'd done the same with the one who had tried to fly and knocked him out of the air, but unfortunately this time the results weren't as good. His attacks battered against superior quantities of energy, and even if he disrupted them momentarily it wasn't enough to pierce attacks through to those inside.

A few moments later Kseniya followed up with the same, having woken up at the feeling of significant changes. There had been no real warning of the timing of this event, and the formation masters were also scrabbling to augment the formation with temporary flags.

The formation masters weren't actually working against Anton, but as the mass of people accelerated further into the sky he wished they'd left things so he could take several more shots. He was fortunate, however, to snag a few stragglers. For whatever reason they were not in the air at the same time as the others, and some broke out of the formation before being protected.

The invaders were being thrust away into the sky faster and faster, rising kilometers in a short time. At tens of kilometers they were still something he could target, and Anton found a peculiar phenomenon that the higher his arrows went the better they traveled, up to a point.

Directly fighting against gravity was one difficulty, while another was simply distance from himself. As he flew along with his arrows he felt the air thinning, no longer getting in his way- but additional sources of energy disrupted his attacks- along with the massive flow of ascension energy that was going into the sky.

Then the invaders were out of range, more than a hundred kilometers in the sky and riding the flow of the world's energy. A few minutes later and he couldn't feel any individuals, then he lost track of individual groups as a similar phenomenon happened slightly slower in other parts of Estary. Then… they were gone. No invaders left behind, and Yedo empty.

Well, not truly empty. There were still people in there. Locals. It was hard to tell how many with the defensive formations. That was the next target then, and Anton's personal disappointment that the enemy got away would have to be dealt with later.

He began to charge up a shot, and Elder Sarka was eagerly charging forward as well. But the formation masters called for them to stop.

"You'll damage the formations! This might be our one chance to study them perfectly intact and dismantle them!" Catarina was the most vocal. "Plus, it's energy that could be used more efficiently for something else."

Sarka snorted, the huge wave of fire she had prepared being shot directly into the sky. "Fine. But don't take too long. We have to make sure there aren't more in there somewhere. I'm going to go check on the other cities just in case."

Chapter 378

It was a strange loss of tension to realize that after decades of preparation and a strange few months of intense conflict that the invasion was over. So much happened in such a short time, but had it been longer the destruction would have been incalculable. Or perhaps it would be better to say no one would have been around to calculate it.

As the formations around Yedo were torn down, there was much anticipation as to what they would find. It was well known that the invaders were not above slaughtering civilians, or anyone who provided the slightest resistance to their efforts. When the formation masters finished their initial work, they revealed details that made everyone breathe a collective sigh of relief that they had been stopped.

The formation opened, revealing the presence of the remaining civilians. Even over the course of half a day's work they remained clustered. In hiding? Anton was one of the first to rush towards them, cautious of potential additional formations- but none came into effect. What he did find once he was able to sense inside with precision were hundreds of individuals, chained together inside a building.

Even though he didn't specialize in formations, it was plainly obvious from the surroundings that they were atop a critical point of the larger defensive formation around the city. They were in surprisingly good shape. Fatigued, certainly. Many had injuries that had barely been treated. Most were exhausted. But given that they were part of a formation that likely fed on their natural energy and life force, they could have been much worse.

It was a relief that they had not simply battered their way through the defenses. If they had, it was unlikely that any of the hundred in front of Anton would still be living. After a few moments of caution Anton began to tear apart their chains- sufficient to hold Body Tempering cultivators, Spirit Building… and even some that held Essence Collection cultivators. Yet as Anton himself was free, he was able to make full use of his energy.

There was technically some value to be had in the chains. People did need to be restrained, and the workmanship was quite good… but Anton spared no thought for preserving them. Perhaps they might be re-used as scrap, but he had no intention to delay even a moment in freeing those he could. He started with the strongest, and while they certainly could have been in better shape they were able to help him begin freeing the others.

"Is it over?" an older man asked. "Are they… really gone?"

"They're gone," Anton confirmed. "And they won't be back. Not within anyone's lifetime, at least." Anton wasn't fully sure how long the cycles were, but he could fairly confidently say that. "I'm sorry we couldn't free you sooner, but…"

"How could you?" A young woman shook her head. "We all felt her. That woman… her power was so much more than even a Life Transformation cultivator like yourself. It was unimaginable."

Anton nodded slowly, "That was something we couldn't have anticipated. But still," he shook his head. "I wish we could have made them pay for what they did."

In a way, the defense against the invasion had been hugely successful. The rest of the continent had performed better than they could have hoped. The losses for the invaders were great, and overall the various sects involved had lost significantly, unable to take the resources they had snatched from various places. Except in Estary, unfortunately. And while the damage to the sects as a whole should be significant, the most prominent individual got away unscathed. It didn't sit right, but nothing did.

After the other locations had people freed everyone began to move towards their homes to try to meet up with loved ones. Some were successful, others were overcome by despair as they found their loved ones dead. Even if a family miraculously survived, homes and shops were destroyed, valuables looted. The destruction was not so great as it was suspected might have been intended, as they were forced away slightly earlier, but there was so much. Nobody knew where to start.

Without putting any thought into it, Anton began clearing out rubble along roadways. He couldn't pick through the rubble of a building and determine what people would want to salvage, but he could make paths walkable for people to handle themselves. When he came upon people with a particular difficulty, he would lend his aid- moving beams and helping to search for trinkets of emotional significance left behind.

These were found more easily with energy senses, one benefit of nearly everyone having taken up cultivation. It was unfortunate that even with their power not everyone had been able to defend themselves… but they at least had a chance. That was all that Anton could hope for.

And while the destruction was great, on a whole Yedo still stood. Perhaps in a short time trade would once again begin flowing through the city and throughout Estary. All of the damage and destruction would take great amounts of labor to recover… but even with the lives lost each individual was capable of more than the former generation. There were enough to work the fields, to repair buildings, to cover the necessities. And compared to being alive, little else mattered. Not immediately, anyway.

Soon enough everyone returned to the places they were accustomed. The Order moved back to Graotan to help there, while the remaining cultivators of Estary flocked to the cities to lend their aid. Nobody thought much about it. Thought there were a few sects or organizations that strictly focused on taking care of themselves, a good majority provided their efforts wherever they could. Even in the devastation there was a sense of unity Anton hoped would never fade away.

As for the total casualties, it might never be known precisely. However, the estimates ranged between a third and a half, depending on location. Sometimes more- individual towns and villages were wiped out, but others held strong and kept casualties to simply ten or twenty percent. Yet even those numbers would have been considered catastrophic losses in normal circumstances.

Anton looked at what he had acquired during the conflict. Having been involved in several major battles, his share of the loot was not insignificant. Yet as he looked at armors of miraculous make and weapons that would make the best cultivators in the world drool, he could only feel disgusted. What value did they hold in their current time? Weapons and armor and rare combat techniques wouldn't feed people or shelter them.

He did have a small pile of cultivation resources and medicines, but he had no intent to hold onto those. Marginally improving his own cultivation was of little interest to him, and people had need of them. Especially those who had survived with grievous injuries. There were many people with lost limbs or deep scars that would making living a normal life nearly intolerable. Restoring limbs was not an easy task, so Anton couldn't provide much help in that area, but helping people recover from other injuries was still possible. And he had a few medicines that he was pretty sure could help someone recover a lost limb. That wasn't an impossibility in the cultivation world, after all, though usually it took years or decades of focus along with resources and a little luck.

That was what the world needed right now. To heal from its injuries. And though things were at the lowest point that they might have ever been… if all of the most powerful cultivators devoted themselves to helping the recovery efforts, the scars to the world might begin to recover in just a generation or two. It certainly wouldn't be easy, but Anton was going to do it… and of course he would use his influence to make everyone else he knew contribute as well. Not that anyone needed much persuading.

"What's this?" Anton asked, holding up a metal tube.

"A forearm," Grant said. "Or it will be."

Anton looked around the smith's workspace, seeing nothing in the way of weapons but instead a vast quantity of tools… as well as hands and feet. Crafted, of course. "Prosthetics, is it? That can certainly help."

"They're not just prosthetics. They're replacements," Grant commented. "In theory. Right now most are just solid material, but this," Grant held up something akin to a gauntlet with moving joints, "This can function much like a normal hand would. Only for cultivators, of course. But basic functionality will be enough, and having a medium to focus your energy on is far superior to freely controlling energy. Even someone in early Body Tempering should be able to handle it if I make it light enough."

"They won't be able to afford it though," Anton pointed out.

"So what? There are nearly unlimited shattered blades scattered about the continent, materials that can be used for anything. I don't need to do much more than keep a roof over my head and buy fuel."

"That's a good man," Anton grinned. "If you find anyone who's trying to profit from this situation, make sure to bop them over the head for me and tell them that the goodwill of the people will be worth more in the future. Well, profit excessively. People have to be allowed to make a way for themselves." Anton sighed, "All I'm good for is sowing fields, and frankly I can only handle so many per day before we run out of seeds."

Of course, Anton didn't just farm. He would lend his strength to anything that needed it, but knowing he couldn't always be around his preferred method was to teach people to grow their own strength. That was his way of cultivation, and it was even more necessary now than it had been before. It was unfortunate that the quality of natural energy that had been building up over the years had now been destabilized, but overall it was still more than when he began cultivating, making it simple enough for people to get started. And he had decades of experience to help along those who didn't intuitively grasp what they needed to do.

It was unfortunate that improving and building up wealth would lead people to want to take it, but Anton didn't believe that living in poverty to protect oneself from loss was a better way of life. Everyone should at least have the opportunity to thrive however they saw fit, if it didn't harm others. And he still firmly believed that working together for happiness would result in greater benefits to each individual than striving alone. It was just a long, difficult road with many bumps along the way.

Back in Ofrurg, which was more conveniently located for gathering people from around the continent, a combination of fire and ice surrounded a large chamber where elders from all over were meeting- including from Aicenith. The Frostmirror Sect had intended to depart from their occupation of the Glorious Flame Palace, and still declared that intent… but the only thing they had to look forward to back at their previous location was devastation.

"We need to prepare the groundwork for next time," Elder Sarka declared.

Elder Lestari from Marvelous Rabbit Mountain frowned. "It seems rather early for that, with unknown centuries before the next one."

"Of course it is impossible to do anything specific," Elder Adelina commented, "But the most basic form of preparation is the one they never wanted us to have. In the previous iteration, much was done so that the memory of the invasion would not persist. That cannot be allowed. We must remember, and now is the time. It seems unfathomable that we would forget something of this magnitude, but humanity is fickle. We might remember for one generation, or two. Perhaps a century. Those from the latest generation who grow up to become Life Transformation experts might live for several centuries… but that could be simply half the time until the next 'cycle'. No, we must take active steps to ensure that the world cannot forget."

Elder Lestari nodded, "I understand. And I think… the whole world has benefited from the unity we have now. Though it is unlikely we will remain in an age of peace forever, this is perhaps the best opportunity to at least attempt to prolong it. And some sort of celebration is in order. If the whole world could unite behind a single event, a festival… it might last longer."

"That is correct," Elder Vasu of the Million Sword Vault agreed. "I do believe it would be best for all, a time of memory and unity. Though I unfortunately have to point out that not the whole world stood together."

A frown. "Right. The Exalted Archipelago. But though they are not our friends… some of them did share techniques and knowledge that ultimately helped lead to our successes."

"And remembering those who aided us, even indirectly, is a wise thing to do. Just don't forget those who look at us like hungry wolves, restraining themselves only because of some pact we are not privy to."

"You think they will break the pact?" Kseniya asked.

"I think we need to be ready for anything," Vasu shrugged. "We have learned more about the worlds beyond our own, but I still feel like we know nothing. None of those who ascended from this world returned… with the exception of a few siding with the invaders. That must be taken into account. Our enemies might outnumber our friends."

Though the subjects around it were rather dismal, the talk eventually returned to celebrations. Nobody could quite agree what sort of celebrations would be appropriate. Every region had their own traditions to start with, after all. In the end, it was agreed that perhaps it was the most appropriate to do whatever felt natural, as long as everyone remembered why they were celebrating. They were celebrating resistance. Survival. Unity. And they would remember what had happened, for the sake of the generations after them.

Chapter 379

With the loss of immediate threats, one might have supposed that the lack of pressure would result in cultivators taking their time with their cultivations. And perhaps they did, but only so far as they avoided using risky methods. Everyone was still eager to advance themselves, and the practical experience from battle was simply overflowing. Over the next few months and years it was more astonishing if those involved in the fighting didn't continuously step forward.

People had cultivated before the invasion, of course, and the same reasons still existed. Personal power and ability, protesting others, and the simple possibility that it could be done inspired people. Not all reasons were selfless. Some were greedy, thinking about how they might take from others as had been done before. Humanity as a whole hadn't changed just because they stood united for a short time- and even then there had been betrayers like the Eternal Sword Hall.

During the course of the war, due to the weakening of various sects or their complete destruction, the wild lands had broken free. Though the cultivators could claim dominion over their entire continents, wild beasts had always existed. Now they were more of a concern, with fewer available to take care of them. They could swell in numbers over the course of the next few years. Perhaps that would not be terrible, as it would redirect people's attention away from each other.

That was Anton's desire at least. At some point there would be more large scale conflicts- he was resigned to that. But he would do his best to make sure they were as far off as possible. Could they manage a decade? Two? A century? The latter was a bit much, but Anton hoped for at least a full generation.

Every Life Transformation elder of the Order of the Ninety-Nine Stars was gathered together. There were barely more of them than Grand Elders at the current moment. Nine Grand Elders, and fifteen Life Transformation experts. Sixteen, now, with one of the recent advancements. With those numbers, it was impossible for none of the Grand Elders to be part of Anton's inner circle. There were two of them in fact.

Catarina was an obvious choice. As the most prominent formation master in the sect, and vying for best in the world, it was only natural that she have a place. She was young by cultivator standards, still less than seventy years old, but cultivation talent was one of the most important factors to consider. Her understanding of formations was also an important factor when making sect-wide decisions.

Anton was the other. He had tried to refuse, noting that they didn't need two archers in the position of Grand Elder. When it was brought up that it was more for his role as a teacher, he couldn't refuse. Besides, someone needed to take the position and most of the others weren't ready. Hoyt would certainly take the position of Grand Elder someday, but he wasn't ready quite yet.

At some point the topic had come up of how Grand Elders might be replaced. They could always step down to allow someone else to take their place. They could be forcibly removed, though the process for that had not been needed in living memory. Finally, they could die. That had been the cause of all of the most recent changes, and was really not something that was wanted. Especially when there was technically another option. It had never happened, but was nonetheless the best option for everyone.

That was for someone to ascend. Of the various Grand Elders, Zajoc was the most likely candidate. Matousek would have been there, but had perished. Zajoc was in late Life Transformation, and might even reach the peak within half a century. It might take longer, but was unlikely to be shorter than forty years even if he were quite quick. Not that anyone was in a rush to turn over more positions among the Grand Elders, but the possibility of ascension was enticing.

So now, along with the Grand Elders, the other Life Transformation experts were working together to develop the last step of the Ninety-Nine Stars. Or rather, the hundredth star. It had been so long that they were known as the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars that nobody really thought that they should be the Order of One Hundred Stars. Even Vandale had not achieved ascension, though that was not because of lack of talent.

Unfortunately his insights into ascension had applied only to himself, and were not sufficient to create a proper path that could be followed by those following after him. But with the insights he had shared with others, the elders Matousek and Zajoc, plus actual completed cultivation techniques courtesy of the Worthy Shore Society, they were gathered to put it together.

"The problem is the hundredth star can't be the same as the others, right?" Catarina commented.

"Yes. It might be possible to ignite it the same way but…" Zajoc shook his head, "It would simply be another star, a dead end in cultivation. It would not be ascension, but merely a roadblock."

"It is not a terrible surprise that the hundredth star must be something special," Fodor commented. His cultivation did not quite match Zajoc, but he was significantly younger and had the potential to surpass the man before Zajoc reached the peak. "It could even be so simple as forming a proper connection with ascension energy and forming it that way. In fact, I would expect that to be the standard…"

"Sounds awful," Catarina commented. "Look what happens when people like that have to fight without full access to ascension energy." She traced a line across her neck, "They were strong, but not as strong as they should have been."

"There is something to be said for the differences between individual cultivators and our organization that helped with that," Fodor replied, "And in our case, it should not be a significant hindrance. I should imagine none of us will be involved with invading other 'lower realms', will we?"

Grand Elder Kseniya cleared her throat. "Perhaps not. But we do not fully understand the situation there. It is unlikely that our world is the only one subject to invasions, and some of us may wish to return here to help defend during the next cycle. Reaching the optimum effectiveness there would be something to consider."

"A fair point," Fodor admitted. "Yet it is still the most achievable. The 'Integration' stage does seem to be referring to integrating upper energy into oneself. It does not appear to be a faulty path, either, though it would have its faults. I imagine any other method would have different ones."

Zajoc pondered for a few moments before his next input. "I think it would be proper to have notes about our doubts in that area, until we manage some method to both have people ascend and communicate back with us somehow. Perhaps that simply involves waiting for the next cycle, but practical experience will be necessary. It might then become a problem for future generations, but we should at least make our thoughts as clear as possible. That method would be the standard, and I have to admit it's likely the method I will attempt when it is time."

"It is unfortunate there aren't any notes from post-ascension," Anton said. "But I suppose if those exist, they will be jealously guarded. The Worthy Shore Society was already quite generous to share what they did with no real benefit to themselves."

"They must want something," Hoyt said. "Even if us being stronger was part of their goal, that can't be the end of it."

"Perhaps," Zajoc shrugged, "But it does seem that the Exalted Archipelago and those who invaded us aren't exactly friends, either. And we have found no flaws in the techniques as a whole- nothing that appears malicious, at least. Everything has some flaws. Yet I agree with the sentiment. We should consider what they wanted… and whether they have it yet."

The discussion continued, as well as more detailed analysis of various techniques and how one might go about forming the hundredth star. If it was to be formed of ascension energy, it would have to be accessed- and not through the methods of Fleeting Youth.

The world almost returned to a routine, functioning as it had for many years. But things weren't exactly the same. Many positions were empty, and vacant lots littered many of the largest cities. It was a bittersweet feeling, survival at a great cost, but the celebrations of victory year after year reminded people of how things could have been.

It was difficult, remembering everything that had been lost. Yet the focus was not on that, or even how things could have been. It was about everyone left, and the refusal to admit defeat. The time for memory was there, and great memorials were erected in the honor of the fallen. Some places also promoted heroes, the greatest warriors who helped defeat the invaders. Anton didn't discourage such displays, but he did his best to remind everyone that it couldn't have been done without the common folk, the city militias and everyday people who joined in the fight.

The times of memories didn't just focus on the war. It became a time to remember anyone who had been lost, at least for many. Anton remembered Vandale, dying in an attack on the Order. That memory was ultimately a good one, as the man saved many others with his efforts. There were others, ranging from the strongest cultivators Anton had known who died in various wars all the way down to the people of Dungannon, who had not a single cultivator among them and had no real power to defend themselves. The ache of their deaths had faded but would never completely go away- yet Anton used it to remind himself of why he was doing what he did.

He continued to promote cultivation in everyone. Not just that, but the ideas of the common folk fighting and standing up for themselves. That it was possible with a little power to gather together against those with great power. It was difficult still, but he hoped it gave people a choice. And if it made great cultivation sects and clans think more carefully about how they acted, all the better.

With the prompting thoughts of the gathering of the elders to complete the One Hundred Stars, Anton thought about his own cultivation. Over the past few years it had been advancing as expected, a few years per star. He didn't know what he might need power for. Yet he couldn't imagine in his lifetime there wouldn't be something. Even if it was to care for his grandchildren… many generations deep- to the latest generation from Annelie and Anish. Wolter, Lucas, Gudrun… it seemed like so many, but in fact they only had a child every few years and were rather conservative with it even after the war.

Even if he didn't ever have to fight again- something he could wish for but never truly believe- Anton's cultivation would not remain stagnant. He helped others grow, and in turn it was the same with himself. There were always things that cultivation could do to improve any profession or craft, and Anton wanted to make sure that thought was never forgotten. He didn't want people to slip back into complacency, though he couldn't really influence the whole of two continents himself. But he could influence some individuals, and they would in turn spread his ideas to some extent.

As his cultivation surpassed seventy stars, Anton had to consider that he would potentially reach the peak of Life Transformation. That was still decades away, and he still had to surpass the hurdle of the 77th star, the eight prime tempering. Twenty-three more from there and the sum of the first nine primes would end at one hundred. A long time away, yet he was in Life Transformation. If he failed to attempt contemplating reaching the next stage until he reached the end, he would certainly never accomplish it.

Ascension was impossible of course. Anton understood that, but he was in the process of confirming it. There was some chance that Everheart was wrong, and that all of his intuition was swayed by his trust in the man… but as much as Everheart wasn't someone he would trust in the traditional sense, nobody ever held onto the idea that he didn't know what he was doing with techniques, no matter how much they disliked them or how forbidden they were for various reasons… they still worked.

Yet talking with the projection, there had been one comment. He couldn't achieve ascension, but maybe he could do something better? That stuck with him, because as much as he was content at the moment- and had accepted he could die of old age in time- he wouldn't mind having more time to do something. Especially if it became necessary. So searching before it was too late seemed to be the right option. For the moment Anton only had vague ideas, but he had decades to figure something out. Or not.

Chapter 380

Atop the peak where the Order made its home, Anton felt secure enough to devote his attention and energy fully to a single task. It was something he had done before, but he now had a different purpose. Each meter he raised himself up with his own energy was one that he was closer to the worlds beyond, though in truth that portion didn't go as far as he wanted. Even with a majority of his energy brought to bear creating a pillar beneath him, he was only able to raise himself a few kilometers into the sky.

It wasn't flight, and extremely unpractical in battle for many reasons. Anyone could simple break the energy beneath him and cause him to drop down, though ultimately a fall from any height would not be something Anton was afraid of. It was also slow, and as Anton was focusing on increasing the distance as far as possible he took even longer.

A portion of his energy was still reserved for something else, and even though it was lesser it was much more important. It was only a thin strand of energy perhaps a tenth of his total instead of half, but that was far more than he would normally use for sensing. He wanted to extend himself to his absolutely limits away from the world.

The atmosphere was already somewhat thin around Anton atop the peak. Raising himself higher made some difference, but the majority of the distance was overcome by the tendril of energy, making his pillar almost pointless. It brought him at most a few percent further than he could have felt.

Beyond the highest mountains, air rapidly thinned around the world. The dominant effect became the power of the sun, beating down on the world below. Yet beyond that was what Anton was seeking. The flow of the worlds beyond had some connection to their world even now, and he had some sense of ascension energy beyond the world.

His senses could extend a hundred kilometers within the atmosphere, more or less. He could stretch further and be less precise. Without the air in the way it seemed like it would be easier, but he actually found that the direct power of the sun was more disruptive. But he held his energy stable through that disruption, reaching further. Ascension energy didn't gather closer to the planet, but it also wasn't terrible far.

He began to sense it only the tiniest fraction of the way to the next celestial body, though if it had been any further perhaps he might not have been able to reach it. When he touched it, he expected the free energy to ignore him like everything before. Instead, it attacked as if it had a mind of its own.

The energy tore along the tendril he had extended from himself, angrily reaching for him. He naturally recoiled, but he could only withdraw his energy slightly slower than the ascension energy trailed behind, gobbling it up. While the full extension of his senses had taken quite some time, it was only an instant before the returning shock hit him.

He reflexively coated himself in defensive energy, but as he was struck by the force of the incoming energy his pillar beneath him was easily sundered, the forceful waves of energy disrupting his control. The only thing Anton could do was guide the direction of his fall… away from the observatory to a relatively bare patch of the mountain.

The earth tore apart as he landed, creating a crater around him. He carefully checked over his body, grateful to find no serious wounds. His head and spine were fine, at least. Maybe a few breaks in other places.

"Fuzz, halt!" an order came from nearby right before a giant wolf might have leapt onto him. Alva was the one chasing after him, and at her command he came to a screeching stop. He did take a single step forward and lick Anton's face, but at least he didn't step on him. "What happened grandpa? Is it an attack?" Alva ran up, and it seemed that others had taken notice as well.

"No, I'm fine." He stood up carefully, brushing himself off. "I was testing something. The results were somewhat different than anticipated."

Anton had expected the free ascension energy to be difficult to control. That was a given. What he hadn't expected was hostility. Yet it was all too easy to figure out the source. Something about Fleeting Youth had marked him. Just to be certain, he called upon a small mote of ascension energy away from his body, feeling how it was different. He had never been entirely clear on the source as it didn't really seem to come from anywhere, yet it also had to. If he had to explain it, it would be reaching inside himself to draw it forth.

In fact, something about the technique said something along those lines. It simply wasn't this self. Instead, it was one that might have existed. And something about the free ascension energy was not having it. That might not be the only obstacle to ascension, but it was one that he was now much clearer on. Perhaps if he could see how it reacted to others he could confirm it, but on some level he knew. Not that he had doubted Everheart. The man was a genius, able to create techniques that were nearly flawless without even practicing it himself.

Not actually flawless, but certainly quite impressive. And the practical advice for training Fleeting Youth had been basically nonexistent, obviously. The side effects had been well predicted, though, and Anton really hadn't expected anything else. Everheart was big on consequences and sacrifice, which were one of the central cores of what made techniques forbidden.

Anton spent some time calming down others. He wasn't going to try this particular stunt again. He wondered if being up in the air had helped or hurt, since having some time to decelerate was good, but in the end it hardly mattered.

He might have accepted his eventual death, but he wasn't suicidal. He wouldn't try to touch the free floating ascension energy again without a very good reason. Yet there was something else nagging at the back of his mind. Some insight he hadn't quite grasped. He didn't want to repeat the process, as he had no way to guarantee it would maintain a survivable level of violence. Still, he couldn't shake the thought. Maybe over the following years he would be able to understand it somehow.

Years crept by. Stability throughout the continent- and between the two- was not guaranteed. Individual sects still had grudges and rivals, despite having shared a common enemy for a time. Yet most people were focused inward, on rebuilding and growing. Squabbles over resources were inevitable, but as long as it was mainly posturing and not armed conflict things were well enough.

It was the vested interest of many to keep things stable, as outside conflicts might involve them if they grew too much. Mediators were able to work between the various groups to keep things relatively peaceful. For the time of a decade things were relatively peaceful. Then two, as children who had grown up without war became adults.

Yet the signs still remained. Barren pieces of earth. Sects that had once stood tall and proud wiped from the earth. Fewer than there could have been, but the damage remained. Those who had been working to restore the world began to reap the rewards of their efforts- improved natural energy in the bounds of their territory. Some were loathe to share it, once more creating formations to localize it to a single area. Others grew jealous of the prosperity of their neighbors. Yet peace was maintained on a whole.

Then a single ship made its way towards the western shores of Ambati. The style was unfamiliar to most, grand in design yet eminently practical. The speed at which it approached was a matter of concern, however, as well as the power of the cultivators on it.

Life Transformation. No longer so large a concern as they might have once been, but a coalition of five such cultivators represented a power similar to some of the higher ranking clans. Not those at the top, but it was unlikely that this was the full force they could bring to bear.

The protectors of the harbor gathered together, scrounging up two Life Transformation experts while sending messages to request backup. The ship did not slow as it approached, nor did it try to deviate from its trajectory. It only slowed at the last moment so that it did not collide with the docks, though all five of the Life Transformation experts leapt off before it came to a stop.

The forces arranged around the harbor took a defensive stance, the woman and a man who were only prepared to match a small force standing in front. Warnings should have come from the other harbors to the north or south. Was the ship so swift that they could outpace other communication or…?

"Who approaches Ambati?" the woman asked carefully. Despite the intensity of their energy, the five did not seem to be attacking, merely ready to respond.

"We come from the Exalted Archipelago," a man at the fore declared. His words were understandable, but slightly awkward in intonation. He offered no more information.

The two from Ambati exchanged glances. They had heard of this group, though indirectly. If it were really them, they were responsible for a good portion of the knowledge that had been circulating in the last handful of decades. Yet it had also been said that there were many unfriendly sects among them.

"What are your intentions?" the female commander asked. "It is our understanding that there is an agreement of some sort preventing the Exalted Archipelago from attacking the continents… and to our knowledge there has been no offense from our side."

The man at the head of the five nodded. "Good. You are sufficiently informed. Despite our looks, our trip is one of peace, though with a bit of haste. Being seen here at this time would be complicated, so we don't have long. We're only here to leave a message." The man tossed forward a rolled scroll. "We thought that perhaps someone might like to know."

"What?"

"I'm afraid that is all we can say. Perhaps even too much, despite how many open questions it leaves. I trust you will be able to disseminate this information to those who need to know?"

"... Yes. We can spread word throughout Brogora." The woman looked at the scroll, which was firmly sealed. "How do we open this.

"Don't forget that other place. What was it called again?"

"... Aicenith?"

"Yes, that one," the man nodded. By that point the ship had stopped next to the docks, though it had made a half turn to face out to sea. "You'll need a formation master to open that scroll. We'd best be off. We have other things to attend to. Good luck, I suppose." With that, they leapt back onto their ship, a wave of their combined energy forcing it to pick up speed almost instantaneously. Shouted questions after them were either unheard or ignored.

"I think…" said the commander, "That we have people to talk to." They wouldn't be far away, either. The fastest messengers could reach nearby groups within a handful of minutes, and if people took their call for help seriously they should have a response already on the way. Yet that was uncomfortably long to wait.

The scroll passed through dozens of hands in a short time, with people gathering together to try to make sense of it. Once the right group of formation masters got their hands on it it was easily opened, though there was little information to be gained. It was only a single word all by itself with no context.

Pact.

Then the scroll incinerated itself.

Chapter 381

It only took the most meager amount of insight to guess what the message meant. The group from the Exalted Archipelago showed up, and a single word said everything necessary. There were some possible interpretations that could be made, but the basic idea was simple. The pact was up in flames. Perhaps that part of it was not literal, and it simply meant the pact was gone or retracted. The difference would be the stability of the region, but the general importance was the same.

Messengers had already been sent throughout the continent- and through the teleportation platforms to Aicenith. There would be much discussion in the future, but for the moment the Order was meeting alone.

"This possibility had been considered previously," Grand Elder Matousek said morosely. "We simply didn't have the information to know how it might happen."

"It was not a quick process, I think," Kseniya noted. "The invasion was decades ago, yet the message was delivered with haste. That seems to be another relevant part of the message. Along with the… secrecy."

"It hardly seems secret to show up with a great ship and mighty force and tell everyone to spread the word," Fodor pointed out.

Matousek grinned, "Perhaps not, but it is not us they were keeping the secret from, was it? Besides, by their standards… maybe that was the bare minimum to make up a squad. Either way, the fact that they did not reveal anything but being from the Exalted Archipelago shines some light. We have determined that they were likely from the Worthy Shore Society, with whom we had previous fruitful interactions. The word must eventually get out but… perhaps they simply required plausible deniability." Matousek looked to Anton and Catarina, "You were among those who visited. What can you say of the Worthy Shore Society, or the Exalted Archipelago as a whole? It has been some time since I delved into the specific reports."

"They were strong," Anton noted. "At the time we estimated they had somewhere between twenty-five hundred and three thousand of them. Not terribly great in number, but with at least twenty Life Transformation cultivators their ratios of higher ranking cultivators were much better than ours. Which is understandable, given the knowledge they had access to."

"And that was almost forty years ago," Matousek frowned, "With time to grow and no catastrophe, they could have twice those numbers easily. Maybe triple."

Catarina shook her head, "I wouldn't be sure about that. The Exalted Archipelago certainly had some impressive knowledge and resources, but… they have been in a stable state, presumably for at least a cycle. I would estimate their growth is less than what we have here. The problem is how many sects were a match for them. We were wise to ask for information on the makeup of the Exalted Archipelago long ago. Though we can't expect it to be totally accurate, we can actually make some reasonable predictions." Catarina thought for a few moments. "Presuming they were stagnant would be foolish, but they should not have undergone the rapid growth we have here on the continents. After the invasion we have more than recovered, and even raised most of a new generation of Life Transformation cultivators. As for whether we match them… it is unclear. But we would have no trouble destroying the invaders if they came again with the same armies."

"That seems a bit overconfident," Kseniya said, "Though it is true our numbers have more than doubled since then. Many have flocked to the Order and other sects as they find themselves limited in their everyday life."

"I truly doubt the initial attack would get through our defenses now," Catarina explained. "And of course, we have the practical experience. As for fighting others from our world, unfortunately our advantage is greatly diminished. The Exalted Archipelago made use of natural energy still. We also lack the advantage of preparations on a continental scale."

Anton sighed, "People might be reluctant to fight together. Though we've been doing our best to keep people friendly. Ambati will be the first target… or perhaps somewhere on the east of Aicenith. They could easily target either."

"Who knows how long we have to prepare…" Matousek frowned. "Our plans for this were merely theoretical, since we hoped the pact would continue. The invasion was over twenty years ago, but I can think of no other possible cause. Perhaps we were… too successful."

"It could be," Anton admitted. "And twenty years might seem long, but one would imagine the politics of ascended individuals could be… frustratingly glacial. I already feel the years slipping away like sand and I am not even a hundred and seventy yet. They might have lived twice as long… or more, who could say?"

"There's another factor to consider," Catarina pointed out. "Communication. How did they receive word from the… 'upper realms' that the pact was annulled? Sending a message might be easier than entering and leaving, but they could have had to wait for the right moment."

"Perhaps a combination of both, then," Matousek shrugged. "On the topic of messages, there have been some recent developments in that field, have there not?"

Catarina nodded. "During the invasion it was extremely inconvenient to have communications be limited. The most recent iteration is the best."

Zajoc furrowed his brow, "If I recall correctly, it involved teleporting pieces of paper?"

"That was the early stuff," Catarina commented, "Terribly inefficient. It could only go from one specific location to one other. Well, we still have some in place but we have something better." Catarina pulled out a message plate, about the size of her hand with outspread fingers. Each letter of the alphabet was inscribed on it. "These still have limitations, as they are paired to another sending stone, but…" she pulled out another one. As she tapped her fingers the letters lit up on both simultaneously, "Instant communication, over any distance. It requires someone to be paying attention, of course, so we generally start with some sort of alert." Catarina just dragged her palm back and forth across the whole surface, lighting up everything as she did so and making easy to sense fluctuations in the natural energy around either.

"Impressive," Zajoc nodded. "How would these best be utilized? By scouts?"

"That's the main idea, yes. They could be much further out to provide enough advance warning for groups to converge on a location."

"I like it, but… what stops the enemy from taking them and distributing false information?"

"That's… an issue that has been raised before," Catarina admitted. "Unfortunately to make them significantly more secure requires significantly more rare and expensive materials to hold under the complexity of formations. If it were something easy like exploding in the hands of ascended cultivators…" Catarina shrugged, "Simple. But the best we have is tying them to specific individuals or cultivation methods, both of which have their flaws. The former, if an individual dies it's unusable without reconstructing it. But at least it's secure. The latter makes it easier to emulate what is required and fake it. We've done some testing on that."

"What about codes?" Zajoc asked. "Those have been used to keep messages secret for a long time."

"They're not perfect either, and slow things down… but we've been working on them. They're not finalized yet, and we'd have to coordinate with those outside our direct alliances to make it truly useful. But if we have a few months… maybe just one, we can reach an acceptable point."

Matousek nodded. "Good. Those can be made use of on scouting ships, at least. Even if the Exalted Archipelago has superior sailing capabilities, they probably can't eliminate an entire ship before it can send a message…" Matousek looked hard at Anton and Kseniya.

"They'd have to be even better snipers than us," Kseniya admitted. "Which would be difficult."

Anton followed up, "Even if I reached the peak of Life Transformation, a Life Transformation cultivator would still be able to react. Or a good handful of Essence Collection. And if they don't know about the messaging plates, they might simply attempt to stop more traditional methods. Visual signals, messenger animals… survivors."

With no knowledge of exactly when problems might arise, there was a scramble of activity. Yet Anton found himself without anything productive to do. His main efforts took effect over a long scale of time. He still thought they were valuable, but he couldn't just throw together messaging plates or formations or even siege weaponry like Grant could.

He'd also run into an issue with the seventy-seventh star. The last Prime Tempering before the end. He'd been stagnant in his cultivation for a handful of years, even. As roadblocks went it was one most people didn't even have the chance to get stuck against, so he couldn't really complain.

Breaking through to Life Transformation had required attuning himself to a type of energy. In a way, it was the precursor to Ascension where a cultivator did something similar with 'upper energy', but in the case of Life Transformation it involved tying tightly to a small subcategory of energy. Many attuned to elements long before, but it was narrower than even simply 'fire' for the Glorious Flame Palace. Anish focused on flames that were obedient to his will, burning what he chose and nothing else. Anton had attuned to the power of the sun, the closest and in a way most powerful star. It had elements of fire and light, but also consuming power. There was some element of risk involved in the process, though Anton had completed his breakthrough with a balance within himself.

The midpoint of Life Transformation was proving to be more difficult, not because Anton had no idea what sort of power he wanted, but how to use it. Oh, he knew he wanted to help others. He was quite glad of his role as a teacher, but his area was somehow too broad. Improving everyone's live through teaching cultivation, advancing the world… nothing was wrong with any of those. He was even being effective. But it didn't ignite the right spark to let him break through.

He'd first gone to Kseniya. She had managed to keep just ahead of him, and in fact rather smoothly transitioned past the Prime Tempering. Her focus was on being the foremost archer in the world. That was the best way she could explain it, anyway.

"You understand, of course," she had said. "Do I want others to learn archery? Absolutely. Do I want to teach them? Certainly. But I'm not really good at it, and it's not my passion. You have already rewritten every technique I've created for the Order and made them much more widely accessible. I'm not sure I could ever have done that. But I can strive to reach the peak of understanding in my particular way. Your talent is perhaps greater than mine in that area, but I doubt the same path is suited for you."

Anton agreed. But just considering the differences between them didn't change his ability to advance to the next step. One issue was that he simply didn't need more power to accomplish his goals. While each star would continue to come with improvements to his lifespan… he didn't even really care about that. It was only an indirect benefit.

The possibility of an approaching crisis certainly made him more motivated, but Anton didn't find himself any closer to finding the right path for the Prime Tempering. If he chose the wrong one he could achieve mediocre results that wouldn't really help his combat power… or if something was forced he might harm himself or die. That was a result that had happened to some impatient cultivators in his lifetime, though details were difficult to collect. Sects didn't exactly publicize failures, and instead such cultivators gradually faded from memory unless they caused a commotion at their end.

Perhaps it simply didn't matter. In a short time Anton would still be in mid Life Transformation. A breakthrough would come with a not insignificant increase in power, but would hardly influence the outcome of a war on the whole. He would fight regardless, and do his best to maintain the world he had been fighting for. He might hope that the Exalted Archipelago would be less dangerous than the invasion… but considering that they weren't cut off from information entirely like the invaders, it seemed unlikely they would underestimate the continents in the same way. And in turn, it was better for the continents not to overestimate themselves. Everyone would be needed. It might be time to call in some favors, though the majority of people who owed Anton would already be simple to convince to provide proper support for a potential war… or whatever it might be. Whatever it was, they couldn't afford to show weakness.

Chapter 382

There was a sense of panic that spread out as the looming threat of war returned. In a way it was more problematic because of the uncertainty behind it. There was no guarantee of when, where, or even if there would be a war. But there could be, and people didn't just revoke pacts preventing them from going to war unless they meant to take advantage of that fact.

Yet months had passed with no further sightings of ships from the Exalted Archipelago, and it was impossible to remain on high alert forever. For the moment there was an agreement to have ships patrolling the borders closest to the Exalted Archipelago, though it was possible that people would soon grow tired of financing an effort that didn't appear to be protecting them. Ambati would no doubt feel more secure, but as much as fleets patrolling to the west would protect the entire continent of Brogora, it wouldn't seem like that to those who didn't share the borders.

Plans were under way to attempt to scout the Exalted Archipelago, but even the 'friendly' portion where the Worthy Shore Society was might be a risk to approach. Even if others didn't spot them coming, the Worthy Shore Society would already understand what they wanted to know and had chosen not to reveal more, likely to protect themselves.

With the topic of naval combat arising, Anton had been inspired to visit Paradise. Not because he thought the giant creature would interfere with battles between locals- even if it would, he wouldn't want to risk it taking the wrong side- but because he had some free time before he was going to set out for a deployment among the sea scouts. And as he'd continued to cultivate over the decades, he began to understand how strong inspiration could be, some sort of intuition about a path forward.

The existence of teleportation formations between the continents had done nothing to reduce the number of ships traveling back and forth. After all, the expenses of the formations meant that they were only efficient in terms of time. Storage bags still had to be taken into account for how much they could transport, and thus the slower sea routes were still efficient for shipping large quantities of goods of any kind.

Trade had only been increasing as people began to understand the extent of the different resources that they could offer each other, and merchants were glad to make use of the opportunities available. As the knowledge about the other continent had been intentionally severed the cycle before, the new trade routes were barely getting started.

It was simple enough to get a ride on a ship that would be going past Paradise, with the old turtle being back on his route. Paradise was still considered lucky, so even if it took them a day or two out of their way most ships were happy to do it. It seemed that ships that took a stop at paradise had a higher chance of arriving successfully at their destination, and while those taking the southern routes didn't have the chance the northern route had a steady flow.

Given Paradise's predilection to occasionally dive under the sea, permanent structures upon his back took more work to put into place. They weren't impossible of course- plants managed to thrive upon his shell. It simply took extra work, and the Island Tenders were reluctant to add too much.

When he landed, Anton saw that the ranks of the Island Tenders had swelled significantly. Before it was just a loose group of individuals dedicated to taking care of the area, but it had developed into a proper sect, with their own techniques. Anton could sense the five central 'hills' were occupied by them, while the four on either side had room for visiting cultivators. The port was at the front, nestling atop the shell where a number of movable docks usually stood. When Paradise dove sections of them could be removed so that they would not have to deal with the lifting drag of the dive.

"Grand Elder Anton," the captain of the ship spoke as Anton departed. "Will you be continuing on with us afterwards?"

Anton shook his head. "No, I am not sure how long I will take, after which I will be heading back to Brogora."

"Good luck with your cultivation, then," the man bowed his head.

"And you as well," Anton smiled. "Make sure to keep practicing your domain control."

After taking in the people and the changes to the island, Anton focused on why he was present. At least, one of the reasons. Perhaps there was another layer he didn't understand yet, but there was something obvious to look over first.

Paradise was strong. World-alteringly strong, in fact. It was well known that humans followed different rules from beasts, but with proper cultivation humans could overcome most beasts, even those with strong bodies and the use of natural energy. Yet there were many exceptions, with the most notable examples being from the ocean which was relatively untamed. It was easier to support a large form in the sea, and natural energy took that to the extreme.

That was the part that interested Anton. Because while Paradise had power beyond the strength of a Life Transformation cultivator, he only used natural energy. A massive amount of it, but there had to be something behind that. It was already known where it came from. The ecosystem on his back provided much of it, but that couldn't be all of it. After all, Anton had stood in areas with greater concentrations of natural energy, but that didn't mean he could use all of it.

On previous trips he hadn't paid much attention to the underside of the shell. Not what was inside- the main body of the creature- as sensing the internals of a living creature was quite difficult. Instead, all the way around and underneath on the belly. It seemed to be somewhat smoother, though Anton could have blamed that on faulty recollections. He thought that might be worth exploring, though before he did anything else he should at least check in with the Island Tenders. He was planning to stay for at least a few days, and as a Grand Elder of the Order it would be rather rude to not at least acknowledge the controlling sect in the area.

He made his way directly uphill to the frontmost location. He had considered it a mere formality, but as he arrived a disciple came up to him. "Grand Elder Anton? Of the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars?"

"That's right," Anton replied.

"The Island Head would like to meet with you, if it is convenient."

"Of course," Anton nodded. "Where should I go?"

"The central hill," the woman said, handing him a token that radiated some natural energy. "I'm sure you can find your way once you are close, but I can guide you if you wish."

"I will do just fine without guidance, thank you," Anton inclined his head.

He had no need to refuse the guidance, but he could already sense his destination… and since there was a message waiting for him, he could assume the Island Head had likewise sensed him. A pretty decent range, but of course this was the territory of the Island Tenders so it was to be expected.

He took the low route between the 'hills' so he would not have to go up and down so much- or directly past residences and the structures the sect had set up. When he reached the center he found an open pagoda where the Island Head waited. "I thought you said you weren't making any permanent structures," Anton commented.

"Times change," Erin shrugged. "And we have to live somewhere. Most things are made from bamboo anyway. They're not the weighty structures everyone has back on the continents. And… we did need to take in weaker disciples. Protected shelters were necessary for that. I think the formations are based off of the Luminous Ocean Society's work."

"That makes sense," Anton nodded. "So, you are the Island Head now?" he said as he sat on one of the benches.

"I sort of fell into the role of leadership. Someone had to do it, and without direction we would just be a bunch of people living on a turtle. That was fine for a while, but we've needed to formalize things a bit."

"Why call me over?" Anton asked. "I understand I'm a Grand Elder, but I didn't come here specifically for any sort of diplomatic interaction."

"That's simple, you were one of the people who found Paradise," she gestured around them. "It would be a shame to miss you."

"Is this another one of those fortune things?" Anton asked.

"It could be. But part of it is also maintaining relations with a powerful acquaintance. I see your cultivation has continued to improve."

"Mostly," Anton agreed. "Though my cultivation has hit a roadblock recently."

"And you chose to come here. You aren't just passing through, right?"

"I'm not sure how long I'll stay. Maybe I won't learn much of anything. Though you should know more about Paradise than anyone else, so maybe you can help me figure out why I'm here."

"Ah, one of those things. Well, where do you want to start?"

"I wish I knew," Anton answered honestly. "I suppose I might as well start with something probably unrelated. I noticed that Paradise's underside felt… smoother? I could be imaging it though."

"Oh, that's simple," Erin nodded. She gestured to a strange lounging chair nearby, which seemed to have been made from two large shells jointed together. "The barnacles on Paradise had grown unreasonably large. It was determined that at a certain size they were no longer contributing to the ecosystem but instead detracting from it… and providing significant drag as well. So we began to remove them. This is one of the larger and more interesting varieties that we have found and it seemed a shame to just destroy them."

"You swim underneath Paradise?" Anton asked.

"That's right. Only the stronger of us, of course. The speed isn't an issue directly, but it's quite a distance underwater to the center. Want to try it?"

"Perhaps another time," Anton shook his head. "It was just idle curiosity. I would be interested if you have any understanding of how Paradise makes use of all of his power… though of course that might be a sect secret."

"It is not particularly secret. We don't spread the word, but the information isn't sensitive either. It can't really be misused. He's just… big. It's not really more difficult for him to control the natural energy close around his body than it is for you."

"That's…" Anton thought for a few moments. "I suppose a larger dantian and meridians would be only natural. Though controlling unrefined energy seems as if it should be more difficult."

Erin nodded slowly, "In truth, we don't get that many opportunities to observe Paradise in action. Only a few times since the invasion has he done anything of note. But…" she swirled a bit of natural energy around her finger, "I'd say it still follows that same rule. He's large enough to have great stores of his own energy supported within his body, so he can control more outward. Not really something most cultivators can aspire to. Size also doesn't seem to be a factor on the human scale."

"I was hoping for more than just that he's big, has a lot of natural energy, and can use it," Anton admitted. "But perhaps that's a bit unfair."

"Perhaps you might discover more during your time here," Erin pointed out. "And there is some of our training that might benefit you. We generally avoid overusing the natural energy here… but we do have some techniques that empower us here."

"That seems like it might be secret."

"The full details, certainly," Erin admitted. "But knowing we can do it… well, it's not strange that a sect would have an advantage in their own territory. Even if we're just tenants for a giant turtle."

"Tenants?" Anton nodded. "I like that. You have to take care of the land and pay him his due. I'd like to think we do much the same on the continent, though without a giant turtle that can eat us if we screw it up. Specifically natural energy… it doesn't just belong to whoever owns the land. At least, I don't think it's useful to think of it like that anymore, even if some always will." Anton slowly spread out his senses to encompass the whole of Paradise. It was difficult to take in as just one thing, but that difficulty stimulated thoughts. Whether any of them would lead to practical improvements in his cultivation or a way to break through Anton didn't know, but it was a worthwhile effort nonetheless.

Chapter 383

The afternoon found Anton traipsing through a nice bamboo forest. He couldn't really just sit around forever, but when asking for something to do the Island Tenders had little to offer him. Aside from seasonal planting and daily tending which they had well under control, there was nothing that could use his input. They had the responsibility of overseeing that nobody took too many of the local resources, but an outsider was even less able to help with that part.

Everything was already taken care of, and while he could use his energy to feel his way around the back of Paradise, visiting with his body felt more personal. He also hoped that moving to different locations might provide some insight into how things were the way they were. But unfortunately whatever he might find was too… diffuse. Spread out over a large area, it was difficult to notice any oddities. Quickly, at least.

Anton wouldn't mind spending a few years atop Paradise, exploring every nook and cranny of his shell, but while he had some time, he doubted it would be that long before there was something important for him to get involved with. He didn't want to be so far away at that time. Instead, he had allotted himself a month or so, nothing hardline because cultivation couldn't be held to a strict schedule, but not too long.

As impressive as the bamboo forest was, with towering stalks surrounding him, what was more impressive was that they had only been planted several days prior. Everything grew quickly atop Paradise, the abundance of natural energy happily entwining with the local plants. At a certain point that growth slowed, then stopped- not because it couldn't theoretically continue, but because there was no more space. Without any animals or insects living on the island, the plants weren't eaten. The only way they spread was through winds and water- and more recently human intervention.

It was impossible to avoid comparing Paradise to the Grandfather Willow back on the mainland. Both were entities of great power, though there was much less intentionality about the Grandfather Willow. It could be controlled by those who knew what they were doing, but there was no recognition by it. Even those who lived among its hanging branches for years would be snapped up by it reflexively if they did not match their energy properly. Conversely, Paradise was an active creature, seeking out food- and threats. Though generally uninteractive with humans, there was a vague sort of friendliness or at least a comforting disinterest.

The next week Anton took Erin up on her offer to swim beneath Paradise. He felt he had explored enough, and found nothing of particular use. He was quite certain there was more to Paradise's power than simply size, but he didn't quite understand it. More exploration might help trigger the right thoughts… and it would at least be interesting.

There wasn't much more to what they were doing than simple walking to the edge of Paradise and stepping off into the water- though they had to either keep themselves anchored to Paradise or remember to swim. He wasn't particularly fast most of the time, but when unattached the movement relative to the surrounding water became obvious.

After Erin explained what to do- speaking underwater wasn't exactly effective- they dropped down into the water. There was actually a sizable distance on the lip of the shell to swim down before they were underneath, and towards the edges there was little of interest. Further in, however, they began to come into contact with the things Anton had sensed.

There were giant barnacles, vaguely round and with sufficient size for a human to squeeze into their opening. It seemed likely they had to feed on more than just the extremely small particles of life that dotted the oceans, potentially fish or larger creatures. Even if they somewhat sustained themselves off of natural energy, they would need more, especially if they had to compete with others.

Then there were the mussels, which had actually stood out to Anton more. They were like great black coffins, sticking directly off of the belly.

Not that there were terribly many of either at the moment. Erin was already popping them off of Paradise's shell, and Anton slid a large blade he'd been given beneath the edge of one of the barnacles. He could feel the drain the thing was causing on Paradise. Not really significant by itself, but along with the larger ones adding potentially a hundred kilograms of weight… it seemed like it could be a problem. They also didn't seem to be contributing anything in return, though the Island Tenders left the smaller ones around so they could observe that.

The first popped off relatively easily, but the second gave Anton more trouble. He had to gather a good portion of energy before the thing finally detached, and it cracked before the grip it had on the shell gave out. Anton could see many markings on the underside, staring with the clearly different areas where barnacles had been attached. The mussels had threads that dug their way into crevices in the shell, many of which looked natural but some of which might have been pried open from much smaller. It wasn't terrible since the shell itself was immensely thick- even damage a meter deep could be considered superficial.

Even so, Anton was somewhat concerned he had caused some of it when he noticed a long, straight line where he had pried the second mussel off. Yet when he touched the surface with his hand, he could tell it was smooth, no jagged edges from recent formation. Yet clearly not part of the natural shell, or damage from the barnacles and mussels.

There was a nearly limitless number of smaller barnacles and mussels covering the surface as well, along with a thin layer of some sort of gooey algae. Yet clearly not one that needed direct light, since there was a great shadow cast by Paradise.

Combined with the larger obstacles, getting a clear picture of the whole bottom of the shell was difficult. Anton could hold his breath for many minutes- an hour or more if he was avoiding strenuous activity- but he still had to occasionally take a break, swimming back up the side to sit on the strange shoes that shouldn't hold.

As he sat he thought about what he had sensed and felt. His natural energy stretched around and under, but from a larger distance he could hardly even make out the markings he knew were there, let alone anything new.

After he had renewed his breath he dove back in, tracing along the lines and angles he could find. Once he noticed, it wasn't terribly difficult to discern that they were formation markings. Old ones, buried deep in the layers of the shell. Yet despite that, they hadn't grown out, and strangely seemed to still fit the right size. Perhaps Paradise had grown this large in a previous age and simply remained, but Anton had the feeling that wasn't quite right.

Either way, the formations were active, and unfathomable. Yet they didn't seem out of place either, but fit into the natural harmony of the creature. Anton might have thought this was a phenomenal occurrence of a massive natural formation, but if that was the case he would have expected more factors to have come together to sustain it. Though his understanding was not that of a master, Anton could at least pick out how the arrangement of plants, leaves, and roots in an area might cause a natural formation- but this was clearly carvings in the shell. Self-sustaining, too.

Anton waited a bit longer after his next breath to catch Erin at the same time. "Are you aware that there is a formation etched on the underside of this shell?"

"I thought you would notice it," Erin smiled. "We haven't found it to be a danger, obviously. I'm not much for studying formations myself, but we have some disciples interested in the study. They've set some up around the island."

"There's something familiar about them."

"Ancient formations are often quite similar in style."

"Well, yes," Anton admitted. "But I have the feeling there's something more to it." It reminded him of what Catarina had done with Fuzz… and more recently herself, to some extent. That explained another part of Paradise's strength, but not all of it… and it raised more questions. Who, and why? The answer to either might lead directly to the other, but for the moment Anton only had speculations. "Do you have a copy of the majority of the pattern? Or would you mind me taking notes to show to someone?"

"Your granddaughter, I presume? The foremost formation master of the Order, and one of the best in the world." Erin nodded, "That's fine, though if she find anything interesting… or dangerous… I would ask that you share that information with us."

"Of course," Anton agreed.

Some time later, Anton found himself back on the continent. His research into Paradise had done as much as it could for him. He certainly found it interesting, if not directly helpful to his cultivation at the moment. He was heading west, currently having stopped in the middle of Ofrurg to visit some grandchildren. Specifically, the children of Annelie and Anish. He had some more young descendents, but he ended up mingling with these the most. Their parents were the only ones focused on cultivation, after all.

Devon had chosen not to get remarried. Alva didn't seem interested in doing it a first time. And Catarina and Timothy… had no children. Though he was fairly certain they had tried, but they didn't talk about it anymore.

So he had some more loosely connected to him, and these three.

In a world with cultivation becoming more common children were beginning to learn younger and younger. There were some difficulties and risks associated with that, but people were learning about them. And it couldn't really be said that the there oldest were too young now. They were older than Annelie herself when she'd first begun, at least.

The boys, Wolter and Lucas, had taken to a strange mix of the two sect's cultivations. Somehow the Glorious Flame Palace and Frostmirror sect were still firmly attached to each other, unexpected but quite convenient for the family's living situation. Gudrun was cultivating only ice. The complete severing of emotions had been phased out, given that the best members of the most recent generation had all taken an alternate route, but they still practiced emotionlessness when they chose. For Gudrun, that seemed to be all the time.

"Grandfather, are you going to fight on the frontlines?"

"That's hardly a greeting," Anton replied.

"Welcome back. It is good to see you again. So?"

Anton sighed, "I'm not sure if I'll be fighting. There might not even be a war."

"Of course there will be a war," she stated flatly. "While you are here, can you teach me to shoot?"

"I don't know any techniques compatible with ice," Anton admitted. "But I would be glad to teach you the fundamentals of archery. I don't know if I have time to help you develop proper techniques though."

"That will be sufficient."

"I'm glad you came to me to learn. I was beginning to think you didn't like me."

"You are one of the best archers in the world, and attacking from afar if possible is only logical."

… at least the boys were enthusiastic about seeing him.

His last stop before heading to Ambati would be with Lev and the Grasping Willows. He wanted to study the Grandfather Willow, for the same reasons as he studied Paradise. He highly doubted that there would be anything formation related, but that was just a tangential curiosity.

It was unlikely a tree would be the perfect source of inspiration for a cultivator who had no cultivation ties to such a thing, but it was an opportunity to see friends if nothing else. Studying powerful phenomena would never be a bad idea for a cultivator. As long as it was done safely, and by this point if he wasn't safe around the tree he should have been dead many times over. Though he did have to pay attention still, as it would be embarrassing if someone had to come disentangle him.

Chapter 384

Two old men and one young sat together under the shade and protection of the Grandfather Willow. The outer edges of the Grasping Willow's territory were still outside the valley where the grand tree made its home, for reasons of safety for the newer cultivators. The core sections of the sect had moved inward after the invasion, since they had to rebuild regardless. When they had first settled in the area, the Grasping Willows simply hadn't had the proficiency to do the same.

The three were Anton, Varela, and Lev. The oldest among them was Varela, though he was merely a few decades older than Anton. Unfortunately, he had found the limits of his talent long before, and even now was only in early Essence Collection. Anton wished he could provide some advice, but he simply didn't have anything to offer. Whatever he could provide had been said decades ago. It was unfair, but Varela just wasn't as suited to cultivation as Anton. Perhaps he would have done better with a different technique, but he had no desire to change even if there was some guarantee of power. The recent improvements and developments had allowed him to advance from mid to late Spirit Building and finally to his current position, but he was teetering at the edge of his lifespan. If he'd reached his current cultivation while young he might have another handful of decades, but as Anton was well aware each step of advancement provide less lifespan when already close to the limit of one's age.

Despite his limited cultivation, he had experience and wisdom to provide, and as a friend and Lev's former master was a welcome companion for their discussions. And there were some interesting things being discussed.

"I'm not going to ascend," Lev declared.

"Why not?" Anton asked. "You have the talent. You're already more than halfway there, in terms of years. It might take, what, another thirty or forty? Fifty on the far end? You'll still be relatively young then."

Lev lifted his arms, letting the wrists dangle as he focused his energy on the rest of the limbs to hold them up. "Because of this. I have only a fraction of my strength away from here."

"There were some miraculous medicines recovered from the invaders," Anton said. "There has to be something…"

"It doesn't matter. I did this to myself, and I'm not going to complain. The Grasping Willows are still young. They need me. If I can pave the way to the top and allow others to ascend, I will be happy. It's the same with Vandale, isn't it? He could have ascended, but remained for the sake of your sect."

"That's true. Without his example and protection, I doubt we would have made it this far. Certainly not in this state."

"Exactly," Lev said. "Even in this time of grand cultivation advancements, the Grasping Willows need me. Otherwise our rise could be unfortunately short. Like a tree greedily sucking all the nutrients around it, only to run out."

"I'm not ascending either, obviously," Varela commented. "Though if I had the chance, I'd probably still remain."

"I also don't have a choice," Anton admitted.

"I think… that's not quite right," Varela said after some thought. "You did have a choice. You just already made it."

"It's not like I could have guaranteed myself reaching Ascension all the way back then."

"Nobody can guarantee it. But given your talent, you were as close as could be." Varela smiled, "Think about what could have been if you began cultivating younger."

"Could have been anything," Anton replied. "Maybe I would have been terrible. I firmly believe my life experience was important in making me… this."

"You could have started at fifty though," Lev said. "Could be ascended by now, with half a century of experiencing a life without cultivation."

"Not good enough," Anton said. "Besides, there was no motivation. I had what I needed, friends and family. More efficient work, longer lifespan… perhaps they might have tempted me, but they wouldn't have driven me. The unfortunate circumstances that eventually came about changed my perspective."

"Yet you never forgot where you came from," Varela said. "And you didn't really deny making the choice."

"You're right. But it was easy enough. I'm not the sort who could leave everything behind for power. It's just… I find myself dissatisfied by my current state. Even if I reach the peak of Life Transformation, I'll simply have a few decades after that to devote to the sect, or the world. Far more than I could have hoped, but less than I wish I had."

"But you haven't given up," Lev said. "Which is why you are here."

"Can't I just come to chat with old friends?" Anton asked.

"Any time," Lev said. "But you value your time enough that you aren't here for just that one thing."

"Fair enough," Anton admitted. "I just came from studying Paradise. A single entity on par with an army… or several. Though perhaps in a battle he would find himself overwhelmed by numbers, and attacks from different directions. Though I would never want to be involved in that fight unless absolutely necessary."

"He has more range than you. Quite the feat," Lev said. "Learn anything good?"

"Not that I can put into words here… though there is one thing of interest. You know Fuzz, of course." He and Fuzz were saved at the same time, during the same incident with the invasive moss. "Catarina has been using formations to empower him all along… and Paradise has something similar."

"Human involvement? It's not… terribly surprising. A beast like Paradise happening through random chance is extremely rare, and even if he was enhanced I'm not surprised there's only one. Any idea which sect it might have been?"

"I'm not quite sure. That's for the formation masters to determine."

"The Grandfather Willow hasn't been modified," Lev said. "Not through formations that are still around, anyway. I can demonstrate how the power works."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Anton asked.

"The damage is already done," Lev shook his head, "And I've gained the knowledge to connect to the tree without such a hasty grafting. Good for future generations, at least. A nice source of stability, and yet we won't look like a threat to anyone. Unfortunately that means we'll be of minimal help in this brewing war. We can send some people to help, but we're still on the smaller end of sects."

"That is appreciated. I hope that it is simply a warning of a potential, and calm judgment prevails. But I'd never bet on it."

The Grandfather Willow was much different from Paradise in important ways. All of its power was fully contained within itself, the sprawling branches, roots, and massive trunk. Despite its power, it was still a plant, without intelligence. Recognizing what it should or should not grasp was instinctual, not involving real decision making. To that end, Lev tapping into its power was simpler. The flow of energy followed his prompting with no resistance, though of course it took a certain level of understanding to synchronize with it well enough to accomplish that. It was also lesser, capable of combating an ascension cultivator at the Integration stage and not much more. A determined assault by a larger sect could overcome it, though there would certainly be losses. Yet there was potential there. It could be greater than it already was- though how much exactly was a mystery even to Lev.

The flow of power through it was carefully observed by Anton, and while he found a few ways to improve his own efficiency when controlling many snippets of power at once nothing inspired him to overcome the final prime tempering, nor to what he might do at the peak of Life Transformation. The experience was still valuable, but it was just another point along his path. It might contribute to something great, or it might not.

A hail of arrows came from the sky. Each was targeted precisely to arrive exactly when and where intended, making it nearly impossible for Kseniya to dodge. The individual arrows would not kill her, as they lacked the power, but they could wear her down. And just because it was nearly impossible to dodge didn't mean Kseniya couldn't do it. It was just a matter of determining when it was valuable.

Her own hands never stopped moving, firing arrows into the distance towards an unseen opponent. Her legs kept her mobile as she moved around through the arrows, taking the minimum number of hits possible.

Then she tumbled through a veritable wall of arrows, the simultaneous shock of which pierced through her defensive energy and resulted in a number of injuries. The excess energy was minimal, however, and ultimately it was worthwhile. If she had chosen to go anywhere else she would have been an easy target for the following attacks, a wide blade of energy and powerful piercing arrows that narrowly missed her. They had reoriented themselves to her movements, but her predictions had been better.

She would have to watch for them coming up behind, but a couple shots in that direction would either destroy them or send them enough off target that she could safely disregard them. She moved back to shooting at her distant target immediately after, keeping track of a small handful of Spirit Arrows still chasing after her target. She had to admit that the gap between her and her best student had shrunk significantly, but she still had more experience and a small advantage in cultivation. The only way he could overcome her would be through the use of Fleeting Youth, but they had agreed not to bring that into account.

In the end, she pinned him down with a nearly undodgeable flurry of arrows, with Anton barely misidentifying the trajectory of one. He had already taken some hits that slowed him down enough for her to finish him off, though they both avoided causing any serious injuries. It was easy for them to agree on what would have been a deciding blow in a battle, or not.

The two of them returned to the sect, instead of the empty sections of wilderness they had staked out for themselves. Fighting at such a distance was difficult, conversing was simply impossible. Even with communication plates it was inconvenient at best.

"So… what did I do wrong?" Anton asked.

"I'd have to say… next to nothing," Kseniya shook her head. "Your fighting style has diverged from my own, with your use of many bows. Splitting your focus clearly weakens your individual shots, but ultimately you used them to great effectiveness. Against a single opponent, my style is likely better… but you could take down an army of lesser cultivators in a short time. WIthout my few stars of cultivation advantage, I imagine we'd trade victories back and forth evenly."

"It's a shame," Anton said. "I've learned so much from you, but now we've covered our relative weaknesses so much any more sparring is barely effective."

"That's why cultivators go out into the world seeking enlightenment instead of staying cooped up," Kseniya said. "And when you overcome that prime tempering roadblock, I imagine you'll surpass me rather quickly."

"I appreciate the confidence, but I'm not seeing the path forward. Not the right one, anyway."

"And that's how I know you'll do it. You just have to find the trigger. Battle isn't it, though. Not something lacking seriousness like this."

"Somehow, I don't feel like I'll achieve anything from a more serious battle either. I engaged in plenty of those during the invasion."

"Bah, that was just a short catastrophe. Nothing normal about it. Everyone's heads were so jumbled up, it's no wonder you weren't thinking about this at the time. Now, perhaps the matching inclination is something you haven't yet considered, but I think it would be a different angle on what you already show. That focus on growth…" Kseniay shook her head, "Well, I can't speak for you and say that maybe you need a student to reach Ascension, but I wouldn't put something that ridiculous past you either."

"I don't think that's it," Anton shook his head. "I'm quite glad to see people growing strong, but I'm more interested in the general population's strength. And given how things have changed now, unless Life Transformation is to become the norm… I don't think that will do it." Anton looked around the sect. "You're staying here to keep this place safe, right?"

"Of course," Kseniya said. "I'd rather let the younger generation go out and get themselves into trouble. Makes me exhausted. But since neither of us is young, I suppose that role goes to you."

"Remaining stagnant isn't going to help me," Anton admitted. "Or anyone else. Maybe some time at sea will bring some unexpected enlightenment."

"Or boredom," Kseniya said. "A couple months patrolling sounds like an awful time. Maybe you'll get lucky and something will try to eat you."

Anton smiled. He knew that a few months was barely anything to either of them at this point, though concentrating on one task for too long still became difficult. And the other cultivators would need a break anyway. Anton could go out with consecutive scouting missions, but he thought he would rather stick to one group and get to know them well.

Chapter 385

There were a few small islands scattered about to the west of Brogora. Each of these had watch stations, expected to be in constant communication with the mainland. A small swoop of them extended further on the northern end, but overall the coverage from just the islands was insufficient to provide sufficient detail on incoming enemies. Ships had to patrol in between the islands as well as further out to sea, a constant workload that was seen by many as pointless. But it was a decent exercise in practicing naval maneuvers even if there had not yet been conflict with the Exalted Archipelago.

Some believed the news was unreliable, while others had been worried about the possibility ever since hearing about the pact. Personally, Anton believed that with a significant imbalance of power, cultivators would be eager to steal others' resources. That had been the case before he began cultivating, and for much of the more than six decades thereafter. Only when there was a mutual threat was the majority willing to work together, though some lasting alliances had been formed recently.

Yet even if Anton found himself with friends from both continents and in many powerful sects, there was no guarantee they wouldn't come into conflict with any of the other sects Anton knew less well, or each other if there was something they both desired. The recent upswing had caused the growth of resources available to slightly outpace the use by cultivators, but it was unlikely that would last for long.

Even if he believed the Exalted Archipelago would attack, at the moment there was nothing within the significant range of his senses. He was searching for ships, of course, which allowed him to simply sweep the surface of the water. At long distances he could only search a narrow band at a time, and would be unable to sense everything.

He took some extra caution with extending his senses somewhat under the water. He didn't have any reason to believe that the Exalted Archipelago had ships that could sail underwater, but if they were concealed by some sort of formation they might not hide the ripples from underwater. It required him to sweep about twice the area, but that was something he could sustain.

With a cycle of strenuous monotony, the crew could have easily been overcome by a lack of caution. Since it made no difference if they kept their eyes out or not, they might as well just laze about. Even attacks by sea beasts were rare, and those were not particularly subtle about their approach.

But Anton would not allow whatever crew he was with to become idle. There was a time for rest and relaxation, and everyone was entitled to their breaks… but during free time not reserved for rest and times where they were on duty, Anton wouldn't allow them to go too far off course.

He was aided in his goals by those who knew him, and specifically one of those who had specifically requested to be on the same ship as him. Nthanda had been his student in the first training tournament, and as a citizen of Ambati she had a larger personal stake in watching for approaching ships. Simply by matters of geography Ambati would likely be the first target of the Exalted Archipelago, as it controlled the closest shores. There were also chances that Estary and Droca would be involved as they were not too far along, but it was unlikely for ships to aim for the rear of the continent by Facraona first. That was much further, and would make it easy for the attackers to be isolated and cut off from supply lines. While individual cultivators could carry more of their own supplies compared to other armies, there were still limits.

"Don't simply focus on what your eyes can see," Anton said. "Ultimately, you are limited by the horizon if you do so."

"Understood," Nthanda replied. He could feel her extending her energy outward, trying to stretch it into a thin point. The effort was there, but as a practitioner of Western Steel Body her energy was more limited than others.

Anton knew she would never be able to sense as far as he could, but even if she was only able to extend her range just beyond the horizon it was a significant increase. She had the strength to attack at that distance, though worrying about environmental factors such as wind became a problem. Anton had gifted her the bone bow, requiring great strength to draw and contributing significant momentum to her shots- but reorienting them at a distance took energy. Everything did, really. There were simply limitations on what could be done by those who focused on body tempering that were difficult to overcome, though in other circumstances they would outmatch their opponents because of their choices.

A body temperer could maintain a consistent barrage of attacks without wearing themselves out for quite a while, and the defensive strength of their skin, muscles, and bones meant that attacks beneath a certain threshold were unable to damage them. There were certain people that simply wouldn't be able to defeat them, regardless of luck. Unless they let someone stab them in the eye, but even then if the gap in cultivation was enough attacks would be ineffective.

There was a significant distance between how far one could see on the horizon depending on whether they were on deck or atop the crow's nest. The former was close to five kilometers, while the latter was nearly double. Yet even if enemies could be spotted with the eyes, being able to focus energy on them helped keep track of their finer movements and potential reactions.

Anton had Nthanda shoot at nothing in particular, occasionally creating targets out of his energy. Forming anything of significance had to take place close to himself- within some hundreds of meters, if he were forming energy bows. A vague target some kilometers out was within his capabilities, though he would only be able to create them in one direction at a time. His aura wasn't so extensive that he could freely cover such a large area. His first impression of Vandale had been attacks that covered a wide swath of area, but even those attacks had originated within a somewhat reasonable distance from the man himself. Somewhat further than what Anton could do now, though his maximum attack range was much larger than his wide-scale capabilities.

Nthanda wasn't the only one Anton set about teaching. Anyone with a few spare moments got the same treatment, though they wouldn't necessarily recognize him. His efforts ranged from subtle comments about how they might improve to direct instruction, depending on whether they asked and what he thought would be effective.

At some point, things resulted in archery contests. Letting off some steam was necessary for cultivators, and a bit of violence directed off in the distance was unlikely to harm the ship, unlike sparring. Not everyone was trained as an archer, in fact most weren't- but they were able to learn. Anton had spare bows for just such purposes, as similar as possible to each other for the sake of fairness.

The ships had other methods of long ranged attack available. Nobody was going to discount how effective siege weaponry could be when augmented by a few cultivators working together. The weapon of choice was the ballista, able to fire projectiles on the scale of spears, in singles or groups depending on the size and room available on a ship. Trebuchets were bulkier and less accurate against moving targets, as well as requiring ammo that was quite large- so they were rare.

Apparently there were other options in development. There was something that involved compressing energy into an explosion to drive forward dense projectiles, but there were various problems involving the volatility that hadn't been worked out yet. It was equally likely that it would blow up the ship firing it as the target, and to make them more stable required denser metal with more weight, which was still a problem on ships even with storage bags available.

Though the natural energy out on the sea fluctuated in strength, the fact that the ships were constantly moving meant that people could cultivate without restraint, despite all being packed into a small area. Even Anton could take as much energy as he wanted, though he usually found himself reaching further away to leave the more easily gathered energy for others.

He went through several patrols during which most of the additional soldiers were switched out, and sometimes the crew would be on break for a rotation and he would travel with a different ship. Nthanda remained with him to learn what she could given the opportunity, since they had only occasionally found time they were both available after the initial training tournament.

Nearly a year after the warning, no signs of attack had come. Many were fatigued from constant patrols and waiting with nothing happening. Even Anton was beginning to wonder if maybe there was nothing. Being a border guard wasn't exactly his ambition.

Then he spotted someone. It was not strange that Anton would be the first, given the wide range of his senses. "Something to the northwest," Anton told the captain. "Can we turn closer?"

Captain Othman was a man in his middle years, and a cautious fellow. "How close are we talking?"

"They're currently at the very edge of my senses. I would feel more comfortable confirming details if we got within eighty kilometers."

"Hah. You'd think you were talking about a mountain to spot it from so far. We can go somewhat closer, for certain. You think…?"

"I can't say yet," Anton shrugged, "But it feels like a ship. I don't know of any patrols we should be crossing paths with here yet, but it could be from Brogora."

Anton kept silent about the actual details he had, which involved more than a handful of Life Transformation cultivators present. It was difficult to distinguish them at such a distance, but when they got closer he was able to confirm some things.

There was some sort of formation on the ship blurring his senses, but not hiding anything. Specific details were lost, but the general amount of power was still clear. And having traveled across both continents, Anton could firmly say that the practitioners aboard that ship were not something he recognized. There was also the matter of the ship being pulled along by something in the water.

Anton reported the details as he learned them, both to Captain Othman and through his communication plate to the shore. The latter had to forego some immediate details for the sake of brevity, and so he could get a response.

-Avoid engagement, keep them in view

That was pretty much what Anton had expected, given the previous discussions. While they fully anticipated a war, provoking one was not what anyone wanted. Especially not Ambati, who would take the brunt of the initial assaults.

Captain Othman turned to sail parallel to the ship. "They making distance," Anton said. "Still sailing on the same trajectory, but they'll pull away if we keep this speed."

"It's expected they outspeed us," Captain Othman nodded. "But we can narrow that difference. Rowers, to positions! Steady pace."

They were nearly a day of travel from the mainland at their normal pace- somewhere around ten nautical kilometers per hour. At their increased pace they were twice that, and barely keeping up. Yet it was enough for them to be somewhat close when the ship arrived at Tiarhogo Landing, one of the largest ports on the western portion of Ambati.

Most of the ship was well out of the range of affecting any potential combat, though Anton was within his maximum range. But while the port had a clear tension hanging over it when they arrived, no conflict had erupted.

Before they were able to talk to anyone, Anton took note of what had been pulling the ship. A giant turtle. Though compared to Paradise it was nothing, it was still ten meters from head to tail. Anton saw anchor points drilled into its shell where he presumed the chains on the front of the ship would attach.

Once in port, Anton learned that the ship was from the Ponderous Turtle Clan. They came with a 'small compliment' of ten Life Transformation cultivators, purporting to carry demands of the Exalted Archipelago. The initial encounter was over, as they clearly had no intent to negotiate. They simply stated demands, meant for the entire continent. From what Anton saw, the demands seemed to be between ten and twenty percent of basically everything- ores, herbs, food, special materials of all sorts…

He imagined the demands would not be well received. It would be one thing if the Exalted Archipelago offered anything in return. A promise of protection from future invaders might be acceptable even with such steep demands, but so far it appeared there were no concessions. He was unsure if they were expecting to get immediate capitulation… or if they wanted a war. It was difficult to say.

Chapter 386

By some definitions, the demands laid down by the representatives of the Exalted Archipelago were reasonable. They were given one year to comply with the demands, which was sufficient time to organize whatever needed to happen. The amounts of wealth demanded were rather extravagant, with between ten and twenty percent of any particular resource listed, the exact amounts depending on unknown factors.

Further inspection revealed that those numbers were intended to be levied on yearly income, while a smaller portion of current wealth was targeted. Thus, the demands were reasonable as far as them being technically achievable.

"I'm going to burn them to ashes," Sarka said, her palms doing a fair representation as she melted a protective layer of ice from the table in front of her.

The intertwined Glorious Flame Palace and Frostmirror Sect had a conveniently central location for people to meet for discussions such as this. The way the sects balanced each other out also made others more comfortable than staying in the territory of either as individuals would have.

"As much as it would be appropriate," Adelina countered, "We must discuss the feasibility of the matter. We must also consider the benefits to Brogora."

"What benefits?" Sarka snorted.

"Nobody dying," Matousek pointed out. "I'm sure everyone here can surmise how much will be lost if we go to war with the Exalted Archipelago. It is bound to be far more damaging than this."

"So what?" Sarka crossed her arms and glared. "We just roll over while they leech us dry?"

"If it would result in the best potential outcome, yes," Adelina said. Before anyone could object, she continued. "If that were the case. But we cannot trust that would be the case. This… document outlines a strictly one-sided agreement, with no promise from the Exalted Archipelago about further actions. It is not a negotiation, but a declaration. It spends quite a long time on the specifics of what they desire, but without even a mention of the consequences if we do not, except the obvious threats."

"So what, you think it's a bluff?" Sarka asked.

"Absolutely not. We are aware of their power. We have just recently returned to stability here, and would be hard pressed to fight against them. I'm not sure we could survive defying this… but we absolutely can't accept it either. So much is missing. We have no guarantee they would not immediately follow up with greater demands that we would be less able to handle. And there is one very important thing. Nowhere in this does it mention Aicenith." Adelina looked around the room. "I will admit that I missed that detail. I had a scholar of the law, one Kohar, help me look over things. She was not able to be present here, but there were more concerns."

"Do you think they made a deal?" Adrastea asked.

"We can't be sure," Adelina said. "But if they did, it was kept tightly under wraps."

Elder Tola of the Infinite Wisdom Forest added her own thoughts. "I would imagine this is intended to drive us apart. The two continents, or even simply Brogora. If some of us choose to capitulate and others do not, everyone's positions will be weakened. This is not a situation where following the majority will provide the best possible results. We must be unanimous in our decision making."

"Sixty years ago, that would have been an impossibility," Matousek commented. "Now that may be accomplished. Though there are certain factors to consider. What of the void ants?" Matousek turned to the 'Great Queen', the de facto leader of the uncomfortably named beings they'd found themselves allied with. While the various nests were technically independent, they would all listen to her. And at least a portion of the void ants were intelligent in a way that could not be ignored.

The great queen spoke in the sign language she had created. The words were just as a human would speak, though as the language was meant for communication with them it was expected. Anton translated.

"We have no collections of material goods such as humans do. Likewise, it is possible for us to go unnoticed, if we so wished to. We need not engage in conflicts… but we may choose to support you, in exchange for further expansion rights."

Everyone took time to think about that. The void ants were an uncomfortable anomaly for cultivators. The ability to resist energy made them dangerous to cultivators, in numbers if not as individuals. Though a few of them such as the great queen herself were dangerous on their own. Likewise, the alien nature of insects made humans uncomfortable. Yet so far, they had been peaceful and even helpful neighbors. Nobody could say they took up too much space or too many resources. Even if they had the potential, they didn't scour an area of resources but instead took careful steps to maintain things for the long term. They were exactly the sort of thing people would want around, if they were humans.

But some couldn't help but wonder if that intelligence was hiding something more sinister beneath. The void ants clearly understood that at the moment, even if they wanted to attack people they would not survive it. So far they had been well behaved, but what if they chose not to be? The great queen herself could be genuine in her actions, but what if some of her descendents went rogue? Having more nests made things unpredictable, and at least some portion of people couldn't help but be hesitant. Yet it was entirely natural to want to expand and grow.

"I think they would be a great help," Anton finally spoke through the silence. "What concerns us most about the Exalted Archipelago? Their significant quantity of Life Transformation cultivators. Even after our recent growth we aren't a match for them… but we also aren't hopelessly outmatched if our estimations are correct. The void ants are nearly as effective against the strongest cultivators as they are against beginners, which in a way makes them more effective. I quite like having them on our side, though of course, you know my past."

Not everyone would know that he was the one the great queen came with, but they would be aware that he ultimately ended up being one of the first to interact with them- and on friendly terms. It was simply that the same traits that made them valuable made them a threat, making it difficult for people to balance their understanding of the void ants.

"I think that it would be wise to accept your assistance," Adelina commented, "If we ultimately go to war. I do not think this is just a bluff, so if we reject this 'offer' I have no doubt that will happen. But before we can decide, there are too many unknowns. We must act quickly, as there is some possibility we will need to go along with this agreement for a time… or at least appear to. We cannot delay overly long."

"They key point seems to be Aicenith, then," Matousek followed up. "If they have received a similar demand, made some sort of agreement, or have been entirely left out… all of those will influence what we might do. If they would help us stand against the Exalted Archipelago, our bargaining power improves. It's not quite the same as the invaders but…"

"It's also not exactly different," Sarka said. "The Exalted Archipelago still has some connection to this 'upper realm' where the invaders came from. Just because they are a different faction doesn't make them any better, especially when they lifted not a finger in our defense. And if they come against us simply because there is no longer an agreement not to, does it make them any different?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Adelina replied. "We have to live with them. Surviving a war is feasible, eliminating them is not. Even with the involvement of Aicenith…" she shook her head. "And while their core is less unified than the front they portray, they would likely stand together against a counterattack. Under those conditions, it is difficult to do more than fight them to a standstill where we both ultimately lose."

"Then let's go. These questions should be easily answered."

"Unless they are working together with Aicenith on some level," Adelina pointed out.

"There are some I would trust to convey that information," Anton commented.

"And how will you safely get in touch with them?" Adelina asked. "Message plates could be compromised, and while recent news seems to indicate their borders are still open, would you teleport into their midst to find yourself weak and surrounded?"

"If I could go directly to those I trust, it would not be an issue. But intercontinental teleportation is more limited than that." Anton shrugged, "But I trust I can understand the communication patterns of some. I'm sure all of you know of Swordmaster Chikere?"

"Formerly from Brogora, now a part of the Million Sword Vault," Adelina said.

"I have a communication plate in case I need to contact her. You can all watch as I send her a message and receive a response. We can judge the situation without being particularly suspicious."

"Fair enough. Go ahead."

Anton placed his palm on the communication plate. It was simply a way to trigger as many of the letters as possible, indicating he wished to begin communication. There was no response for several awkward moments. There were any number of reasons that could be, but in the current circumstances it was concerning. "She might be asleep. It should be the middle of the night there…"

He lifted his hand as he felt a response. The letters flashed by, strokes of a finger lighting in a sympathetic glow in rapid succession. "-forgot how to use this. Hi Anton!"

Knowing his name was not terribly difficult, if the communication plate was marked. The enthusiasm would be harder to know unless they'd pried information from her, but Anton knew just what to say to get a read on her. "Tell me about Number One."

"That isn't suspicious?" Sarka asked. "Asking about a code name?"

There was a short pause. "Number One is the best, obviously!" Another pause. "Okay now I'm down to five opponents so I don't need to use my arms."

What followed was an unnecessary amount of detail about a sword, and how it felt to wield it. Anton prompted a few times to get her to reveal other details, but he honestly didn't know most of the answers. What he did know was Chikere's enthusiasm for swords, and how she would respond.

"It would appear she is uncompromised," Anton said.

"She could be held hostage…" Adelina said, "But they would have had to be waiting and very well prepared."

"Also she's the sort of person who would die before betraying an ally. Or cut apart all of her enemies before that." Anton took a careful look at his plate holding it up, "Catarina, how does the sympathetic link for this work?"

"What part of it?" Catarina asked.

"For example," Anton gestured. "These grooves that were not there before. Would that be because something happened to the other plate?"

"Ack. I told her to be gentle!" Catarina looked at it. "Hmm, I don't see any pattern. It just kind of looks like she cut it."

"With her finger?" Tola asked.

"There's a good chance she was writing with a sword," Anton admitted. "I wouldn't expect her to cut something on accident, though."

"Actually, that might be my fault," Catarina said. "It might have misinterpreted her sword aura. Maybe hers isn't cut at all."

"I suppose we can ask," Anton said. "But I'm as confident as I can be that it is her, writing unrestrained. So we can ask."

The end result was the most underwhelming. As far as she was aware, no communication had been made from the Exalted Archipelago. And while that was not fully comforting, she was also able to go speak to others from the Million Sword Vault who might be better informed.

That meant they were in an awkward middle zone. Unless individual sects had been secretly offered something on Aicenith, there had been no moves made against them. That meant they shouldn't be enemies, but they might not be allies.

Following that came the most difficult part. Weighing lives against resources, and against the potential futures either could bring. Sarka wasn't a fan of that, but she did at least understand that at a certain point if the loss of resources grew excessive then lives could be lost for various reasons. Not that there would be a clear answer about anything so uncertain as the future. They could only try to predict what might happen. Nobody wanted to give up an arbitrary amount of resources for the rest of time, bolstering what were clearly enemies and weakening them. Yet resisting might prove more damaging, and failing to stand united would guarantee it.

Even among those present not everyone was immediately on board with making a decision. But at least nobody declared they should give up, either. For the moment, they had to begin organizing… but whether resources would be pooled for the sake of aiding their own combatants or ultimately ceded to the Exalted Archipelago nobody was quite sure yet.

Chapter 387

While the brimming war was the most pressing matter, Anton was quite glad it didn't occupy all of his waking thoughts. There was so much more to the world than the worst parts of it. Then there were the mysteries… things unknown if they were good or bad, or if they could even be considered either.

The flow of the world was something he hadn't even contemplated before the invasion and the time immediately leading up to it. After the invasion, he realized that it had always been there as part of the background of everything, it was simply that people only took notice when it underwent rapid change.

For a brief time it had opened up their world to the potential of invasion, likewise offering a way out during only a short window. After that it returned to what seemed to be its natural state, rejecting ascension energy from creating a permanent foothold upon the world. The previous cycle had been estimated at about six hundred years. That was the time with the most uncertainty about events, where many great sects were destroyed. Now it was known that that time was due to the previous invasion, though some of the results were more indirect.

The time for the invasion seemed to have been somewhat longer, stretching over multiple years. That could have simply been errors in record keeping, but something about it matched up with what Anton was feeling now. It was merely a feeling that could easily be disproven in a decade or two… but there were subtle differences between this one and the last that might lead to more significant changes.

Could the cycles change in length? They only had barely-preserved information from a previous one, intentionally muddled. Before that, there was nothing on the topic, very little in the way of old records and if they existed they focused on the power of the prominent cultivators and sects in a given time period.

If Anton was right, this cycle might be significantly shorter. It had been two decades already since the invasion and things could still change, but he felt that this cycle might only last half the time or less. He could be wrong, of course. Nor did he imagine he would be around to see it regardless. He might manage to live to three hundred, but four or five hundred years old were out of the question.

Not that he could usefully think about what it would even mean if he was right. The timing would be different, and that might result in some living people with grudges about the last time, but he wasn't sure if they would want to or even could return. That part was still unknown, like most things about the 'upper realms'.

Great shipments of ores and herbs as well as finished goods like weapons, armor, and medicines were making their way to western Ambati. It was impossible to miss, though not everyone knew what it meant. An unusual number of wagons made their way, along with ships coming in along the coasts. Storage bags were sufficient for a cultivator's personal equipment, but proper transport was still required for bulk goods.

Along with the goods came cultivators protecting them. Despite a time of relative peace and prosperity, Brogora was not without its foul elements. Hidden sects acted as bandits when they could get away with it, attacking the least protected caravans. There were always dissidents who thought they were above the law for one reason or other, and in truth they could get away with it for a time. It was impossible to fully eliminate the fraction of people that would choose to take their wealth and power from others rather than through more legitimate means. Individual sects also had their own conflicts, largely left alone for those sects to sort out if they didn't involve others. After all, it was possible for both sides to have legitimate grievances against others, and negotiations to resolve disputes didn't always work out.

But compared to when Anton had first begun cultivating and become aware of the events of the wider world, it was nearly incomparable. Except for unavoidable incidents like the invasion from the upper realm, lives of common citizens and dedicated cultivators alike had improved greatly.

It was nearly the end of the year allotted by the Exalted Archipelago. The decision had been reached long before, so that there would be sufficient time to complete the necessary preparations. Along with the final shipments coming into Tiarhogo, some had been destined for other locations.

Neither option had been an easy decision, but now was the time. The group of ten Life Transformation cultivators was spearheaded by one Grand Elder Myron. He was an old man not far from peak Life Transformation. He stomped his way into the council chambers of Tiarhogo, which had representatives from all over Ambati working together to ensure the smooth operating of Ambati's largest port.

Myron seemed to disdain everyone around him, even others in Life Transformation. He had the personal strength to support it, and flanked by eight others there were few who could make him acknowledge them, though he ultimately had to give respect to one much younger than himself. Even in her seventies she was already in mid Life Transformation, and as the young mistress of the clan her position outweighed his own.

The aura of authority Cyrica projected around her was drilled into her from birth. None of the council members could meet her eye. "You are finally ready then? I hope you have prepared enough for the first shipment. Our demands are not to be taken lightly."

"As I'm sure you can tell," responded a middle aged woman with her hair tightly braided to her skull, "We have been making preparations for some time. But actually, we have decided to renegotiate the terms."

"What?" Cyrica stepped forward, her power bearing down on the woman. "I must have misheard you."

The woman known as Kumbukani held her ground, as much as she could. "The demands are simply unacceptable. Faraway sects demanding our hard earned resources with the threat of violence. Perhaps if it had been a more reasonable amount we could have considered it, but it's not possible."

"Hah," Cyrica rested her hand on the sword at her side, "You act as if I don't know about what has already been delivered. You simply wish to keep the resources for yourself. But the Exalted Archipelago would crush you no matter where you fled to… and would still require the appropriate payments from the rest of the continent." She drew her sword, leveling it at Kumbukani. "Did you think we would have pity on you just because you find our demands too much?"

"I'm surprised," Kumbukani said. "You seem to believe yourself invincible. Is that because of your diplomatic guise, or personal arrogance?"

Grand Elder Myron's eyes and senses flitted around the room. Cyrica might not have the proper seasoning to sense that something was wrong, but he could tell. It wasn't just a guise of bravery on the woman's part, she actually felt secure. Yet he couldn't sense more than the handful of council members around her, and even with their forces combined he hardly imagined they would be of much risk to Cyrica alone.

By the time he realized he couldn't sense anything else, it was too late. The formation was already falling into place around them. Cyrica instantly reacted to the change, charging forward towards Kumbukani- but her sword reflected off of a barrier.

"With that attack," Kumbukani said, "I am pleased to be able to announce the official revocation of whatever diplomatic protection we might have given you. Though that was already the case when you drew your weapon." A large number of other figures appeared around the room, standing just outside the barrier. "Don't worry, we will be providing your ship sufficient supplies to return to the Exalted Archipelago. Perhaps you will even be fortunate enough for them to be interested in paying your ransom."

"Are you crazy?!" Cyrica took another swing at the barrier. "This means war."

"Don't pretend there was ever another option," Kumbukani glared. "You would have drained what you could before invading to take what was left."

"That's…"

"And not even smart enough to deny it."

As promised, the Exalted Archipelago was supplied with food and water and sent on their way… without their leadership. Unless something went terribly wrong they should arrive intact, and while leaving them without the top end of their fighting strength made that more likely that would have to be good enough. They were still mostly composed of Essence Collection cultivators, and there was no way that Brogora was just going to let the Life Transformation cultivators go.

The ransom offers were actually quite reasonable as well. Not that it would make any difference either way. This particular maneuver was simply to cause tension between the subfactions in the Exalted Archipelago. The Ponderous Turtle clan would want their cultivators back, and especially this young mistress of their clan. It was unclear whether they had been sent as some sort of honor or because they were expendable, but either way the tactic should provide some fruit. In the worst case, they would be able to kill ten Life Transformation cultivators instead of having to fight them on organized battle lines.

It was unknown exactly how many the Exalted Archipelago would have, but ten would at least give them pause. A significant amount of resources went into raising each Life Transformation cultivator, so even if they had many hundreds more or even a thousand, the instant shock would still be relevant.

All of the resources that had been coming into the area weren't just for show. People had to be equipped for the coming time. Battles were inevitable. If they had capitulated they would simply show weakness, and it was common among different cultivator societies that certain people would be incentivized to take further advantage of such.

Now the Exalted Archipelago had to weigh how much it would be willing to risk for the resources of Brogora. After all, they knew about what happened in the invasion. Even if they were presuming they were stronger than the combined forces of the invaders, perhaps because they wouldn't have the problem of regaining energy, at some point losses would outweigh any gain. And the continents had flourished after the invasion, becoming stronger than they had been even then. It cost them much, but surviving disaster spurred cultivators ever onward.

Anton was back patrolling the ocean. It would be at least several weeks before the journey could be made, though there was some possibility that there was a way for them to communicate back to the Exalted Archipelago- the effects of the Life Transformation cultivators were still being studied. Either way, they still had to be prepared. If more than a single ship approached or they did anything hostile, they would be dealt with.

The first conflicts of the war would be most important. If they caused sufficient damage quickly enough, the Exalted Archipelago might be hesitant to continue. It would give away some of their power, but hiding their strength wasn't necessarily going to help anyway.

"Why are we on a boat again?" Chikere asked Elder Vasu.

"I thought that had been made particularly clear. The Void Blades are likely one of the more aggressive sects among the Exalted Archipelago. Those having anti-continental sentiments, according to our information. When they leave to attack, we will be raiding their islands, and it is too far too swim."

"Sure, but… why can't we just land now and begin the attack? Won't they take all their best swords with them?"

Vasu smiled, "Perhaps, though it is likely that at least initial waves will not involve the most prominent cultivators."

"Because they're cowards?"

"Pretty much," Vasu shrugged. "Our lack of actual interaction with the Void Blades makes that unclear. Perhaps their eldest will be most proactive… but even if they have the honor of battle in them, there is merit to allowing the younger generation a chance to gain experience in battle."

"No way," Chikere said. "I'm already here!"

"... you are part of the younger generation, you know," Vasu reminded her. "And we did happen to bring everyone we could fit. Wardah mentioned something about the vault nearly being full."

"Won't we just build more vaults?" Chikere asked.

"The point is reaching an important milestone. We won't actually have a million swords for a long time. But a tenth of that is not bad."

"Are you kidding?" Chikere said. "That's not even ten swords each!" She glared at the ocean in front of her, "How's anyone going to get a good collection going?"

"We'll manage somehow, I'm sure," Vasu smiled gently. Now it was only a question of how long they had to wait for a message to come in. They could very well be directed to somewhere else, but for the moment they had to hang far back. The maps they had been given had been admitted to be not entirely accurate, but close enough. Likely due to some requirements by the Exalted Archipelago on what the Worthy Shore Society could tell outsiders, though they seemed quite happy to stretch those limits as it suited them. And if they ended up fighting particular sects simply because the Worthy Shore Society didn't like them, the Million Sword Vault wouldn't be particularly disappointed. As long as they had something worth bringing back.

Chapter 388

The next move did not come for several months, while gears turned behind the scenes on both sides. Another ship arrived, and unless turtles were much more common in the Exalted Archipelago than expected, it was likewise from the Ponderous Turtle Clan.

Though they docked in the port, they would not leave their ship. Given what had already happened it was quite reasonable, though Kumbukani and the other elders were not happy to leave the protection of the council chambers. There were sufficient cultivators to defend them, and a handful were instructed to remain close. They didn't want anyone to be too uncomfortable but security was important as well.

"Have you returned with what you owe?" Kumbukani projected her voice from the dock towards the ship. She was ready to protect herself if needed, but kept her posture neutral. If there was to be any sort of real negotiation, it was important to balance all proper factors. Confidence and strength were important, and those were often displayed by a bit of aggression. The difficulty was not going to the point of provocation, which was not what the continent intended at the moment. They were already balancing on the edge, but they had to avoid showing weakness in the initial encounter above all else.

"Show them," commanded a woman standing prominently on the foreign ship.

One of the dinghies was quickly loaded with a few chests and lowered into the water. It hardly looked anything like the promised payment, but looks could be deceiving. The single individual rowing the small boat didn't take long to reach the docks, and he carefully placed the chests at end of a pier, lined up next to each other facing the council.

"Enitan, if you would?" Kumbukani gestured to the formation specialist they'd brought along. He wasn't one of the masters- there weren't so many that they could bother them just for something like this, and risking revealing their identity was another issue.

After a quick inspection of the chests, Enitan opened one. Inside was revealed a sparkling hoard, glistening with gems and metal. It was impossible to see all of it, but the senses of those nearby revealed how much more there was inside than just on the surface. These chests carried much more than a storage bag would, though their bulk clearly made them less of a convenience.

Enitan reached in and pulled something out, perhaps to verify what he was seeing inside. He opened the other chests to reveal similar bounties, from which he ultimately presented some samples to Kumbukani. "It does seem to be legitimate."

"Very well." Kumbukani had no doubt that her words would be heard even if she didn't project her voice, but it was simply polite to do so. "Is this it? You think we will believe that the Ponderous Turtle Sect has so little?" She kept her voice as steady as possible. Technically she didn't know how much wealth they had, but there were estimates… indirect estimates from decades prior, but enough. "This is merely sufficient to buy the freedom of your Grand Elder at most. For everyone, or even the young mistress of your clan…" Kumbukani shook her head.

The woman from the Ponderous Turtle Clan gave away very little, but the subordinates around her revealed more whether they wished to or not. "It is not easy to consolidate our wealth so quickly," the elder replied. "But you will not wring us dry so easily. This is more than sufficient to buy the freedom of Grand Elder Myron as well as four of the others."

Good, she was willing to negotiate. And she wasn't so foolish as to pretend that the young mistress of their clan was worth anything less than the price of all the others put together- even the Grand Elder. "This portion is barely enough to cover the Grand Elder himself, but perhaps we can include one of your other subordinates."

"Him and three others," the counter offer came. "The quality of our offerings has escaped your eyes."

She could go with that offer. But she could do better. "Myron and two others. I could throw in another half, but I imagine you wouldn't see that as a greater number."

"Nergiz must be among them," the woman finally replied.

Kumbukani was trying determine why this Nergiz was valuable. Was he more important than she thought, or was it simply some connection to the negotiator? Or a favor for someone, perhaps. At least they had the option available. "Very well," Kumbukani agreed. The council might have concerns later, but they could not debate among themselves at the moment. Standing behind her as the figurehead was important to portray unity. "Go retrieve Grand Elder Myron, along with Nergiz and any of the others. Though of course the young mistress must remain until appropriate payment is received."

The process of retrieving the prisoners was not quick. Many security measures were in place, and even with the word of the council there were many people who had to check that everything was being done as it should. The actual process of retrieving them would not take that long, except for the walk back. Eventually, three prisoners with their hands and feet bound in enchanted shackles appeared, walking at the pace of a normal Body Tempering cultivator. It was almost excruciatingly slow, but they could hardly go any faster without access to their energy.

The actual exchange was quick. Two of the chests were retrieved, carried off into the city while Myron's shackles were unlocked. He wasn't foolish enough to try anything when he was released, though he flared his aura in defiance as he arrived on the ship. The final chest was retrieved as the two others were released. They quickly made their way onto the ship as well- they had no need for the dinghy, as any Life Transformation cultivator could easily support themselves on the surface of the water.

"What of our equipment?" Myron quickly took on the leading role as he stood aboard the ship.

"It will take some time to retrieve," Kumbukani replied. "We did not find that placing it convenient to the prisoners was wise. We can have it for you next time you return… or within a week's time." All of the equipment had already been inspected. It was high quality. Valuable, but not singular in its existence. It was reasonable enough to return it, given the payment they had received.

"We shall wait," Myron declared.

The attacks came in the night. The ship was carefully watched by combined forces of several sects. More than forty Life Transformation cultivators were in Tiarhogo or nearby, ready for something to happen. Yet they weren't ready for the way things happened.

Simultaneous attacks descended on the prison as well as the storehouses where the chests had been delivered further inland. Both were well guarded, even if the prisoners had no access to their energy they were carefully watched.

The attackers came from above, dropping out of the sky. Nobody thought to watch for them, and few could have. Perhaps if someone specifically focused their senses upward they would have been ready, but the rather large radius that Life Transformation cultivators could sense on average was considered sufficient, and those specifically on lookout were focused on other areas. The cloud cover did the rest to conceal the sky ships.

The attacks were quick and brutal, anyone in the way of the objectives quickly dealt with. By the time a proper response was rallied the attack in Tiarhogo was over, with two Life Transformation cultivators dead and the final prisoner retrieved from the prison. The attackers only delayed for a few moments before fleeing towards the ship, which was already prepared to leave. Others chased after it, but the sea turtles were not so ponderous as the clan's name might imply.

The storehouse was quickly overrun, and before additional forces could scramble to fight back. Not everything was so conveniently carried away, and there were more secure portions that were not broken into. The three chests were taken away with some other equipment, but the second attack revealed much.

Another sect was involved, with a much different energy signature. It was also the one which revealed the sky ships, as for the attackers to flee from so far inland they had to reach their goal. They were even able to fly- not high enough or fast enough to completely avoid attacks, but once they made it to the safety of the sky ship its formations held long enough. The vessel itself then rose back above the clouds, speeding away at a pace nobody could keep up with, not that many cultivators on Brogora even had the ability to fly for long periods of time.

It was unfortunate to lose valuable treasures, and even more so the deaths of several Life Transformation cultivators and many of lesser cultivation, but the end result could be considered less devastating than it first seemed. The mere knowledge of the sky ships was important… and they didn't lose so much as might have been expected. Especially the remaining prisoner… at least in that location, they were of no real value. It was just one of the other ten.

Cyrica had been in that prison, prominently marched passed the others. She had been taken deeper, to the most secure cells. Then she had been secretly transported elsewhere, along with the others. The predictions on what might happen hadn't been totally accurate, but the combined strategies of Ambati and the rest aiding them had been sufficient to come out relatively even, or perhaps slightly ahead. That would depend on whether they considered the relative or absolute losses.

"That would be the Soaring Air Sect, then?" Kseniya frowned as the Order gathered together. "A shame Anton was out at sea, though even I usually do not sense so directly upward. It's only a few kilometers, but with sufficient stealth capabilities…" she nodded.

"The question now is what to do with the rest of the prisoners," Matousek said. "We have them very well secured. It is unlikely anything but an assault by a full sect could break through here, but we don't know how many sky ships are available… or other relevant details."

"I can't believe the Worthy Shore Society didn't tell us about sky ships," Catarina complained. "I could have been preparing so many useful formations against them!"

"Grant and the engineers will need to know as well. Preparing weaponry that can attack so high might be difficult, but we should at least be able to make a few. No indication of if the ships are built for combat yet, but any failures in their functionality would be… significantly worse for sky ships."

"We'll have to wait for the final information to come in," Kseniya agreed. "These message plates are great, but they don't make long conversations or detailed explanations easy. I wonder if they had some way to track those chests?"

"Absolutely," Catarina said. "Now I wish I'd rushed over for the inspection. I was going to do it later… bleh. What was that, five percent of the sect's wealth?"

"Maybe. Certainly not more, perhaps somewhat less. They asked for ten percent total, but obviously there were shenanigans involved."

"What about the council?" Matousek asked. "Were they safe?"

"We didn't hear anything about that," Kseniya said. "Won't take long to ask." She made use of the communication plate in front of her. "Council-is-safe. Good."

"What does that mean, though?" Matousek questioned. "Did they not consider it important to retaliate against them as figureheads, or could they not? Are there only two skyships, or is this the limit of what the Ponderous Turtle clan could swing to help them on short notice?"

"There have to be more," Kseniya said, "But not that many. I can't imagine it's inexpensive to fly those things," she looked to Catarina.

"That would depend on the quality of natural energy in the area. High up… well, there's no way it maintains stable power all the way across the oceans. Large portions of that keep the natural energy primarily down in the water."

"We'll have to coordinate with the others about the prisoners," Matousek said finally. "We have no easy communication method to even make demands, and it might be better to show our… sincerity. The Ponderous Turtle clan has shown they aren't willing to be reasonable."

Chapter 389

Ambati was ultimately given the choice of the fate of Cyrica and the remaining members of the Ponderous Turtle Clan. It was their territory that was violated, and much of the damages fell on them. The loss of the ransom was not as significant as the other factors.

Merely being able to track the path of the second skyship as it fled was a frustration. Even with communications sent ahead, it avoided populated areas that might have the firepower to bring it down. It didn't matter if the enemy's objectives were not fully accomplished, damage was still done.

Ultimately the council decided the way to respond to the assault, with the same methods they might employ among themselves. Along the main docks were arranged the heads of the six cultivators, prominently displayed in a rather gruesome fashion. Preservation formations were used to ensure they remained clearly recognizable. It would get the point across if anyone should approach. As there was no easy way to get in contact, that was all they could do. Even if they had wanted to risk sending a ship to deliver the message- which would likely result in the death of everyone on the ship- there were other matters to focus on.

Attacks had begun shortly thereafter, in various locations along the coasts. For the most part skyships had not been involved, solidifying the idea they were in short supply. As soon as the first attack had happened word had been spread that the continent was at war, and any ships from the Exalted Archipelago were to be assumed as enemy combatants from that point onward. That had been quickly justified as battles and skirmishes abounded, the patrolling ships sometimes engaging enemy vessels at sea but more often simply providing intel and moving to reinforce local areas after enemies made landfall.

It was unsurprising that the Exalted Archipelago had better ships, as such would be more important for them. Yet they were not so much better that if they actually fought they were guaranteed to win. That still relied on the strength of the formations and cultivators aboard, and though Ambati would not have been able to match all of the assaults on their own, cultivators drawn from the inner continent were bolstering their numbers.

The first attacks had all been probing, measuring resistance. Anton was certain of that. Unlike the invasion from the upper realm, there was a directionality to the attacks and no inherent commitment. Thus, casualties were lower on both sides. Truthfully most of the losses from the previous war had come in the first few weeks, and they made the losses so far seem marginal.

Not that anyone was happy about their losses. Anton wasn't willing to accept any more, especially with the way the Exalted Archipelago was going about things. They thought they were justified to just demand whatever they wanted, or to take it when those demands were refused. That was the worst side of cultivators. And the fact that it happened so naturally once they weren't restricted by the pact meant it was always within their intentions.

There were rotten apples among every group, but the Exalted Archipelago seemed to be overrun. So far more than a handful of distinct sects had been confirmed to be participating. This included prominent forces such as the Ponderous Turtle Clan and the Soaring Air Sect, and notable did not include the Worthy Shore Society or others that they had previously indicated were 'neutral' towards the continents. And neutral seemed to be the most friendly they got, though perhaps that was tempered by the understanding of the others in the area. Wouldn't want to be thought to be conspiring with foreigners.

At the moment Anton found himself chasing down a ship headed around to the south. So far it seemed they hadn't been detected, though that couldn't be certain. Either way, they remained close enough to the shoreline to angle inland and group up with reinforcements. Cultivators were standing ready according to the updated positions, and though communication to arbitrary locations had to go through several steps from Anton and back, it was still nearly instantaneous.

The ship they were trailing was either being conservative with its speed or simply didn't have the capacity to go as fast as the sea turtle powered variety. It still required making the most out of the ship they were on, with rowers working in shifts to keep their pace up. Nthanda was of great help in that regard, though her position required a specially made oar to withstand her strength. She was able to do the work of an entire bench on her own, leaving more free to rest or stand guard or balance her on the other side.

Truthfully her personal strength was not as important as her inspiring power. Nobody was willing to be outdone by a woman relying just on her body to row a great oar. Not that they actually had a choice.

Anton contributed himself, though of the Life Transformation cultivators present he was perhaps the least useful for that job. He had the longest senses and thus needed to keep track of the enemy ship… but it was good to do something with his hands. And though the muscles worked weren't exactly the same, both rowing and archery involved back muscles to a good extent. It was technically a waste of his energy, but it seemed the most fair. Anton continued to do it even if he hadn't slept in the last few days.

It was simply a matter of necessity. The enemy ship was continuing further and further. At this point it was fairly likely they were gunning for Droca's coastline if not further. There were cultivators ready to fight wherever they might land, though most of the ships were concentrated on the west coast. It was already too late for another ship to cut them off, and it was unclear if it would be a wise idea. One thing the Exalted Archipelago definitely had was an abundance of Life Transformation cultivators. Brogora had grown explosively in numbers over the last couple decades, but they still had concerns about matching the enemy when having to cover a wide territory.

"They're angling towards the shore," Anton said to captain Othman in his cabin. "I have the feeling this will be the attack. I advise we try to gain on them if we can."

"I'll trust your judgment on that," Othman said, consulting a map. "According to this the only place around that location is Ponrath Landing. Not of particular note, but a decent harbor with some natural shelter. I'll let them know to be ready."

"I'll keep an eye out for any changes," Anton said.

The Sirdar didn't actually make any changes to her trajectory. They had been paralleling the shore from a distance, and made no move to approach closer. Optimally they wanted to get behind the enemy ship, between the open sea and the harbor. Either way, cutting towards land would cost them some distance if it was unnecessary.

Additional cultivators were assigned to row, and the pace was increased slightly. They weren't at the maximum speed the Sirdar could achieve, but they had to sustain the pace for more than a few minutes. Closing the distance between the two ships wouldn't be simple, even with formation enhanced sails allowing them to gain as much speed as possible even from unfavorable winds.

By the time the attack began, they were actually almost upon their foes. Either they weren't paying attention behind them or chose to ignore them- but either way they were within a reasonable range for any cultivator to sense them. And since the attack was beginning, Anton wasn't going to hold back.

His first few shots targeted the ship. If he could pierce the sails or even destroy the masts or rudder he could cripple them for any attempted escape. He didn't really expect it to work, since the enemy ships had been shown to have strong defensive formations. He wasn't surprised, except by the exact way his arrows were negated. The spirit arrows didn't just shatter upon the formations but actually reflected back towards him with equal power- no longer under his control. They even picked out his actual trajectory instead of shooting directly back on the angle they came in from. Yet they fizzled out long before they could reach him, flying just a couple kilometers towards him. A reasonable range for most cultivators, but far from their current distance.

Nthanda was close enough to shoot as well, only having to shoot just beyond the horizon- the ten kilometer range from the crow's nest that she quickly co-opted. Anton was the primary scout, and he didn't need that bit of angle for his shots. With Nthanda not participating in the rowing there was a marginal drop in efficiency, but the eagerness of the cultivators to actually get to the battle more than made up for that. Nthanda's shots were likewise stopped by the defensive formations, but they were not turned upon her. For one thing a formation physically spinning an arrow would have to more than overcome its momentum… and there was barely a spark of energy to trace back towards her. An interesting insight into the formations, to be discussed with Catarina later.

It wasn't long before groups of cultivators- two or three Life Transformation experts as well as a plethora of Essence Collection subordinates- started making their way to the docks of Ponrath Landing, where they were met by the local cultivators.

When the fighting began, Anton felt something inside of him. It was not odd for him to feel a sense of righteous anger when cultivators attacked each other for the sake of plundering wealth, but it usually leaned more towards the side of indignation than actual fury.

Anton didn't find himself blinded to his actions, but the way he went about the battle was not consciously directed either. Instead of targeting the strongest cultivators to throw them off balance, Anton instead summoned as many energy bows as he could handle. More than that, perhaps, but he somehow managed to fire several dozen shots at once. Sometimes several shots targeted the same enemy, some went after separate individuals. The underlying reasoning was not something that could be plumbed in depth during a combat. All that mattered was that it was effective.

And it was.

Nthanda almost stopped shooting her own bow as a rain of arrows poured from Anton on deck below her. Every time she tried to pick a target, it felt like a moment later that target was slain. The main bow Anton held in his actual hands was made from some mysterious tree, even the string. Nthanda felt the enchantments empowering those shots, and while those indeed felled many it was but a portion of his total effectiveness. The strange bladed bow was sometimes more effective, slicing through several weaker cultivators with the bladed shots it produced. Even if it didn't kill someone, the free-floating bows formed purely of energy added their own to the attack, finishing off injured enemies or at least incapacitating them.

When Nthanda finally decided to just pick random targets instead of anything priority, she found her time being more effective. Somehow Anton was reading the flow of the battle well enough that he was picking out pretty much every good target. It was true that the Life Transformation cultivators were not directly affected by the barrage of arrows, but they were left relatively unsupported for the local defenders or Nthanda to target. And the ship was close enough that the rest of their ranged combatants as well as the shipboard weapons were getting within range.

It seemed the enemy quickly realized their mistake, how they had underestimated the resistance they would face. Droca might not have many resources, but its cultivators were like anything else that lived in their country- prickly and hardy.

Once they had taken noticeable casualties, the enemy began to pull back to their ship. It only took them a short time to maneuver it around to face out of the harbor, but that was long enough for the Sirdar to reach them.

Captain Othman had a good head on his shoulders, but as anyone who had survived the invasion he was a bit aggressive about how he liked to deal with invaders. Instead of trying to maneuver around the enemy ship, fighting ship to ship, he simply headed straight towards them. The ships crashed together, formations straining against each other in interesting ways. The enemy vessel had the unfortunate problem of its power being divided as local were leaping onto it from the docks- and Anton's arrows bombarded it from the sides.

The latter of those resulted in dozens of arrows reflecting right back towards Anton, but somehow he seemed to not care. While barely moving his feet he shuffled around with arrows whizzing past him- and the rest of the crew close by, before everyone gave him more space. They quickly lost momentum beyond him, dissipating into nothing. While his attacks didn't do anything to break the formation, they certainly occupied it. Only so much energy was available at once, and it only had to collapse for a moment for the enemy ship to be boarded from both sides.

The enemy continued to struggle for a time before realizing that even their formations wouldn't save them. There were moments of decision where several of their experts made different choices simultaneously- turning to flee, standing firm, or attempting surrender without regard for the others. There was one man who seemed to be trying to give orders, but it was already too late to salvage. He ultimately didn't surrender, and found himself with quite a few holes- from arrows to swords and spears and whatever else.

At the end of it, Nthanda realized that Anton had broken through to the next level. That made him one of those, but she already knew that. That was why she stuck with learning from him even though he wasn't a body temperer. He was among that strange brand of geniuses that was at the top of this most recent generation- even if he didn't visually fit among them.

Chapter 390

An explosion of energy tore through the area, rocking the building around it. Catarina looked at the pile of scrap that had once been an interesting device and was now just slag in her hands. She'd been trying to avoid this situation, but unfortunately she had failed.

That was too bad. So far they'd barely obtained any communication devices from the Exalted Archipelago, and they hadn't been able to co-opt any of them. She'd picked up some information on how they worked, though. This latest one had come from her grandfather, more or less. She hoped it would be the one to finally let them break through, but it was another failure.

At least she had ideas for how to secure their own communications. The easiest one was simply keeping careful track of who had what. They only linked to one other communication plate, and traditional code phrases and passcodes could be used to provide some security. That wouldn't always be enough, but it was working for the moment, and would soon be replaced.

As things went, this was the most drawn out war she had been a part of. Cultivators moved quickly when they wanted to, but the significant distance between the Exalted Archipelago and Brogora was an issue. There was also the fact that the enemy didn't seem ready to commit to anything. That was good for the moment, but it also put a damper on their other plans. At a certain point, there was only so much waiting that could be done.

With wins and losses on both sides, Catarina was most glad for the recent ones. Not only did she have another go at cracking the enemy communications, but they also got their hands on a ship. Not just any ship, but one built by Golden Star Island. They were formation specialists, and their ships were decidedly less explosive than the communications devices. There was a lot more to lose if that went awry somehow. At the moment Catarina hadn't gotten her hands on the ship, but she was receiving communication from Eira.

The ship had been transported to the eastern shores of Facraona, as far as possible from the enemy forces. Transporting it inland would have technically made it more secure, but the effort required to carry a ship overland was not insignificant. Bringing formation masters to it was easier. Thus, Eira. She was one of the formation masters from Heavy Mountain Gate, and though their style was quite different from what Catarina had learned they could still communicate information properly. What could be conferred over the communication plates, at least. Sometimes words weren't enough… and the limited way they worked was insufficient.

A project that would be completed… eventually. When there was time.

Some time later had found Anton on the other side of the continent, the north of Estary. There had been some indications that the Exalted Archipelago would try an attack there next, and various scouts had confirmed that. Now the enemy was close enough that he had confirmed it with his own senses. They were less than a hundred kilometers out, but he could already sense several different categories of energy. Multiple sects working together, and more than just a couple handfuls of Life Transformation cultivators involved. This was something serious, and they had to be ready for it.

Anton also didn't forget to check the skies. Though he had to cover significantly more area, skyships disturbed the air and natural energy in a way he was beginning to recognize. There were two he had spotted so far. Hopefully the local defenses were up to the task. Grant and his crews had finished some options for shooting down skyships, but it was unsure if it would be enough.

Anton would try it himself, but he didn't think he could overpower one. If they had a formation master study the defensive formations for weaknesses he could do something, but before then it wouldn't do to exhaust himself unnecessarily.

Among those present were Golden Star Island, the Ponderous Turtle Clan, and the Soaring Air Sect along with a few others. Most importantly, their numbers were sufficient to finally put some plans into motion elsewhere. Anton hoped they did well, but his own focus was on defending this area.

That was what he had ultimately attuned to- the idea of guardianship. Everyone had some they held dear that they wanted to protect, and Anton could admit that he had some he would prioritize over others… but the scope of his desires had expanded along with his cultivation. Now, he wanted to protect entire countries, continents… the world. Not that he had the power to truly have the latter within his reach. He could only do what his current abilities would allow, and push himself to continuously improve. It would still be a slow process, even after having completed the prime tempering, but advancing once more felt good.

"Well then," Vasu said, speaking generally to the entire fleet but specifically to Chikere. "News has come in that the Exalted Archipelago has finally committed to an attack. Among them are Golden Star Island, from the interior. The Ponderous Turtle Clan, to the north-"

"I'm surprised they showed their faces again," Chikere said.

"Rumor is they are quite livid about the results," Vasu shrugged, "But they did it to themselves. Back to the topic at hand, the Soaring Air Sect's skyships have been spotted as well. So we now have a target."

"I don't know how to get to a sky island," Chikere said. "Should we try cutting it down?"

"We might find a way to do that," Vasu grinned. "But for the moment we must go where required."

"Is it the turtles at least? I'd like to try some more giant turtle soup, preferably not made with swamp turtle."

"Even better," Vasu tapped the sword at his side. "I didn't mention one important group. We don't have to change our target after all. The Void Blades finally showed up in force."

Everyone cheered.

"That's right. It's finally time. We'll be making our way there. No doubt they have some truly impressive swords. For their own part, other forces from Aicenith have been persuaded to move on other sects." Vasu drew his sword, cutting apart the air. Normally, it would simply have been for show, but the ripples of his slash continued onward cutting into the sea below… and leaving a small trail in the clouds above. "It's time to fight! We'll show those 'exalted' fellows that nobody is so far above others they can't be cut down!"

The general excitement was not just of warriors going to battle, or sword enthusiasts anticipating what they might add to their collections. It was also a large number of people who were very tired of eating salted meat, fish, and whatever other aquatic creatures happened to attack them as they held a position east of Aicenith but still far enough from the Exalted Archipelago to have escaped their notice. It would still be a matter of days, maybe a week before they arrived… but they were finally moving.

The Void Blades were problematic. That was Anton's assessment of them as the battle broke into full swing. They were strong and terribly efficient in battle, cutting down swathes of Brogora's cultivators. The key was the difficulty of defending against their sword strikes. Their weapons didn't actually disappear when they attacked, but it sure felt like it. Anton didn't have to deal with them directly as he was sniping from the rear lines, taking down as many as he could, but he found some of them were also uncomfortably good at slicing through incoming attacks.

But he didn't have to fight alone. Infinite Wisdom Forest and Misty Hill Palace, among others, were doing the majority of the work. Local cultivators knew the area best and were the most motivated, so the main movement of cultivators had been to adjust people closer to the coasts to be ready to fight. The skyships and the potential for the enemy to infiltrate in other ways meant they couldn't fully focus on the coasts, but they could still pull from landlocked Graotan and the majority inland Ofrurg.

Speaking of skyships, they were at their most troublesome when they were unseen, able to drop a number of powerful cultivators behind enemy lines for a stealthy mission. In short, the way they had first been used. With their locations known they were still a significant factor on the battlefield- shooting down below, ignoring traditional walls. Even formation barriers were generally weaker directly above since fewer attacks were expected to be able to reach the area properly.

Grant's modified weapons were nothing particularly groundbreaking. There were ballistae that could be angle almost directly upwards as well as trebuchets that could do the same. The latter were generally less effective since they were fighting gravity with heavier attacks, while a ballista dealt with less weight, and the power was made up by cultivators combining their energy together. If the enemy got too low, the trebuchets could be quite devastating, and the ballistae were sometimes able to puncture the defensive formations of the ships- but nothing could hit the sails or whatever mechanisms existed that made the ships fly.

Yet now that the ships were over the city, aiming for the backlines like Anton himself, the next form of attack came. At first they appeared no different than a ballista. A large spike of metal or metal tipped wood, basically a large arrow, was flung into the sky. Some pierced into the enemy ships while others passed uselessly over or under… or so it appeared. Those that fell short of their targets couldn't do anything, but going over still actually had a value. For one, it allowed the ropes to dangle over the enemy ship.

Making ropes of any sort over a kilometer in length was an expensive project, even by cultivator standards. Only a few dozen had been made and they had hurriedly been shipped to this location when it was clear a battle was happening. And it was reasonable to make the mistake that there was no rope at all. There were other options for something strong, but the element of surprise was something special as well.

Ropes made entirely of diamondsilk, the nearly invisible webs of the diamondsilk spiders. Tough enough to be used as armor with only a thin weave, practically unbreakable when formed into rope.

Elder Tshering had been one of the first to recognize the value of the void ants, but even some time before that he had been working to expand the farming of diamondsilk spiders. The Order wasn't solely responsible for the production necessary for these particular ropes, but they were certainly a large contributor- and had sparked the idea of taking care of the troublesome arachnids. The issue of course being that the spiders themselves were likewise nearly invisible, and requiring special care.

So there were a few ropes… in harpoons, or the equivalent at least. Those that pierced the skyships formations and stuck in the bottom of the ships were the best suited for what they wanted, but those that went over and got entangled on the outside of the formation were good enough as well. One skyship took several hits, and soon was being dragged towards the ground by a hundred people below.

When the crew of the ship above tried to cut the ropes, they found quite a bit of difficulty. Diamondsilk was tough, and they didn't expect to have to reach beneath their ship to cut ropes. They had some balconies for archers to shoot from, but they still had awkward angles. And when they tried… Anton would counter their shots with his own. Climbing down the surface of the ship wasn't any better, as they would be outside the defensive formation of the ship- and it certainly wasn't made for anyone to hang on.

Even so, a few of the ropes were eventually cut- only to be replaced by additional harpoons targeted at the same ship. It was rapidly pulled low- below a few hundred meters- with people climbing the ropes towards them to not only add weight but potentially board the ship. The dangling harpoons that went over the ship had not all been removed, and were grabbed onto as well. At a certain point the ship suddenly gave out, crashing into the ground away from the intended back lines… and though they had Life Transformation cultivators ready to fight, their plan had been delayed enough for the continental defenders to reorganize.

Chapter 391

Purely defensive formations had the weakness that any barrier they created could be bombarded into nothing with sufficient determination and time. Those that had counterattacks tried to mitigate the problem, but had a greater expenditure of energy so if they didn't kill people they were strictly worse.

Hundreds of blades moved in sync, slicing and stabbing and spinning to decimate anyone within their reach. It was intended to kill or force back anyone making their way into the area, but instead a squad of cultivators had taken it as an invitation. As blades came for their necks they ducked. Thrusts towards their vitals were parried. Spinning blades had their handles caught before they were tossed away from the formation's control.

Every members of the Million Sword Vault who had come on this raid was confident, but some had lower cultivations that required them to be more cautious, lingering at the edges. Others dove deep into the field of blades, brushing up against death as they were accustomed.

They weren't just able to clear out the formation without hindrance. At the signs of their arrival, defenders came to fight. Even if they hadn't been expecting an attack, high ranking cultivators would never be completely unprepared. They came to add their own attacks into the mix, cutting down some members of the Million Sword Vault. But only some.

The formation had been made with the assumption that a dozen swords would be sufficient to hold back even the strongest cultivators. The formation was dynamic in its ability to target the priorities, and with the rapidly decreasing number of swords available a few individuals were dominating its efforts- one of which was deflecting the swords with an equivalent number of her own blades, while keeping her hands free to grab any available hilt. Or the blade itself, where there was one.

"Are these technically swords?" Chikere commented as she pinched blades between her fingers before tearing them away from the control of the formation and tossing them into a miniature forest of upright blades that was her collection. "Without hilts and crossguards I'm not sure if they count."

"They can be," Vasu shrugged. "Their individual quality might replace your fiftieth and below."

"Actually, forty and down are pretty lacking, it could go that high."

For some reason, the woman attacking Chikere seemed to take issue with her talking. "You're fighting me! Not having a day off!"

Chikere's eyes focused on her for a moment. "We're fighting? I thought you were waiting for me to be done with this," she gestured to the cloud of blades around her which was lessening in size with every moment.

Despite that being Chikere's true feelings, it was amazingly successful as a taunt. The woman's swings became wilder and less precise, losing synergy with the formation. A slash toward's Chikere's neck curved down and then back up to turn into a thrust towards her gut, but instead of retreating she dodged forward before the stab had speed, stepping just enough to the side that it barely cut through her armor and into her side. Chikere caught the woman's hands with her own, preventing either of them from moving- but she didn't need to move to use the rest of her attacks. One sword stabbed from armpit to armpit while two more went through the woman's thighs, surrounded by another dozen that would have struck if she had moved in any other manner. With a quick swipe, the woman turned into a lifeless body.

The battle ended shortly thereafter. By the time the weaker and slower cultivators arrived, there were no Life Transformation cultivators to support, and the formation no longer had any of its blades present. Huge gouges on the floors and walls were the result of preventing the formation from doing anything else in the most straightforward way.

This was only an outlying base of the Void Blades, but the Million Sword Vault only took a small number of casualties. They were confident that they could attack something more important, more precious.

After the battle, Chikere opened a technique scroll she found. It burned up immediately, and Chikere clicked her tongue. "Wow, these guys are sure stingy." She picked up another one, but instead of opening it normally she flicked it with all her might, unfurling the whole thing at once. It was only visible for a moment, but she got a good look at it. "Huh."

"What?" Vasu asked.

"I'm pretty sure they followed these stances and attack patterns. Exclusively. I need to talk to our prisoners." It felt a bit excessive to slaughter the trainees, and they could be useful for information so they had kept alive anyone who had surrendered. Now they had a lot of people they had to deal with somehow, but they'd figure it out. Chikere went to find the nearest group. "I want to know about your techniques. Styles, stances, everything."

"W-we won't betray the secrets of the sect!" one woman said with false bravado.

"I'm pretty sure they didn't tell you any secrets," Chikere shook her head. "Not with your cultivation at that age… unless the Exalted Archipelago has realized it's worthwhile to try to teach everyone?" The woman hung her head, and Chikere continued. "Anyway, I know the basic gist of everything. You've got a few thrusts," Chikere began to demonstrate as she spoke. "Some slashes, high and low guards, the basics. You also focus on making use of your enemy's blind spot," Chikere's sword disappeared from the woman's vision, until it was suddenly visible in front of her nose. "Maybe you've got some other techniques for concealing the flow of your energy, but I don't care about that. Do you guys just… use these forms?"

"Of course we do! These are optimal forms given to us by powerful ancestors. They are perfect."

"Okay but… how can I explain this?" Chikere shook her head, swiping her sword to cut apart the ropes binding the woman. Then she tossed her a sword. "Hold onto that. I'm going to attack you, okay?"

The woman didn't hesitate to try to drive her blade through Chikere's heart. Not that she could have, with the difference in cultivation. Making up for a few ranks was trivial, but the difference between late Life Transformation and the peak of Spirit Building was a nearly insurmountable gap. Not that Chikere let the blade touch her anyway. She avoided it and kicked the woman back, swinging her sword.

The woman's training pulled through and she instinctually parried low to deal with Chikere's attack, but Chikere simply flicked her sword up and drew a line of blood on the woman's wrist.

"See I'll admit that was the perfect counter to my move… up until I saw you do it. You needed to anticipate my follow up for that to stand a chance."

Chikere made a few more strikes, then sighed. "You… have you ever fought anyone?"

"I have sparred every day for the last five decades."

Chikere made a face. "When's the last time someone tried to kill you?"

"Before today…?"

"Yeah. Like a serious brawl with a master or a death match. Or even a wild beast."

The woman held her back high, "We join forces to fight wild beasts every five years, and I have participated in six bandit subjugations."

"Six… ever? Not like this year?"

"We are not a lawless land unlike the continents."

Chikere's sword crept slightly closer to piercing into the woman's side. "You realize your Exalted bunch of islands is literally acting like bandits right now?"

"The strong naturally deserve to rule the weak."

"Great. Then all of you deserve this."

"You don't have true strength. If Swordmaster Netta was here she would-"

"Die." Chikere said the word with utmost conviction. "Like this one here." She gestured to one of the men on the floor.

"Swordmaster Netta is incomparably stronger than Swordmaster Sakir was," the disciple said defensively.

"This man… was a swordmaster?" Chikere looked around, reading the expressions of those around them. "You need to raise your standards. He was maybe in a dozen real fights, tops. Hopefully this Netta is the real deal. Now then, what should we do with all of you?"

"I would rather die than serve you."

"You don't really have a choice," Chikere shook her head. "But also we don't need slaves or anything. So we'll just leave you here."

One skyship was felled, and the rest of the enemy forces had to retreat when they could not overcome the other defenses. Their weaker cultivators were culled quickly, leaving only the strongest to face off against the best from the continent. There was a particular swordmaster as well as a few other notables who did more than hold their own, but ultimately the defensive position and formations tipped the balance enough.

As information was shared with the counterattacking groups, some details began to be revealed. The average cultivator of the Exalted Archipelago had little practical experience. Their most powerful cultivators certainly had experience in real combat, but even with the structures in place to raise many Life Transformation cultivators, not all of them were as good as the others. Likewise, it seemed that those with experience didn't pass on their practical learning to others as well as they might have.

The continental forces couldn't say that defeating groups from the Exalted Archipelago was easy. Only madmen and battle maniacs like the Million Sword Vault would make claims like that. However, for the quality of techniques available and overall cultivation levels of the attackers, they were… unimpressive.

Then again, there was a generation of cultivators who had gone through the full brutality of the invasion from the upper realm. Everyone who survived had been strong before, and only developed even further afterwards. All of their Life Transformation cultivators had been involved in the war, or at least present for it. The same could not be said for the Exalted Archipelago who had been basically at peace for… forever, possibly. Though it was likely there were internal conflicts that the covered up, beyond bandits like had plagued the area near the Worthy Shore Society. Though Anton could have been convinced those 'bandits' had the backing of other sects.

After the battle had settled, Anton considered how future battles might go. Though they had been underestimated at various points during the last months, it was unlikely that would continue. It was simply a question of whether the Exalted Archipelago wanted to keep fighting. Would they become more serious, angered by the counterattacks… or would they decide it was not worthwhile to keep fighting? Maybe if they had been able to kill more of the leading figures, they would be more inclined to give up.

Anton also thought about his own actions in battle. Though a portion of his focus had been on the skyship and critical matters there, before that point he had split his attacks between as many targets as possible. He could have quite a number of energy bows attacking people at once. He didn't particularly like targeting the weak, but it was tactically sound… and for the purposes of defending those on his side. It was still uncomfortable, but he would rather not be entirely comfortable with killing people. It was necessary to survive, and he couldn't say he actually regretted it, but he was reminded that nobody would have died if the war had simply been averted. The Exalted Archipelago didn't seem to really give them the option, but the sooner they could achieve a resolution the better. After all, they had to live in this world together. The Exalted Archipelago hadn't been so resolute about wiping them out as the invaders seemed to be.

"Skyship, skyship, I have a skyship~" Catarina sang as she walked around the impressive construction. She'd only begun to inspect it, but she was impressed.

"I don't know that everyone would agree that it's 'yours'," Timothy commented. "Though I have no doubt you could build one."

"I could set up the formations," Catarina corrected. "But it requires a great craftsman to create the body. This isn't the sort of thing that you can skimp on any part of the construction either. It needs to be strong and light and compact. It's interesting though. It's a different style of formations than Golden Star Island, and the other ships are different as well."

"Isn't that normal?" Timothy asked. "I thought every sect sort of had their own styles."

"Well, that's true to an extent but… on the continents, everything sort of stems from one place."

"Which is?"

"Everheart. Nothing I've seen from the Exalted Archipelago has those signs though, except for one thing. Remember that puzzle box that the Worthy Shore Society had?"

"You talked about it quite a bit. I remember."

"It had his signs. Which mean someone from there aped Everheart's style for some reason or… he left that there."

"You said there was always another larger box inside… do you think he was just screwing with people?"

"Everheart is always just screwing with people," Catarina commented.

"Fair enough. So about Everheart's style… does that mean their styles are better?"

"Not really. In fact, it seems like Everheart stole all of the best stuff from them. It's kind of about what someone can actually use… though I'll admit that the Exalted Archipelago has a much more steady and consistent style. Everheart is fond of using something once and then never again."

"So, do you have any insights into how to break their formations?"

"Lots," Catarina nodded. "The other formation masters and I have come up with various options. Some will require our presence, but others can increase the efficiency of taking them out the old fashioned way. Grandpa will be quite pleased, though I don't think he'll be taking down skyships alone any time soon. He might be able to drive one off though, if they feel it's risky."

Chapter 392

Humans were odd. That was what the Great Queen had come to understand in her time interacting with them. Yet every feature they had seemed to come from some sort of sensible origin. For example, the desire for privacy was a protective measure that came about from the inability to trust other humans, especially when their vulnerable anatomy was uncovered. The way they were organized made it difficult to keep track of them all, and their autonomy meant they could never fit into the organized structure of a proper hive.

Their individual strength was significant, and their size was a great factor in their success. Tool manipulation was also important. The Great Queen understood that her own kind were limited in how they could construct their homes due to their anatomy, though with a bit of cleverness they were able to accomplish much.

Cultivation was another strength they had. The ants- void ants, according to the fearful cultivators of the upper realms- simply could not cultivate as humans could. At best, they could feed on energy to strengthen their bodies, but they never had control over natural energy or ascension energy. It was a small sacrifice to be resistant to its effects, though it was somewhat troublesome that most of her kin could be squashed by the majority of non-insects. Other insects did attempt to fight the void ants, but their lack of teamwork was their downfall.

The Great Queen had to admit that one of the oddest features of humans was required for their lifestyles where they traveled great distances, sometimes on their own feet. Everything required rest, and humans did that all at once. The Great Queen dozed off briefly. It was only for a few minutes, but she nearly missed something important. Then again, if she were human she would have been asleep for hours more, so the advantages were there.

She got the attention of the nearby captain and the rest of her progeny. The majority had been conscious, but they did not have the delicate senses of royalty. There was merely a gentle scent lingering in the air to alert the Great Queen, but she found it discomforting and planned to seek it out.

Anton awoke to the sound of a muffled curse. His subconscious filtered incoming sounds when he slept, or he and many other cultivators with trained senses would be unable to sleep in anything but strict isolation. Something about the sound snapped him awake, but his instincts also told him to keep his energy under control instead of actively seeking something out.

The stillness lasted only a moment before he grabbed a bow leaning against the wall next to him, deflecting a dagger stabbing for the base of his throat, just above his sternum. HIs energy was roused with utmost speed, then two blades met… and his throat remained mostly unpunctured. Only a slight nick on one side, which was a thousand times better than the alternative.

He was quite glad for the bladed bow, despite how difficult it was to use sometimes. He'd cut himself more than a few times from careless interaction with the weapon, but it had its place on the battlefield… and was sturdier than most bows.

Up to this point he'd never had need to use it against assassins, but perhaps he'd simply been lucky. His aura filled the room as much as it could, grasping ahold of his other bows and trying to form energy bows. As he blindly swung the sword-bow he was only able to target his opponent by the lack of presence they exuded.

He didn't find his attack connected, but it seemed to force them back and give him a little bit of room. He wasn't fully certain what was going on, but there were also sounds out in the corridor. Small sounds, but some were familiar. And when tidbits of energy were torn from their controller and devoured, he felt it.

It was a good thing the Great Queen liked him, or Anton might have found himself dead already. As it was, he was filling the room with arrows. Others would be on alert now. Not just those staying in the same inn, but much of the city. Anton wasn't going to attempt subtlety when fighting for his life- and for no reason.

Arrows filled the room where he predicted an opponent might move, despite him being unable to pinpoint them. He stopped his attacks before they hit the walls simply to maintain the structural integrity of the building.

With the battle already in close quarters, things happened quickly. He drew the tiniest bit of blood from his opponent, but received a cut along the back of his right wrist in turn. He was already feeling strange effects of something else. A heat deep inside him, as if his energy was igniting itself. The way the sensation flowed through him from his neck and wrist meant it was some sort of poison.

A moment later a figure appeared in front of him, visible once more. Anton instinctively slashed out, but he needn't have bothered. His blade took off their head, but there was already a puncture mark in the back of it. Velvet had long surpassed him in the arts of stealth and countering it, and he found himself quite glad she had come along. The usual group was split up according to what locations needed help the most, but there were always allies around. Having the most reliable ones was what kept him alive.

Flickers of movement continued out in the hallway, but as Anton peeked outside he was able to target them rather trivially. After all, whatever the ants were crawling on had to be them. He couldn't sense the void ants with his energy either, but seeing them even in dim light was easy, especially floating in the air.

His energy continued to burn as he shot, but he thought it was better to expel it outward than let it remain inside. Three figures quickly fell, unable to fight back against more than just the void ants.

There were more assassins throughout the city. Anton couldn't guarantee he was finding them all, but some were weaker and less able to conceal themselves. He began with them, watching for the signs of people dying or raising their energy to fight. A moment later he was on the roof, continuing to shoot in all directions. Since his energy was already burning, he tried to unleash it as quickly as possible. It wasn't the same as normal cultivation flames which never really ran out, and instead some of his arrows were consumed on the way to their target, striking nothing. But it was better than it happening inside of him.

Likewise, some of his bows melted out of existence. He was constantly expanding his energy and replacing them, while all the while the fire crept through his meridians, deeper inside. He had to do something about that, but what? He couldn't really feel a source, as any energy that came in contact with the substance suffered the same consequences.

But if something horrible was going to happen anyway, he might as well do something risky that might work. He called upon another energy, rarely used and barely understood. The energy from beyond death, partially tied to future lives. He pushed it into his meridians and his veins, not caring what exactly he removed but trying to get rid of everything. There was no time for optimal finesse. A little bit of damage to his meridians was much better than death, and blood vessels and muscle tissue could be regrown.

The heat dulled as it approached his dantian, and he continued expelling his energy as well as trying to eradicate the poison. Some of his mind was focused on the battles throughout the city.

Things ended as quickly as they had started. Anton found himself tapped out, dredged of energy and with some internal injuries, but ultimately whole. Throughout the city battles had been completed quickly. Assassins weren't meant for long, drawn out conflicts. Once they were detected they had often already failed. And there simply weren't enough of them to take on a whole city, or even a reasonable part of it.

"Thank you very much," Anton said as he found the Great Queen. "I doubt I would have survived without you."

The Great Queen signed her response with her forelimbs and antennae, "It is the purpose of friends and allies to defend each other. We are glad to be of assistance."

Anton would have done an internal check on himself, but he was utterly drained of energy. But at least there was no new pain. He thought to get a doctor to look at him, but he was concerned what might happen. They'd have to be cautious.

"At least we can strike another sect off the list," Velvet said as she partially revealed herself. "I believe this would be… the Still Wind Erudition. Assassins. Even the Worthy Shore Society didn't know much, but they were referenced in notes others had."

Anton nodded. "That makes enough sense. Thank you for the assistance as well. You should see if you can help anyone else, I believe we're done here."

"Are you kidding? There's no way I'll leave you like… that. You seem like you're about to collapse."

"I'm actually feeling quite well," Anton countered. "But I suppose we cannot discount the possibility of more assassins about."

An hour later, Anton was the next in line to be looked at by a doctor. They had been quite busy in the immediate aftermath of the battle, and since he didn't have any deep wounds and his condition wasn't worsening he made sure others took priority.

"There was a strange poison," Anton said.

"Energy consuming, right?" said his doctor, a man who showed nearly as much age as Anton himself. "You did quite well to purge your system. Others did not do nearly so well. And based on the vials we found on those bodies, you were targeted with more than others."

"I was lucky to only receive a couple small wounds," Anton said.

"They had the skills to concentrate the poison on even small scratches." The doctor held up the blade. "See? Very little residue, with congealed parts near the tip and one part of the blade."

"I don't suppose these fellows had any antidote on them? For the sake of others."

"Hah. Not from what we've seen."

Anton shrugged. He had some knowledge of healing from various bouts of learning, but he'd never gotten to exotic cultivator killing poisons in his studies. He didn't recognize any of the vials that were still full. "They seemed to travel very light. Storage bags were nearly empty. Maybe they thought they'd get caught."

"Or prepared for it at least," the doctor said, carefully wiping away some blood from Anton's wrist. "There's not much I can do for you at the moment. Just be cautious and let me know if there are any further symptoms."

Information about the assassination attempts spread. Several others had happened in other cities nearly simultaneously, with some more effective than others. The continent lost more Life Transformation cultivators than they killed, but some of the cultivators determined to have the highest standing had come for Anton- and stopped by the void ants. Maybe he'd just been one of many potential targets, or perhaps they didn't like the way he'd been shooting at their sky ships. Either way, he was going to have to be careful until he was certain there weren't any more assassins coming.

For the moment most of the counterattacking forces had retreated to Aicenith. They simply couldn't afford to linger in enemy territory, not with their numbers. The other continent could certainly provide a decent match, but they didn't exactly have the ships ready to cart over their entire population, even if they wanted to.

The war hadn't yet spiraled out of control. The total death toll was still manageable, but there was no clear advantage on either side. Hopefully that would make the Exalted Archipelago decide to give up, but there was some doubt about that. Yet they also clearly tried to avoid losses, so the continents simply had to keep fighting. At some point, they could have peace. Or at least a truce.

An unsteady peace seemed to be the best that the world could hope for, and Anton found that very upsetting. Yet he didn't know how anyone might get the power to change that for the better. Though uniting groups one day at a time had been making progress. He could imagine that in a couple centuries… well, someone else having to convince a whole new set of generations not to pointlessly kill each other. But maybe there could be peace.

Chapter 393

Some fluctuation of energy woke Erin in the middle of the night. That was not something she was used to, as her life had been relatively peaceful. She still found it difficult to believe she was the head of a sect, but that was how things were now. In truth the position mainly involved management rather than leadership, keeping things organized and people content with limitations.

Things were peaceful, so what had awoken her? She didn't feel anyone fighting. Yet she wouldn't wake up for nothing either. There was something strange that she couldn't place.

Or perhaps she simply had a nightmare. Her senses had scanned all around the island, finding no problems among the sect or the guests. Not that there were many of the latter at the moment- with a war going on, fewer people were passing through on ships. Speaking of ships, when she pushed her senses further she sensed it.

After finding the first ship, her senses soon picked out the next. Then one more, further around Paradise. In total, there were seven spread out evenly, starting towards either shoulder and going around the sides with one in the rear.

Paradise was still drifting along casually, apparently unconcerned. But why would he be? He never reacted to humans except the invaders, and had grown quite used to them.

Erin had to do something. She couldn't tell what was happening, but there were subtle fluctuations of energy from the small fleet. If they were guests they would have simply landed, there were attendants on hand at all hours of the day.

"Miklav!" Erin directed her voice to extend to the vice head. She didn't bother focusing it so that her words wouldn't spread. Soon enough people would hear, and if nothing was happening she'd simply feel silly. If there was a real problem, waking as many people as possible quickly was important. "Gather everyone you can. There's some sort of attack… or similar. Go to the left, and make sure to include our guests. This is a neutral zone, I'm sure they won't be pleased if it comes under attack."

"What is it?" a reply came from Miklav.

"You'll be able to spot them. Ships in formation around Paradise. If they approach peacefully we can handle them as normal, but the way they're lingering…"

"Understood."

Erin began gathering people as well, heading over to the right side of Paradise. Proper nautical terminology would perhaps call the left and right port and starboard, but Paradise wasn't a ship. He was a turtle.

When she arrived at the guest houses, she found a group from Marvelous Rabbit Mountain waiting for her. An old woman lead them. "Island Head, what is the cause of all this commotion?"

She simply raised her arm towards the nearest ship. "Something abnormal. Either guests who somehow don't know how this works… or enemies."

"I find it difficult to imagine anyone from the continents is unaware of the protocol here, not if traveling by ship." The old woman turned off towards the ship. "I think I can sense something there, in front of the ship."

"Ah, yes. Well, that settles it," Erin nodded as she felt a turtle attached to the ship. "This is an attack of some sort. The Ponderous Turtle Clan has some gall, coming here."

Though she said that, there wasn't much she had that could back up her words. They had only a few Life Transformation cultivators, counting the guests no more than ten. What could they do against an attack? Even the closest ship had five.

The fluctuations in energy became more obvious. "They're unleashing a technique! Help me to counter it!" Erin didn't know exactly what she needed to do, but she called upon her own energy, and the energy of Paradise, trying to sever the line of connection they were forming. The group from Marvelous Rabbit Mountain and the other Island Tenders lent a hand, but the attack was ephemeral and difficult to tie down. It wasn't like blocking a fireball or something simple.

Around the island, there were six more strands meeting in the middle like a strange net. Miklav was trying to fight one off, with less success than Erin.

Erin tried to stop the final strand from properly connecting, but with a sudden shove she and the others were bowled over, and the connection formed. Dozens of additional lines webbed between the seven connections, and the effect collapsed over the island, binding it. The ships began to move in closer, the web tightening.

Then a flipper slowly rose out of the water, between the front two pairs of ships. It seemed to take forever, even though it was moving with quite some speed. A torrent of water poured off of it, not quite completing its journey before the flippers slammed down. Instead of creating great waves, the flippers sunk into the water and created a great vacuum. Along with a tug of energy, it pulled water inward.

There was a sudden tide of monumental force that pulled the two ships together. At the same time, the tail in the rear flipped upward. It was far enough away for it to be hazy in Erin's senses, but she could see it when it rose above the height of the thirteen hills- the shell of Paradise.

It wasn't just the front two ships on either side that were pulled into the sudden void in the ocean, but also the ones by Paradise's rear feet, the back corners of the formation. The water rushed for a few moments, ships being pulled down… and then the water crashed.

Over the next several minutes the surface of the water stilled, but Erin could feel something further happening underneath. Even if she hadn't been specifically attuned to the natural energy around Paradise, it was quite obvious to anyone how the power flowed from its back and middle down its sides. After a few minutes the water stilled, and the ocean returned to its vaguely calm state… but with no ships.

Except the ones anchored in the small docks, technically atop Paradise's shell. Either Paradise avoided causing turmoil around himself- which was quite possible- or he had intentionally avoided what they constructed. It didn't matter either way. It was clear that Paradise had made known his opinion about whatever they had been trying to do. Controlling Paradise, most likely.

Then there was another disturbance of energy. "There's something happening at the head," Erin said. Come along."

She stomped rather quickly as she moved. As far as she was aware, she hadn't been able to do anything. It was clear that Paradise didn't need defending, but she'd thought that maybe she could do something. Clearly, she needed more work. If she could just tap into more of the sea of energy Paradise kept… as long as he didn't mind. Because if she angered him, there was nothing she or any of the others could do about his response.

Erin had been worried there might be survivors congregating. If Paradise had left some alive, they might be strong enough to take out the Island Tenders. But it was clearly not humans that remained there. Instead, it was a handful of turtles. Six, to be exact. That would be all of them, except the one by the tail who had been flung who knows where.

Paradise had raised his head out of the water as the turtles- which would have been quite impressive at five to ten meters in length anywhere else- circled around below. They seemed to want something from Paradise, but after a short few moments he simply lowered his head, snorting into the water. This raised waves sent the turtles scattering, but clearly didn't cause them much actual harm. Some of them lingered nearby regardless, but a few more snorts and they gave up.

Well. At least Erin could now report on the result of the attack. She had communication plates for some groups on either continent, and she'd warned of something that looked like an attack to both. Now she could report… and let them know that the Ponderous Turtle clan was down… something like thirty or more of their best. Though maybe they'd find a way to swim back to shore somewhere, if they hadn't been killed by that swirling energy under the surface.

A trail of floating flotsam from the ships began to surface, indicating that it had been more than just the weight of water that would have crashed down on them. Normal ships might have fallen apart, but these had been reinforced by powerful formations. And now they were junk.

Anton was ecstatic to hear the news from Paradise. More victories than losses were happening for the continents, but few had been big. From their estimates of the Ponderous Turtle Clan's power, however, the attack on Paradise might have been pretty much everything they had left. That was also a significant chunk of the forces arrayed against them, and the fastest ships.

Further intel gained during the war indicated that it would be around five percent of the enemy's forces, with the Ponderous Turtle clan being one of a couple dozen larger groups in the Exalted Archipelago. Some still remained out of the war, and it was hoped that they would not change their minds.

Anton couldn't do anything about that at the moment, though. Or much of anything. There were still lingering traces of poison inside him, and whenever he recovered a bit of natural energy it flared up. In small amounts it wasn't harmful, but if he tried to gather quickly it felt a bit dangerous. He was slowly recovering, though, and he estimated the poison should be completely gone within a month.

Not being able to fight was frustrating, though it wasn't because people needed him. In fact, it was because they didn't. An uncomfortable blow to Anton's newfound inspiration. What point was there in being the guardian of everything if nobody needed him?

Of course, the inner turmoil settled itself rather quickly once he got around to straightforwardly asking himself such questions. There was no point at all, and it would be the very best possible outcome. If everything was just fine without him? He could die happy.

It just wasn't going to be yet. His health was decent and he had some decades left in him. Even if this particular war ended without further need for his assistance, there were threats further beyond.

There was something about being truly empty of energy that Anton found peaceful. He had taken a wagon back to the sect, away from the more dangerous battlegrounds. He didn't want anyone getting hurt trying to defend him.

For the last week he'd been working the ground with just his body. It brought back so many years of memories, but there was more to it. He could still sense the energy around him now, if passively. Perhaps he'd had the slightest inkling of it before he became a cultivator, from the sense of peace he had working the land. Or maybe that was him projecting his current feelings. Either way, he enjoyed the feeling of the sun beating down on him and the wind cooling him off. Sweat and dirt and plain old normal muscle aches.

But above it all he felt the flow of the world, the inevitable tides of everything that would inevitably open up the world for invasion by outsiders once more. And it wasn't even all that far away, by cultivator standards. He had consulted with others, and they agreed that it seemed likely to be a shorter cycle this time. Yet it wouldn't be quick. A couple centuries, which was enough for at least a pair of long generations of cultivators- children growing up to become masters and raising disciples of their own.

Anton hoped the current pointless war settled down soon enough. Neither side would come out ahead with more fighting, and instead they would simply have dead bodies. Recovering from another large loss would set both back for far too long. Anton hoped the Exalted Archipelago would see that, but communication with them was still minimal.

Maybe that should be his goal, when he recovered. Even if peace was offered, the continents would be totally justified in wanting some sort of retaliation. He would even support it, as long as it wasn't too excessive. And if he was sent as a diplomat to the Exalted Archipelago and they killed him, what would the world lose? Just him. And though he certainly valued himself to some extent, it was better him than those he loved- or anyone with a long future. He'd have to bring up the idea soon, so that people could have time to properly process it.

Chapter 394

"I can't believe I let you talk me out of staying behind," Chikere complained. "From what I heard that Swordmaster Netta was pretty strong!"

"That's the point," Vasu shook his head.

"What, you think I'd lose?" Chikere vaguely slashed a sword towards him, which he sidestepped without effort.

The members of the Million Sword Vault had already returned home with their spoils, though some were eager for another excursion as soon as possible.

"That's not the issue. You simply wouldn't have gotten the fight you wanted. I imagine if we had remained behind that after Netta began to lose the rest of the sect would have gotten involved…" Chikere's eyes began to shine as Vasu spoke, "... And then a whole bunch of annoying people from outside the sect would come remove us from their territory the quick way."

"Hmmn, could be worth it," Chikere stroked her chin. "I'd have to see what kind of sword she has first."

"It might be better to arrange such a battle on another front," Vasu commented. "Perhaps they might come to us."

"You think so?"

"Probably not," Vasu admitted. "They seemed hesitant to draw Aicenith into this battle."

"I thought that was why we were the ones attacking them? And to support our allies too, I guess."

"Something like that," Vasu confirmed. "I will remind you that not everyone wants to fight. Many would prefer an end to hostilities, such as Anton."

"Yeah, I get it. But until the enemy makes that choice, we have to make them regret starting this."

"Give it time."

Some groups were easier to convince than others that minimizing concessions required for the end of the war was in everyone's best interests. Lev and the Grasping Willows understood, but given their location in the center of the continent they hadn't suffered any significant losses so far in the war. The same was geographically true of the Glorious Flame Palace, but they were less accommodating about his ideas.

"We can't just let them off!" Sarka represented much of the general opinion of the passionate sect. "They need to pay for starting this!"

"And we will make them, but it can't be excessive," Anton explained. "Otherwise it will just cost us all more lives for a few shiny rocks and maybe some sticks or cloth."

The co-located Frostmirror Sect was easily on board. There was no benefit to the war, and it was only logical to end it. "The important thing is to make sure they will honor any agreements, instead of simply building up their forces for a subsequent attack."

"That's being worked on," Anton admitted. "We are hoping that some sort of formal agreement might give some sort of excuse to allow internal conflict. That would depend on what sort of arrangements they have with the upper realms. Though enforcing the provisions through traditional methods might work."

"Nothing beats raw power," Sarka agreed.

"I imagine they'd try to weasel out of it, though," Adelina pointed out.

"That's why I've already been working with Kohar," Anton said. "She'll make any contracts airtight. Though Catarina had some crazy ideas about self-enforcing contracts…"

"That doesn't sound like something possible to achieve with formations," Adelina frowned.

"Well, it's imperfect. But certain broad conditions might be achievable, such as the destruction of certain structures when meeting certain conditions. Self destruction is… well established."

"Everheart," Adelina sighed, "Right?"

"He was a genius," Anton grinned. "Anyway, she said something about setting those up in a few places. It wouldn't be perfect, and they could probably be removed… but removing them without triggering some sort of alarm would be another level of difficulty. I don't know all the details though."

"I find it unlikely that they would allow us to set up formations in their territory, on their sect grounds or anywhere important," Adelina pointed out.

"It's difficult," Anton admitted, "But if we can assert enough dominance, we might get something. At the moment the Exalted Archipelago is sort of floundering. If we could take advantage of it somehow," he shrugged.

"They sent a lot of ships to the Middle Sea," Sarka said. "Very circuitous-like. Seems like a good time for a counterattack, but we also can't know if they'll attack either continent from there."

"It's likely they're flailing, trying to cut off our support for each other," Adelina said. "Though they'll likely learn about the teleportation formations one way or another. I'm surprised they haven't already."

"... Maybe they think it's a deception?" Anton asked. "If they don't have something similar, it sounds unbelievable."

"Some of them went to the moon, though," Adelina pointed out. "They experienced it."

"Not that many of them," Anton pointed out. "They're… rightfully suspicious of Everheart's tombs."

"I can barely believe that was really the last one," Sarka said. "But it's not like there's somewhere else he could put an even bigger, more impressive 'tomb', right?"

Nobody commented on that. It was hard to imagine where such a thing might exist, and the side effects of it would be immense. Hopefully, it really was the last one.

"I suppose that makes sense," Anton said after listening to Kohar explain some of her current plans. "It's not unpalatable, but that makes it harder to pitch to our side. Trade provisions… well, actually requiring them to open their borders would be a pretty big win. And with favorable conditions for us… it might amount to something."

"I've been working with a lot of economists," Kohar said. "They say this will ultimately be better for us than trying to scoop our five or ten percent of everything they have. That's nearly impossible to calculate to begin with. Are we going to appraise every single sword everyone has?"

"We could easily get the swords done," Anton pointed out. "I know some people. But everything else… there are fewer people obsessed with specific furniture, and it would take… far too long."

"We're still asking for boatloads of gems and valuable goods though," Kohar said. "Just a small number of them spread out through the whole area. Or rather, specifically those who have been involved in this war." Kohar shook her head, "As if they'll agree to this."

"That's not your job. Or rather, only the part of making it reasonable. The rest is up to us," Anton slapped his chest.

It was funny because at the moment, he was barely stronger than her. Or at least, his quantity of available energy was quite similar. The poison still had annoying lingering bits, but Anton currently carried with him energy similar to late Spirit Building. He would be avoiding battlefields for at least another month, since he didn't have a death wish. It would be one thing if he were actually in late Spirit Building, but his current potential was much higher so he'd be a juicy target.

"I suppose it's now my job to convince people we'd want to trade with these guys, after a war," Anton pondered. "But we have seen significant wealth, and both sides have different materials more readily available. That's a reasonable enough basis, at least."

"When you get us the lists of the actual most valuable materials we can be more specific in that section," Kohar said. "We've got a handful of us pouring over the thing for the wording to be as good as possible. We'd also like to avoid any sweeping changes at the last moment, because that's where holes come in. We can't count on anyone to just respect the spirit of the agreement."

"It's unfortunate," Anton agreed, "But that's the way it is."

The most successful intrusions by the Exalted Archipelago had been in northwestern Ambati, in the region of Obuandi. Of the areas they could easily reach, it was the least defended and generally the least important, but it had allowed them a foothold on the continent from where further attacks were orchestrated. They had been holding the location for several months now, but a counteroffensive was on its way.

Though they controlled a small corridor leading to the area, actually getting more people there was difficult. More than a few ships at a time and the continental forces could organize an attack while they were away from land and thus relatively vulnerable. They needed time to organize, but over the course of the war they had been capturing and building more ships of their own to allow themselves greater control of the sea. The reason the upcoming counteroffensive was on the way simply had to do with their ability to get reinforcements. While the port did not freeze in the winter, the circuitous route they had to go through to avoid notice did freeze. That would limit attacks along the entire northern half of the continent, freeing up forces for the offensive while still allowing them to be ready to defend the western and southern parts of the continent.

As for the forces in the Middle Sea, between Brogora and Aicenith, that was already being worked on. Ships from Aicenith were very specifically flying their flags and aggressively sweeping through the ocean near their territorial waters. This didn't result in many direct conflicts, and was intended to drive them off. Though Brogora didn't have the spare forces to randomly sweep through the vast sea, they had sufficient forces ready to defend their coast.

Though cultivators could remain at sea for arbitrary lengths of time, the various beasts present would consistently cause some amount of damage to the ships and potentially casualties to the crew. While food and water were replenishable, long durations on a ship were not comfortable. Cultivators could be patient, but not all of them would be comfortable spending so long at sea. They couldn't remain forever, and even if they did tying up dozens of ships for a potential attack was not going to work out in the long run. It did make trade between the continents more difficult, but the route past Paradise was still traversed by some. The complete destruction of the Ponderous Turtle Clan's forces there seemed to make them reasonably cautious.

Anton flexed his fingers one by one. He certainly wasn't back to full, but his range was sufficient to make his participation feasible. Staying in the back lines meant that enemies would have to make risky maneuvers to get to him or the others in the same role, so the fact that his total energy was still suboptimal didn't make him feel particularly vulnerable. If anything, he was still far better off than most fighting on the front lines. Doing his best to support them and make them safer was better than doing anything foolish like moving forward himself.

This was the first battlefield in a while where Grand Elder Kseniya was also present. For the moment the center of the continent was deemed safe, so more forces had been shifted outward, even if it was only temporary. Assassins might still appear, but that simply meant people had to stay in groups.

Everyone was present, really. Hoyt, Velvet, Timothy, Catarina, Devon, Alva, Lev… alright, it was mostly the Order and a few others, plus local forces from Ambati. There was nobody from Aicenith at the moment, which also meant no Chikere even though she was originally from Brogora. Aicenith was helping with keeping other areas secure during this assault, with the Million Sword Vault specifically trying to provoke the Void Blades into fighting them. Some were here around Obuandi, but the strongest were not present.

The last few days had been slow moving, not because jungle terrain was terribly difficult. In fact, with members of the Grasping Willows and the Rolling Bush Sect, the underbrush practically bowed out of the way on its own. The problem was when formations had been set up. That was why Catarina and other formation masters were present, keeping an eye out for traps. Some were so simple that Anton could spot them from kilometers away, but others were more devious. Whether making use of proper formation materials or augmenting a natural formation, there were sufficient dangers to the bulk of the army if the traps went undetected.

Void ants were also helpful in detecting them… and though some found it disconcerting to have a handful sitting on their shoulder, when they tapped the side of someone's neck to get their attention and thus helped them not step into a trap they found it worthwhile. Then the void ants would be let down to feast on any pockets of natural energy gathered by a formation, which was ultimately a win for them.

They were still able to advance ten or twenty kilometers a day, not an insignificant pace but much slower than they were used to. No doubt the enemy was aware that they were coming, but whether they could do anything about it was another matter.

They made a few attempts at guerilla warfare, but the forces from Ambati were generally more familiar with the type of terrain they were dealing with and… Kseniya would make anyone who came close enough to attack regret how far inside her range they were. Nobody was able to escape her once she had locked onto them. There were a few enemies with ranges nearly as much as her, but they alone would not be able to cause significant harm to the army. The march continued, and would hopefully be sufficient to push them out of the area.

Chapter 395

The Exalted Archipelago had fortified the port of Obuandi, but the area around it had been retaken by the continental forces. Determining exactly what proportion of their forces to send had been difficult, as the borders still needed protecting from potential additional intrusions. The passing of ships was monitored as much as it could be to predict movements, but having people ready in the local area was a necessity to head off such intrusions. Teleportation formations were not common, and it could take days for people to fully recover their energy after going through one- limiting their practicality.

The archipelago's forces had been able to anticipate the coming siege as the forces approached and retook the nearby area, which led to them gathering many of their naval forces in the area as well. At the moment they had a greater number of ships than the continent could bring to bear in the area, leaving them some options to retreat. Likewise the forces on those ships could reinforce the port on land if necessary.

Siege equipment was set up by the continental forces. The enemies had co-opted some of what had been set to defend the area, but their own numbers were minimal. More importantly, they didn't necessarily have the ammunition for a sustained barrage.

The continental forces, meanwhile, had learned from previous incidents. The siege of Yedo had been plagued by various issues. An insurmountable one was the second tier ascension cultivator, with an aura that could suppress the whole battlefield. That made a full assault difficult, though if they had been able to bring down the city's defenses it should have been something they could overcome. Otherwise the invaders from the upper realms wouldn't have stayed put, but come out to attack.

Larger capacity storage had already been planned before seeing the storage chests from the Ponderous Turtle Clan, but even just hearing about them had been enough inspiration for the formation masters and enchanters to come up with something complete. The final pieces were effectively covered wagons, with both significant physical size to go along with their larger internal area but also for the sake of having sizable openings. A storage bag could only go so far in carrying things before something simply wouldn't fit.

There were limits on the supply wagons as well, but they could easily fit large boulders or similar. Ammunition specially tailored for trebuchets was shipped in significant quantities, ready to be put to use. The same was true for the ballistae- whether it was individual massive arrow-shaped projectiles or bundles of smaller ones meant for creating their own miniature barrage they had sufficient ammunition. And there were a few special pieces, both the weaponry itself and the ammunition. Those were kept concealed for the moment, until such a time as they intended to use the still experimental devices.

Thus began a proper siege, with bombardments meant to break through the walls of the enemy forces. The occupying enemy also counterattacked with the intention of destroying the siege weapons, but though they were within the attacking range of many individuals, there were sufficient defenders and formations to keep them safe- for the most part.

A week passed quickly. As time went on, the northern oceans would freeze even further south, limiting the passage of Exalted Archipelago ships coming to reinforce them even more. Much of the continental navy was wrapped up in keeping those reinforcements from arriving, and while the forces in Obuandi could have potentially tried to break through that blockade, committing so many of their forces would have left the city itself open for retaking.

So far, nobody had been able to open negotiations with the city. It was possible to shout across a safe distance, but so far they had either been ignored or met with vague taunts in return.

Anton imagined that the Exalted Archipelago didn't know how to extricate themselves from the situation they were in. They could simply pack up and leave, but that would be some form of admitting defeat… and they clearly thought themselves superior. Maybe they had been, some decades previous. Now, they were at least not overwhelmingly powerful compared to the continents working together. Their losses had consistently matched that of the continental forces in proportion, with the defenders having some advantages.

Maybe there was some secret plan they still had, some way to get a massive victory that would make everything worth it. Maybe they had a specific goal in mind, a specific sect they wished to conquer, but there weren't really any signs of that. They'd simply looted and plundered what they could, which was made exceptionally difficult when they had to contend with the forces of cities and not just sects or clans. A few thousands or tens of thousands of lower ranking cultivators was quite troublesome to deal with for an army of any size.

It was possible that they would never admit surrender, though they were cognizant enough of their own lives to avoid confrontations they didn't think they could win. That made negotiations more difficult, because any agreement of a ceasefire sort of depended on some reparations from them. Simple peace would ultimately be better for both sides, but Anton knew the mindset of the continent wanted revenge. Their counterattacks didn't count- they fought for those victories and what they had taken, they weren't reparations for an unprovoked attack.

It was unfortunate, but it might take the war dragging on longer with more losses before people were willing to accept a ceasefire with no additional strings attached. Even Anton, who understood why they would do that wasn't fully supportive of the idea in his heart.

But if the was were to continue and losses were going to happen, Anton personally wanted the enemy to suffer the majority of them. For that sake, he was part of a small squad of artillery shooting past the city.

Not at it- a couple Life Transformation cultivators bombarding a city-wide defensive formation wouldn't make that much difference one way or another. Past it, to the most vulnerable part, the harbor. And the ships there.

During their initial assault they'd deal with every ship that didn't have proper defensive formations covering it from rudder to sail- or barring that a crew willing to block the incoming attacks. The latter was significantly more risky, and had generally been abandoned except for the sake of augmenting existing defensive wards.

The enemy had enough forces to man the ships, so of course they could defend any individual ship from a few people as well… but not all of them could always be on high alert. With Anton and Kseniya working together, they could target pretty much any ship whenever they wanted, and a few kilometers here or there wouldn't make any difference. Pulling the ships out of the harbor was useless, unless they were willing to go at least fifty kilometers away where there was a noticeable drop off in offensive power from the archers, and even then they could still attack the ships. It was only when they were close to the hundred kilometer mark that the passive replenishment from surrounding natural energy would easily keep up.

So people were defending the ships in shifts, with Anton and Kseniya searching for weaknesses. They didn't have to sink ships all at once, as a little bit of damage to the structure or a punctured sail or two was sufficient if they could slip something past the defenses. There were some cultivators who could counter their attacks as well, but with Anton firing a large number of shots at once and Kseniya focusing on individual powerful attacks it was quite difficult to counter. And they didn't just have to attack the ship. If they could take out one of the defenders, that was a reasonable target as well.

Even with incremental successes on their part, the siege wasn't progressing quickly. There was currently no intention to rush, but keeping the whole continent on alert for so long was tiring everyone out. Waiting for whatever the Exalted Archipelago tried was also not something they wanted.

A huge tube of metal sat in front of Grant. He certainly couldn't call himself the sole inventor of the device, but he had been one of the first to work on mechanical solutions to cultivator problems. Enchantments and formations were all well and good, but they could only augment things so far. A sloppy wall with formations holding it together was a house of cards waiting to be toppled.

But walls were actually fairly set in their construction, as technique had improved slowly over time. The same was true with weapons and armor, and honestly Grant could hardly fathom ways to improve them. Not for use by individual cultivators.

The first step had been making siege weaponry that was immediately augmentable by the energy of multiple cultivators. No matter how heavy a rock was, against a barrier of natural energy it ultimately was wasted effort without some sort of change in how it worked. Twenty years before he'd already had designs in place, and over those decades others had helped him improve them.

This metal tube was another step along the way. It had some confounding factors that made it difficult to use.

As a base, the cannon took explosive powder to propel a heavy ball of metal. The greater velocity this achieved meant the individual shots didn't have to be so heavy like in a trebuchet. Yet at the speeds that could be achieved through mechanical power alone, it could only cause damage to unaugmented walls, devoid of defensive formations.

Denser metal for the casing and higher power explosive powder might eventually overcome that, but such things became prohibitively expensive. Taking advantage of the mechanical strengths and adding a cultivator's natural energy was better, but the cannon itself had some peculiarities that were difficult.

The explosion, for example, basically meant that augmenting the cannon ball with energy would be extremely inefficient. An explosion at the rear of the ball would damage the coating of energy, and augmenting just the front was basically impossible even if it the ball didn't turn over in the process of being shot.

Using energy to augment the explosion saved on materials, but at some point it was too much for the projectile… or in a few unfortunate cases for the structure of the cannon itself. The cultivators on those projects had been lucky that they always had their defensive energy in place, so the explosions had mostly knocked them back a few hundred meters from the test firing point.

Ultimately they had developed a system where individual cultivators were responsible for separate parts. Some fortified the barrel, some augmented the explosion, and some provided augmentation directly on the cannon ball. There was lost energy still, but with crews rotating out it was spread throughout more people. And they only had a few cannons to begin with.

Grant was taking special care to make sure the one next to him was properly set up- the area around it was just as important given the recoil of the firing. Stopping the recoil was energy intensive, so having it in a proper area where it could roll back and absorb the recoil on its own was their next best option. And though he wasn't an expert in formations, he also had to consult with those involved in that field to make sure their shots wouldn't have to bust through their own defensive formations. It would be a serious mistake if they left all of their other siege weaponry vulnerable on accident, and costly.

Deciding that other factors were as good as they were going to be, Grant carefully measured the angle of firing. He had to get some input from a cultivator with long range senses, because that was much better than guessing the distance and the slope. The first shot needed to be impactful, before anyone was ready for it. Taking a few shots to properly range the cannon would be unfortunate.

He took the position of manning the cannon ball itself for the first shot. He had enough experience with the position that he could avoid using too much energy and causing drag on the barrel while still making it optimal for penetrating at the other end. Several others gathered around, all in Essence Collection. They put their power together, holding the cannon firm and triggering the explosion.

Grant knew he would have been deaf without proper energy defenses in place, and even then he had trouble hearing for a moment. But he didn't need to hear to see and sense the impact. The combined energy of the cultivators plus the power of the actual explosion itself provided a deceptive amount of force. The natural energy involved was little more than a late Life Transformation expert could gather alone, drawing some small amount of attention but not ushering any response from the defenders.

That power combined with the explosive force, and the way it combined to shoot the heavy ball of metal forward meant that when it impacted the defensive formation, it only encountered the standard always active defensive level. It punctured through that without stopping, punching a hole in the wall behind it as well. It was unclear if it broke through any formation runes, but it kept its momentum for quite some time.

So it was a success, though Grant wondered if it would have been better if it could explode where they wanted it. The difficulty with that was getting through the defensive formation first before exploding. That was a feature he was completely uncertain of how he might reproduce it, and honestly he hoped he never had to.

The enemy would likely be ready for future shots from this cannon- or another one- but even if they reacted and took it head on, the expenditure on their part to defend against it should hopefully be higher. At the very least, they'd have to focus on a couple more groups not made of Life Transformation people which would free up some of their stronger cultivators to do more.

Chapter 396

"Truthfully swordmaster, are you sure we're going the right way?" Captain Mirjana said. The Windspear had been chasing what seemed to be nothing for close to a week. "We're getting close to the ice floes and we haven't seen hide nor hair of them."

"Of course I'm sure, I can sense it," Chikere folded her arms. "We're getting closer."

"You keep saying that, but we ought to have caught up to them by now. Even those with the best senses can't pick out a target from such a vast distance, can they?"

"That's because they don't know what they're looking for," Chikere declared.

"If it helps," one of the disciples of the Million Sword Vault commented, "We received word that Swordmaster Netta of the Void Blades would be in the area. In addition, Swordmaster Chikere is the best at the aspect of sensing swords."

Chikere glared at him, but the man stood firm. "Are you saying I'm not the best at everything?"

"There are other aspects regarding swords where others are indeed superior," the man nodded, shifting slightly too relieve the feeling of blades pressing into his skin. He was well aware she wouldn't actually kill him, either with her aura or her actual swords, but disciples of the Million Sword Vault were encouraged to engage in combat as much as possible as long as they avoided crippling each other, which left quite a lot available. But none of them would last long if they were afraid of a little danger, and the chance to face off against a Swordmaster for even an instant was worthwhile. And Swordmaster Chikere wasn't crazy or violent, by their standards.

"Hmph, I guess that's fair enough," Chikere focused her vision back on the distance. "We're very close now. They'll sense us soon."

Captain Mirjana frowned, "I suppose that's good, given that the Windspear isn't equipped to sail much further but… will they choose to fight?"

"Of course," Chikere said confidently. "Netta is a swordmaster. She won't just flee when we get close."

"More likely have an ambush set for us," said the same disciple.

"We're just here to transport you," Captain Mirjana cautioned. "We don't have the strength to protect the ship."

"Not a problem. In fact… you should pull up over there."

"I don't see any ships on the horizon. Are you sure?"

"It's fine. We'll walk."

Of course, 'walking' involved jumping on ice floes and certainly leaned more towards running. Powerful cultivators could support themselves on even water with their natural energy, so solid surfaces that could hold their weight was fairly trivial, even if they were uneven and liable to tilt. The current group was formed only of Essence Collection and Life Transformation cultivators, though Chikere was the only who could properly claim the title of Swordmaster among the latter.

They quickly closed the distance with their targets. The area had no land, but along with the ice floes were larger icebergs, some of which were close to hills sticking out of the water and blocking vision. Further limiting visibility was swirling snow and the spray of waves.

When a sword was thrust towards her heart, Chikere deflected it with number one. Just because the figure had been hidden didn't mean she couldn't pick out their location. There were various factors that people might have called upon, but they all tied together into her ability to sense swords. The fact that her defensive energy had been punctured and a small trail of blood trickled down her ribs just went to show her opponent's skill.

The Void Blades were adept at hiding themselves among the surroundings, but that didn't mean they couldn't handle a straight on fight. After the initial clashes it was impossible for any of them to remain truly hidden, but the core of their technique still remained strong. The angles of attack were meant to be the most difficult to react to, and their energy was tuned to make perceiving them difficult to begin with. It wasn't just their use of energy, but also a deep knowledge of blind spots. Even cultivators couldn't completely overcome the physical limitations of their body, and it was easy to miss an attack from a blind spot if one was not experienced enough.

A Swordmaster would of course be capable of counteracting such techniques, and Chikere was not above using them herself. She'd studied the Void Blades' techniques previous, but she hadn't found herself in a truly worthwhile battle with them yet. Swordmaster Netta made use of twin swords which were worthy of being number two and three. Perhaps two and four, on either side of Vianne's sword. Number one was still the best sword from the upper realms.

Netta made high use of maneuverability, darting in and out of Chikere's reach. Though Chikere had a cloud of swords around her, they didn't stray too far from her and didn't crowd particular areas. Slippery ice forced Chikere to watch her own footing as attacks came from all angles, her own attacks expertly parried or forced to be withdrawn for her own safety.

She got a cut along her eyebrow and a shallow puncture in her right thigh. Meanwhile, Chikere hadn't touched her opponent. It was… great, actually. Just what she wanted, a worthy opponent. Chikere still believed she was better though. She had always carried that confidence, and it was not only justified, but part of her strength. Believing she would win could lead to her victories… along with decades of training and experience as well as excellent swords.

The front of Chikere's outfit split as if normal cloth were being cut instead of some of the most expensive and highly enchanted textiles in the world. They wouldn't do much to defend her, though they had already succeeded at their purpose. That previous attack would have cut through at least a couple ribs otherwise.

"You're doing quite well holding your own," Swordmaster Netta commented, "But the rest of the disciples with you aren't lasting nearly so well. Perhaps you should assist them?"

"Why?" Chikere said in response. Her swords never stopped as she traced nearly inescapable patterns through the air. As a consequence of controlling so many weapons, each was slightly weaker and slower. If she had even a handful of blades that she could wield as freely as her real arms, nobody could stand a chance. It was also a matter of how much energy she was willing to devote at once, though she had limits regardless of what she wanted.

"I thought you continentals cared about things like that. Or are you more heartless than we thought? The Exalted Archipelago takes good care of our own."

Ten swords thrust downward, sticking into the ice in a circle around Netta while another ten stabbed in from the sides, but the woman skillfully cut her way through the ice beneath her feet. Her response came from below Chikere as the ice beneath her feet was cut into dozens of tiny pieces, but she brought her swords down to limit Netta's options as she leapt out of the next hole. "You're not even half as united as you claim. And I don't have to worry about the others. They will either win, or this is simply as far as they could go."

"Brutal," Netta commented. She deflected incoming swords, using their momentum against them to tear them from Chikere's grip and fling them far away. They were inconvenient to recover at the moment, but at least they weren't broken. Even the lowest on the totem pole were sturdy enough.

"It's practical," Chikere said. "One must be able to choose opponents they can defeat."

Netta's next series of attacks began with crossing slashes of her swords. Chikere dodged and deflected with the sword in her primary hand, only able to directly stand against her opponent. With a twist she disarmed the sword in Netta's left hand.

She moved in close, locking her opponent's blade against her own while stepping close. Another of her blades stopped a dagger stabbing towards her gut. As Netta quickly withdrew, trails of blood were drawn upon her as Chikere's brought a dozen blades to bear on her briefly stationary form.

Chikere looked at her left wrist, where some tendons had been severed. "That's it?" she said as Netta tossed aside the dagger to draw another sword from her storage bag when she had a moment.

"Your effectiveness will drop significantly with that injury," Netta said. "I'd hardly call that nothing."

"Yeah, and the poison, but so what?" Chikere shrugged. "You have a hundred daggers and a dozen extra blades hanging around in your bag, and you only pulled something out because you got disarmed? You can't… use them all at once?"

"I don't need to."

Chikere held her left arm behind her, where one of her own swords cut a deep gouge. She flicked it to dislodge already coagulating black blood deep inside, and stood with one arm forward.

Netta charged forward in her moment of distraction, zig-zagging around the field of blades coming for her. Her swords cut towards Chikere in the most optimal path to cut her apart. Chikere took a step back… and they both stopped.

Netta looked down at the sword stabbed into her ankle. Chikere had stepped on the hilt of Netta's previously disarmed sword, angling it slightly upwards. She hadn't augmented it with any of her own natural energy, but the high quality of the sword allowed it to cut through Netta's energy where her defenses weren't focused.

"Your effectiveness will drop significantly with that injury," Chikere mimicked. They only stopped for a fraction of a second, and Chikere's swords were already moving in. Netta was still able to move her upper body and use her swords to expertly deflect and dodge the incoming attacks, but Chikere simply turned around and walked away. When Netta tried to chase after her, she found herself impaled from a dozen directions at once, with another dozen that failed to pierce her defenses.

Chikere shook her head. The range she could move her blades was limited, but not that limited. Netta had been pretty good though. Chikere had been a small step away from dying herself if she made a mistake. She just focused too much on what she thought was the danger. Chikere's natural energy swept backwards to pick up the new number two and four. The rest… well, they were garbage. Enough that she considered distributing them to the others instead of claiming them for herself.

The siege in Obuandi resulted in the Exalted Archipelago having to retreat onto their ships. It came all at once, not during some sort of climactic attack but one night when the bombardment was at a low point. There was little that could be done to stop them, but that was never the intent. Now that they were driven off, the continental forces could fortify the area so it wasn't so easily reclaimed.

As for the exact cause of the sudden retreat, nobody was quite sure. News of Swordmaster Netta's death came within the next day, but there were other active groups as well. Regardless, the call was made. That didn't lead to an immediate ceasefire of any sort, and the continental forces still kept vigilant watch for approaching ships, ready to attack them.

A week later, a lone ship was allowed to approach the western coast of Ambati, carefully escorted. They were cautious because the strongest cultivator on the ship claimed to be Sect Head Treloar of the Worthy Shore Society… but the name didn't match their records. Yet the cultivation technique felt correct, and was verified by some of those who had interacted with them before. So they were escorted to Tiarhogo to meet with the council, where such discrepancies could be asked about. There wasn't much else said, besides him announcing his name and that they came in peace- which fit with their earlier understanding of the Sect's interactions. But there was no way to know for sure what the visit meant until they landed.

Chapter 397

Matriarch Afi of the Temitope clan had been old for quite some time. Some advancements in cultivation had extended her lifespan but she was beginning to clearly feel her limits. Even so, her memory still held onto important pieces of information. "I believe we have met before, have we not? Treloar, though I don't believe you were the Sect Head."

"That is correct," the man nodded. His age was quite apparent to every member of the Tiarhogo council. "The position recently came into my hands."

"I am curious about that," Afi said. "I do believe the former head was quite young, what would cause her removal from the position?"

"She's simply not around anymore," Treloar said. He held up a hand to stop any immediate comments, "For the best reason possible. She attained the Integration stage. Ascension, I believe you would call it."

Kumbukani nodded, "Congratulations are in order then. But we must get to the business at hand eventually. Why are you here? You seem to have come more openly and in less of a rush than last time."

He completely ignored the talk about the previous visit, and instead answered the first question. "That's quite simple. We are here because the Exalted Archipelago desires to negotiate for peace. Much harm has come to both sides, and it would be best for all."

"That may be true," Kumbukani admitted, "But I presume there's some reason you in particular are here."

"That's simple. It was deemed that I was least likely to be killed without a chance to negotiate… and unimportant enough that my death would mean little."

"How straightforward," Matriarch Afi grinned.

"There's no need to lie about such things. Now then, I have some terms to present," Treloar held up a rolled scroll.

"These won't be 'terms' like the Ponderous Turtle Sect brought, will they?"

"I assure you they are quite different. And I am here to properly negotiate instead of just throwing about arbitrary demands."

"Very well. We will see these terms… then we will counter with some of our own."

"Of course."

The Exalted Archipelago's proposal more or less called for an end to hostilities, along with some restrictions on entering territorial waters which came with certain penalties. Those penalties were basically weighted towards the Exalted Archipelago's advantage, but they didn't have such audacious demands as before the war.

It was still unpalatable to the continents, however. The Exalted Archipelago had begun the war with unreasonable demands and deception, and nobody would be satisfied with things vaguely returning to the status quo where they pretended the Exalted Archipelago didn't exist.

The first counterproposal from the continents pushed hard in the other direction, making significant demands from the Exalted Archipelago. At that point it could have been possible that they would have to wait weeks for a response, but the Worthy Shore Society stayed in port and provided an answer a few days later. Their communication method hadn't been successfully determined during the war, but it wasn't a surprise it worked at such a long distance- their own version worked at any distance, though certain things would make the connection fail.

A few days to debate and prepare the next draft was rather speedy, and in it the Exalted Archipelago provided some minor concessions. After negotiating back and forth for a while, it was clear that Treloar was not going to accept anything that penalized the Exalted Archipelago as a whole, but instead just the sects involved in the actual attacks. In fact, he seemed quite eager to levy some penalties upon the other groups.

Eventually negotiations ended with most parties disappointed in some regard, which was about as much as anyone could hope for. Some of the penalties were little more than token payments, but it was of no benefit to continue fighting. A significant portion of blame was somehow shifted to the Ponderous Turtle Clan which was in dire straits after what happened around Paradise, and a significant portion of their assets were promised.

And though there were some doubts, as time passed promised remunerations began to come in without any obvious trickery involved.

At some point the border forces had to lower their guard. It was simply infeasible to keep everyone on high alert forever, especially if there were to be some sort of peace. The coasts still had some irregular patrols, but some of that was merely to make sure naval proficiency was properly maintained.

When he wasn't involved in those, Anton found himself traveling on merchant vessels back and forth along the coasts. It was difficult to let go. He knew he could be so much more productive elsewhere, but he also wasn't sure that a year or two really meant anything. There was continued contact with the Exalted Archipelago, tentative attempts to trade with the Worthy Shore Society and other groups that hadn't been involved in the attacks, but little had happened so far.

So Anton found himself, staring out at the sea, stretching his senses as far as they would go. He sensed nothing most of the time, and the only thing he gained was an ever growing awareness of the curvature of the world. Surprisingly if he counted both directions- though he could not sense more than a tiny slice at his maximum distance at once, and only in one direction- his senses could stretch across a real, tangible distance relative to the world as a whole. A few percent, though it wasn't as if he was aware of any real proportion of the world at once. Beyond it just being a narrow view, even if he had dozens of himself stretched around the planet he would only be sensing a narrow band around the belly of the world at once.

While that was quite impressive, it also reminded him of how little he could do. He was just one person among many, and though he was certainly much more able to influence the world as a whole as a Life Transformation cultivator, it never felt like enough. Perhaps he was simply being greedy, but he couldn't help what he felt.

Ultimately he wasted somewhere close to two years in a misguided form of vigilance. He made brief returns to the Order during that point, mostly to show his face and because he had some obligations as an instructor to fulfill. Kseniya was never going to be good at instructing, though a few could learn from her regardless. But people with natural intuition or 'talent' would learn regardless, if perhaps at a slower rate.

In a way, Anton had wanted to be justified in his time spent patrolling with some sort of attack, which conflicted with what he knew he should want which was a true end to the conflict. And at least at the moment, that seemed to be the case. Whether it was just a handful of years or potentially decades, he would accept it. Presuming that peace could be maintained until the next invasion… was foolish. Though Anton was quite pleased that many of the conflicts were being solved more by people like Kohar than through battle. There was still friction between the various factions that made up the continents, but concerted efforts had been made to maintain peace. And on a large scale it was successful, but that never stopped smaller scale problems.

Some cultivators always thought they were important enough they could do whatever they wanted, or really any people. It was just that cultivators had power to get away with it a little better. The rise in general cultivation levels meant some skilled individuals could pull ahead, but it also meant that the masses were more aware of their own power and how it matched up against troublemakers. They just had to be willing to take the risks to stop someone, if there were no dedicated peacekeepers present. Yet it was still much better than what happened when people with some cultivation decided to cause trouble for those with none.

Anton was waiting for the next round of teleportation to Aicenith. The area around the teleportation formation seemed rather crowded, but considering this was the only one that went between the two continents it was actually rather reasonable. After all, teleportation was pricy. The monetary expense wasn't much for Anton, but that was because he would be paying mainly in natural energy. It might have been free if the formation did not need to be maintained, and to discourage using teleportation thoughtlessly.

After the war with the Exalted Archipelago more teleportation formations were being constructed- not between the continents but within the continents themselves. Those were cheaper and easier to use, and perhaps unnecessary… but their main purpose was to be used in case of future invasions, mainly external ones. Individual formations could be shut down easily, and were monitored by groups of all who had interests in a particular region. It wouldn't do for them to make an intra-continental war easier to accomplish.

For related reasons, none were located on the coasts. Instead, they were placed outside population centers of various regions. It was impossible to go directly into anywhere important, but the distance between any two points would be greatly reduced. They were barely usable for trade as carrying large amounts of goods- even in storage bags- took more energy. That increased the costs either in materials that could store energy or through the use of powerful cultivators expending themselves- or vast numbers of weaker cultivators, potentially.

A group of fifty appeared on the platform, coming from the opposite direction. They all quickly made their way off, while those who were going to Aicenith were quickly reverified and one by one made their way onto the platform. Over the course of the day they would exchange several thousand individuals, significantly fewer than those who would be making the same trip by sea. There were talks of going by air within the next few decades, but that was similarly expensive as teleportation, though not tightly locked to specific locations.

Once everyone was ready, the announcements for everyone to provide their energy to the formation came. It was necessary, not only because they calculated what was necessary to move all of the people but because any excess energy also took effort to come with a cultivator. Once more Anton thought how insane Everheart's formations were, transporting thousands to the moon and back. Though those only functioned for a single round trip, so the total number who had gone through was actually much higher with these- though the distance was still a factor.

Energy flowed from Anton steadily, settling alongside that of others in the formation. The formation did forcibly drain anyone, but the guards nearby reminded those who were not doing their part. And while some might have liked to be lazy, it simply wouldn't fly.

Anton felt a comfortable sort of exhaustion, though he only dwelt on it for a few moments. Then everything shifted, and he found himself in another location. He'd made the mistake of trying to have his energy senses spread out while traveling once, but that had not only resulted in the loss of energy on the departing side but an uncomfortable loss of sensation followed by unpleasant rapid expansion of his senses on the other side.

Now that he was more familiar, he kept himself tightly contained. The fatigue simply became the normal unpleasant kind, and unlike a good day of work on a farm there were no tangible benefits to be seen- except of course being somewhere else entirely.

The central location of the teleportation formations was convenient for Anton, because he had business in Arbington which was not terribly far- at least on the scale of a continent.

He had plans to reconnect with many of his former students. Truthfully there were many more than he remembered clearly, so it would be a biased group of his favorites that he sought out, but he did his best to at least acknowledge any others he came across. At the moment he was searching for Idalia. He'd had quite enough of war, and had little more he could learn in the subject of farming… but taking more time to learn something nice and peaceful like herbalism and healing skills in general appealed to Anton. He'd already learned quite a bit, but there was always more. Idalia was on his preferred list because she had started from the mundane side of things, building upon that with the way cultivators viewed things.

Devoting himself to unambiguously positive things for a time should help Anton settle himself. The longer his life went on the more he found that old worries were replaced with new, and it was clear the cycle would never end- but he could make the best of it along the way. All the while he couldn't help but look up at the sky. Were the tides of the world always so inconsistently timed, or was this something special? Anton wasn't sure if he would like either answer, but at least this time people would be aware of the approaching threat long before instead of learning about it at the last minute. It was still nearly two centuries, so Anton knew he wouldn't be around for it… but some of those he knew might, and he wanted to set things up for the best possible outcome. As if it was even possible to perfectly predict what would happen the next day, let alone after hundreds of years.

Chapter 398

When the time came, Matousek was the first to go- at least among the Order. It was expected, as Matousek was one of the oldest… and had been in mid Life Transformation when Anton joined the Order. The only others who might have gone first had perished in battle.

The loss of a Grand Elder was a significant change for the Order, and it was a serious loss for the Order… but also a big step forward. Matousek arranged everything ahead of time, and it didn't come as a surprise. Not like Rahayu, who had ascended in the midst of battle.

Even so, Matousek's ascension felt very much like a death. It was at the minimum a permanent departure from life as it had been known. The details about what happened after ascension were still incomplete as far as the Order or any continental force was concerned. This was the Order's very first ascension, but other powerful sects had some in the past… but seemed to lack a way to communicate. Unless the upper realms were so cutthroat that they had been instantly eliminated, but while that was a possibility it would be strange that none succeeded.

Of course, methods to communicate easily at long distance had been lost in the past. Or rather, the repeated invasions certainly had the intent to keep the continents set back from advancing too far and working together in unity. That was just one cycle they knew about, but the bare minimum of information from before that made them assume that all lost information was intentional on some level.

There had been a moment of tension after Matousek's ascension- which was impossible to doubt as being successful. Communication plates were available, but no message was received. Not that they had expected much. The fact that they worked pretty much anywhere on their own world was already impressive, but there were many possibilities for them not working. Even the Exalted Archipelago seemed to take time to get a message transferred to them from the upper realms, and they had a well established link. It was also uncertain whether ascension was actually instant, or took time.

That information had not been retrieved from any in the Exalted Archipelago, as during the war it had not been deemed top priority… and afterwards it seemed the various groups were some combination of unwilling or unable to share more. The Worthy Shore Society was quite open with sharing what they could, within whatever rules remained upon them. And though they had an advantage in terms of information exchange, they were still quite interested in learning about things the continent knew. They seemed especially interested in Everheart's works, though they never actually admitted to it.

Anton looked up into the sky. He knew there was a fairly reasonable probability that he was looking in the wrong direction for Matousek, but simple convenience said that the upper realms were 'up', even if the nature of living on a globe made that basically arbitrary. Still, the invasion had come from the skies, so there was some relation to physical space.

He'd now personally witnessed two ascensions. Rahayu was the first, and now Matousek. There had been other ascensions about the continent, but not all were predictable nor available for public viewing. There were certain levels of trust built up between different sects, but they weren't completely open with each other in as a general rule. The Order had allowed some trusted individuals to witness Matousek's ascension, but only long term allies.

Personally, Anton couldn't help but be disappointed. Not that Matousek had chosen to ascend- that was the ultimate goal of many cultivators, the next step on the path. Matousek had made sure that there were no immediate risks to the Order from the loss. Anton was disappointed not with Matousek but himself. Or at least, his own prospects.

Truthfully, if given the chance to ascend he was not sure he would take it. The power was tempting, but the inability to affect the world he'd spend so much time supporting, and all of the people in it… that was the problem. And though there was some indication that there were ways to affect their world's future after ascension, it was not easy nor guaranteed.

Seeing another ascension, not so violent as Rahayu's but equally natural, Anton knew that it was the proper path. Sometimes taking a more difficult route resulted in benefits… but sometimes, it was simply more difficult because it was the wrong way to do something. He had the intuitive sense that ascension was the natural progression of cultivation beyond Life Transformation. And he found himself no closer to figuring out something for himself. And even thinking about it was disheartening, because it felt greedy. Seeking more power, living longer… when he had already lived a full life nearly eighty years prior.

Ultimately those feelings were born from frustration, like when his cultivation had been stuck at the previous Prime Tempering. Cultivation became ever slower, and though it was natural he didn't like feeling his limits. That was the case even before he became a cultivator. If someone told him he couldn't do something, he would rather prove them wrong. Can't hunt at a hundred? He'd go out into a snowstorm and drag back a deer. Unpredictable consequences notwithstanding, he'd succeeded.

He just wondered if he might do more good for the world by not trying and instead devoting that time to what he could do now. Teaching… besides archery, few needed him for anything specific. But doing his best to promote and maintain peace among the various sects, clans, and cities- between the continents and to the Exalted Archipelago- that was something that had a great impact, even if it felt like climbing up a mountain of scree constantly causing him to slip down. Two steps forward and three back.

Yet he was reasonably confident that he could find an alternative to ascension given time. Not as confident as Catarina was in ascending herself, however. He can't believe she'd picked a specific year for her ascension, as if she weren't still ten stars away. Scheduling such an ethereal event was… exactly like her.

"Timothy and I will be going together, of course," Catarina explained to Anton. "I intend to keep us together… I'd rather not have us scattered who knows where across the boundless 'upper realms'."

"You really want to go?" Anton had asked.

"Of course. I have no intention to stop at some arbitrary limit of cultivation. And there should be much to learn beyond here. I might even meet Everheart."

"That sounds like a mistake," Anton laughed. "Plus, he's dead."

"Says who?" Catarina asked.

"The Exalted Archipelago has let some information on that slip through. Some sort of combined effort to eradicate him. Plus, he admitted it would happen himself."

"And you're just going to trust that?" She grinned. "Coming from him? Besides, I'm sure he left some interesting things about regardless. And I can't set up an intra-realm communication method without being on the other end."

"You can do that?"

She shrugged, "Not yet. But I have two decades. Plus a few years."

"I'm not going to try to stop you from ascending, but have you considered the effects on people here?"

"Who? Other formation masters will have access to what I have learned. I'm not needed for everything. And as I noted, Timothy will be coming with me. It's not like we… have any children."

Anton nodded. After a certain amount of time it had become clear to him that it wasn't that they had chosen not to have any children, but that they could not. And there wasn't a simple solution either. There were miraculous medicines that cultivators had access to, and while it might have been impossible for them to obtain at some prior point, there was basically nothing in the world they couldn't get their hands on. Including obscure or completely new formation techniques. So it seemed to be impossible… at least with the knowledge available in their world. Another motivation, though they would have certainly chosen to ascend regardless.

There had been a series of duels between Anton and Kseniya that proved she was pulling ahead in strength. That didn't discourage Anton, however. After all, he didn't have the intention to be the best archer in the world… or the one who was best at solo combat, at least. He was focusing more and more on his wide area techniques, including extending multiple strands of his perception over long distances. Where previously he could stretch a narrow slice of his senses to the distance of a hundred kilometers, now he could have four separate ones, as long as they were vaguely in the same direction. Or he could maintain two in completely opposite directions at that distance, focusing on two separate individuals or close groups. And as things got closer, he began to be limited not by his perception but simply how many energy bows he could handle… which was over a dozen, or several times that if he was willing to sacrifice power and speed- only useful if he were to target much weaker cultivators.

Whenever the next war came, anyone who had to contend with Anton would do poorly if they overestimated the amount of damage he could do to their ranks as a whole, even if he could only match a more modest amount of Life Transformation cultivators- from one to a few depending on the individuals involved. He didn't like shooting down weak individuals who couldn't fight back, but he had to admit it was quite effective. And enemies were enemies. Most of them chose to fight and had to face those consequences… the few exceptions would be treated differently, if he was made aware.

The worst part was that Anton was thinking about the next war, as if it was inevitable. And it was, given the nature of humans and sufficient time. He could hope that it wouldn't be during his lifetime, but in truth what remained of that was probably less than a pair of normal generations. It was not bothersome for him to be reminded of his mortality, except where he considered he might have more work to do, and how he might provide for others up to and potentially beyond his end.

Anton was quite pleased to be meeting with someone new, specifically the Hardened Crown Sect in the Exalted Archipelago. The more groups that recognized the mere potential to talk, the better future negotiations could proceed.

The Hardened Crown Sect were actually one of those who had maintained neutrality throughout the war, but not because they had been friendly. Specifically, their sect head Naamah stated it thusly. "It was practical. We decided to wait and see your strength without risking our own position."

"Then we at least appreciate your… respect?" Anton couldn't quite find the right word.

"We understood you might have strength that others did not, yes. They believed the excursions that regularly set back your development would make you weak, even after a full cycle lasting six hundred years. Meanwhile, I held onto caution. Cultivators who survive adversity grow strong… and we did not know how strong." Naamah snorted, "We know very little of the continents even now, besides geographical features. Now we know of prominent sects and your strength. It is impressive, without a backer in the upper realms."

"Like the Exalted Quadrant or the Trigold Cluster?"

"Yes. Or even something smaller. A proper planet in the upper realms giving their support might have done much." She paused, "It does not seem you know much about the Trigold Cluster."

Anton nodded. He couldn't exactly refute that. "Even the Worthy Shore Society said little."

"They are cautious," she acknowledged. "Personally I think far too much. For all that they have done, they kept themselves… safe." Naamah shrugged, "We aren't allies with the Trigold Cluster, though. I see no reason sharing some information on them should be impossible. Though we admittedly don't know any of their secrets, given our position here."

"We would gladly hear anything you would tell us. Mostly, we know of the Twin Soul Sect infiltrating us, and not much more."

"So you did learn about that. Are you aware they had… methods to pass information to the upper realms?"

"Through death, mostly," Anton said. "Some sort of tampering with reincarnation." That already seemed like much information to give, but they had found it to be common knowledge among the Twin Soul Sect, at least among higher members.

"And you found a way to stop it. They seemed to be decades behind on information. Quite impressive, really."

Some measure of that had been discovered during the invasion, but Anton still didn't know how they had been stopped. They'd simply killed them to prevent them from causing further trouble, anything beyond that was secret even to him in his current position. Though he was quite grateful to whoever it might have been… and he had some suspicions who might be able to pull it off. "We were fortunate to find signs of the truth early enough to react."

"Hah! A vague response. Though letting on who was responsible wouldn't make a difference to us either way. Well, that's about as subtle a method of gaining information we get here. Truthfully, we're usually more straightforward."

"Is that so?" Anton asked.

"That's right. In some ways, at least. Tell me, how much ornamentation have you seen here?"

He looked around the chamber. It was impressive in its construction, the large pillows they were sitting on next to a low table comfortable and made of clearly fine materials. Yet… "Not much, by cultivator standards."

"Right," she nodded. "The others here almost think of us as primitive." She knocked on the top of her head.

Ah. The crown. Though Anton imagined the rest of their bones were fortified as well. And they didn't have the same appearance of body temperers that he considered normal- large frames for powerful muscles. And though she said it, Naamah seemed to have the potential to be crafty if she chose to. "I'd like to know more, if I could. Not just about the Twin Soul Sect- though knowing how widespread they are in the upper realms would be useful- but the others from the Trigold Cluster. And whatever else you can say."

"Of course. Where should I start? Perhaps it is easiest to say that they have quite a different method of raising their younger cultivators than us. Instead of establishing permanent branches, they prefer methods similar to what you have seen."

"Invasions, to gather what lower energy they can. Resources they need, that seem unavailable in the upper realms."

"Well… uncommon might be a better word. But basically, yes. You've learned much."

"Not as much as I fear we need to. With this next cycle coming early…" he looked for revelatory signs in Naamah's eyes, but couldn't confirm much of what she knew about it. Not that he would have expected different. If they gained some real matter of trust, he might go for a more straightforward question, though he was unsure if it could be answered. "What else could you tell us?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. The Scarlet Midfields separate us… though it has been some time since the area truly ran red. Nowadays, it is generally enforced that any of theirs can go to their side, and we ours. The locals learned to stay out of it, of course."

That was something worth hearing. Another place, where it appeared perhaps people who ascended ended up? Was it all of them, or simply some portion? Maybe that could not be answered, but he would press for more… cautiously. He wasn't sure he wanted to let on how little they truly knew, not to an unfamiliar sect at least.

Chapter 399

Among other information Anton learned that those from the Exalted Archipelago- and anyone in the upper realms- would call the planet Ceretos. There were already other names in use, of course, but knowing how outsiders referred to it was important. And Anton couldn't help but think of those from the Exalted Archipelago as outsiders regardless of them dwelling in the same world for their entire lives. And the sentiment seemed to be shared to some extent. People who hoped they would leave the world behind never really considered themselves a part of the world, and the Exalted Archipelago had a greater portion of their cultivators ascend.

Not that the numbers were particularly high. They were quite satisfied if it happened every few years. At least, if he could trust the words of Naamah. There was certainly truth among them, and things she wanted him- and thus the rest of the continents- to believe. Those weren't necessarily the same, but Anton had determined at least some of their motives. As previously noted the Exalted Archipelago was much less unified than it put on- the two distinct continents were more united in certain matters- and some information was slipped in that would potentially be useful against some rivals of the Hardened Crown Sect.

Ultimately, Anton was glad for the information he received, and he believed most of it to be reliable. And the Hardened Crown Sect seemed to be open to further communications, which helped open up their options in the Exalted Archipelago.

The most important piece of information hadn't directly been said, but Anton was certain that the current cycle of the tides of the world was shorter than normal. There was no confirmation if the approximately six hundred years of the previous time was standard, but it was at least closer to the norm. Comparing what he and others felt- though they were certainly new to paying attention to such things and thus could be in error- they had become more confident in the two hundred year timeframe measured from the invasion. They could be off by a few decades in either direction, but when the time got close it would likely become obvious again.

There was a sort of curse that came with a very wide range of senses. It wasn't that Anton would get overwhelmed by the feedback- that would only happen if he pushed himself beyond his limits. Instead, sometimes being aware of things was the problem. Private conversations of those he had no connection to were of little concern, and those of real importance were usually done indoors which he generally avoided intruding upon.

The biggest issue was when he noticed a conflict of some sort. There was always the desire to get involved, but he couldn't necessarily judge which side was right. And then there was the fact that adversity allowed cultivators to grow. He had to think about the line between what was his responsibility because of his power and what he should let others deal with.

But sometimes he could determine a clear right and wrong, and assisting a losing righteous battle with an arrow or two certainly felt appropriate sometimes. He was often tempted to go further, but he restrained himself.

He couldn't- and shouldn't- try to influence everything himself. Even if he was on some level responsible for those weaker than himself, he'd learned many lessons from his time with generations of family. He certainly wasn't a perfect father, grandfather, and so on, but he knew that sometimes people needed to face some consequences for their actions even if they had some justification. Most people believed everything they did was justified regardless, but he could safely set certain boundaries. Killing people simply to take what was theirs was the most common among cultivators, followed by the slightly more justified conflict over resources neither had a true claim to.

Anton certainly didn't distance himself from the little things of the world. He just preferred to influence them through ways other than simply a high cultivation and violence. He wasn't sure what the advice of a passing old man would do for people long term, but some immediate goals were easily accomplished. Making up after a fight as soon as possible was frequent advice, though it depended on whether certain individuals were still in a heightened state of emotion. Anton wasn't sure he always gave the right advice, but Insight wasn't perfect even at higher cultivations.

Sometimes he would take time to do small things like help someone harvest their fields. He had great compassion for places he passed by where someone was sick and unable to work. While the rise of cultivation meant farmers had somewhat wider margins, hiring an extra person to help could also be significantly more costly. So helping even with a few hour's work- which was honestly more than most people could do in a day even with some level of cultivation- reminded him of the basic good things in the world. There wasn't just war, even if that was the biggest looming threat at all times.

Working at many different scales put Anton in the right state for advancing his cultivation. It wasn't necessarily as rapid as it could have been, but continuous forward advancement was more than some could even wish for. With no roadblocks before the peak of Life Transformation, Anton imagined he could reach the ninety-ninth star in something like three decades. He'd be a bit over two hundred then- which would mean he would have spent more time as a cultivator than not. For most cultivators, that tipping point came much more quickly since they started young.

The pursuit of alternate methods of improving in power beyond Life Transformation brought Anton back to the Grasping Willow Sect. He didn't expect Lev to have clear answers for him, but he knew Lev was working on something different. He wasn't technically barred from ascension the same way Anton was, but it would not fit his goals, nor be as beneficial as it might seem.

Anton looked at the young man- as if nearly a hundred were young nowadays. Which it was, since Lev still looked young… for the most part. It was quite subtle, but his posture was off. Though that was to be expected, because he had no control of his limbs in the standard way. He had never really recovered after connecting to the Grandfather Willow, though Lev never made any complaints except that it was disappointing he was less useful if he ranged far from the sect. Though in truth he had access to power beyond Life Transformation while there- the simple issue being that it was not his own.

"I'm thinking of making my arrangement more permanent," Lev said. "Not that I wish to embed myself in the Grandfather Willow again. I can, but that physical action is a bit away from the direction I intend."

"I'm intrigued," Anton admitted. "What, then?"

"It's not that much different from Ascension, really. Integration, they call it. I would just not be integrating with 'upper energy', but that of the Grandfather Willow. More than just on a surface level like we are teaching all our disciples right now. Interestingly enough, it might expand my useful range somewhat. And if not… I wouldn't mind being a guardian here."

"Shouldn't I be the one saying such old man things? I have had similar thoughts, but there's nothing I have any sort of claim to that would be either strong enough or appropriate for the purpose." Anton looked up at the Grandfather Willow, specifically towards the main trunk since up in every direction was part of the willow. "And though once I wouldn't have concerned myself with being tied down to a specific area, I would prefer to range much wider."

"Maybe you could find yourself a great tortoise?" Lev grinned, "I know you and Paradise get along well."

"Certainly, but I wouldn't wish to take something else's power. Either that requires constantly wrestling something unfriendly for control, or weakening something for no good reason." Anton thought for a moment, "Also I feel like Paradise would change his mind about me if I tried to take his power. He certainly didn't seem fond of the Ponderous Turtle Clan making the attempt."

"Right, right. That was one of the deciding factors in the war, wasn't it?"

"Well, I can't imagine that losing most of a sect's most powerful cultivators all at once was good for them, no."

Lev thought for some time. "Perhaps… you could nurture a secret realm? Use all of the power there for yourself? I know the entrances are usually static but…"

"Sounds expensive," Anton said. "Like… more wealth than the Order has ever possessed kind of expensive."

"Bah, you could throw together a secret realm. The Luminous Ocean Society made one and they didn't make it past the invasion!"

"Perhaps this could work for some, but I'm not a specialist in the formations required. And I doubt I could justify making someone else do all the work- or pay them sufficiently. I also have no intention to spend decades hoarding wealth, either."

Lev shrugged, "It was just a suggestion. It was the only thing along the same lines I could think of."

"I appreciate it," Anton said. "I've had certain ideas in the past, but they're likewise a bit… extravagant. But about yourself, how certain are you that your plans might work?"

"Well, it's a bit early to judge for sure. I still have to reach the peak of Life Transformation, after all. Otherwise, I'd definitely not be able to handle the process. Could easily find myself drained of energy in return if I mess up. Or maybe if I do everything right."

"Yes, attempting to skip steps in cultivation rarely goes well for anyone. The Order's technique makes that basically impossible since it involves forming stars. Just calling a star a different number doesn't make a difference. Though I heard of people trying to skip prime temperings."

"And?" Lev asked.

"... It technically worked. In short, they continued advancing at a marginal rate of power increase without ever accelerating. No advancing between stages even if they had the 'right number' of stars. Then they eventually hit a wall anyway, as they could only manage so many stars even with lesser power. I don't think anyone has tried that since I joined the Order, though it's possible."

"I hadn't expected much different. If you could skip steps and have the same power, then it would actually be the correct method instead, and those steps were simply extraneous and mistaken to consider all along."

After that they discussed other insights into cultivation, some quite technical while others were simple yet sometimes profound. Perhaps neither of them would find the other's insights of use, but the knowledge might find its way to the right person at the right time if they had it available to share.

With ascensions suddenly more commonplace on the continent- that is, more than one every few decades- the number of individuals reaching their limits in Life Transformation or before also increased. In a way this was good for the various factions. They were steadily growing in strength, and even those who could advance no further were valuable. It was also the case that with more people cultivating, there was an explosion in the lower ranks of cultivation- Body Tempering and Spirit Building.

At the current time it was expected for people to reach Spirit Building at some point in their lives, though some found themselves limited by talent, free time, or simply desire. Some were content with reaching a certain level that allowed them to work as efficiently as they wished, allowing them some amount of free time.

There was still a disparity between people, even with free access to certain basic knowledge. Those who had wealth had more time to cultivate, pulling them further ahead. But the methods of cultivating while performing labor gave those lower on the ladder some chance.

Much of the world had adopted the policy of allowing energy to flow freely as well. Long term growth of a whole region worked best that way, even though an individual sect might see better payoff in the short term by gathering energy within their borders. In the long term, however, it would take more resources to improve every step, and better formations to resist an imbalance of energy. Some found it worthwhile anyway, but energy flowed freely through the wilderness in most places, promoting growth of all kinds.

That also came with some dangers, but having beasts that might attack people was also a benefit in a way. It allowed people a way to gain combat experience not against other humans, and to focus violence away from each other. And hunting beasts became another job, one for which hunters were paid to then spend their money in nearby cities where the money returned to the same hands once more. A prosperous cycle.

Chapter 400

Ever since the incident with the beast tide near the beginning of Anton's cultivation journey, the forests stretching north from the Order's land were monitored more carefully. After eighty years, a similar incident had never happened- though there were times larger numbers of creatures had built up. Elder Tshering had continued to monitor the area along with others, though smaller buildups were still allowed for the sake of organizing larger hunts for younger cultivators to get some practical experience.

This year Anton was watching over the event, keeping an eye out for anyone in danger and subtly nudging things in their favor. His arrows were tiny flashes of light, leaving only small puncture wounds. A careful disciple might notice something after the fact if they checked over the body, but it would be simple to convince themselves the creature had pierced itself upon thorns or the like. Interfering subtly was for the purpose of not allowing the disciples to be too comfortable- they needed to experience the fear of deadly combat without the danger, if possible.

Losing people because they got a bit unlucky in a battle would be a waste, and they would come to understand their limits more thoroughly if things felt close to their loss. And for the sake of larger incidents where they were truly out of their depth, they had signal flares. He could more openly assist people who called for help, though if he judged they should have been able to handle the situation they would be chastised later.

Other elders and disciples were on standby to help with different situations, such as healing if people were grievously wounded or poisoned. Besides, even Anton couldn't keep tabs on hundreds of people split into various groups all at once- though it was simple enough for him to keep tabs on a few at a time, checking for immediate dangers.

He continually swept back and forth, monitoring the progress of every group as he briefly locked onto their energy. There was one group that seemed to be in no danger, but he lingered for a moment when he realized two of them were missing. Focusing on the area around them, he noticed agitation in the movements of the remaining companions- quickly bringing him to focus on a nearby hole.

A thin arrow of light went streaking from his bow- towards another location. Someone had gotten in over their head and needed a boar to stumble so they had a chance to get back to their feet.

The hole turned sharply downward- more of a vertical shaft than a simple pit. It vaguely reminded Anton of Droca, though the structure was much different, and more sized to fit a person than a giant many-legged lava dwelling lizard.

"Some disciples have encountered something odd," Anton commented to other nearby elders, ready to replace others coming back from a shift of watching the disciples. "I'm going to go check it out."

He couldn't precisely explain where it was, so going himself was the best option- and it didn't really hinder his ability to continue with his duties. A handful of spectral bows floated along with him, turning towards various incidents but not needing to be used for the moment. Anton moved quickly towards the group. He could sense those who had fallen were injured but alive, and no enemies in the immediate vicinity. By the time the flare went up from their location, he was halfway there.

It was a group of five, two had fallen and three remained above. "Grand Elder Anton!" one of the women said as he approached. "Two of us have fallen down a strange break in the ground! We weren't sure what to do…"

The grumpy old man that occasionally liked to show up inside Anton said that kids these days were so coddled, with their signal flares instead of having to send someone running back through monster infested forests to deliver a message. The grandfather inside him just pat all three of them on the head. "It's alright." He stepped over next to the hole. "How are you doing down there?" The response was a groan of pain. It was a pretty far fall, and one of them had broken at least an ankle, maybe more. "Alright, I'm coming down," Anton said. He turned to the others, pulling a rope out of his storage bag. "Tie this to a tree." They should have had their own rope, but either they forgot about it or decided they didn't need it for some reason. But having rope was always good.

After handing the rope over, he jumped down the hole. It was what, a meter and a half wide? It wound back and forth some, and some places had clearly had some protruding stone that was recently broken off. After a good handful of seconds of falling, Anton landed next to the two, slightly altering his trajectory as he slipped into the larger chamber since they were directly below.

"An odd place," Anton said. He could sense three other passageways going off from where they were, but it was strangely regular. Yet upon first inspection the walls felt like natural stone, irregular in shape. He turned to the two disciples, a man and a woman. Now that he was able to actually see them, the man was in a much worse state than he'd thought. He had more than a couple breaks, and that included some ribs. "Hold still, okay?" he placed a hand on the man's chest. "I need you to lower your energy defenses before I can help." He didn't, really, but forcing his way through the man's energy would just make it more unpleasant for him.

"Okay," the man nodded with a pained look on his face, speaking clearly not helping him.

When his energy retracted, Anton focused many strands of his own inside, anchoring on various points on the man's ribs. Then he yanked, all at once, setting everything back in its place. The man's scream of pain was understandable, but Anton held him still to prevent him from hurting himself. After a couple moments, the man's scream of pain stopped.

"Take this," Anton pulled out a small pill. "Use your energy to distribute the medicine to the various breaks, and remain sitting." Anton began splinting what he could of the man, while he turned to the woman. "We'll need to set that ankle as well."

In a couple minutes, the two were both taken care of. Anton might not consider himself a doctor, but he'd studied plenty about healing… and simple things like this were something he could have handled with only minimal knowledge to begin with.

The rope was tossed down the hole at about the same time- rather slow by his estimation, but at least they'd gotten around to it. Not that he was going to use it for the moment. He reached out to the pair, grabbing them around the waist while he supported their bodies with an even coating of energy so they would not jostle about. Then he leapt up into the tube, pushing off of alternating sides to continually raise himself up. When he got to the top he dropped them off away from the hole.

"You should head back," he said to the team. "These two won't be able to support themselves, and a team of just three is at risk. When you arrive back at the sect you can join up with others and return, if you wish. As for this… discovery… I shall do some preliminary testing to see if it is safe. Since you discovered it, you will have the first right to explore it, if it's within your capabilities. Either way, you'll receive some merits for the discovery."

"Thank you, Grand Elder Anton," said each in turn, except the man with all of the broken ribs. He was being placed on a stretcher- a simple tool consisting of supports crossing around a large piece of cloth. It would be more comfortable for the man that way.

Anton used a communication plate to describe his approximate location back to the main sect. He seriously doubted that the cave system would be dangerous to a Life Transformation cultivator, especially if he was cautious, but he waited for others to arrive nonetheless, while watching for other problems around him.

Hoyt and Velvet showed up along with a handful of others at different cultivation levels. That was probably excessive, but if nothing happened it was just a small part of a single day. While they could be tackling important matters with their power, fortunately things that required the attention of Life Transformation cultivators were rather rare.

"So what is it?" Hoyt asked, scanning the hole.

"I was able to probe a significant distance into these tunnels," Anton explained. "Several kilometers, at least. I didn't specifically notice any threats, but it's not exactly optimal for me to shoot arrows in there."

"Not optimal for an axe, either," Hoyt commented. "But I'll manage just fine."

"There's a lot of rust," Velvet commented as she looked down. "And rubble."

"Seems like a normal amount of rubble to me," Hoyt said. "Since there's a big open hole here."

"It just broke open, though," Velvet said. "See down to that layer a handful of meters down? It's mostly dirt and then some different stone."

Anton nodded, "I'd been noticing some of the same myself. Not sure what it means though. It feels… strange."

"I agree," Hoyt said. "Which is odd because it's just… tunnels. I don't feel the unease of danger, though."

"Which means it might be well hidden," Velvet said. "But we have to check it out at some point, right?"

"Absolutely," Anton said. "I mostly didn't want to go wandering off on my own. I'm sure the disciples that found this place could have eventually led people back here, but this was quicker." He'd also needed to make sure other people were ready to take over for him. Kseniya would be watching for the signal flares, at least.

As Anton took a more leisurely climb down the rope with some light- besides just what came from directly above- he noticed that the discoloration of rust was in a regular pattern. Circles that might have once been metal bars sticking into the stone on either side. At the bottom, along with rocks and dirt, there was more rust that had probably once been some of the crossing bars, though it was unclear what they were for… or why they would be in what otherwise seemed like a natural cave.

The few tunnels heading off in different directions mostly remained horizontal, though one sloped deeper. They first started with one of the other two, which went to opposite sides, more or less straight tunnels leading away from each other. Occasional stalactites and stalagmites barred their way, forcing them to squeeze past or break through.

Now that he was actually down below again and focusing on it, Anton noticed a slight curve. And in a relatively short time, they found themselves in another similar chamber to their entrance, complete with the tunnel sloping down and the opposite entrances… and something going towards the surface. This one didn't actually reach the surface, but a few spikes of thin, rusted metal indicated it was much the same as the other.

Continuing in the same direction led to a collapsed portion of the tunnel, stretching at least ten meters or so. Anton didn't push his senses further than that, because while they might be able to dig it out in a reasonable amount of time, it was unlikely they would find anything new.

"Seems we should head down," Anton gestured to the steeply sloped tunnel going down. "Should we try this one, or the first one towards the entrance?"

"Sense any difference?" Hoyt asked.

"Hmm, this one actually appears to be blocked in a few places. Nothing we couldn't push through, but…"

"The other it is," Hoyt declared.

It didn't take long to make their way back, though the tunnels were uncomfortably short for a person to walk upright. Their heads just about touched the top of the curved tubes which certainly weren't natural, but also didn't feel constructed with their unevenness.

They eventually came out into a larger chamber, with dozens of tunnels sloping into it, as well as more comfortable mostly rectangular tunnels, though those too were uneven and had the same stone strewn throughout making passage difficult. It seemed they served no purpose, but the vaguely rectangular tunnels at least seemed like they should have been made by people- and the whole arrangement was too regular to simply be random.

Chapter 401

From the central chamber, Anton was able to spread out his senses through one corridor at a time without having to concern himself with strange angles. The thing that had initially stopped him still held- many corridors were blocked to various extents, requiring winding his energy around instead of simply projecting it in a straight line. The more he did so, the more the area felt constructed and yet… natural. He just wasn't sure how things could be both.

The lower tunnels were less numerous than those leading at an angle up towards the surface- transitioning to vertical shafts that mostly did not reach the surface. These rectangular corridors seemed actually intended for use, though collapsed passageways, stalactites, and stalagmites made traversal inconvenient.

At this point, Anton had not sensed any danger… or much else, really. Empty rooms of little interest lined the corridors, but they eventually led Anton to a conclusion that felt rather silly to have taken so long.

"The corridors here should have been smooth at some point. It's simply enough time has passed for this," Anton waved to a stalactite hanging about a third of the way down to the ground. "To form. At least some hundreds of years, but I would bet on more than a thousand. The walls have become uneven from other changes that caves normally endure."

Hoyt looked around and nodded. "I see. It is odd, though. One would have expected it to completely collapse into nothing or… be in better shape. This has to have been done by ancient cultivators, right? What about their preservations? Formations?"

"That…" Anton frowned, "Could have happened the same. Who's to say some of these marks were once formation runes? Now that I think of it… they could be. I feel nothing, however."

"The flow of energy seems perfectly normal," Velvet agreed.

None of the others following them had anything different to say, so they simply continued their exploration. After finding dead ends in several directions, they went deeper. "I sense something," Anton said. "Something… powerful. Perhaps a formation, or something enchanted."

There was little to do but continue deeper, making their way down proper stairs. They weren't particularly wide, indicating not many people used them… and that there was little interest in ornamentation. There were also more round tunnels that had been heading down, but the stairs seemed to be the proper method.

Eventually they found themselves at another ring at least a kilometer deep in the earth, where it had grown significantly hotter, though still not as much as Anton's time in Droca. Part of that likely had something to do with the way air flowed through the tunnels.

Circumnavigating the ring, they eventually came to large doors. Or at least what had been doors. Metals used by cultivators were often resistant to rust and tarnish, especially if enchanted… which allowed these to hold their shape. There were holes, however, and their hinges had long since fallen apart. Whatever enchantments had supported them had faded away. Beyond the doors was a large chamber with something in the center… but also clear traces of formation runes.

"I don't think it's active," Anton said. "But… I wouldn't want to bet on it. Anything that can survive for this long should have been pretty nasty to begin with."

His eyes lingered in the middle of the area, where a hexagonal plate of some sort rested on the floor. That was what radiated the energy he was feeling, and was the only thing in the room that remained in pristine condition. It would be so easy to go pick it up, but that was exactly why it would be prudent to be cautious.

"Some of us should remain here, I think," Hoyt said. "While others go get a specialist."

The others agreed. And so, they waited.

The hunt was over, and those guarding the underground facility had swapped with others several times. No fewer than two Life Transformation cultivators at any time were present together, until finally Catarina arrived several weeks later.

"Sorry it took so long," Catarina said as she descended with Anton. "I was at the Worthy Shore Society finishing up business."

"That box?" Anton asked.

"That's right! I opened the whole thing. You want to guess what was inside?"

"Based on previous knowledge… another larger box. Or nothing."

"Several boxes," Catarina said. "And then… nothing." Catarina shrugged, "But hey, that's Everheart for you. Definitely his work. Personally I found the techniques involved to be the most important part. Restriction and confounding methods, high level spatial manipulation, and efficient energy usage."

"You think that those who had it before… Golden Star Island… did they manage to open it first?"

Catarina shook her head, "Definitely not. There were clear signs we were the first. I'm glad the Worthy Shore Society let me back to work on it."

"I doubt they would have finished it without you."

"Maybe not, but only because they'd keep ascending their best formation masters." Catarina's eyes lit up, "Ooh, is this it?"

"Yes it is but don't-" Anton sighed, "-just walk into the room. It's safe, then?"

Catarina only took a few steps, slowly making her way around in a circle. "Probably. One moment."

For her, that one moment was several hours, as she carefully looked at each concentric ring and what remained of the formations… but nothing happened with her, and she did nothing but take notes. No disarming or changing of the runes.

She stopped when she reached the hexagonal plate, perhaps a fingerwidth thick and thirty centimeters across. It was lying on the ground next to what might have once been some sort of pedestal. She flicked her energy under it, and it flipped over. Then she picked it up. "Seems to be safe." She twisted it around in her hands. "This is… part of something else."

"What do you mean?" Anton asked.

"Maybe it was the core of this formation," Catarina said. "It should be something like that. Or maybe a key? Either way, by itself it does nothing but… exist. Maybe there's a way to activate it, but I could tell it wasn't doing anything."

"So not dangerous then."

"Currently? No." Catarina shook her head. "But I'm pretty sure at some point this whole place was designed to implode on anyone trying to take this thing. Not just falling rocks, but a kilometer of rocks squashed down on top of anyone in the area, at great speed. The rings would help with that."

"I thought they were for airflow."

"That too," Catarina said. "I believe they drew in air and natural energy to power the formation. It came from a wide area so that it wouldn't be noticed."

"Someone should have noticed the holes," Anton said.

"Out in the wilderness?" Catarina asked. "Besides, they were probably disguised."

"And there should have been a sect here defending the area," Anton said, thinking of the rooms above. "In some previous cycle. Do you think the invaders got them?"

"Could have been anything," Catarina shrugged, "With no records except the formations."

"... ties to Everheart? I know he was from our cycle but… formations always seem that way."

"I'd say… closer to what the Exalted Archipelago has. Proper, formalized… powerful, but unimaginative."

"Great. So… what do we do with this? I assume you study it," Anton said. "But then what?"

"Depends what I find."

A small cloud of swords spun and twirled, but instead of skillfully avoiding each other as Chikere's tended to, they ricocheted off each other in all directions. That was not a failure, however, but by design- propelling some more quickly in one direction while rebounding others. However, this was not a new technique by Chikere, but rather belonged to another.

"Yep, pretty good," Chikere nodded.

"That's it?" Florry asked, clutching some of her swords to her. "I thought you might offer some constructive criticism or something…"

"Nah, you're doing fine," Chikere told her disciple. "Me telling you what to do would just end up with you fighting like me, and it's pretty clear that isn't going to happen. It probably wouldn't be better, anyway."

Florry nodded. "Are you disappointed?"

"Why would I be?"

"It's been forty years since I became your disciple and I haven't even advanced to Life Transformation… I'm much older than you were when you reached it."

"So?" Chikere shrugged. "Do you know how old Swordmaster Rahayu was when he reached Life Transformation?"

"... I don't. The information available on him was rather limited."

"I don't know either," Chikere grinned.

"O… kay?"

"What I do know was that he was gray haired when he ascended. But I'm going to look like this when I do," Chikere gestured to herself as a whole, still looking like she was no older than her thirties by the standards of people who didn't cultivate. "Except maybe with more scars."

"Is there… a lesson?" Florry tilted her head.

"Uh, sure. Talent isn't just about who's fastest, or whatever. Nobody's killed you in battle yet, right?"

Florry looked down at herself. "... No?"

"Then you're doing great."

"I haven't been in as many conflicts as you."

"A minor detail. If you never get into a battle, it doesn't matter if you didn't win. My only question… have you ever been unable to do something you wanted to with your strength?"

Deciding that 'understand her own master' was not an appropriate answer, Florry shook her head. "No. I haven't."

"Then it's fine. And you got all those swords yourself."

"... not from other cultivators though. I mostly earned these from the sect or had them commissioned…"

"And yet you still built up a decent collection somehow."

Florry continued to hold her arms in front of her across her chest, with the swords she carried still unsheathed and dangling next to her contradicting the security she felt from them. "I didn't even fight in the war."

"Did anyone die where you were assigned?"

"Well… no."

"Then you won. Besides, didn't you kill that assassin?" Chikere stepped forward.

"Well… yes," she admitted. "But only because I had to."

"Same with me," Chikere grinned. "Don't worry about it. You do fine in spars, and though it might be good to get more life and death battles with humans under your belt, you have plenty against beasts. No problems."

"Still… some people say I don't deserve to be the personal disciple of a Swordmaster like yourself."

"How many of them are Swordmasters, hmm?" Chikere asked.

"None of them."

"That's right. Because they don't know anything. I don't know who you mean but I bet they dropped out of my training because they didn't want to die."

"But you wouldn't kill anyone… like that," Florry said.

"Sure I would. If they weren't good enough and didn't know when to give up, or couldn't take a hint? They'd die."

"But you haven't."

"My hints aren't very subtle. Everyone's understood them so far."

With various people preparing disciples for their inevitable ascension in the next decade or two, Anton found himself with little to do in that regard. He had numerous individuals who learned from him, but none that really needed his continuous instruction. There were some things he'd have to eventually wrap up, before he tried anything, but if he was successful he wouldn't actually go anywhere. That was the theory, anyway. If he failed an alternate method of ascension the chances of his death were pretty high, but with real ascension there was also a risk of death- and success likewise meant no longer being around.

Still, he would at least like to make one more tour of everything he could, visiting those he'd met, before he committed himself to any attempts. There were times he'd been unable to say goodbye to those he cared about, and he wanted that… for both sides.

Anton supposed he especially needed to pay some attention to Gudrun. Annelie's daughter was no longer a child, but she was still in important, formative parts of her cultivation. And though she made use of ice, she was an archer like himself. Though her common methods of attack involved laying down traps of slick ice for her opponents either before a battle or by shooting at a surface and coating it during battle, developing her range to be further was still quite important. If she never had to engage the enemy at all, it was for the best. Her proficiency with Horizon Shot was modest at the moment, only reaching a handful of kilometers on the far end- a distance that could technically be seen on flat ground. But she needed both a higher cultivation and more training to overcome that.

"Now, your ice arrows are heaver than standard Spirit Arrows," Anton said. "So it is unlikely you'll ever achieve exactly the same distance. Even if it's just the form of ice, it carries with it some weight. But there are some subtle changes you can make to have significant improvement."

"Yes, Grandfather," she said. He was more than a couple extra generations further removed than being her actual grandfather, but it was extremely cumbersome to say it every time, and none of Anish and Annelie's children spoke of him that way unless they were clarifying. Not even those who leaned more towards the Frostmirror Sect's side of things with the overly logical and emotionless speech. They understood efficiency, at least.

Gudrun would be fine. So would Anish and Annelie, Anton supposed. He knew they had been undecided on whether they would try to ascend, and at the very least they didn't plan to attempt the breakthrough at the earliest possible time despite their high talent. Part of that was they continued to have children every once in a while. In the past couple decades there were two more, which meant even if they immediately ceased having children theirs would barely be adults by cultivator standards at the potential earliest mark.

Anton was rather pleased about that. It was nice to have the family expanding again… and in several different places. It did make it hard to keep up with them all, but compared to when he thought he'd lost everyone he was very satisfied. The world… was good.

Chapter 402

Even from the beginning, Chikere had been a handful of years ahead of Anton and the others with her cultivation. Her talent was no less than the best of them, and her wholehearted devotion to cultivation meant she continued to advance at the head of the pack. She hadn't done anything so audacious as scheduling her ascension in a narrow window decades in advance, but then again she never really considered time as a factor.

When the time approached, however, she was confident enough to declare when she would be advancing and to invite others to witness it if they wished to. It wasn't an open invitation, but those from the Million Sword Vault as well as Anton and the rest of the regular group were included.

"I always thought this would happen in the middle of some climactic battle," Hoyt commented to the others as Chikere stood alone in the swirling mirror sands.

"We've been lucky not to have such conflicts as frequently as we might," Anton replied. "Though I fear I may have grown detached from the plight of the common person."

"I think that's one thing you in particular don't need to be worried about," Hoyt said. "You've been constantly changing the world from the bottom up for the last century for that very purpose… and sometimes people need to take care of things themselves."

"It hasn't been quite a century. But it's hard to give up control and just trust things to work."

"There's the real answer," Hoyt grinned. "Maybe you'll never fully resolve protecting people with letting them manage themselves, but nobody's perfect. Especially not cultivators, even if we strive for it the hardest."

The conversation died down as everyone felt Chikere's energy rousing. There was all sorts of speculation on how she might ascend, but the one thing that could be certain that watching it would be of value to anyone. The sword cultivators were betting on her cutting her way like Rahayu, of course. Nobody really bet against that, but nobody could give specifics either. Unlike the Order, she wasn't working on a path developed by a community that had specific ideas in mind.

She was surrounded by swords, of course. It was impossible for her to fit every blade on her body at the current time, even of just the weapons she used. Thus, the majority of them floated freely around her. At the same time as she unsheathed everything around her, she tossed a sword in front of her to stick in the sand. Not just any sword, but the one Anton was quite certain still held the status of Number One, obtained from one of the invaders at great cost.

The sword drew itself, and for a moment Anton thought he saw a figure holding it. Then the battle began. It was not simply a demonstration of Chikere's fighting style, but something deeper. Anton had first seen it with Kseniya, but it obviously became more than simple practice or moves. It was her against an imagined opponent… though in Chikere's case she provided actual force behind her faux opponent.

A cloud of swords swept forward, cutting at the area behind the single sword… but the single sword deflected the majority of them. Anton could almost make out a figure twisting their body to avoid the rest, while still finding moments to counterattack, stepping forward through the field of swords to attempt to target Chikere. The way attacks on both sides came within millimeters of striking theoretically deadly blows at first seemed to be a top level display… but it became strangely serious when cuts began appearing on Chikere's neck and upper torso.

It seemed she was seriously targeting herself, and though the Number One stuck to Swordmaster Rahayu's movements as far as Anton could tell, Chikere seemed unwilling to not make things as hard for herself as possible.

Anton had only known the swordmaster for a short time while he trained Chikere, but he felt as if the actual representation of his power was exaggerated. Which was impressive, as Chikere was outputting the energy for both of them, Number One cutting wide swaths of desert apart with the force of its passing.

It soon became clear that Chikere didn't have the capacity to keep up with such use of power, but instead of evenly splitting her efforts she maintained the same output for her 'opponent' while lowering her own.

Blood spurted from her eyebrow, the bridge of her nose, her sternum just below her trachea. It was impossible to judge if she was being exactly fair with how things would happen, but somehow Anton knew that she might really kill herself if she didn't achieve whatever she was trying to do.

Then it came. Anton remembered it well, as the most powerful individual attack he had seen as well as his first exposure to an actual ascension. A seemingly simple attack, a vertical sweep. Down to up, then up to down- the latter being an addition Rahayu himself had never used.

A rift was cut into the desert sands, three meters wide by ten meters deep, and well over a hundred meters long. The attack went straight through Chikere… or at least where she had been. Yet she also hadn't moved.

A dozen swords clattered apart, severed into pieces as each part fell into the sands.

Chikere stood in the same spot, having not moved but also not having been there when the attack came. Anton couldn't say any more than that, because he honestly didn't understand what had happened. Though he did notice a strange way Chikere's blades had twisted around her at that instant.

As the sand collapsed back together, Chikere fell on top of it, landing on her knees before becoming buried up to her neck. A few moments passed, then she stood. Number One had fallen to the ground after the final attack, and she reached out towards it.

All at once, every sword in her arsenal swarmed around her, tangenting with her body as the tips of some poked into her neck while others arranged themselves along her arms and legs, or crossing her torso. A pause… then there was a burst of energy.

Chikere was gone, and as her image faded away from Anton's mind he took note of the others around him. The two general states of people were slack-jawed awe or comatose on the ground, respectively. Anton certainly found himself more towards the former. He knew that Chikere was not that far ahead in cultivation or skill, but something about the threshold of ascension brought with it something great, and seeing that power displayed without the restrictions the invaders seemed to be under filled him with renewed vigor.

Timothy and Catarina were looking at their own swords in front of them. Though neither could be called a sword cultivator in the traditional sense, it was still their weapon of choice. They could certainly gain some insights from the display that would help them improve in the future.

It was a happy event. While her departure meant Anton would likely never see her again, it was the all important next step in her cultivation journey. So he was happy for her, even as he came to realize that many or all of those around him he had grown used to would do the same within the next decades. It reminded him of watching old friends die… but in this case he could be happy for them, even if the loss was still real for himself.

Investigations into the formation plate found in the underground facility hadn't yielded much, except to match the initial assumptions. It was merely part of something greater, but exactly what that was couldn't be divined with just what they had. The only thing Catarina was certain of was that it was an important component, and that nobody had ever seen the materials it was made out of anywhere else. They were untouched by time while the entire rest of the facility had crumbled apart.

"There's one more thing I learned," Catarina said, holding it out towards Anton. "Take it for a second, will you?"

"Sure…" Anton took it suspiciously. "What am I supposed to do with this, then?" He was sure that Catarina wasn't doing something that would hurt him, but he wasn't sure he wanted to be surprised either.

"Try injecting it with energy," she said.

He did. Or rather, he tried. When he provided energy for it, it was like pouring water over a rock. "Nothing," he said.

"Try… a different kind of energy."

He had the feeling she didn't mean using an element, but he briefly brushed the plate with fire and light, which it casually rejected, letting the energy spill off and scatter like it wasn't its entire purpose to make use of it. Then he reached out for the pocket of energy he had access to beyond himself, drawing Ascension energy into the world. It was greedily devoured, and he looked at Catarina.

"You can add more. It will be fine."

So he drew upon more, and even more beyond that… until he drained his entire pool of ascension energy. Yet he could feel no discernable difference in the plate itself. "Does it just… eat ascension energy?" Truthfully, that was actually a valuable asset, at least in this world. It would be problematic for someone who actually ascended as it would interfere with their own energy instead of just protecting them, but against further invaders? Priceless.

Catarina shook her head. "I don't think that's it at all. It's just not enough to do anything."

"I know I'm not a true ascension cultivator… but I feel like that was a significant amount. I should have felt something. Perhaps it's simply because it's not connected to anything else?"

"It could be," Catarina admitted, "But I think it's simply because this part requires much more than what you could provide. At least… ten or a hundred times that, just to get started. I'm not sure if that means the entire formation would run with that amount of energy, or just this part… since I have no idea where it would even be."

"Well," Anton shrugged, "I'm sure you'll have a chance to figure it out, when you're there. If you think it's safe to bring it."

"Safe? Certainly not. But valuable, almost certainly." Catarina held out her hand, and Anton gave it back to her. "On another note, I got a message from Chikere!"

"Really?" Anton's eyes widened. "What did it say?"

"Dcjpteyqdglqebodpvsu, I think. I mean, it was gibberish- but the prototype device I sent with her at least activated!" Catarina nodded, obviously pleased with herself. "We're one step closer to communicating with the upper realms, so we might actually be able to keep tabs on each other. At the very least, I expect this to work with people only in the upper realms. The problem is I don't know how much ascension energy there really is there to provide interference."

"I suppose I got overly excited. But if we were actually able to provide quick and clear communication, we'd have a leg up on those other guys," Catarina said. "Their process still appears to be slow and limited."

"If they get word of this, you'll likely be in danger," Anton pointed out.

"All of the ones who already want to kill me won't change. And we can expect that formation masters still have some status even in the upper realms, so I'd of course gather allies before doing anything overt."

"Fine, fine," Anton waved his hand. "You know, back in my day we had to deliver messages by hand, even if it meant walking days through the snow."

"Oh yeah?" Catarina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I know you were from a mundane village too. It really was that way. Didn't even have carrier birds in Dungannon."

"Cultivators had that though," Chikere shrugged. "It's just now we can move messages anywhere instantly."

"And people."

"Sure, but people are harder."

Though they hadn't managed intelligible communication, Anton was glad that Catarina was actually having some small success, and confident she'd be able to do more. While he wouldn't be able to go to the upper realms himself, security for the continents seemed it would require some level of support from the upper realms- and thus communication that the surrounding regions had clearly been unwilling to provide. At least the world he cared about should be able to survive long after him, and prosper… at least for a time. Nothing lasted forever.

Chapter 403

The window of time anticipated by Catarina narrowed down from a year of time to a month to a specific day. That day came all too quickly, and though Catarina herself- and Timothy alongside her- did not appear nervous, Anton couldn't help but feel some trepidation. There had been more failures in ascension now- keeping track of everything was impossible because both might be kept secret for various reasons. However, knowing about the potential risks was different from simply having records of them.

Not that it seemed to make any difference to the two involved. They carried themselves with great confidence. People hadn't exactly been invited to witness the ascension, though it wasn't secret either. Some of those present were certainly interested in the results, but others were simply there to say goodbye- once more.

Anton knew he might go on forever if he let himself get started. There were so many things he had to say, though in truth he'd probably told them already. So he kept things simple. "Farewell. We'll miss you."

"You don't have to say that like we're dying," Catarina retorted. "We'll still be alive… and there should be some way to come back. Besides, I left behind a dozen ways to communicate. One of them has to work."

"I'm glad there are other people taking care of that," Anton said. "I barely understand how the regular communication plates work. Those are far too complicated." He looked to Timothy, standing along with her. "Take care of my granddaughter."

"Always," Timothy said proudly.

"We need to get moving," Catarina said. "The optimal time is rapidly approaching."

Anton watched as they walked towards a large sphere Catarina had constructed. The outside was covered in formation markings, even the curved door built into it. Inside the shell were further formation markings, along with supporting beams from all directions similarly carved. The two of them would climb up some sort of platform in the center, where they would wait.

All of the observers stood far back, behind some markings that indicated a safe distance. Specifically, one where their energy shouldn't interfere with the process and that allowed enough for the sphere to gather what it needed.

Uninformed viewers might think they were witnessing the first ascension via formation. They wouldn't be fully wrong, but they also wouldn't be right. Along with the fact that nobody could know for certain what had happened in the past with certain genius formation masters, the formations here weren't actually meant for that purpose.

When Anton heard about it, he had smiled. The entire setup was not to allow the two to ascend- they were quite confident that they could do it without. Instead, it was to let them do it simultaneously- and to remain together. That was all, but it meant quite a bit.

From Timothy following Catarina on her journey of cultivation as a lovestruck childhood companion, mutual feelings had been acknowledged. Timothy had some ambition to grow in cultivation as well, but he would also have been content to just continue to live. Catarina's ambitions remained high… but they came with the additional factor of being unwilling to separate from her husband.

There was nothing visually impressive that happened. Natural energy was drawn into the sphere, and Anton felt the two inside using their own energy, though it was muted. Then… everything was gone.

Anton, along with several of the others present, reacted quickly to the sudden rush of air to where the sphere had once been. As the air itself collapsed and released a shockwave, they encircled the area with their energy to prevent it from causing harm to the weaker cultivators nearby or any structures. Perhaps their cautious was unnecessary, but at the very least they saved the ears of many of those standing nearby.

That was it. The sphere and the two inside it were gone… but it had to be that they succeeded. There wasn't even a trace of ascension energy leaking back from the other side, but such a smooth transition had to have been a success.

Anton looked over at the others from their core group. Alva was patting Fuzz on the head, comforting him. Hoyt was biting his lip, while Velvet looked thoughtful.

"I'm not surprised they were the first," Hoyt said. "It could have been any of us. I guess I just… didn't expect this day to ever actually come."

Anton nodded, "I remember meeting you when we were both just in Body Tempering, working out in the fields. Who thought… we would reach the peak of cultivation in this world."

"Well, I did," Hoyt said. "At least for myself. Though maybe that was comparing myself to my grandfather, and being too stubborn not to."

"I almost ruined everything," Velvet mused. "For myself, and for others. I was fortunate things turned out as they did. With any other group, perhaps I might have faded into obscurity… though perhaps that might not have been too bad."

Anton looked over them again, "So, who's next?" It was a casual question, almost a joke… but also quite serious in its own way.

"I…" Alva looked over at Fuzz, "I'm not sure I'm going to ascend."

"Why not?" Anton asked. He could read into the situation, but hearing it from her would be more clear.

"I… am just unsure if that's what I want to do."

"Okay," Anton said. "That's fine. I wouldn't mind the company, and the Order will be pleased at the stability." Anton looked to Hoyt and Velvet.

Hoyt spoke first. "I'll definitely ascend. If the Order needed me…" he shook his head, "But our numbers continue to swell. Even if people continue to ascend regularly, we'll have many Life Transformation experts at any time. Plus, there are conflicts up there that affect us here."

"I don't know if I should," Velvet admitted. "I fear being unable to find everyone, in some unknown place. I would be giving up a family I found to attempt to reunite with a small part of it."

The three- and Fuzz, but he had no meaning behind his look- turned to Anton.

"You already know I can't. If I ascend I'll be torn apart by an angry universe." He smiled wistfully up at the sky, "But I have some ideas of what I might do instead. Maybe I'll retire." The looks on their faces said a lot. "What? I could."

"I really don't think so," Hoyt said. "What would you do if you retired?"

"Oh you know, go here and there. Meet with people and enjoy life."

"You just do that now," Hoyt pointed out. "And I find it hard to believe you'd actually wander around without purpose."

"Fine, fine. It's nicer than saying I'd wait around to die. Which is perfectly acceptable," Anton said. "I've gotten to live two full lives. Maybe it's time to let someone else take over." He looked at their faces, "What? I'm serious. I don't want to struggle to survive."

"What about the other thing?" Alva said, gripping Fuzz' fur tightly. "Can't you do that?"

"Maybe! I might just die trying it though. That other plan is for if I fail but don't get killed."

"Have some confidence," Hoyt said. "I know you have the ability."

"If we were talking a standard ascension, completing the hundred stars? I fully agree. But I'm not so confident in forging a new path. It doesn't matter how good I am if what I attempt is impossible to begin with."

"Alright, fine," Hoyt shrugged. "Just don't… give up."

"I gave up once a century ago," Anton said, "And I don't plan to do it again. But I'm also quite satisfied with my life as a whole."

That night, Alva woke up from a wolf howling at the moon. No, it wasn't just any wolf. It was Fuzz. How could there be any other heard from where she was? And she'd recognize it anywhere.

That was something Fuzz did occasionally, but usually it wasn't so loud. Was there some sort of attack going on somehow? Alva found herself outside in an instant, bow in hand. But there was nothing but Fuzz- and a few neighbors looking over curiously. They were safely within the Order's controlled territory, after all.

"What's going on, Fuzz?" Alva asked. "Do you miss Catarina and Timothy?"

Fuzz stopped for a moment, turning toward her. His eyes had great intelligence behind them, not quite on the level of void ants or humans, but enough to understand. Instead of a proper response, though, he snorted through his nose and returned to howling. He began to glow as he raised his face up to the sky, the formation markings etched into him so many years before glowing with power as his natural energy flowed into them.

Alva knew there was more going on than just a fit of restlessness or a sudden loneliness. Fuzz had been saved by Catarina, but had happily kept Alva safe for long periods of time without seeming to miss her. It could be the thought of never seeing her again that was different but… Alva felt that wasn't it. And whatever Fuzz was up to, she didn't think she could stop it without hurting him.

"Fuzz, wait. Please. You don't need to-"

A louder howl pierced through the night, echoing off of everything and nothing. One final tilt of his head to look directly down at her, and his energy flared. His jaws opened wide as he tore into the air in front of him, leaping forward into nothing. Then he was gone, with only a faint trace of him lingering behind, as well as some ascension energy.

Well. It seemed he understood more than she had tried to let on. She hadn't known if he could really do it, nor had she wanted to push him to try. That was why she had chosen to remain. Now… she had no excuse. Or rather, she absolutely had to go. She kind of wished Fuzz would have waited, though, since she wasn't exactly ready. She wasn't that far behind Catarina in terms of cultivation, but she needed a couple years at least. Now she had to hurry without rushing, somehow.

In the morning, Anton couldn't help but chuckle. "Seems Fuzz really didn't want to hold you back."

Alva sighed as she stood next to her grandfather, firing arrows that from certain perspectives seemed perfect but lacked the power and precision they should have had. "I wish he'd given me some warning," she sighed.

"Wouldn't you have tried to stop him?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

Consecutive arrows struck their targets, but there was no serious training going on. Just something to help calm the mind. The repetitive sounds of arrows impacting targets at different distances provided a nice background noise to break up some of the lack of conversation. Others were up early for the archery range, but gave them their space for a private conversation.

"It's not so bad, is it?" Anton asked. "Think of it like when you went to Aicenith and had to leave him behind for a bit. Except this time he simply went on ahead. And there happen to be some others waiting for you as well. I believe in your ability."

"It's just… I'm worried, you know? Someone might want to hurt him for… stuff. And I don't know if I'll be able to find him before he gets hurt."

"Well, Fuzz may be cute and cuddly, but he's also neither small nor weak," Anton rested a hand on her shoulder. "You just have to believe in him, like he believed in you."

Two months passed without any further surprises. However, Anton found himself brought to where the formation specialists of the Order worked. Elder Rana was there waiting for him.

"There you are! I thought you should be one of the first to know. We received a message from Catarina."

"Is it gibberish?" Anton asked.

"Well, most of them were," she waved her hand, "Two didn't work at all, a couple were gibberish, and one gave a half message. There are a few more that need solid infrastructure to set up but," Elder Rana held up her hand, "This one had a message come through clear."

"What is it?"

"The message reads… 'One of these stupid methods had better work!'" Elder Rana coughed, "Not exactly profound, but we got the whole message. We've sent a reply, but haven't heard back yet. It might, um… take an entire two months for the transmission to arrive."

"Is that different than expected?"

"Well we were obviously hoping it would be instantaneous. Two months isn't that bad though. Especially if we can receive clear communication like this."

"Thank you for bringing me," Anton said. "I don't doubt that it's her, so at least we know she arrived safely… somewhere." Alva would need to know as well. And anyone else going. If they could learn more information about where they were going or how any of it worked, it would be far safer for everyone. Anton wasn't helpful for this particular situation, but at least he could keep people positive. And he was quite glad for the news himself.

Chapter 404

There was a period of tense and slow waiting between further messages. There were, in fact, further messages received in fairly short order- the problem was they hadn't really communicated yet. Originally there had been more than a dozen different potential communication methods, and of those three received usable messages… all of which basically said she was trying to make things work. Their responses didn't seem to mean anything.

That led to quite a bit of confusion over the next few months before they finally got something like a response, and then some clear messages. Catarina carefully worded several of her messages and indicated they were all sent at the same time- and they also arrived at the same time within a small tolerance.

By that point, they had discovered a property that couldn't be overcome. Messages took approximately two months to travel in either direction, though multiple messages appeared to remain in transit on their own without interfering. In short, it was close to four months to send out a message and receive a reply, assuming the reply was instantaneous. Yet instead of anyone being disappointed by that news, they were elated.

Clear communication between the upper and lower realms requiring only a matter of months? That was far better than had been anticipated. It wasn't instantaneous like their communications between the continents, but it worked. The limitations meant it was nearly impossible to have any sort of discussion, but simply relaying information was possible.

There were more limitations. Unlike the messaging plates, it didn't require someone to be looking at something to get information, but there was only so much any one message could hold, and a limit to the number of messages that could wait to be viewed. So it still required someone- or several people- constantly on duty monitoring for incoming messages. But that was a small price to pay for the communication.

Ultimately, Catarina and Timothy had arrived safely. They arrived on a world not terribly different from their own. Language was somewhat different, but it didn't take long for high level cultivators to resolve the differences in speech. It did appear that they arrived in the Scarlet Midfields, which was about as good as they could hope. The Exalted Quadrant was unclear in terms of hostility, while the Trigold Cluster was strictly hostile. As for more detailed information, it was still forthcoming. There was only so much that could be said at once, and working out if the communication had worked at all and how had taken more than half a year. But at least the local cultivator groups appeared to be non-hostile, if not exactly friendly.

And there was one more piece of information that had been come across almost by accident. Information about Everheart, which was both unexpected and unsurprising in the end. Everheart had a tomb. The only surprise was that instead of a large number of them, there appeared to only be one… though it seemed to occupy a rather large portion of a barren world.

As for getting between worlds in the upper realms? That information was yet forthcoming along with many other details people were curious about. It did seem to be possible though.

Meanwhile, Catarina had excitedly mentioned dozens of ways she could think of to improve their communication… except she would need to work on both ends of their communication system. And while traveling between worlds in the upper realms seemed attainable, traveling from the upper to lower realms seemed impossible except in certain key situations.

"At least they're fine," Anton said. "No news on Fuzz yet, but apparently they'll be looking out for him."

"I can't believe he ran off and left me here!" Alva complained. "That's so… like Fuzz."

Anton nodded, "He wasn't willing to let himself hold you back. At least we should be able to get some information about the upper realms before you go. Others are eagerly awaiting that as well… plus working communications. It seems only a few formation masters can put those together, and we're still trying to keep it secret. Everything's kept in very secure areas so the Exalted Archipelago can't steal our information."

"I'm sure they'll figure it out eventually," Alva said. "If it's going to be used more, they'll inevitably steal it."

Anton nodded, "There was some talk of selling it to them before that point. It's not my work, so I was only able to offer my opinion of caution. Though if we can move from our current situation to something like useful trade partners, it would be good. At long as we aren't seen as some sort of emerging threat. Though perhaps only a small part of those in the upper realms are really aware of us…" Anton shrugged.

"Who knows…" Alva shook her head. "Hopefully we can learn enough before I go. As for you, grandpa… I'm sorry we'll be leaving you behind."

"I have dealt with such before," Anton smiled softly. "Why, Catarina's own grandmother was a similar example, though perhaps we departed on not the best terms. But people have to move on, they can't be just tied down to one place. Unless they want to be," Anton added. "Personally, I am not upset that my place has widened to a world… or at least two continents and some portion of the rest. I'm quite content to stop there."

"Only because you have to be," Alva said.

"Perhaps," Anton admitted, "But having seen the development of the world in the second half of my life, I am truly quite pleased. And though I may be resigned to my place here, I do have an idea on how to cross the next threshold of power."

"You keep saying that," Alva said, "But you'll never talk about it."

"I just want to make sure that nobody foolish tries it before me," Anton said. "For a number of reasons."

"Seems dangerous."

"Of course it will be. It's something new… and the traditional method of ascension is not exactly a trivial pursuit."

Given the opportunity, Anton was quite eager to go meet with Sect Head Treloar of the Worthy Shore Society. Acting as a diplomat was a nice change of pace from being some sort of warrior or enforcer, and the more similar conduct he could manage the happier he was. Though a simple exchange of information would be much more efficient in another manner, this allowed some level of secrecy in the details while making sure the information didn't get seen by the wrong people.

Anton had no way to know that Treloar had something secretive to discuss, except perhaps that was the only sensible option. So after getting settled in for his stay and exchanging formalities, he found himself in the first discussion with the man. "So, why did you request a visit?"

"That's fairly simple. We're both interested in promoting peace and the exchange of information. There are some things best discussed in person. I'm sure you know the Exalted Archipelago is quite interested in what has been happening back on the continents. Much interesting news has reached us. It's not really a secret that this generation of cultivators you have is quite exceptional. One would expect at least a few of them to ascend, and that seems to be the case." Anton waited in silence, offering no specific reaction. "You seem to be cautious? Wondering if I'm probing for information? Good. But I can say we are quite certain of some number of ascensions. And an impressive wave following behind, shoring up any gaps that might have been left. Perhaps even you might ascend soon."

"I don't know if I have the talent for that," Anton hedged. "I am… not young." He didn't want to let on exactly how many years he felt he had left. Some decades, certainly, but that wasn't really the limiting factor if he continued with his current plans.

"Really?" Sect Head Treloar made a show of narrowing his eyes. "Yet when you first encountered the Worthy Shore Society, you were merely in early Life Transformation. That seems to be sufficient growth over the last handful of decades. But I won't pry. Nor do we plan to disseminate that information to people who don't need it. I simply thought to comment on what has been observed. A truly talented batch by any measure. Far more than some might have thought possible, and enough to make any sect jealous. Especially with the Trigold Cluster's… previous actions. Then again, there is something special about this world."

"In what way?" Anton asked. "I can't claim to have been to any others." He wasn't counting the moon, of course.

"Now that is a question I don't have the answer to. I personally have only lived here as well… but it seems to be something intangible. Enough that the Exalted Quadrant was keen to establish a permanent presence here. Though perhaps in some way we are also the cause of some amount of whatever happened here."

The sharing of complete techniques and notes on ascension had certainly helped. It saved some trial and error or at least a few decades of sects bumbling around to make progress. But while it had been allowed, it also wasn't encouraged for them to speak of it.

"I don't want to diminish your own efforts, of course," Treloar continued. "People don't just stumble into Life Transformation and Ascension by accident, no matter what information is available to them. And the dedication to building up your natural energy levels was certainly a determining factor in your success. It has made a number of us quite interested in keeping an eye on you for some time."

Anton hoped that meant there wouldn't be any further interference. "Paying attention to what is going on in the world is always admirable," Anton said.

"Indeed. Now, the next matter is simply a personal curiosity on my part. Feel no obligation to answer. It is about the organization of your Order. The Order of the Ninety-Nine- no, it should be One Hundred Stars. Is that alright, Grand Elder Anton?"

"I don't think there's anything particularly secret about our rankings," Anton agreed.

"Well, it is simply a curiosity… but why do you not have a sect head? It seems that a council of Grand Elders has done quite well for you all this time, but in certain circumstances having a leader to call upon can be useful."

"Well, I hadn't thought about it all that much," Anton admitted. "Traditionally, the wisest and most powerful Grand Elders have held more sway than the others. But I think that the actual reason is simply tradition. Ever since the founding of the Order… and the discovery of our deficiencies… we've only had the first Sect Head and a couple others. With nine Grand Elders and ninety elders, it fit quite well with the Ninety-Nine Stars."

"Interesting," Treloar admitted. "A reasonable enough result. And with your sect's high internal unity, it was perhaps unnecessary to formally appoint a head. I'll admit, my own position does command respect… but while I hold this position here, others are surpassing me. Gelens was a fine leader, but her talent didn't exactly lend itself to long term stability. So here I am, expected to last for a good half century at least without ascending or kicking the bucket."

"That sounds… less glamorous than one might expect."

"Oh, I'm really not going to complain," Treloar said. "The resources afforded to this position are considerable, and I do in fact have a greater chance to ascend because of it. The loss of time performing important functions is more than made up for by the benefits. Obviously in the upper realms things are organized differently since it is assumed everyone will stay around for the rest of their long natural lifespans."

"Really? There's no upper-upper realm that cultivators pass on to beyond that?"

"If there is, they've certainly done quite a good job keeping things secret from us down here. Not that anyone gets close enough to matter. There hasn't been a Domination cultivator in living memory, I believe."

Domination was new. Anton presumed that it should be after Augmentation, unless there were further unknown ranks. Perhaps he could find out. "Wouldn't that mean that… Fajra, of the Radiant Beauty Sect would be among the upper levels of power?"

"There is still quite a gap between those within the Augmentation stage, and their personal abilities are a great factor," Treloar said. There was a sparkle in his eye that said he was quite enjoying speaking as he was, and likely wished to say more but couldn't. That was Anton's interpretation, at least.

"I would not wish to run into one unbound by the shackles of the lower realms regardless," Anton said.

"Nobody would."

Though Treloar didn't give up any information on the topic, the fact that ascension cultivators were weaker in the lower realms had been fairly obvious. The anti-ascension techniques helped further, but defeating the invaders didn't really indicate they could fight them on a level playing field. And with only a disorganized group of ascension cultivators making their way into the upper realms, they might be at risk. Though that information had been assumed from the beginning. The call of cultivation was undeniable, however. Anton looked up into the sky wistfully.

Chapter 405

The further Anton's cultivation improved, the further his senses could extend. As it was now, a mere few stars away from the peak of Life Transformation, he could stretch beyond a hundred and fifty kilometers at the far end, with various factors limiting him. Wild energy, either natural or intentionally stirred up made the process more difficult, and of course that was sensing through open air. Having to make turns in tunnels or to sense through water or solid materials all limited him in various ways.

But as his senses once more stretched into the sky, they extended further. And if he wasn't searching for anything in particular but simply making a thin string, it could go… many times further. The exact distance was difficult to determine without some sort of reference. Though normally his thin 'threads' of sensing energy covered an area several meters in height and spread out across the ground to optimally detect most cultivators, when narrowed to the size of actual threads and moving without interference it was inestimably far.

Though such threads were weak, easily broken by any sort of energy fluctuation out in space. Even the sun's rays, an extremely diffuse sort of power, were enough to throw him off at extreme distances. His attempts could fail at any time for pretty much any reason… but on a few occasions he thought he felt something.

He wasn't just randomly reaching up into the sky. In one direction he knew there were the upper realms- or at least the main density of ascension energy seemed to be in that direction. It seemed to shift, but that was only relative to his position upon Ceretos. The changing of the seasons and the rotation around the sun would naturally provide some differences, so he had to pay attention to star charts to guide himself properly. As far as he could tell, ascension energy didn't end up in quite every direction. As for the distance… he was unsure.

As for feeling something beyond ascension energy, the closest celestial body was the moon. He was aware it was an almost unfathomable distance away, and his senses would have to stretch several thousand times further than normal… but he could swear once or twice he brushed up against it. That always came with an immediate breaking of the thread of energy, however, so he couldn't be sure. It could have simply been a miniscule piece of space debris, as could only sense a tiny point. The only thing that made him have some confidence was that with the thread of energy so fine, the fact that he only ever sensed something at the tip should mean something. Perhaps it wasn't the moon itself, but some sort of atmosphere? Or lingering remnants of Everheart's formations.

Or hopeful imagination.

Anton returned back to himself, unsure if he was really making any progress. Ultimately it didn't matter if he could touch the moon or not, with his real target so much further away. If he understood correctly, there would be little of interest remaining on the moon, perhaps nothing at all. The life Everheart had taken there would have no doubt perished with everything else- formations that could only last for so long by stealing away a false future they would never have. Damage to the surface could be seen with a proper telescope and some enhanced vision, the same as they had been so many years prior to the best of Anton's understanding.

Hoyt would be gone soon, and following him Alva. It was impossible to say they had a clear picture of what the Scarlet Midfields were like, and information about where individual ascenders might appear was cagy at best. Perhaps there was some way to predict it, but Catarina and Timothy had not found it. What they could say was that local groups were quite eager to snatch up new ascenders- and finding the right group was crucial. New ascenders weren't exactly weak, but they found it difficult to stand on their own.

Near Catarina and Timothy were a few prominent groups. One that controlled several systems was known as the Harmonious Citadel. They were powerful, but had strict rules for those who joined them. A more sinister group that was only whispered about were the Dark Ring, known for snatching people away for them to never be seen again. They were in direct conflict with the Harmonious Citadel, though presumably somewhat weaker. The general area they controlled was known, but specific outposts were impossible to find and destroy.

Timothy and Catarina had joined up with a 'smaller' group, the Silver Sea Coalition. It seemed they controlled a good portion of Nuvater, the planet they had first arrived on. They had a decent enough reputation, though it was yet unknown what they might actually demand for their support. Even a newly ascended formation master like Catarina was difficult to replace, however, so they were currently being treated well.

More information came in all the time, though it would obviously be less reliable further out. It was unlikely most of those ascending from Ceretos would end up on Nuvater, but if they were nearby they could arrange for transport- or at least a message to be sent. Much effort was being made to work with the allies of the Order so that any who ascended would be prepared and given the opportunity to work together. It was unlikely there would be any sort of stable setup in a short number of years, but they had to start.

And if there were no other landmarks… everyone seemed to know where Everheart's Tomb was. It seemed to have cycles of when it was open and when it was not, but it was supposed to open once more within the next decade or two, remaining that way for at least ten more years.

When the day came, Hoyt prepared himself with no fanfare. He was at the peak of Life Transformation, and had made every preparation he could reasonably achieve. He had the successes of those ahead of him to rely on, as well as some failures. His grandfather could have been either, but had ultimately stayed behind to support the sect. Hoyt had a strong connection to the Order as well, but he felt no compulsion to stay behind. In fact, it would be pointless to do so. It was already in good hands.

His eyes stopped on Anton as he scanned those watching. A second grandfather, in a way. Vandale had been supportive, but his situation made things difficult for Hoyt. He didn't want his success to rely on simple family connections… though perhaps he should have taken more advantage of it. If he hadn't been fortunate enough to link up with Anton and the others his path could have gone very differently. Still, everything had worked out for the best in the end.

He closed his eyes, blocking out other sensations. He felt something calling for him, in the sky. He reached out, forming a connection with the ascension energy as he circulated his own natural energy. He pulled, suddenly finding himself the one yanked towards the ascension energy rather than the other way around. Catarina and Timothy's special circumstances had partly shielded them from this effect, but he'd known it was coming.

He found himself surrounded by nothing but pure energy. It flowed about him as he moved with great speed, burning like fire as it impacted him. He began to absorb it as quickly as he could, forming it into the hundredth star. He felt it growing inside him, burning to a crescendo… but he would not have gotten to this point if he wasn't confident. Determined. He could have simply forced himself to stay where he had been, relatively safe, while he completed the process… but this should yield better results.

Fire burned in and around him, but it felt good. He was not aware of the passage of time as he wrestled the energy under his control, properly advancing his cultivation as he ascended. He knew that beyond the hundredth star the path was basically untrodden, but if the pattern continued he would have twenty-seven more stars before the next prime tempering to figure things out. The mere thought that he would even reach that point was almost insane, but he recalled all of those in his generation with similarly great talent. If they didn't make something of it, it would be a waste.

Suddenly, Hoyt felt a great cold and realized he had stopped moving- at least with the great speed he had been propelled with before. Furthermore, he could see around him- and what he saw was empty nothingness. He covered his mouth and nose, worried about his breath… but he realized solving such a little problem with his current power was trivial. He wasn't even sure if he would need to eat, and though he only saw a distant star and little else he was not lacking for energy.

He gave himself a push, accelerating in one direction at a rate he felt he could maintain indefinitely. Closer to the star he might be able to find a planet to land on… hopefully one with proper resources. It was strange, as Timothy and Catarina had not experienced the same but appeared on the surface of Nuvater.

It was at that point he realized he should attempt to send a message to someone- anyone. There were a few devices, one of which might connect him to Catarina, if both sides had managed to properly link their devices beforehand. Another would most definitely link him back home, though the messages would take a very long round trip- though whether it would be shorter or longer than reaching the other two there was no way to know.

As Hoyt drifted through space, he focused on the star. He didn't want to actually get close to it- he couldn't handle that much energy, no matter what stage he was in. But getting a better look might be interesting. He did cultivate the Hundred Stars, after all. Or perhaps it was inappropriate to call it that beyond ascension. Maybe it would be something more.

He almost didn't notice something pass in front of his vision. As he turned his head, he could barely make out a black spot against the nothingness of space around him- the object visible only from how it blocked smaller stars in the distance. Hoyt slightly changed his trajectory, wondering about the new object. Though perhaps he needn't have bothered, since he suddenly found himself entangled in some sort of great web- or net.

It yanked him towards the object, and only then did Hoyt comprehend their relative momentums. He was moving incredibly fast, though with nothing to stop him or to compare against he'd felt almost like he was not moving at all. The net whipped around behind the object, but it did not let go. Instead, it continuously pulled him closer as he swung around and around. He tried to struggle against it, but somehow it was restricting his ability to properly control his energy… or maybe it was that he was unfamiliar with his new state. Perhaps both.

Either way, he was able to maintain a semblance of his defenses as he moved towards his inevitable crash. Except before he got close, another net surrounded him, slowing his angular movement. He was barely able to make out the surface below, almost invisible to the eye but becoming more clear with his energy senses. There were people there… and more than a few.

When he landed, he was still entangled by a mesh of energy holding him still… but he landed 'softly', his energy cushioning the impact enough. And he felt air around him, though it was thin.

"Hey kid," came a woman's voice from behind him. "Seems like you were a little bit lost. Welcome to the Dark Ring."

Well. Perhaps he should have remained back on Ceretos after all… though the fact that he survived his landing meant there was still some opportunity for him to survive. "Thank you," he managed to say politely. "I don't suppose you could remove these?" He gestured to the nets as he tried to turn and see faces.

Chapter 406

On the possibility that ascending close to the same time might also make her arrive in a similar location to Hoyt, Alva was prepared to ascend immediately after him. Having one reliable companion could greatly increase their chances in the upper realms, no matter what else happened. Unfortunately, they could not go together simultaneously. They had a bond of friendship after being companions for so long, but no more. They didn't have the formation expertise to control something like what Catarina had made, even if someone else had been able to put it together. And their cultivation paths were different enough that they would have likely interfered with each other attempting it without something like that.

If Fuzz had not already run off on his own, Alva might have been tempted to remain behind. Her early childhood hadn't involved any knowledge or desire for anything related to cultivation, and when she first began to learn it was more a defensive reflex than intention to reach some lofty heights of power. Given that her cousin Annelie was not ascending for the moment, she would have at least delayed in other circumstances.

But as she looked up to the stars, she knew there were things that had to be done. Patience paid off, but sometimes you had to get a head start on things. The tides of the world indicated that in the half century since the invasion they were already well on their way to the next cycle. If she lived without cultivating a moment more she would likely be alive at that time. Since she had begun cultivating while she was still young, each star provided its full benefit to her lifespan and she could be expected to live at least three hundred years beyond a healthy life.

And then an invasion would come and she would do what, fight to defend Annelie's children and other descendents with just a peak Life Transformation cultivation? No, that wouldn't do at all. She could only hope that she would reunite with those she had grown close to at a later time, while doing her best to improve her strength and seek some sort of protection for their world. They could attempt to continue fighting on their own, but it was likely that future invasions would be even more dangerous.

She nodded. She was ready. She tightly clutched her bow, drawing in as much energy as she could safely control into a single arrow… then pushing past her limits. The arrow shot into the sky, cutting a path for her. She was already drawing in power from beyond, whether it was called ascension energy or upper energy it didn't matter. And though she understood that the process wasn't about momentum, it was important to do what felt right in cultivation, so she used even more energy to form an arc above her head, curving ever upward. Beneath her feet was something resembling a bowstring, and as the arc raised she had to hold herself to the ground. Then, she released, following the path of her initial arrow. She expected the pressure of the air around her to slow her down, but after an instant no longer felt it.

She was somewhere else, but not quite. Power pressed around her, almost trying to stop her momentum while at the same time seeking to become part of her. She continued to take control of that energy to form the hundredth star, feeling her cultivation expand as vision of the world began to return around her.

Tall spires rose alongside each other, beautifully crafted to maximize both form and function. Expertly crafted inlays of fine metals provided both a basis for powerful formations as well as a pleasing aesthetic. Seven such spires stood around larger central one, with an eighth being constructed in the outer ring and room for perhaps a handful more beyond that.

At the base of one of the 'smaller' towers a pair of guards blocked the way. Though they simply protected an entrance, they were at the Integration stage, the same as the visitor. "I'm afraid it will be impossible to arrange for a meeting with the Sword Saint at this time," one of them said. "That privilege is not available for initiates, regardless of talent."

"I don't want to talk to him, I just want to see him!" the woman said, naturally resting her wrists on the pair of swords strapped to her waist.

If the guards perceived her movements as a threat, they gave no indication. "In that case, you will simply need to wait for a proper festival."

"When will there be one of those?" the woman asked.

"Festivals are quite frequent, though an esteemed individual such as the Sword Saint has no obligation to attend anything short of the Festival of Convergence."

"When is that?" the woman asked.

"In thirty-two years," the guard said with a straight face.

The woman avoided snorting, merely breathing heavily out through her nose. "I see. I'll come back later then."

Chikere shifted her hands as she turned around. She could just… no, it wouldn't be worth it. She walked off. Keeping a low profile was hard. And there were all kinds of strong people here, even if those two guards weren't part of them. Unless they were very good at hiding it, but their swords weren't even better than numbers seven and eight!

Then she sensed something. A fluctuation in power that rippled throughout the world subtly. She'd felt it a couple times since she arrived, but something about this one said it was different. It would take her a few days to get there, but she should arrive before whoever was incoming. Others would be there as well, of course, but she at least wanted to see if her senses were correct.

If not, she could go from there off to somewhere untamed and fight some bandits or something. That had to be worth merit points, right? She probably should have made sure a while before, not that fighting wasn't valuable in and of itself.

Chikere didn't know if this world had access to teleportation, but if they did it was secret or out of her price range. Obtaining what passed as local currency had been a bit of a pain at first, but she'd just gone on a couple missions and now she didn't have to worry. She didn't have enough to buy a decent sword, but she could snag a trip on a skyship. They seemed to be faster and more common than what the Exalted Archipelago had, allowing her to move around the world in a short time. Yet they weren't as fast as the ones that went between worlds. Those could still take weeks to arrive somewhere, but the distances were incomparable.

As predicted, she arrived early enough that the ascending individual had not arrived. As the time got closer a press of curious individuals crowded the plaza, though none were allowed to be on the arrival platform.

The fluctuations of energy were focusing on a single point, and the more they did the more Chikere felt she was right- until finally Alva appeared in front of her. Alva looked around, taking in the sights- the grand city around her, the people, and everything important except for one person. Chikere dug into Alva with her eyes, and when that wasn't enough she pressed harder.

Alva ducked, though the attack wouldn't have harmed her regardless. It was a good instinct though- and her eyes locked on Chikere. Chikere smiled, then mouthed the words that the official representatives nearby were about to say.

"Welcome to the Harmonious Citadel."

It was good to receive word from Alva that she had arrived safely, though apparently she had been slightly delayed in doing so upon arrival. It was better information to hear that she had seen Chikere- though it was an odd way to word it compared to meeting up with her.

What was not as comforting was the complete lack of communication from Hoyt. Anton couldn't believe that the man had failed to ascend properly. Perhaps that was the logical assumption- even with a properly completed technique there were risks of failure. Yet it still didn't seem right. Intuition wasn't always trustworthy when truly unknown situations were involved, but Anton felt something shady.

Though he didn't exactly feel trusting of the upper realms in general- with good reason. Neither the Exalted Quadrant nor the Trigold Cluster had a positive image in his eyes. And the Scarlet Midfields were simply too disorganized to do anything as they were.

Anton didn't like the idea of relying on outsiders to defend them, either. Though it would likely be necessary, they would owe them a large debt. They might end up beholden to those in the higher realm like the Exalted Archipelago. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it required finding the right people. A sect that was strong and at least reasonably decent in temperament, while also having spare resources to devote. At least it seemed that materials and cultivation resources from the lower realms had some value, and paying a reasonable fee for actual protection could be worthwhile. That was the basis of many forms of government, after all.

Anton trusted that his companions would be doing their best to arrive at whatever they thought best. Perhaps personally returning to fight would be all they could do, after growing stronger. But even if they raised a great army, Anton wanted Ceretos to be doing what they could on their own end. Though… that barely required him for the most part. There was no guarantee that the world would stay at peace with itself for long enough, but at least all of the strongest individuals would be aware that more danger could be coming rapidly.

He needed to continue his cultivation. Soon, he would be at the peak of his power, ready to attempt the next step. It was hard to say if it was the right one, though. There were other options… though one of them would take longer than his lifespan to come to fruition even if it were possible. And knowing if it was wise was another question entirely. The question of whether the upper realms were actually better needed answering before anything else.

A shove brought Hoyt out of a gate into wide open nothingness. Rather than calling it an arena, which implied something encapsulated by something greater, the area beyond the walls was more significant than anything else.

"The first thing you must do is fight," declared the woman who had stepped out before him and now turned to face him.

"I suppose I should have expected that of the Dark Ring," Hoyt said.

"Really?" the woman raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you have any expectation of us at all." She held her arms out to the side, which Hoyt saw were covered by a handful of bladed rings each. "But before we speak with words, we must talk with blades."

"Is that a promise?" Hoyt asked as he pulled his axe- at least they hadn't taken away his equipment, though the woman had certainly advanced beyond his position in the very beginning of the Integration stage. His energy hadn't even settled down fully yet.

Instead of a verbal response, the woman flicked her arm, sending a ring towards his legs as if to chop one of them off. Hoyt intended to take a simple step to avoid it, but found himself launching further than he intended. He had to anchor himself to the ground with his energy as he was moving away. He tried to draw in breath, but was reminded there was no air. It only took a small amount of concentration to handle that problem, but he wasn't sure he had the leeway.

He parried several bladed discs coming for his upper body, not trusting his legs for the moment. They reacted basically as he expected, the force behind them powerful but not unmanageable. His own position drifted slightly as his attachment to the ground was less than expected still. Lower gravity, which had been brought up as a possibility- but shouldn't have been this significant. Then again, he wasn't on a proper planet. Just a rock floating in the void.

Unable to stay on the defensive forever, Hoyt rallied his energy and began to summon his fire. Without any air to burn the flames were a bit sluggish, but much of their power came from the natural energy he used- and now ascension energy. He found it to be more than he expected even with the deficiencies in atmosphere, a single sweep of his axe creating a wave of fire that stretched a hundred meters in front of him.

His opponent didn't find it difficult to avoid, however- and as she moved about the rings continued to harass Hoyt. He could only continue to block and parry while he made his way closer to her, though knowing his current capabilities he didn't need to reach melee. He swung his axe vertically down, a half ring of fire sweeping to the left- then his axe came up to the right. The flames shifted around to either side of the woman and behind her in a sort of dome, boxing her in as Hoyt approached.

He had no way to anticipate the next move, however. Three rings dove into the flames, spinning. Somehow they pulled a vortex of fire into them, the three rings combining that vortex of fire in a third ring in front of the woman, combining the fire into a single stream that flowed back towards Hoyt- out of his control. He hoped this particular attack didn't kill him, as having his own energy used against him would be a most embarrassing way to die.

Chapter 407

Though he certainly felt that he was losing, Hoyt tried to focus on his successes. He was getting used to fighting with not only more power but also a minimal amount of gravity. As he became more confident in his personal movements, the bladed rings harassing him felt like less of a threat.

There was still the issue that they were somehow able to take control of his energy. It wasn't something that was entirely impossible, but it had looked too easy. Then again, he could not know how many years the woman he was fighting against had trained for. Her cultivation was somewhat higher than his own, and she could easily have decades or more on him. Or access to better knowledge from an early age, since the upper realms should have something.

His axe swung in a wide arc, knocking away several of the rings as they moved towards him. His power wrapped around himself, turning him into a ball of fire as he accelerated. His own momentum was a weapon, and though there was not a higher point to jump off to add to his momentum, he began to incorporate some amount of vertical movement. It didn't throw off his opponent as much as he might want, but he was managing to get closer to the woman at least.

There was still a significant gap between them. Could he incorporate anti-ascension techniques? No, too risky. His hundredth star was fully formed from ascension energy, and he'd felt it incorporating into him. Perhaps he might be able to later modify what he knew to use against others, but at the moment he risked disrupting himself more than his opponent. He wasn't sure what would happen if he won, but he had to try his best at the moment.

As he moved in for a critical attack, he hadn't expected the last two rings the woman carried on her to fly out to either side. He knew they could certainly return to attack him from the sides or rear like the others, but if he was fast enough it didn't matter. His axe swung towards the woman who seemed to have no weapons remaining… only to slow significantly, giving her time to dodge out of the way.

He kept an eye on his back, swinging at the rings whenever they approached close enough to harm him. He felt his movements becoming sluggish, not because he was tiring- though he might soon. Instead, something was pulling on him. His axe, specifically. He was certain of that when he swung to bat aside four of them, and they suddenly stuck to his weapon, expanding in size to wrap around the head then shrinking tight around the handle. At the same moment, the other six rings moved in on him, aimed towards his neck, arms, legs, and the middle of his torso.

Seeing no other options he let go of his axe, but as he tried to move away he found his movements slowed. The first blade touched his neck, then all the others came to rest against him as well. Against him… not inside or through him. Though he was holding them back with his energy defenses, the impact hadn't been what he thought it would be. With a slight push the blades cleanly sliced through his defensive energy at several points, finding weak spots in his armor as well. But they stopped. He turned to look at the woman.

"You fought well enough, for your first time," the woman said. "For now, you may live. What is your name?"

"Hoyt," he said. There was no point in lying… and being alive was good, at least.

"I am Zazil," she said in response. "Of the Dark Ring, obviously. What sect did you hail from?"

There was no prior history between them, so lying wouldn't accomplish anything. And a name didn't show any weakness. "The Order of One Hundred Stars," Hoyt said. "I would still consider myself part of them."

"Hmm. Interesting."

She didn't say what was interesting as she led him back inside. He wanted to ask, but thought it better to remain quiet and alive for the moment.

Nobody would talk to Alva. Nobody important anyway. She'd been provided with a bare minimum of information and was left to figure out the rest herself. She was given the freedom to move about as she pleased in the public areas, at least. Nobody had taken anything away from her, but she didn't have any local currency. She knew some of what she had might actually be valuable, but was unwilling to try to exchange anything until she was more aware of how things worked.

And aside from a few quick messages letting people know she was alright, she hadn't managed much. She had found herself looking for somewhere that truly felt private to attempt to message Catarina. Testing out new gadgets seemed to warrant some caution, and again she had no way to contact her through standard channels. She might have to go on some sort of mission to get contribution points. It wasn't an unreasonable thought, but she couldn't help but think of Chikere.

She'd definitely seen her. Alva was sure of that, but she couldn't find her now. And people weren't particularly helpful as she asked around. So with little else to do she began to wander. At least she wasn't in need of anything- she had some food, though she wasn't sure she absolutely needed it at her current point. Just absorbing ascension energy was invigorating, to the point she barely felt like she needed to sleep ever.

As she continued to wander through the city- it felt like everything was one large city here- she finally found something different. For quite some time all she had seen were cultivators with an odd mixture of cultivations- nearly the same number distributed across Body Tempering, Spirit Building, and Essence Collection- but she finally found some normal looking people. Which was also odd in its own way, because back on Ceretos everyone had been encouraged to cultivate. But ever since she'd arrived here- Rouhiri, if she recalled correctly- it was different enough to remind her she wasn't at home.

She'd known that they would be going to different planets after ascending. Timothy and Catarina had confirmed that, though the assumption held. It still wasn't fully clear if they were in the same space, but there was some way to travel back and forth sometimes. And communication worked.

As Alva looked at the 'normal' people around her, she wondered why they wouldn't cultivate. But the answer was pretty obvious with a moment of thought. How could they cultivate? Natural energy was required for that. Lower energy, if she were to use the rather arrogant terminology common here. If they could control it, of course, then ascension or upper energy would catapult them along the path of cultivation… but that would be like jumping headfirst off a cliff into rocks during a storm to try to learn to swim. It was simply too much. Alva stopped for a moment, sensing around her. Without other cultivators the fluctuations in energy were less, and she was able to sense a small amount of 'natural energy' among the flood of power around her. But not much.

"Do you need something, lady cultivator?" asked a nearby woman.

Alva looked over. The middle aged woman wasn't a cultivator, so she shouldn't have been able to tell Alva was one. Except of course who else walked around in armor with a bow strapped to their back? "I just need somewhere to be alone for a moment," Alva said. "Is there a park nearby?"

The woman shook her head. "No parks here. But an hour that way is a stream, if you're up for the walk."

Alva focused her senses in the direction indicated. "Oh, so there is. Thank you."

She made her way there, finding it to be more isolated. Nothing seemed to say she was disallowed from going there, and she felt less watched there. She wasn't sure if she was actually out of range of the senses of some cultivator or other, but at least she didn't feel a constant press of others. Nobody had really been rude about it, but there had been so much. The Order had many cultivators, but they were somewhat more spread out. Though Alva was beginning to think there really weren't that many, with how many she'd sensed around them. Some tens of thousands, maybe? At least a few times as many as the Order.

And an uncomfortable amount of Integration cultivators as well. Having only been around them in the context of battle, everyone felt like a threat- even if Alva was now one of their ranks.

The stream was quite nice when she arrived. Peaceful… and isolated enough she felt comfortable trying to contact Catarina, as well as sending more detailed messages.

Lacking many of those he would normally confide in, Anton found himself alone with Velvet. She really should have ascended already, but she had remained. That was her choice, of course.

"I should be happy," Anton said. "Most things are going well. The only trouble is with Hoyt. I'm certain he can handle himself but…" Anton shook his head. "I can't help it. And yet, somehow that's not what worries me."

"I understand," Velvet said as she looked around. There wasn't much to see- just a comfortable sitting room that could handle around a dozen people, more if additional chairs or the like were crammed into the room. A modest place, since Anton wasn't given to hosting large social events. She wasn't really looking at the room around them, though, but instead generally looking to the world beyond. "I feel there's some sort of danger here. Not… around the Order, necessarily. But with people ascending, our power is at best stabilizing, maybe dropping. That's why I stayed."

"You felt this danger?" Anton said.

"I wasn't really sure about it," she admitted. "I'm still not. It could be paranoia."

"I would hope so," Anton said. "But it's not far from what I feel. Things aren't quite right. And as cultivators, we must trust our instincts. Though I'm not sure where that leaves us."

"We have to remain vigilant. Beyond that… I don't know. Maybe whatever you're working on will help."

"What do you mean?" Anton asked.

"Your cultivation thing. Whatever your alternate for ascension is. You're closer than you let on, aren't you?"

"Perhaps," Anton said. "I still have to achieve the ninety-ninth star first. After that, my chances of success," he shrugged. "I don't want to rush things."

"And you shouldn't," Velvet said. "I… wouldn't want to lose you. Or any of the others. But we both know it's inevitable to some extent. Vandale, Ivarsson, McAlister… they've all passed on. But here we are, taking their place." She sighed, "I'm not very good at this I guess. I just want you to know that even if something happens to you, there will always be more of us around. You should trust us to take care of what happens, instead of not trying whatever this is."

"I'm not delaying on purpose," Anton said. "Though perhaps… it does not need to be conscious. Cultivation relies on the heart, after all." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I really can't try anything without reaching the very peak of Life Transformation. But your insights might be correct. I could be subconsciously hesitating a step before that. If I don't reach the next star within a year, I'm sure you can reasonably accuse me of dragging my feet. Though I'd hope that with you and others supporting me I will steer away from that."

"I really don't intend to rush you," Velvet said. "It's just a feeling that I thought we should speak about."

"Don't worry. I agree that it was the right choice. And perhaps it's time I made a trip to another friend." Anton stood up. "Lev… might be doing something I could learn from."

He took a look vaguely off into the skies. The most bothersome part was feeling like he couldn't do anything to influence the circumstances of those he cared about. But if nothing else, he could make sure they didn't have any reason to worry about him in return.

Chapter 408

The smell of blood strongly permeated the surroundings. Some of it belonged to Fuzz, but most of it was from other creatures he didn't recognize. In turn, they seemed unfamiliar with him and had not regarded him as a threat. And now he was eating them.

Well, some of them. His stomach wasn't so large that he could eat the thing with the razor sharp scales and the bird with lightning claws and the swarm of vermin. And he wasn't sure if the tree had been trying to eat him or not but it released something that smelled bad so he dug it up from the roots and tore it apart.

He returned to his den for the night. Another sunset was coming, and he preferred to stay inside at night when he had the opportunity. Humans didn't go out much at night, and he was looking for his pack. So far, he found no trace of them.

Fuzz supposed he might have been a tiny bit hasty with the whole ascension thing, but Alva was thinking about staying behind. Fuzz didn't want to have to choose between parts of the pack, and he was fairly certain she had been worrying about him, so he didn't want her to hesitate. He hadn't considered that he might be the one to end up alone, but it certainly seemed to be that way.

He began to lick his wounds, starting with the ones that were easy to reach first. Some were more difficult, but with a little bit of effort he could contort his body and extend his tongue slightly to reach anywhere. His back was obviously the hardest. But since he didn't have someone to properly stitch up his injuries, he needed to do what he could. Licking them made them heal faster, along with circulating his energy. And this new energy… was very powerful. It was clearly much more effective here than around their home, where people only had what they brought with him. Fuzz hadn't realized how much he pulled from the surroundings when he did everything, but it made sense. Surely some of the others knew that, but Fuzz knew he still wasn't as smart as a human. Well, not all of them, at least. Kids weren't very smart.

After he finished with his wounds, he began to gnaw on a nearby bone. He wasn't sure what it was from, but he had found it near his first den in this place. He'd been working on it ever since, but felt he'd made no progress. If he bit any harder he'd snap his teeth, and without the humans and their medicine he'd never regrow a tooth. But it felt good to test himself, and to think about what sort of great beast could have left behind something so strong.

Den after den he had searched around, looking for humans. Sometimes he found them, but they were never the right humans. Large cities were rare, but if any of his pack mates had been in one he would have smelled them. They were not, so he avoided them- and in turn, the humans left him alone. Maybe they didn't even know he existed. It was a problem he didn't have any way to communicate, but writing was difficult and he imagined anyone who wanted to attack him wouldn't wait for that.

If he were to judge, Fuzz had covered half a continent by now. Someone had said that maybe continents could be bigger or smaller, but he only knew what was familiar from back home. He wondered what to do if he finished this continent and found nobody. Should he swim? Try to catch a human boat? Neither seemed like good options. He could swim just fine, but sleeping was a problem at sea. He needed to sleep to rest and recover. Plus, seawater didn't taste good and everyone said he shouldn't drink it.

The next morning Fuzz was off again, planning to scout the area to another direction of his new den. He thought there were some interesting scents in that direction, though he couldn't tell exactly what they might lead to. He could see snow covered mountains in the distance, and though he couldn't spot any human settlements on them maybe he could see some from the top. Yes, that was where he would go next.

"Are you sure you wish to be the one to make the first attempt?" Anton asked.

"Of course," Lev said. "This is the best moment. Besides, we both know nothing is stopping either of us from trying."

Anton sighed, "Up until now I have been following information left by those who came before. Some things were pieced together into a more suitable form, and techniques were rearranged… but it was nothing new."

"Very few things are ever new," Lev pointed out. "Every new discovery requires knowing what came before. This too is the same, except instead of drawing upon an energy source far away, we are connecting to one closer."

"You spent too much time with Master Varela," Anton said. "You sound like an old man."

"I am an old man. Over a hundred."

"I might give it to you if you had a single wrinkle or gray hair," Anton countered.

"How about a bad back?" Lev grinned. "But enough talking. You're here, and this is the perfect season. Grandfather Willow is just budding for the spring, and is nice and calm."

"Good fortune," Anton said as Lev took his position next to the tree.

"Everyone!" Lev projected his voice to all of those watching- everyone from the Grasping Willows who could possibly be present had come, as well as many others who were on good terms. "Today you will bear witness to my next step in cultivation… or my demise. I'm sure we all hope it will be the former. Everyone from the Grasping Willows, watch carefully. Though I imagine none of you will have the opportunity to do the same as myself I am certain you can gain valuable insights."

Everything else that he planned to say had already been said. As much as possible his affairs had been settled. More than any other recent advancements, there was a real risk of death when trying something completely new. Or at least, new to their understanding. Perhaps something similar had been attempted upon another world- or with the Grandfather Willow itself. Either way, they had no record of it.

There was a gentle breeze rustling the leaves of the great tree as Lev sat with his back against the base of the Grandfather Willow. The process began slowly, Lev's energy synchronizing to that of the Grandfather Willow. Slowly he began to infiltrate his energy into the wood of the tree itself, while at the same time connecting smaller roots to his body as he had done once before.

His own energy continued to find its way up the tree and down the roots, spreading throughout every part. It split into the dangling branches and became thinner and thinner. Then the feeling of Lev's energy began to fade away, and instead Anton could only feel the Grandfather Willow.

Minutes turned into hours as Lev sat in front of the tree with a peaceful expression on his face. Nobody dared disturb anything, but even Anton couldn't feel anything happening any longer. At some point, Lev would exhaust himself and whatever he was doing would fail. Unless…

Lev's eyes fluttered open. There was no trembling of the earth, no clear or obvious change of any sort… except as Lev picked himself up- nearly literally since half of his limbs hadn't worked in decades- the energy that did so came from all around instead of inside Lev.

"Well," Lev said peacefully. "I'm not dead. So I think that went quite well."

Lev was soon inundated with congratulations and questions. Had he succeeded? That he was able to answer with a resounding yes. How strong was he? Unfortunately even Lev himself was unsure of the change. Whether it brought greater power than ascension or less, he could not say. But at the very least, his path had not completed at the pinnacle of Life Transformation.

Anton had been very patient in absorbing the various insights of those who achieved ascension. He hadn't wanted to waste a single bit, to miss a single strand of comprehension. He started with the oldest of them and worked his way forward. There had been Rahayu, Matousek, and many others- ending with Lev, though it was technically a different process.

There were a few important things Anton realized as half-thoughts flashed before his eyes. He already knew he could not ascend traditionally. Fleeting Youth had barred that path from him, a path of stolen power that took from a future that he could have once had. He didn't regret it, as the ability had saved his own life many times- and that of others- but if it was possible the numerous insights would have made ascension almost easy. All it took was a century of work to get where he was, both his own hard work and that of many others. But the last step, at least, could have been rather simple. The other thing he learned was that the Vessel of Insights was clearly not powerful enough to contain insights on the level required. Though it still managed to take in some key details, much was lost. In a way, it was most impressive it had provided use for so long. Now it was time to pass it onto someone else… past time, perhaps.

He couldn't think who it should go to. It wasn't that there wasn't anyone he thought worthy, but instead there were simply too many. Though he would want someone who was willing and able to share those insights with others. Half of the time Anton had used the insights to help others around him without learning much of direct use to himself. That was better than selfishly discarding anything he couldn't use for the sake of his own time, and the cooperative aspect had made the world what it was now. Which was… still not embroiled in large scale civil war, at least. The feelings of being on a precipice remained, however.

Since he wasn't ascending, Lev's insights were actually of more use- though there were very significant differences between what Anton was going to attempt and that. Yet in some key ways, they were the same.

Anton was finally ready, but he needed to wait for… something. He wasn't sure exactly what, but he would know when it came. Until then, he would wait. He looked up at the sky, taking in the warmth of the sun. He hoped he did not have to wait overly long, but it was possible the opportunity simply wouldn't come in his lifetime. If so, he would be disappointed… but would simply have to move on.

"You are not offering prayers, sister?" one of the others who had signed up for the bandit hunting mission asked Alva. Her name was… Vari, maybe.

"Prayers to who?" Alva asked.

"The Saints, of course," Vari said as if it were only natural.

"For what?"

"Protection."

"Are they going to come with us?"

"Of course not. This mission is beneath their notice."

Alva frowned, "Then why bother, if they aren't going to protect us?"

"Because it is proper. You should at least thank them for protections in the past."

"They haven't protected me from anything," Alva pointed out. "They just sit in their towers doing nothing."

Vari looked disappointed, but not angry. "They protect us every day. From the wind and rains and the disasters of the world."

Alva had the feeling she wasn't going to get anywhere, so she didn't bother mentioning that a house did just as good at those things. "I see," was all she said in reply. She was more interested in someone else she noticed. Chikere had shown up again, and though she was restraining herself, Alva at least recognized the familiar energy. And the swords, though it was weird there were only two of them. What happened to the other fifty that she usually had hanging around?

Normally she would have just gone up and said something, but the fact that Chikere clearly noticed her but didn't approach meant that there was some reason for it. Alva honestly had no idea what, but she should be able to figure it out. Before that, there were bandits to kill and merit points to gain. She needed to start building up some local currency and to be able to manage her own supplies somehow. Everything was so expensive, but with a lot of rich cultivators competing it kind of made sense. Or maybe it wasn't so expensive. She'd know after this mission, based on the rewards… but she had the feeling she'd have to save up for a while to get anything particularly useful, whether it was medicine or cultivation aids or equipment.

Chapter 409

Something had done a lot of claiming of the area- no, some things. There was clearly more than one scent on the mountainside, though the dominant creature was just one type. As Fuzz pushed his way through the snow which came up to his belly, he tried to look for other signs of the creatures. Hunting with Alva he had learned other ways to detect creatures, though scent was always the best. Strangely enough, the one thing that should have been easy to find was not present. In such snow he should have been able to find tracks of some sort, but even though he hadn't seen it snow there were only small critters… and the strange scent of something atop the snow.

He soon was close enough to smell creatures firsthand, though with his sensitive nose that was still quite a distance. He intended to avoid them, though figuring out their exact location was difficult with the current winds and the shape of the mountain around. He didn't need to fight. He wasn't hungry and just wanted to look for settlements from the peak. They might start something anyway, but the plan was to avoid them.

The scent of blood came on the wind, a scent very familiar to Fuzz. There was a battle happening, but he didn't have to involve himself with it. Soon he heard the sounds of battle and felt the fluctuations of energy- few beasts could survive without natural energy. Void ants were an exception. In this case it was the new energy, of course. Bigger and stronger, but not without its own flaws, as had been shown in the invasion.

There should have been no reason to involve himself, but an intriguing scent caught his attention. Familiar yet unfamiliar, and enticing regardless. He couldn't help but shift his trajectory to head towards the battle with greater speed, bounding in and out of the heavy snow drifts as he did so. He was supposed to be looking for his pack, but he could allow himself a little sidetrack here and there. They always said they could do things he wanted, but usually he just wanted to do whatever the pack wanted. But for some reason, he was curious here.

Sounds were the next part of the battle to reach him. Growls and snarls along with noises he had no way to explain. Sharp, sudden movements of something, but not the combatants themselves. As he bounded over a ridge he was able to see… a red furred wolf standing alone in a blood-splattered snowy field.

No, that wasn't right. Flashes of snow-white creatures flickered before his eyes, and more importantly he could smell them. And the wolf wasn't red furred, but perhaps a stony gray under everything. He picked up his pace, approaching the battle with haste.

As he got closer he was able to pick out the camouflaged creatures. They blended in with the snow and had minimal discolorations, but a bit of visual as well as olfactory and energy provided him with a clearer picture of what he was facing. There were large cats- maybe half the size of Fuzz himself- attacking with not just claws but forming spikes of ice out of the air that bombarded the wolf, a creature similar in size to Fuzz himself. They also moved in to attack with their teeth and claws, leaving behind specks of color on themselves where they drew blood. Their tactics seemed more like that of wolves, menacing from all sides while mainly attacking from the rear. When the wolf tried to swipe at them they leapt back, landing on the surface of the snow without sinking into it, at least sometimes.

Things weren't going well for the wolf, but they managed an impressive counterattack that provided a bit more time. They repositioned to a seemingly analogous position to the others, but when an attack came from behind their tail slapped down into the snow. A bit of spraying fluff wouldn't stop any beast of note, but the spike of rock that formed from a buried boulder seemed to do the trick. The fight was still in a critical stage, however. One wrong move, and it could be over.

Then Fuzz jumped into the thick of things, coiling flames about himself as he leapt upon one of the great cats. They should have sensed him coming, but perhaps they were too focused on their hunt to realize something might come after them. Either way, he tackled it to the ground and tore out its throat. The flames around him scorched its fur and began to melt away the snow.

The beasts reacted quickly, half of the pack shifting to target him. However, Fuzz was fresh and they were not. His own tail flicked behind him, punishing anything that dared to come from behind. Anything that approached him from the front could have their head bitten off… and it was simple to swipe to the sides. The flames around him weren't just for show, either.

The battle was a swift storm of fangs, claws, and elements- but Fuzz had the enemies outmatched in every part. These creatures no doubt had dominance over their mountain, but they had not fought their way through ascension to reach this world. After taking a few losses, they realized they couldn't afford to continue the fight. They turned to flee, especially since the others portion of the pack were taking their own losses, the melted snow allowing the other wolf to reach the rocky earth beneath, which helped significantly. More stone spikes created flowering barriers or were launched as projectiles.

With the battle over, Fuzz turned to the other wolf, sniffing. The wolf growled, baring their teeth. It seemed they weren't trusting. Before Fuzz could do anything else, they leapt at him. Perhaps if they had been full strength they might have provided some challenge, but weakened all Fuzz had to do was bat them away with a paw, flipping them onto their back. His fangs rested gently against their throat with a soft growl. They didn't need to fight.

If Anton had not been paying particular attention to the sky, he might have missed the opportunity he was waiting for. It was strange, because the event was powerful enough to wipe out the entire planet, and yet he could barely sense it among everything else. That was because the sun was so far away… and also why it was so difficult to do what he was planning to attempt.

He immediately dropped what he was doing, rushing towards the highest peak in the sect. It was a bit awkward, but he stood atop the observatory and began to lift himself higher while reaching out with his energy. The tiny change in distance on the close end would matter less than the amount of atmosphere he could get out of his way. He stood aloft on a pillar of energy, reaching towards the sun.

With his eyes properly shielded he could make out the more subtle features of the sun, and instead of a relatively smooth surface it was twisting and bending. This was a solar flare, a great release of energy from the burning ball of fire in the sky. And it was also a star, like many others.

Perhaps Anton was being too literal, but if he could not form a hundredth star that would be of use to him, he intended to make use of one that already existed. The sun wasn't alive like Grandfather Willow, but it certainly had power.

Anton's reach stretched further and further as he held himself aloft. If he made his strands of energy too thin they would snap under the power of the sun, but if he made them too thick he would lessen his reach, and he needed to stretch as far as possible.

Not that he thought he could reach the sun. The moon was already an unfathomable distance that he might or might not have brushed up against. The sun was hundreds of times further away. But he didn't need to reach the sun directly, but simply to reach the flow of its energy.

If he reached the limits of his energy, he would not only fail but fall- unprotected by his energy. Anton shoved away that thought of failure, only to have it immediately replaced by another. Succeeding halfway would be even more dangerous, as he would be inviting a great power into himself. It could easily consume him. That thought too was set aside. He already knew this and had made his decision anyway. If he were to have a continued impact on the world, he needed to continue his cultivation- for the sake of lifespan along with the power. But if he failed… he could happily accept that he at least tried. He already had two complete lives, which was more than twice what most people got.

Soon the burning power of the sun became stronger as Anton reached out, the waves of energy it let off providing more than just heat but other power as well. He grasped onto it, pulling himself and the power together. It was already headed in his direction, but the tug made it faster.

Cultivator and power slammed into each other like crashing waves. Anton wasn't just satisfied with absorbing the energy into himself- that would at best result in a violent cultivation session. He wanted to be part of it, for it to be part of him.

The struggle for control began. Anton understood that directly fighting against this power was pointless. It had no will, but beyond that it was effectively limitless. Some flowed into him, scorching his meridians as it did so. That energy was pulled into his dantian and refined, then sent out to repeat the process- he continued tugging on the energy while pushing most of what came around him.

All thoughts were burned away, and he simply became a cycle of flames. Absorbing, quenching, reigniting, assimilating it. He stretched further, deeper, connecting himself to the flow instead of just drawing from it. The more he succeeded, the greater the power that flowed into him, and the harder it was to wrestle it for control- but power without will would undoubtedly tear him apart. From the outside, Anton felt his hair burn away first as the energy pierced through his defensive energy. His skin was already darkened by the sun, but it reddened and burned, blisters rapidly forming. His insides weren't doing much better, his meridians barely holding together. A small lapse in concentration, and he would turn to a pile of ash.

Was he going to fail? Was it impossible, or was he simply not good enough? All it took for a cultivator was overestimating themself once, and their end could come. All the praise for him and his potential meant nothing if he failed here.

Beneath his skin, his muscles and bones began to burn. From the other side, his meridians were punctured, their metaphysical adjacency to blood vessels igniting them. It hurt, but it was just physical pain. Maybe a small bit of disappointment, but unlike the start of his journey he wasn't leaving behind people who needed protection. The people he cared for had gained their own strength, and those that hadn't could seek the protection of the Order and Graotan in general, improved in strength.

As he felt his eyes might burn away, Anton took one last look towards the world below. Ceretos. As good of a name as any. And it was… beautiful. White clouds, green land, blue oceans. He hadn't even realized how far he was. At least he didn't have to worry about falling now. Not that there would be anything left to fall.

Anton turned once more to face the sun, accelerating the process of drawing in the energy, pulling himself away as he did so. The light blinded him. He had no energy to spare for trivial things like using his eyes. His internal energy was dwindling rapidly even as he converted more of the sun's power to be his own. He could stop drawing it to himself and he might survive. Every moment took him further and further from that opportunity.

As his body was scoured, Anton felt the pain begin to fade- not because he was no longer being damaged, but because his body no longer had any basis to interpret pain from. Anton stretched out his hand, widening his pull of energy instead of holding back. There was a flash of fire as a great flame ignited inside him and then… nothing.

Chapter 410

Staring up into the sky, Velvet had long lost track of Anton's energy. Unlike the archer, her senses were trained to focus more on what was closer. Though she still acted as a scout, the distance she focused on was a more modest few kilometers. She knew that what happened was quite unlike ascension- while she felt him, Anton had been moving at a relatively modest speed. He didn't step through a rift in space or otherwise disappear directly.

She waited a day for his return. Then two. After a week, she finally had to give into the urging of the others and go to sleep. Even Kseniya herself had lost track of Anton not long after. "He'll either succeed and come back, or not. There's nothing we can do," Kseniya pointed out. "Except to continue what he expected of us. I don't know if whatever he's up to can succeed, but he said it shouldn't be ascension. Which means Catarina and the others could still use a good archer up there. I should still be first, though Marcio and some of the others have a chance to follow in a decade or two." Kseniya shrugged, "If my cultivation speed was as quick as my archery progress I should have been there long ago, though resolving some flaws in the technique and completing it has obviously helped."

"What about here?" Velvet asked.

"There will always be more of us here," Kseniya said. "You don't have to hurry off to ascend, of course, but don't miss a good opportunity if it comes up. Make sure you're ready."

That didn't actually resolve anything happening with Anton, but cultivation would be a good distraction. Velvet hadn't trailed all that far behind the others with Anton's guidance, but she had a couple stars she still needed before she could try to ascend. A few years each, then she could sort out what the best move was. Hopefully by then those already ascended would have managed to meet up.

"I have to admit," Hoyt said. "I expected to be dead or… significantly more restricted."

"I'm surprised you had a pre-formed opinion on us," Zazil said. "You ascended from a lower realm, didn't you? Yet you're not from one of the big sects, or you wouldn't have ended up out here."

"Is that so?" Hoyt asked.

"That's right. They have drawing formations that bring in those attuned to their particular cultivation techniques."

"That's… unexpected."

"Is it?" Zazil asked. "Or do you mean me giving an honest answer?"

"Both, I suppose," Hoyt admitted.

"Look, I know you've probably heard that we ambush and kill people… and we do," Zazil said.

Hoyt waited for the 'but' that never came. "Uh, yeah. That's it?"

"What? You thought there was more."

"It felt like there should be."

"If there's more… everyone's doing it?" Zazil grinned, "That good enough?"

"I'm confused," Hoyt admitted. "You're not killing me, but you're also not trying that hard to recruit me."

"I don't need to. You wouldn't believe me anyway, so you can just talk to our guest."

"And who is this guest?" Hoyt asked.

"The other one from your sect," Zazil grinned. "They should be here soon."

The casual way they stepped onto a ship and left a planet left Alva feeling like a country bumpkin. Sure, she had been one a century ago but after that she'd been a cultivator, seeing and doing the most amazing things. Yet this wasn't something she'd anticipated, though she had heard about interplanetary ships. They were just like skyships but more.

And like most ships, they were kind of cramped and lacking in space. Back home Alva could have gotten some sort of priority in her placement, but here she wasn't considered important enough. In fact, there were even some Life Transformation cultivators in nicer rooms. Sure, they had probably shown loyalty to the Harmonious Citadel and Alva hadn't yet… but this wasn't the way to get loyalty.

But maybe they didn't care. They already had so much with people like Vari who would not shut up about how great the 'saints' were. Alva got they were powerful cultivators, but so what? They deserved respect, but worship was something else. Especially since all they'd done was monopolize the resources on the world Alva happened to show up on. There wasn't another sect to work with- the Harmonious Citadel was it. Though she had gathered that there were a few different factions within them that didn't necessarily get along as well as advertised.

With nothing to reference against except the stars- which were not really changing- Alva couldn't tell how fast they were moving, but they were certainly covering absurd distances when the few stars that moved were taken into consideration. They moved past a couple, and some planets. Alva was fairly sure of that, though she couldn't stay up on decks to watch since she was 'in the way'. As if anyone was doing anything up there. What, were they going to run into unexpected winds out in the void?

… Would they? Alva honestly didn't know, but she really didn't want the ship to fall apart and dump her out in the void. She could swim, but she didn't imagine that doing so in the void was particularly easy. It did have a nice amount of ascension energy everywhere though- which seemed to be drawn in through the 'sails' to power the ship.

Alva got the vague feeling they were slowing down as they approached another star, and when they started passing planets she was certain. There were some big ones with rings of rocks around them. She thought her grandfather would like to see them up 'close', though she barely had time to take them in as they passed. Eventually they got close to what had to be their destination.

It was a normal looking planet. Normal to Alva, anyway. Since this was the first one that had oceans she'd seen since they left, maybe it wasn't normal? It had some trace amounts of natural energy mixed in too, something absent out in the void.

As they got closer, Alva realized the planet was tiny. She could tell, because her senses stretched to cover a significant portion of it- probably less than a tenth, but that meant the circumference of it had to be a few hundred kilometers. Alva hadn't exactly realized that there was fake gravity under her feet until she felt real gravity again… and as they got closer it grew stronger. There was something off about this place, because she actually felt heavier. She didn't really study much with her grandfather, but the Order all learned at least some about planets and gravity. Smaller and with greater gravity was weird, though carrying a few times her own weight didn't really concern Alva.

"Alright everyone!" A man Alva had come to know was in charge- named Rahmi- said as they approached the surface. "Remember, this planet is under occupation of vicious bandit forces. Be careful. We're setting down near one of their fortresses to begin our assault."

Alva could sense it, though she wouldn't have exactly called it 'near'. Then again, what was a handful of kilometers- or a few handfuls? Especially for cultivators of their general power. It would probably be dangerous to be much closer.

"The crew will remain here to defend the ship. The rest are with me."

Alva certainly wasn't part of the crew, so she made her way off with the others. Shortly after she did, Chikere briefly caught her eye. She held a finger up to her lips as she glanced towards the bandit base, but Alva wasn't sure what for. She hadn't said anything about Chikere so far and didn't plan to change that, though she was curious. And she definitely didn't have secrets about the bandits.

Battle started with a sudden blade of energy cutting their forces in half. It wasn't a precisely calculated move meant to split them apart, but simply a powerful attack aimed right in the middle. Most managed to avoid it, though some were simply too slow. The preparation time for such an attack had simply been too short.

Then they were fighting. Alva's instincts told her to pick out targets among the rapidly approaching enemies, and combat lines closed in on each other quickly. She began to shoot arrows at the enemy group, missing her familiar allies. And Fuzz, because she was much less effective without him. Her range was decent enough, but having to focus more of her energy on moving and less on her shots made her less effective.

The forces weren't arranged in a way that Alva could tell how they matched up, but she could tell that the leader of the enemy forces was strong. He should only technically be in Integration like herself, but the man's sword cut down anyone who got near him- with 'near' being a not insignificant range. At least a hundred meters. Several Integration and twice as many Life Transformation cultivators fell, though in other parts of the battle things were going the other way.

Alva tried to focus on the battle as a whole so she wasn't surprised by anything, but something made her stop on Chikere. The woman was using swords in either hand to fight off her opponents, but she wasn't looking at them. Her eyes were fixed on the swordmaster cutting people down, though she made no move to approach. She did lick her lips, however.

There were a few things Alva was learning about the battle. First, random disorganized cultivators were much less effective than anything she'd been a part of in her entire career as a cultivator. Was the Harmonious Citadel trying to get some of them killed? She hadn't exactly planned any tactics either, but she'd kind of thought they would figure things out. At least she was an archer who could stay towards the back. Even the bandits were more organized.

When she glanced over at Rahmi, he seemed hesitant to lead more people towards the swordmaster. Something about that one… was a secret? Alva didn't know what, because she didn't know anything about them. Except now that she thought about it, maybe she had seen him before? Which was odd. Then she realized. It was Swordmaster Rahayu. They'd never been well acquainted- he'd ascended fairly quickly after she'd arrived on Aicenith- but she was familiar with him through seeing him vaguely a couple times. Just not in combat.

Maybe she'd been missing out. He was amazing, though he was also on the wrong side of the battle. That did make things awkward. And though he'd ascended almost a century prior, Alva was surprised at how strong he was. Fortunately, it seemed that Rahmi was as well.

"They have someone on the verge of Augmentation! We need to pull back to somewhere more favorable."

While there was nothing technically wrong with those orders, could anyone really afford to turn their back on Swordmaster Rahayu? Alva was able to retreat, but many others were in a poor state for it.

Fortunately for them Chikere was walking towards him. She'd been his disciple for a time, so maybe she could talk him into letting them retreat? Alva didn't really care about any of those present, but she still preferred for her allies not to die.

Chikere got close, and her eyes locked with Rahayu. She put the tip of her blades in the ground. Rahayu momentarily stopped, and Alva breathed a sigh of relief. Then Chikere turned out her storage bag onto the ground, creating a small mountain of swords which flew out of their sheaths in unity.

Alva sighed again, but with significantly less calm. Of course that was what Chikere was going to do.

A moment later the ground began to split apart around the two swordmasters, and the forces from the Harmonious Citadel seemed as if they might rally- but just because Rahayu was being held back didn't mean the rest of the battle was going well. And nobody seemed concerned about abandoning Chikere.

Alva might have done something about that, but if she tried to stop that fight… she imagined Chikere would never forgive her. Besides, Rahayu wouldn't kill his student, would he?

As a rift was slashed in the ground next to Alva she threw herself to the side. The attack hadn't even been aimed at her- she just happened to be behind Chikere at that moment. Yeah, she'd leave Chikere to that whole thing. In any other circumstance she wouldn't leave a friend behind, but this was a special exception.

As Alva retreated with the others, she had to wonder about the whole situation. Rahayu might not have been universally beloved, but he had been a decent fellow, hadn't he? Honorable, at least. Not a bandit. Those thoughts led to others which all made Alva uncomfortable, and unfortunately she didn't know of any way to get easy answers. But as long as she was alive and safe, she could figure something out.

Chapter 411

As the rest of those from the Harmonious Citadel withdrew, Chikere pressed forward. She'd heard rumors of a great swordmaster in the area, and her instincts had told her they were true. Once she'd seen it was Rahayu? She couldn't resist fighting. It didn't matter why. She had the feeling that there was more behind the Harmonious Citadel's motives, but she was here now and that was all that mattered.

She was quite pleased to not be instantly dead. That was what had happened on their first encounter, though of course she had improved considerably since then. Rahayu's training had seen her improve greatly, though before he ascended she was not certain if she could have survived a single serious attack. After that point she had continued to grow stronger to be able to match against him- or someone like him.

But fate had led her here, to the real Rahayu. Her swords trembled under the force of his blade, even as they blocked him in pairs or triplets. That was expected when facing someone on the verge of augmentation. Some of her weapons shattered- but they were simply the dregs. She would have to replace them, but their loss was inconsequential. And it would only matter if she survived. There was always the chance she died here. Their relationship wasn't such that it was impossible, especially if it aligned with Rahayu's purposes.

Chikere was surrounded, now. But everyone stayed out of their fight after she cut a few people who got too close… and because Rahayu wasn't particularly making sure his attacks didn't affect them.

She was fairly confident that her image of him during her ascension had been correct, at least for a power at the peak of Life Transformation. Now he was nearly in Augmentation, the next section of ascension. That was amazing for only half a century, though it was impossible to say how long it took to actually cross that gap.

One sword matched against dozens, sweeping them aside in groups as he moved to attack Chikere from whatever angle he wished. He was fast, though her fighting style meant she was not tied to a clear front and back. Maneuvering her better swords to where Rahayu was took some effort though. A true swordmaster did not need to rely on a good weapon to be effective, but when facing off against a skilled opponent it still mattered.

The ground split apart as Rahayu's slashes cut apart the world around them- even some clouds were separated, though the majority of his power didn't reach that high. Chikere had some power of her own, but she had to admit she was unfamiliar with fighting using ascension energy. It was simply different enough to be problematic.

Then the moment came, and Chikere was ready. Even so, she saw a bloody sword sticking out of her shoulder, the point in front of her. That was still a thousand times better than where it was intended to go, towards her heart and lung. Whether or not Rahayu would have spared her like the first time or not she didn't know, but she at least managed to defend herself from the one attack. And she even negated his energy so it didn't slash her apart from inside so easily.

"I surrender," she admitted. She thought she had improved, but it wasn't as much as she wanted. There wasn't more she could do at the moment, so there was no point in fighting.

Pain filled her shoulder as the sword was withdrawn, but the following flick of the sword didn't cut off her head but instead cleared the blade of blood so it could be sheathed. "Not bad. You're joining us now."

"But she was with-" one of the nearby people began to protest, then stopped. Rahayu was simply using his aura, but it could be as sharp as a true blade if he wished.

Chikere was glad she was alive, though she knew there was still a long way to go.

A change in the fluctuations of Paradise's energy awoke Erin in the middle of the night. She was deeply attuned to his normal rhythm, but something had changed. Normally Paradise was content to drift along, but now he was moving rapidly to the east. Not only was that counter to his normal movements, the bursts of speed were generally short- such as to catch something particularly tasty. Beyond that, it usually involved diving underwater.

Erin could see that quite opposite of that, Paradise was actually holding his head above water, looking at the sky. She immediately called for an alert throughout the sect. Then they waited.

And waited.

After hours passed, they should have sensed something, but there was no indication. After a day passed, the alert was relaxed to a rotating schedule. As the head of the Island Tenders, Erin took more than a regular share of watches. She couldn't help but worry.

Her concerns were answered in due time when she actually felt something up in the sky, after several more days. A strange power, one of fire and heat… simultaneously strong and weak. Familiar, yet unfamiliar.

Then Paradise dipped his head into the sea, raising it up a moment later to spray an enormous ball of water into the sky. The falling source of energy maintained its trajectory and even became visible to the naked eye as a burning fire. Paradise's attack impacted the falling fire, and that should have been the end of it.

Instead, Paradise continued to move forward… and then suddenly began to dive. Since his dives were unpredictable Paradise's back had already been prepared for it at any time, with the water flowing around barrier so as to not tear off the inhabitants and their structures. The natural trees, dirt, and the like were protected by Paradise to begin with, so it had simply taken some coaxing to make him apply the same to his permanent guests.

As quickly as they went down, they returned to the surface. Erin wasn't sure what the point was, until Paradise flipped his head up and something landed next to her. No, not something. Someone. Or at least what had once been someone. Now it was a charred corpse, not even breathing. There were no signs of life… except a burning core of natural energy. It was fading slowly, but not the same way a dead cultivator's energy would extinguish.

Erin called for medical aid. She wasn't sure exactly what they could do, but they had various sorts of medicines, even if their stock was limited. But as she looked carefully she recognized the figure's cultivation technique. It was familiar, and though there was little to recognize she thought the charred body was that of a friend. At least she could contact the Order with what she had found, though saving Anton might not be possible… if he was even really still alive.

Scenery suddenly changed as Velvet, Devon, and dozens of others from the Order completed their teleportation to Aicenith. Their energy reserves were drained out of necessity, but using what they had left they quickly began to move. Information had come in from Paradise, and the Rising Waterfall Sect had sent people to retrieve him. If it was true that he was alive- though even the Island Tenders seemed to be dubious on that point- the Order was going to do their best to save him. They would repay those who provided the aid immediately before they could reach them. At least swift communication had been possible.

The weaker cultivators among their group began to grow weary first, and though Velvet was tempted to push on without them she was aware that taking some time to rest would be more effective. And her lacking medical expertise wouldn't do much to help.

Along with that, Idalia was supposed to be on the way. She was one of many whose lives had been personally touched by Anton, and she was one of the most trusted healers on the continent. Not necessarily the best, but one they were certain was on their side.

Their speed could have been faster if they beelined their way, but following approved roads was not only safer- though Velvet doubted there was much that could be a threat- but also more acceptable to the various sects and clans who claimed different areas. It was better to avoid causing tension where it was unnecessary, especially since they didn't know if they could help. So far Velvet hadn't received news of a change in Anton's status, but she could think of many reasons why that might be. None of them were helpful.

But eventually they reached him- transferred to Marvelous Rabbit Mountain on the mainland instead of out on Redfin Reef. Velvet couldn't help but grimace as she saw the body. It was hard to say it was anything but… except there was a spark of energy. Velvet reached towards it, careful not to touch it or affect Anton's body in any way. He wasn't breathing, his blood didn't flow- if he even had any- but there was something burning inside his dantian. A star, and not simply the Order's technique. And hidden beneath that star, much more faint, ninety-nine others. She had to count several times to believe her own work, but it was true. A hundred stars- without ascending. It was somewhat disappointing the final one only used natural energy, but it was still an advancement. Though it only mattered if he survived.

"What can we do?" Devon asked Idalia.

"Nothing, right now," Idalia said. She looked to the nearby doctors, "What medicines have you tried? The results?"

"Salves on the skin have little effect. As for pills or liquid medicine, it is consumed by the fire inside him."

"Good," Idalia said.

"That's good?" Devon asked.

"If they just sat there, then he really would be dead. The fact that something happens gives me some hope." She started popping various concoctions into Anton's mouth, frowning every time. "I don't know if it's helping at all. It might just be disappearing. If the medicinal effects are in there somewhere, it has no way to circulate around his body. We'd have to start with the meridians and dantian, but without him doing anything…" Idalia looked at Velvet. "You're one of his frequent companions, aren't you?"

Velvet nodded. "I'm not any good at medicine, but I can help gather whatever you need. Devon is his grandson as well."

"You-" Idalia pointed to Devon, "I do have some things to get. It's a decent trip, but you'll need to be quick about it. As for you," she looked to Velvet. "I need you to help circulate his energy."

"I- that's dangerous to attempt."

"I know, but Devon doesn't practice the Ninety-Nine… Hundred Stars. And the rest of your companions have already ascended, haven't they?"

"That's true," Velvet said.

"Then you're the best bet. Especially among those here."

"I can try but…"

"Just be slow about it. Methodical. He's lasted days already, the chances of suddenly fading away now is low."

Velvet nodded. She was reminded of something from her past. Anton had helped her with an energy deviation early in her cultivation career. That brought danger upon himself, whereas here she mostly had to worry about hurting him. Not that it made her feel better about possibly messing up, but she knew she had to try.

Using natural energy to recover from wounds was something cultivators learned early on, though not all of them were particularly good at it. Guiding someone else's spiritual energy to help them recover, however, seemed to be more difficult. Even so, Velvet did her best to carefully grasp onto a strand of energy from the strongest star burning within Anton, doing her best to guide it through what was left of his meridians and throughout his body. She thought maybe some of the soft energy the medicines had in them came along, though it wasn't clear. Something about the energy she was holding made everything else harder to sense, despite how weak it was.

The first circulation was difficult, because Anton's body was basically destroyed along with his meridians. They felt as if they were filled with ash or charcoal, and maneuvering around without causing further damage was difficult. She wasn't sure how many hours it took to make a single circulation, and she still felt no different. The same was true for the next five, and the ten after that. By that point it had been a couple days, and though the amount of energy she was using was trivial, the precise concentration and lack of sleep was starting to wear on her. But she actually felt something, some slight stirring of activity… and so refused to give up.

Chapter 412

Most of what Idalia needed was easy to get, if not commonly available in the city for whatever reason. Some herbs spoiled quickly and had little value, so nobody would bother to collect them and couldn't keep a store of them. The lungs and spleen of a certain rare elk was technically more difficult to obtain, but Devon also had the help of Marvelous Rabbit Mountain's Elder Paula. She was able to sense the creature from a great distance, and went bounding off after it at a speed Devon could not keep up with, despite being in Life Transformation himself. Though what else was he to expect for a sect that focused on their legs so much?

It didn't take long to collect all but one piece of what they needed- though of course the final ingredient was the most important one. Water from the Azure Springs, fifteen hundred kilometers away through several regions, one of which was desert. But that was fine- it was just a long trip, though at the speeds Life Transformation cultivators perhaps not even that long. The problem was that the waters lost a significant portion of their potency after a day. Optimally they would have taken Anton to the springs, but transporting him through monster infested wilderness didn't seem like the best move at the moment.

The time for trip there was hard to measure given that they did not take a direct route, but it was clear they would have to hurry on the way back. But first they needed to get some of the water. That seemed to be a fairly simple task, but obviously it wasn't just humans that liked water with high levels of easily digestible natural energy. Beasts did too, and often very strange ones. The particular beasts that controlled the springs changed frequently, so they couldn't be certain what they would face until they arrived.

Devon was surprised there wasn't anything visible in the area, until he could sense the water. "Looks like there's some sort of snakes in there," he said. "Or maybe eels? But they certainly feel more like snakes. So we just… kill them and take what we need? Or maybe distract them?"

Elder Paula frowned, "I'm not sure I would like to fight them in the water, and more importantly it could be tainted by blood. Yet if we don't draw all of them out, it's risky to collect anything with the fragile vessels."

Devon nodded. They had some containers that would help keep the potency of the waters for somewhat longer, but they weren't much stronger than glass. Either of them might be able to protect the containers from a sudden attack by the snakes, but if they broke any, they had that many fewer. This wasn't a situation where they needed just a few drops, every bit they could bring back was better. "What are there, thirty of those things?" Devon said. "We should lure them out and fight them. Or if they don't lure, I'll just yank them out," chains began to form around him, and though they would usually have spikes in this case he restrained himself to avoid blood in the water.

"If they come up on land, I'll squash them if I can… or boot them far away. Let's get ready," Paula said.

Technically they weren't in a rush at this exact moment, since the potency of the spring wouldn't fade until they gathered the liquid, but there was also no reason to delay. Anton's condition wasn't good, so moving along quickly was best regardless.

Devon stopped after forming a dozen long chains. He could have more, but that would require them to be shorter or he would have reduced control over them. He just wanted to be able to snatch a few snakes out of the wide spring, and either they completely retreated and gave them an opportunity to snatch the water and go, or he could grab a few.

It was perhaps ironic that his chains moved through the water like a snake with the intention to grab snakes, but the chains spread out towards the snakes. Some bit at the unexpected intruders, some pulled away, and others were a bit slow for either and found themselves suddenly yanked to the shore as a chain tightened around them.

Everything made sense until the first couple was up on shore. Paula crushed the spine of one under her heel while it was still restrained, but the other twisted to bite at Devon… at which point its head split apart into five separate stalks. Devon leapt back in surprise, but he had the presence of mind to extend solidify the links of his chain holding that snake in place, preventing it from reaching him. Each of the five heads seemed to have fangs, and Devon really didn't want to have to figure out how bad the venom would be. He tightened his chain around the middle of the creature- though it was almost as wide as his torso- finally overcoming its natural energy defenses and crushing it.

The good news was that the rest of the snakes easily left the springs after that- the bad news was that they seemed intent on killing the two. That turned the battle into a frantic melee where Devon was keeping track of anywhere between ten and a hundred sets of fangs at any point, using his chains to fend off or entangle as many snakes as he could at once.

Paula used her leaping abilities to get out of reach to more optimal positions, while also crushing whatever she landed on under her heels. When snakes sprang at her, she would often kick beneath them and send them flying hundreds of meters away if she couldn't find a killing blow, allowing some breathing room for the pair.

Eventually the last of the snakes was killed or chased away, leaving them with the task of transporting as much of the spring water as they could store with them. That should be the easy part… probably.

Given the limited options for who might be from the Order of One Hundred Stars that he didn't already know about, it wasn't terribly surprising to find Bohdana Matousek. They had attempted to send Matousek with options for communicating, but they hadn't worked. Until this moment, Hoyt wasn't sure if Matousek had died or what.

"Good to see you made it, Hoyt." Matousek paused for a second, "Your grandfather would be proud of your accomplishments."

"Thank you," Hoyt said. "But I have some questions. Like why you are here among the Dark Ring?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Matousek asked.

"Their reputation is not particularly stellar," Hoyt pointed out. "I heard some things from Catarina and Timothy before ascending…"

"That worked out?" Matousek asked, "Good. And you were able to communicate. Unfortunately none of mine worked even when I was away from the Dark Ring."

"You were able to leave?" Hoyt asked.

"Of course. I'm not a captive, though I could understand why you would be hesitant. They are quite secretive about their location."

"It's just a rock in the middle of nothing," Hoyt said, "I don't see what's so special about it."

Matousek grinned, "It's not just a rock in the middle of nothing. It's many rocks. Spread all throughout asteroid belts in the systems controlled by their greatest enemy, the Harmonious Citadel. What do you know about them?"

"Not much. They have some strict rules for those who join them, but are generally seen positively."

"And they work very hard at that," Matousek pointed out. "Admittedly, an organization of that size is bound to occasionally do some good by wiping out bandits and problematic sects, but that's not for the sake of helping anyone but securing their own position. They control a few dozen systems around here, and are extending their reach into more all the time. As practices go, they're just a cult… in the sense of the word that they're a religious organization, though I would say that the negative connotations are also correct."

"So, what, they worship their sect leader as a god?"

"They're ever so slightly more humble than that, though they do deem their highest ranking members at saints," Matousek said. "Perhaps they would claim to be gods, but they don't have a Domination cultivator. When it is known there is a higher ranking of power, it's rather difficult to claim you are actually the most supreme… though they do a good job of lording over others as they are."

"That certainly sounds bad," Hoyt admitted, "But who told you this? The Dark Ring."

"Of course," Matousek said, "But I have also seen it for myself. Slipping on or off a world is not the most difficult thing… though I've certainly spent more time around smugglers than I would have thought. And while the Harmonious Citadel can't exactly be blamed for acting the same way as other cultivators- gathering all the power into their own hands- I've come to be quite against the methods they do it by. Did you know some of their worlds house billions of individuals? Yet those who can cultivate are much fewer. People can't even leave to seek their fortunes elsewhere, though that's not necessarily their fault. Interplanetary and intersystem travel are not that easy. Though also… easier than I would have expected. For cultivators like us, it's not much more difficult than an average person getting passage across a great sea."

"Why can't people cultivate? Oh right, no natural energy," Hoyt immediately answered himself. "Or… not much?"

"Not as much, certainly. Ascension energy is better and higher quality… but also more risky. Beginning the journey is difficult, and the path is much more variable here than on our world."

"Alright," Hoyt said. "So the Harmonious Citadel is not that great. But what about the Dark Ring? Are they good?"

"They at least intend to allow people freedom. I think it would be good for you to join along with them. They're not a sect so much as a collective. But if you don't wish to, I can vouch for you, and we can drop you off somewhere safe. Or safeish." Matousek shrugged, "At your cultivation level, you'll have the eyes of the powerful on you, but you also have decent strength to protect yourself from them. I heard about your fight."

"You didn't watch?"

"I was at another location," Matousek said. "It was en-route, since they contacted me to tell me someone of my sect had… arrived."

"About that… why was I out here? Isn't it natural to arrive on the surface of a world after ascension?"

"That's true, but just like some sects focus the pull to their own cultivators and worlds, the Dark Ring has taken steps to bring people away from the Harmonious Citadel's planets. Usually that means shunting them to neighboring systems, but sometimes they end up out here, and they bring them in."

"Seems risky," Hoyt said. "Though I don't know if the Harmonious Citadel has any connection to the 'lower realms'?"

"Not the same way as we saw on Ceretos. That's more of a rarity, even for large groups like the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Quadrant. Since individual worlds are so rarely available for interaction, long term relationships rarely happen. Though with communication methods…"

"Speaking of which," Hoyt said. "I don't think any of mine have been working. I'm not exactly sure how long it's been but I should have been able to reach Catarina and Timothy at least."

"Ah, that's a feature of this place and others like it. It requires special methods to send anything in and out, and without sufficient power it doesn't work. Plus the inconspicuous locations truly out in the middle of nothing and you have a secret that actually lasts."

"And they kill the wrong people who find out."

"That's true as well," Matousek answered, "But you'll find that there aren't really that many people ascending even from the various lower realms, and fewer that end up here. Most are just happy to be taken into the fold of something larger."

"And you?" Hoyt asked.

"I think it's worthwhile. They might not be able to back us up in the way we wish, but I haven't found their practices objectionable. We can't exactly rely on just those of us from the Order- or Ceretos."

"Not yet, perhaps," Hoyt admitted. "Though there are a surprising number of us."

"Good. Take some time to think about joining up, and let me know when you've decided. Either way I'd like you to get me in contact with some of the others after that, so I'll be taking you out of the system."

"Anything else?" Hoyt asked.

"Try to get in more sparring. Fighting with just ascension energy is a big change to get used to. Two decades and I'm still not fully confident."

Chapter 413

The fastest way for cultivators to get anywhere- aside from teleportation- was often running. It was possible for them to tame or raise powerful beasts, but those took great amounts of time, effort, or both. And in Life Transformation, only the very best would do. Devon didn't happen to have any such beasts, so he ran. Elder Paula ran along with him, the pair of them keeping up a rapid pace. They took the most direct route they could, hoping to return to where Anton was within a few more hours.

A few beasts took offense at their passing through territory, but the creatures barely had time to react before they were past and gone. There were only a few locations they had to choose a route based on potential threats. Though they were close to the peak of cultivation, certain beasts matched or surpassed that level- either individually or as a group. Even if they could win such a battle they would be slowed more than just the duration of the battle, but also because of the fatigue that would result. If they took too long the potency of the waters of the Azure Springs would fade to nearly unusable levels, and they couldn't guarantee they would have another chance to retrieve more.

It was thus with specific intention that they routed through the Eshurst Woodland, packed with towering trees but little underbrush to get in their way. They weren't the largest trees in the world, but they were among the largest as a forest. Each tree stood more than thirty meters high, usually two meters wide or larger at the base. What threats lived in the woods generally took shelter among the canopy, not a problem if they remained mobile.

Fortunately they were expected a potential attack from giant raptors, so they were able to react. The actual foe was not a beast as expected, but cultivators. A group of five… from the Soaring Air Sect no less. They dove towards the pair with spears in hand, tossing javelins with the intent to control their movements- but they avoided the ranged attacks and took shelter behind one of the trees.

"What is the meaning of this?" Elder Paula demanded. She didn't expect an actual answer, but it gave a moment of hesitation for Devon to pull out a messaging plate. It wasn't much comfort if they died, but at least it would be known who was involved.

Devon caught Paula's eye and shook his head. No response indicating his message had been received. So the enemy was prepared somehow… though that was fairly obvious with how the five cultivators spread out around them. "I'll hold them back," Devon said. "You go on ahead."

"Fine," Paula said.

There wasn't longer than that to exchange plans- the enemy might have heard Devon regardless of his attempts to conceal the sound. And they were already attacking again. The cultivators of the Soaring Air Sect were some of the rare cultivators that actually took flight in combat, similar to the Boundless Skies Sect that had participated in the invasion. It was usually considered inefficient or a waste of energy, but their coordinated tactics and the mix of melee and ranged abilities made them difficult to fight against. As they charged, some tore through the trees that were meant to block them while others charged past, striking glancing blows while allowing little opportunity for a counterattack.

Paula's swift attacks weren't able to overcome their advantage of reach and numbers, so she focused on defending herself. Devon, meanwhile, was waiting for a proper opening as his chains tried to grab those going past.

The enemy paused in formation around the pair, readying themselves for another series of swooping attacks. That was the moment Devon chose, chains shooting out directly towards the trees the figures were sheltering behind. They clearly expected his chains to have to circumvent the trunks or at least slow when piercing through… but the chains didn't even seem to tangibly interact with the trees. They didn't even wrap around the cultivators but stabbed directly into their abdomens. "Now!" Devon called out.

Paula nodded, leaping away. Her powerful legs sprang her forward. The two cultivators on either side of her path tried to cut her off, but found themselves unable to move away from Devon, trapped by something that was intangible. It was a technique derived from the Chain Harmony Sect, and though he wasn't confident in his ability to drain energy from a handful of people at once he could attach to their energy. Technically any of the five could have gotten away, but they would have to leave their energy behind- an act they instinctively rejected. For good reason.

Paula got past the pair, and with them being held back by Devon they had no choice but to turn to face him. The other three realized that as well and aimed their focus to him, simultaneously preparing to attack. Paula continued to leap forward… right into one of the trees. Her legs bent to stop her momentum, then she pushed off backwards- leaping straight towards the closest member of the Soaring Air Sect, jumping down at an angle. Her sudden change in direction caught everyone by surprise, and she spun in the air, heel kicking the man in the ribs and sending him into the nearest tree. Wood and splinters exploded as the man was buried in the base of the tree, and the massive weight of it began to twist and fall on him- though he was likely already dead before it finished.

"I said to go!" Devon said as he yanked on the chains of the remaining four to make them mistime their approaches. Their attacks still pierced his defensive energy, but he was left with only a couple gouges instead of four holes through his chest.

"Your grandfather wouldn't want you to die for him."

"I thought I could delay them and then escape!" Devon said.

"Why not just kill them? Each one you can restrain for a second…" Paula said. The battle had quickly shifted to a pair of cultivators menacing either of them from both sides.

She had a point there. While Devon couldn't manage powerful attacks on his own at the same time as restraining five- now four- opponents of nearly equal strength, she had the explosive power necessary. For that to work optimally, however… he had to get closer.

He ran towards her, an action the Soaring Air Sect didn't see fit to stop. He had to increase the length of the chains going to two of them, and it meant the four of them could encircle two people together which was actually more effective. It even gave two of them a moment to attempt to remove the chains- which they found was quite uncomfortable. Brute force wouldn't solve the issue, and figuring out the proper technique would hopefully take more than a few moments.

Then he was next to Elder Paula. "What next?" she asked.

"Well, I-" Devon was glad that the enemy didn't wait but immediately attacked, because he wasn't sure he could functionally lie about his plans. The four attacked simultaneously, approaching from different heights and angles to create the maximum difficulty for the defenders. Devon and Paula had to avoid all four since they were so close, but they managed to not get in each other's way and sustained only minimal wounds.

The four must have known Devon was preparing for a counterattack with the way his power rose in intensity, but as they suddenly stopped two meters on the far side of the pair- all together- it was clear they hadn't expected how. The chains attached to them had extended through them, attaching them to each other as well as to Devon. They were briefly in a sort of square- then one of them had his head kicked in and they were connected in a lopsided triangle around Devon.

Devon twisted something inside of himself and connected the chains of the final two while extending some length for himself to move around. He still couldn't go much outside of the encirclement, but the sudden loss of mobility was terrible for the three remaining opponents. Devon barely had any energy to form some more solid chains covered in spikes, but Paula did an excellent job of capitalizing on their opponent's restrained states.

A few minutes later the two of them were binding their wounds. Devon had a rather uncomfortably large hole in a shoulder and numerous smaller injuries, while Paula's injuries were slightly better. Both were greatly fatigued, and they'd lost a good ten minutes- and would be somewhat slower for the rest of the trek back- but they weren't dead. They tossed the bodies into their storage bags. Cultivators from the Exalted Archipelago weren't entirely forbidden from stepping foot on Aicenith, but they had no business being this far inland. Attempting to kill the two of them was obviously a hundred steps beyond acceptable, and there would be retribution. The question was why they were exactly where they were. Certainly they weren't just targeting random Life Transformation cultivators?

"They must know about Anton," Paula said as they continued. "And it's likely there are many with a grudge."

"But how? How did they know, or get here?"

"These can fly," she pointed out. "And without those rather obvious skyships. As for your grandfather… he wasn't exactly subtle in some things. He's passed through the Island Tenders and the Rising Waterfall Sect and other places on the way to Marvelous Rabbit Mountain. Plenty of places for some leaks, though that's not the only possibility."

Devon nodded. There wasn't much else they could do at the moment except keep moving, and hope that only a small group came for them… or at least was all that was waiting along their particular route.

When they arrived, Idalia ran outside and snatched the jugs of water from them without ceremony. She dumped half of the contents of each into a large bowl filled with all sorts of crushed and ground things. "The rest?"

They handed over the other ingredients they collected while Idalia mixed with tools, her bare hands, and sometimes her energy. Paula ran off to give notice of the attack on them, but Devon got to stay around. Somehow a large bowlful of materials was thrown directly into a fire and came out as a small round pill. That was immediately shoved down Anton's throat, but Idalia's hands never stopped working. "Circulate that," Idalia said.

Devon was exhausted, but perhaps that was for the best. It would be easier to not use too much energy, and it only took a small amount of effort to try to control the potent energy in the medicine. The movement was smooth at first, the meridians in Anton's body having previously been cleared out somewhat.

Strangely, he found himself struggling to drag the energy along down certain paths. He didn't want to force anything, so he relented. The next path resisted him as well, but the following didn't. Somehow he could only follow a set route, a single loop around the dantian. He suddenly found it difficult to even return to the dantian, and found himself repeating the loop over and over.

Something was happening. He could sense tingles of energy inside his grandfather, more than just those warm embers from before. He continued to add medicine to the loop until the potency was used up. By that point Idalia had shoved some powder into Anton's mouth, and some of that seemed to absorb into his body, but when Devon tried to circulate the lingering energy in the same path he couldn't. Eventually he found a different loop, circling around and around. Tingles and warmth became a hearth and then a burning fire, and Devon found himself barely able to complete the next orbit… but eventually the medicinal energy ran out and Devon retreated himself. He just needed a little break.

Then the room suddenly caught on fire. Or at least it felt that way for a moment. A sudden wave of heat and light. Then his grandfather's eyes opened, though the only thing that he could see behind what remained of the charred lids was burning fire. "... Grandpa?"

"Mmmg." Anton coughed, then spoke raspily. "Well. Seems I'm not dead after all." The pupil-less eyes seemed to turn, looking down at his bare shoulder- Anton hadn't even raised his head. "I maybe overreached a bit."

"You-" Devon hadn't let his emotions hit him yet. He'd been in such a rush to see his grandfather- finding him dead but maybe not dead and then he was rushing to help any way he could. Now the tears came, though strangely they evaporated as quickly as they fell, though he only felt a gentle warmth from his grandfather.

Idala rushed into the room, obviously feeling his movement and energy. "You made it! Here!" she poured some liquid down Anton's throat.

He coughed, but smiled. "Thank you."

"Thank me later! You're still on the edge. You need to rest."

"Do I?" Anton asked. "No. Not yet. I need to take care of a few things first."

Inside of him, fire flared up, energy seemingly coming from nowhere. Devon couldn't feel exactly what it was doing, but eventually Anton's body seemed a little bit less charred on the inside.

Then Anton grinned. "Now I can take a nap." His eyes closed… and that was the last time he was conscious for a month.

Chapter 414

Unsure what attempting to teleport Anton would do in his condition, additional forces were sent to Marvelous Rabbit Mountain to watch over him. Haste had been made to get Devon and Velvet there, but others had already been on their way before it was confirmed that he had revived.

At the current moment he was unconscious, but in a comforting way instead of how he was before. Among other things he was breathing, had a pulse, and had a healthy supply of natural energy inside him.

Anish and Annelie were watching over him together. The Order only had so many people it could spare, and they didn't want to make an even bigger deal of their people running off. The attack by the Soaring Air Sect indicated that information had leaked somehow, but not the method. And if they wanted to kill Anton, that meant his allies wanted him to live even more.

They made no immediate retaliation, but Kohar was drafting up a plan. She had the ability to achieve something real, instead of just lobbying diplomatic threats… but also minimizing the risk of a war. Because as much as it might be justified, a war wouldn't be beneficial at the moment. If it was merely the Soaring Air Sect, they could be wiped out- but it was unlikely the Exalted Archipelago would allow that to happen, regardless of whether they supported this particular incident. But the accord ending the war had stipulations about what was allowed, and the Soaring Air Sect had blatantly violated some of the most important provisions. Financial penalties weren't the most exciting result, but they would be a good start. Further retaliation could wait until Anton awoke, whenever that was. Though Kohar would be demanding their leader's head on a pike, politely worded of course. Then they would back off to what they actually thought they could get.

Catarina had an entire room devoted to sending and receiving messages. The Silver Sea Coalition was quite glad to provide her room for whatever she needed, as a formation master was a valuable asset. Beyond ascension there was another level of distinction available for grandmasters, but that wasn't something just anyone could get their hands on. And despite being the 'upper realms', the vast majority of cultivators were not going to be ascension cultivators. Timothy's presence was valued as well, but taking into account what he could do in his lifetime compared to what Catarina might be involved with that would last into later generations a skilled warrior was less important.

Not that Timothy cared. Long in the past he'd felt a sense of inferiority when comparing to certain people, Catarina included. He'd sense grown into confidence in his own power, and the practical understanding of what impacted the world as a whole. Any one of Catarina's works had changed their home world forever, whether it was the communication between upper and lower realms or the teleportation formations. He couldn't have that sort of impact… but he could keep her alive, and spending his life with the woman he loved was fulfilling. They didn't spend all their time together- Timothy had to see to his own training and hobbies- but they were together frequently.

During one such occasion, they received more messages. That was fairly common, given they served as one of the main informational points for the lower realms and for Alva. There were, however, other individuals who they had not been in contact with- and receiving a sudden message from Hoyt was enlightening.

"Come look at this," Catarina said. "Information on the Dark Ring! And Matousek!"

Timothy rushed over, reading it. "That's… unexpected. How sure can we be that it is him?"

"Unfortunately," Catarina shook her head, "I haven't even finished the attempts at individual energy or cultivation style communication, at least not long distance. So anyone could have used the communication plates if they knew how. It's honestly supposed to be simple. The way he mentions my name and contacting the Order at least means that they didn't simply kill him and send false information."

"I don't know if torturing him to provide useful cover would be better," Timothy said. "Except could presume he's still alive."

"Yeah," Catarina said. "Though I'm inclined to just believe it. If the message said the Dark Ring was the one true force of righteousness fighting against the Harmonious Citadel it would be one thing, but saying that they're fighting against the latter and it's not as upright as they portray is… perfectly believable."

"We'll need to contact Alva, if that's the case. Though we'd need to know our messages are secure. She ended up among the Harmonious Citadel, after all."

"That's right," Catarina nodded. "The delay in messages makes this all rather complicated as well."

"At least Alva found Chikere, though there are some mysteries there as well," Timothy shook his head, "Now we just need to find Fuzz."

Catarina smiled, "I actually have plans for that. I put all those formation markings on him… though I doubt I can track him from the wrong system."

"That's… not very hopeful, honestly," Timothy said. "There are a lot of systems."

"Not inhabited," Catarina said. "Thousands, maybe?"

"And you assume Fuzz would end up in one of the inhabited ones that we can get to without being killed by either of the two large factions unhappy with the Order?"

"... This might be more difficult than I imagined."

Somehow, though they didn't use words, Fuzz understood this other wolf almost as well as if they did. After some time at least, at least- though he supposed the snarling had communicated its own message clearly enough. But since she didn't speak or write, Fuzz had to come up with his own name for her. Since she made stone spikes, she was Spikes. That sounded like a name humans would give, right?

Now Fuzz was acutely aware that Spikes was female. Up until now, Fuzz' understanding of why humans interacted the way they did had to do pack cohesion. He understood why Timothy strove to protect Catarina, but he'd thought it was the same sort of thing as how Timothy protected everyone else. Fuzz wasn't a cub, of course. He had lived longer than any wolf of his kind, so he'd felt the urge to find a mate. However, normal wolves didn't appeal to him, so he simply dampened such desires by circulating his energy and it would fade. But now he understood, without even know much about Spikes.

One thing he did know was that despite him saving her from the frost cats, Spikes didn't like him. He wasn't sure why. He hadn't done anything to harm her. It would be quite easy if he intended to, since Spikes hadn't crossed the threshold of ascension yet. Fuzz… didn't actually know how that would work here. This was already the upper realms, so would Spikes go to the upper-upper realms? Would they remain here? Would they go to some other part?

Complicated. He didn't know. Either way, Spikes was not as strong as him yet- but still Spikes refused to stop attacking him. Claws and teeth were insufficient to threaten Fuzz, and the stone spikes molded from the ground were interesting but not quite enough even when they could be used. There was also the issue that Spikes was still recovering and thus not fighting at full capacity.

Fuzz did his best to fix that. At first the two of them had feasted upon the frost cats, but their meat would not last forever. Spikes retreated to a den nearby, and was overly serious about not letting Fuzz inside. Yes, it was her den, but so what? It was shelter. It was cold outside, but Fuzz found that hollowing himself out a nice snow drift worked alright. If he really needed he could just make fire to warm himself.

Spikes stayed in her cave to recover, and Fuzz hunted and brought her food. Every time he approached with something she would attack him. Spikes didn't want charity or pity or whatever the word humans would use was. But Spikes also couldn't turn down help while wounded, and the food eventually found its way into the den to add onto the pile of bones- though those bones only added up so much. If Spikes was anything like Fuzz she knew that bones were crunchy and tasty, they just took a while to chew through. Not that Fuzz had found many bones lately that were tough to him.

Though Spikes tried to drive him away, Fuzz was fairly certain Spikes didn't mean it. And if she did, he didn't really care. Spikes was the only companionship he'd had on this world, since he wasn't going to hang around humans.

Speaking of which, he still hadn't found any signs of his pack- though there were more people down the mountain. And according to Spikes, they might hunt giant wolves. Which was all the more reason they needed to stay together.

His eyes flickered open slowly. He felt the warmth of the sun beating down on him, and wondered if he'd dozed off by the fields. As for which fields those might be, Anton's brain took a bit to sort out. Not the fields of Dungannon. Those were long gone, though now replaced by others that were unrelated to his current life. Those of the Order, then. Yes, that would be it. He quite enjoyed working in the fields with Elder Howland even though he was an unnecessary factor.

As he stretched his arms and back, however, more memories came back to him. Memories of danger and pain… but also recovery. He looked down at his hands, tinged pink as new skin began to grow among blackened burn scars. He was also inside, but he was correct about the sun. The blinds were drawn, but the warmth of the sun still filled him. It was just from the inside instead of the outside.

He minimized his movements because his body was still damaged and began to circulate his energy inside of himself. The internal damage was possibly greater than the external- though both had clearly been horrifying to behold. Now, however, Anton could feel recovery in progress. Lingering medicinal energy made him quite certain he was being cared for, if the bed hadn't said enough. But circulating his own energy, he was able to empower the cracked and dried skin, muscles, bones, and even his meridians. The process of healing accelerated, and though the damage was deep Anton hadn't found anything that couldn't be recovered. Not with as much likely expensive medicine that had already been pumped into him, at least. And there was one more thing. The sheer quantity of energy he had.

It was at least triple what he had before he formed the hundredth star. He might not be able to call upon it all at once, but he was connected to a seemingly endless fount of energy. Even the tiny connection had to the sun was great, and if he could improve it… he had no idea quite how much power he might have.

"Anton!" Idalia burst into the room, followed by several others. Anish, Annelie, Devon, Velvet, as well as a few people from Marvelous Rabbit Mountain waiting outside, if he recognized the energy correctly. "You're awake."

"Of course," he said. He remembered waking up briefly some time before. "I told you I was just taking a nap."

"It's been weeks," Idalia said.

"Longer than that since I'd slept, I think," Anton said. "Let me tell you, if anyone says cultivation can do anything you imagine, give 'em a good knock on the head and let them know to think carefully about what they try. I nearly turned into a pile of ash."

"But you didn't," Devon pointed out.

"But I didn't," Anton nodded. Anton looked wistfully off into the distance, his energy senses working. "Where's my bow?" he asked.

"Back home," Velvet said. "You sort of dropped everything when you decided it was time to do… that," she gestured to Anton as a whole.

"And now I'm under the care of you, Idalia… and Marvelous Rabbit Mountain?"

She shrugged, "I guess we should explain how you got here. And what's been happening."

After she finished, Anton stroked his chin. It hurt, both his hand and chin, but he didn't care as they were on their way to recovery. A few months, a few years? He didn't know nor care about the exact time frame. "The Soaring Air Sect, huh? They'd better be careful where they fly."

Chapter 415

A borrowed bow was clasped in Anton's left fist. His right hand trembled as his fingers clutched the string, pulling. A single arrow shot into the distance, disappearing beyond the horizon. Anton shook his head as he let his energy fade. His body wasn't quite ready for that yet.

He wondered what had gone wrong. It could be any number of things, ranging from simple to complicated. Maybe he wasn't good enough. Perhaps he had been too casual- he waited for the right time, but surely there were more preparations he could have made, resources he could have prepared for himself. Or maybe the entire method was flawed to begin with. Anton placed his hand above his navel and felt the fire burning inside him. Not entirely flawed, obviously. But he ought to have had a chance to succeed in good health.

It wasn't simply a situation where he lamented his own failures. Instead, he hoped to learn from them. The probability of others following in his path was low- Anton wasn't entirely sure if it could even be accomplished while he was alive- but either way people could certainly learn something from his attempt. Even ascensions were extremely limited in available information, and this other method… whatever it might be called, it was singular. Two at most, if Lev could be considered to have done the same thing. That was something they would have to discuss, once they met up again.

First Anton had to get back from Aicenith. There had been discussions of taking a ship, but the possibility that there might be some sort of attack by the Exalted Archipelago couldn't be overlooked. He wondered if they had it out for him in particular, or just anyone attempting a crazy cultivation step. He doubted the entire Exalted Archipelago was in on it, or they would have sent more… though they would have also risked more discovery. Of course, they failed which was the worst possibility for them. The chance of a coincidence attacking Devon and Paula in the forest was… not worth considering. And random banditry didn't look better for them.

Instead of going by ship, they decided to head back to Brogora through teleportation, taking a circuitous route. The teleportation areas were well guarded- any trouble near them would require a full invasion. Anton was feeling well enough to travel- and though he wouldn't know for sure until he ended up in battle, he had the feeling that even in his current state he should be close to as strong as before. At least when using purely energy. His meridians were certainly not fully recovered, but he could call upon energy swiftly… and he seemed to have sufficient amounts.

Marevelous Rabbit Mountain had been quite accommodating, but being back home would be more comfortable. Thus, they would be leaving almost immediately. Anton would have some favors to repay later, but he would best be able to fulfill those when fully recovered.

Not an hour later, they were on the road and Anton was feeling uncomfortable. Or rather, uncomfortable with how comfortable he was. He wasn't sure where Anish had obtained a palanquin, but being carried around in it made him feel awkward. He might have preferred to ride piggy-back if someone was going to carry him, but that was a personal preference. At least it wasn't gaudy.

A carriage would have been more appropriate if they were not traveling off road, but they were. Anton told people to let him walk until his own grandson and grandson-in-law shoved him into the palanquin… gently. Now he was just taking advantage of not having to focus on anything else to concentrate on his recovery. While generally circulating his energy throughout his own body promoted healing, focusing on individual points was always more effective. A knuckle that wasn't quite right or a small section of a particular meridian could be gradually improved as he focused on the fine details.

There was only so much a body could do in a day, however. At the minimum Anton had to take some breaks to focus his mind on something else… and he was too paranoid to never scan the area around them. Or cautious, since people really did want to kill him. It made sense. If he recovered, he might be a threat… but he wasn't going to make it easy for anyone.

It seemed his efforts reaching for the sun had been fruitful, as his senses stretched further now within the atmosphere, and he knew they would continue to improve with time. How rapidly he could not say, but the further points he could sense had improved by a few kilometers, with a significant improvement in his omnidirectional sensing as well. Though keeping track of everything that was happening around him could be difficult. He certainly couldn't focus on hundreds of squirrels all at once, so he had to selectively ignore things.

By the time several days had passed, they were getting close to their destination and Anton was itching to run around- but he was lucky his body functioned at all, and making it work too hard would simply stunt the healing. The main thing he was doing was stretching to make sure his muscles didn't become too tight or heal awkwardly.

"The last stretch is clear," Velvet reported. Like every time before, and she'd been right. The Soaring Air Sect had managed to get a handful of people into the area when nobody was ready, but no sect could afford to just fling Life Transformation cultivators at a problem after some died.

Anton still didn't let his guard down until they were on the teleportation formation, sheltered by the surrounding structure. Now all they had to do was power it. After checking that the Order's backup was ready on the other end and things were clear. That was separate from the personnel working the formation itself, but instead even further people to escort him. It was a lot of fuss for one person, but if Anton was honest he couldn't say it was unjustified. If a few dozen people spent a few days or weeks to ensure his safety, he'd just have to pay that back. To the individuals or the world as a whole or both.

Once confirming everything was safe, Anton began inserting his own energy into the formation. Regardless of how much energy came from storage devices, he had to reduce the amount of personal energy he was holding- teleportation required natural energy stores to be considered as one factor of effort.

His energy flow, at least, was performing quite well. Along with the others the formation was powered within a few minutes, and then just as quickly they were somewhere else, with the familiar disconcerting shift in reality.

Anton expected to be fatigued after such an effort. He should have used more than three-quarters of his energy, after all. And as far as he could tell upon feeling his energy stores afterwards, he hadn't made a mistake there. Yet there was only the momentary feeling of emptiness before he felt himself filling back up. It wasn't sudden, but it didn't require conscious effort or pulling in external natural energy. Or at least… not through the normal means.

The star inside of him was producing the energy seemingly from nowhere, but upon closer inspection it was clear that it all made sense. It was simply pulling from somewhere else- much like Fleeting Youth. Except instead of drawing upon ascension energy, he had simply tapped into a tremendous source of natural energy. The actual sun. That had always been the intention on some level, he just hadn't expected it to actually work.

Considering he was fairly sure the solar flare that had made the sun feel just slightly closer could have wiped out the planet many times over, Anton assumed he was drawing upon just the tiniest fraction of the sun's power. And if he'd gotten any more he would have absolutely killed himself so he considered himself fortunate.

"How are you feeling?" Velvet asked, looking him over.

"Quite well, actually," Anton admitted. "This third century might be interesting."

"Your lifespan has increased so much?" Devon asked.

"Who knows?" Anton shrugged. "I've resolved to not think about it. Perhaps I have the same scant decades as before, perhaps less. Though it should be more, with my cultivation improved."

"You are far too relaxed about this whole thing," Devon said. "Not just your lifespan, but this whole achievement. The hundredth star, without ascension. Not long after someone finally did things the 'proper' way, either."

"I'll be more celebratory when I finish recovering," Anton said. "And when people will let me walk around on my own feet again."

Things were rather awkward on Rouhiri. After Swordmaster Rahayu's appearance, the whole expedition had just retreated and they had returned empty handed. No, it was worse than that. They weren't just left with nothing, but instead Alva was officially in the hole, as if it was her fault the mission failed. Even though it was the fault of the mission details being lacking or the 'leader' Rahmi's cowardice. Of course, with the new information coming in from Hoyt via Catarina and the others, it made sense. The Harmonious Citadel had felt weird, and now she realized they meant to entrap people in their system. If they worked hard and rose through the ranks? Good. They were now part of the Harmonious Citadel. If they wanted to leave? They just had to make sufficient contributions… and if they fell behind, they couldn't leave. What a scheme.

The worst part of it all was Vari. She seemed to have decided that Alva was her friend. "It is our own fault, for failing the Saints."

"You may have failed or whatever," Alva said, "But I followed every order I got, and took down more than a handful of enemies. Where are my contribution points for that, hmm?"

"Of course it cannot be expected that you would receive rewards for a failed mission."

Alva was not particularly tall, but she did her best to lean over Vari, imagining she was atop Fuzz. "Why don't you go ask Rahmi how many contribution points he received and then get back to me."

"Of course it is expected that a leader would receive more rewards than the others."

Alva pressed her fingers to her forehead and took a deep breath. "So you grew up here, huh?"

"Indeed I did. I was fortunate to be born into the shelter of the great Harmonious Citadel."

"Uh huh. Tell me about these saints or whatever."

"Gladly!"

Alva didn't actually intend to listen to Vari talking, but it made them blend into the surroundings better. Alva didn't actually feel pressured to go out on a mission at this exact moment. The Harmonious Citadel had to be more patient than that, willing to bleed people dry over years, decades, or centuries. She was quite certain that any way off-world was watched more carefully. At least she hadn't gotten close to Chikere- who was a wanted fugitive now for abandoning their cause. Even though she'd been fighting an enemy so they could retreat.

Though technically Chikere probably deserved it. If she hadn't joined up with those 'bandits' and Rahayu, then she was dead- and it wouldn't really matter what people said. Alva couldn't guarantee survival, though in any situation that didn't involve that particular swordmaster she would have bet on it. Rahayu might think fondly of Chikere, but two swordmasters fighting… she shook her head.

Alva's eyes stopped on Vari. "What's that?" she asked.

"What's what?" Vari tilted her head.

"This," Alva reached out and snatched a strand of energy floating out of Vari.

"I… don't see anything?"

"This strand of energy."

Vari frowned, "Are you alright? I can recommend a place for you to stay, if you need some rest."

"No, I'm fine," Alva said. "Go back to whatever you were talking about."

"The Saint of Light! Leader of the whole Harmonious Citadel!" Vari's eyes sparkled. "I don't know exactly who it is, but they've been in place for several decades, after the last one passed on."

"Who killed them?" Alva asked.

"What do you mean?"

"The last uh, Saint of Light. Who killed them?"

"Nobody killed them. They retired and passed on their position."

"So if I were to go try to find the previous Saint of Light now, where would I look?"

Vari shook her head, "The likes of us would not be allowed into their presence."

"Where does this former Saint of Light live?" Alva asked straightforwardly. "Some big palace?"

"Well, one of the towers, I presume."

"With one of the regular saints?" Alva raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said that one occupied each of those ridiculous towers."

"You were listening. Yes, each tower is exclusively for the access of one of the other saints. So there must be… somewhere else. And the towers are great works of art!"

Alva just nodded. So, someone was compensating for something… and the former Saint of Light had been killed by the new one. Or some equivalent. Maybe they just couldn't admit they could die. She reached out and snatched another strand of energy leaving Vari. What was it? Certainly not natural energy, nor ascension energy. Both were struggling to leave her grip and head off in a certain direction, but she was interested to see if she could do something with them.

Chapter 416

Dozens of arrows flew back and forth across the battlefield, each carefully controlled to minimize damage to the battlefield. People still had to live here, after all.

Thought it might have seemed like several squads of archers facing off against each other, it was merely two individuals. Anton and Kseniya fought, the trajectories of their arrows designed to be as difficult to predict as possible. The arrows targeting Anton were running into a snag, however. There were only so many ways to shoot a stationary target.

Kseniya had been far ahead of Anton at the beginning of his cultivation career, but he'd gradually gained on her until the prime tempering in mid Life Transformation. The delay there had set him behind again, only for him to eventually catch her at the ninety-ninth star. Now he had taken one step beyond… a very significant one.

Three energy bows formed the core of his offensive capabilities. Using his physical bows would improve his maximum power somewhat, but the fatigue would be another issue. His body was in fairly good shape for a two hundred year old man that had recently undergone a near death experience, but he preferred to minimize the strain. That was part of the reason he was standing still… the other was as a sort of taunt.

While it might have seemed like an insult, Anton hoped to bring out the best in Kseniya through the restrictions he had placed on himself. Though he wasn't yet fully recovered, the increase in his energy was great enough that he could simply overpower Kseniya. After all, she was in Life Transformation still, while he took the next step. And unlike the Ascension level invaders, Kseniya had no special techniques to knock him down a peg. As for comfort in the current environment, Anton felt a much greater connection to the world than Kseniya had.

Three energy bows let him output the maximum amount of power he could continuously maintain, a serious challenge. The sky was filled with streaks of light and fire, one side trying to find a way through the wall of power while avoiding the incoming hail of arrows. It was expected that Kseniya would be worn down, as her recovery of energy was far more limited. And that was how it worked… at first.

Now, Anton found that it took more than two or three of his own arrows to intercept one of hers. He could not simply remain stationary, and three bows was not enough either. He also had to think about how he was attacking. There were a few shots he'd made where he'd pulled the impact… this was training after all. But Kseniya was more the type of Chikere, who did better when the situation was serious. He might have to bring a bit of risk into things, and Kseniya had already approved the possibility.

Almost immediately, he landed a hit. It didn't break through Kseniya's guard, but it staggered her for a moment. She hadn't been able to react, because the time it took the attack to reach her was practically nothing. His light arrows had been swift before, but their speed didn't even begin to approach actual light. Now, even if they still had vaguely comprehensible speed they were several times faster with more power behind them. Three more hit, but the fifth was dodged, Kseniya beginning her movements before the arrow was even fully released.

"Not bad…" Anton muttered to himself. There was still a lot he could learn from her in the aspect of one-on-one duels, but he focused on another path.

The tempo of the battle increased, with Anton being forced to block some hits directly instead of deflecting them with arrows. Kseniya was actually forcing him to overspend his natural energy, and he was starting to feel the drain. But of course she would tire herself long before it truly mattered. Both of them knew what was coming, however.

Anton had five bows firing as he pleased, harrowing her from all sides, but she was still able to guide the battle to a more advantageous position for herself, where she had shelter on at least one side. Anton could have likely shot through the nearby cliff-face if necessary, but his attacks would have been hampered enough it was better to go around.

Then his attacks synced up, groups of five firing and combining into something like a single arrow as it approached Kseniya, forcing her to pull upon the limits of her power. Once, twice, three times… and she began to stagger. The movements of her hands and arms could only do so much.

When one of Anton's attacks was halfway to her, she pulled a crystal arrow. Her draw was slower and more methodical than the others, though most would have barely been able to comprehend the movements regardless. As the arrows came together in front of her, the crystal arrow she fired collided with them, breaking through. But instead of the attack turning towards Anton, it streaked off into the sky. Kseniya followed.

Anton let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. It was a loss for the Order to have her moving on, but the younger generation could pick up the slack. Besides, they would probably need everyone they could to ascend if they were to establish some sort of presence in the upper realms.

Though he'd somewhat gained the upper hand against his old teacher, Anton still found he'd learned something from the battle. That was the optimal, where both sides were close enough in power to train each other. And he was more confident in what he could do in a serious situation as well. He didn't know his actual limits, and he knew that pushing himself too far could set back his recovery but he was confident he could handle any reasonable threat the world might throw at him.

Confidence was good, as long as it was well placed. A proper understanding of one's own power was required for a cultivator. Because of that, Anton made sure he wasn't going alone to visit the Hardened Crown Sect. He had Velvet and Devon with him, as well as a number of up-and-coming members of the Order he needed to get more familiar with. He knew their names and strengths, but he didn't really know most of them to the level he might like. Then there was Kohar, because she was most familiar with the terms of all the contracts and treaties involved. Finally was Elder Paula of Marvelous Rabbit Mountain, as not only a witness but also a representative of Aicenith, since that was where the incident had occurred.

The Hardened Crown Sect was serving as a neutral location for resolving the dispute with the Soaring Air Sect, though 'neutral' still involved going significantly into unfriendly territory. Though Anton had to admit it was more neutral than the Soaring Air Sect coming to Brogora. Anywhere on the continent would gladly help Anton cut off the head of someone from the Exalted Archipelago.

A small fleet from the Hardened Crown Sect was waiting to escort Anton and the others, though he might have felt better if it didn't seem necessary. If any other ships came within a hundred kilometers he had in mind to sink them, assuming they were enemies. Though when it actually came down to it once they were actually within the archipelago there were far too many… and most didn't carry Life Transformation cultivators. They had their own destinations and were probably blissfully unaware of his presence.

The Soaring Air Sect was not present when they arrived, though they should have been close. Though it was likely they could send a skyship over within a day, and the timing wasn't that exact. It did give some time for Anton to speak with elder Naamah, at least.

The two of them sat in a private chamber. There was some risk to that, but not much more than coming in the first place. The Hardened Crown Sect had stayed out of the war before, and the possibility that they would be willing to trigger a new war now was extremely small- though Anton had to admit the continents' power was dipping briefly with all the ascensions taking place. Though the upcoming generation was not something that could be ignored even if they were not at the peak of cultivation.

Naamah looked over Anton carefully. He could sense her cautiously probing with her energy, and he wondered if he should stop her. Mystery was a great factor in keeping people on the back foot. However, he had something he wanted to see. He found it, with just the tiniest bit of change in Naamah's eyes. Surprise, perhaps. And maybe some small bit of recognition. "Rumors said you had been injured. It seems you are recovering well."

Anton nodded, "Thank you for your concern. I was fortunate to receive nothing permanently debilitating."

Naamah nodded slowly. "Rumor has it you were attempting to emulate something akin to the Soaring Air Sect's technique."

Anton raised an eyebrow. "Now that's a surprise. Why would they say that?"

"Some people… sensed your energy high up in the sky, passing over us."

That reduced the chance that someone had given a tip on his injuries. He hadn't realized that anyone had felt him, but at least at a certain point it would have been more surprising if nobody noticed. Despite being quite far away, a strange energy phenomenon should have piqued some interest. "Did you?" Anton asked.

"I noticed you on the way down," Naamah admitted. There was little else forthcoming in the way of information. Naamah kept a level of caution, but was pleasant enough. A short time after Anton felt a skyship incoming, Naamah looked up. "It appears they have arrived." She stood up, "We will keep the peace here. Speak whatever words you will, but we will not tolerate weapons drawn or raised energy on either side."

Anton nodded. He currently had his energy tightly wrapped around him, capable of being used defensively as well as hiding some details about his current cultivation- enough to not make it obvious, at least. Some people had to have at least surmised he was trying to advance, but he thought it was more likely they would believe he failed ascension rather than the truth.

A woman that had to have been Sect Head Kaluza swaggered her way off the skyship down the ramp, walking past Anton with bare acknowledgement. "Let's get this over with quickly. Some of us have important work to do."

Anton smiled, "That's simple then. Just hand over your head and the incident will be written off."

She turned, her eyes sharp- but the way Naamah stood half between the two of them, stopped her from doing more than that. "We're here for a serious negotiation, not petty threats."

"It's not a threat. That is our primary demand," Anton turned to the entourage following her, "It is the best deal we are willing to offer the Soaring Air Sect. And I would say it's even better than anticipated, given that," he vaguely gestured at Kaluza.

Only silent hostility was exchanged on the way to the proper chambers where the rest of the discussion would ensue. Naamah spoke first, her strong voice filling the room without the need for adding natural energy to boost it. "Today we gather here to discuss the conflict between the continents of Brogora and Aicenith and the Soaring Air Sect, concerning possible violations of the postwar treaty. Both sides are aware of the basic information. The Soaring Air Sect has been accused of unlawfully entering the continent of Aicenith and committing acts of war. The Soaring Air Sect denies the claims and conclusions unilaterally."

"That's right. Now can we get this over with?" Kaluza looked her best to look both bored and authoritative at the same time. "We won't even force reparations for this slander, so we can just be done with this."

Elder Paula reached into her storage bag, "So you don't recognize any of these figures?" She pulled out the bodies, reasonably well preserved. "Because everything from their auras to their equipment indicates they were from your sect, and we found them intruding on our land with the guts to attack continental citizens."

"I've seen them," Kaluza declared, "But they have nothing to do with us. These five have had their membership in the Soaring Air Sect formally renounced."

Kohar cleared her throat. She was the weakest person in the room, but she still held her own air of confidence. "The announcement only came weeks after the incident, which is far from insufficient to meet the terms of the treaty. According to the definitions this constitutes an act of war." She turned her eyes to Naamah, "If your offer of reparation is insufficient, we will be formally demanding the Exalted Archipelago follow through on sections seven, thirteen, and twenty-one, resulting in the complete destruction of your sect."

"That's completely invalid. They weren't part of our sect."

"Your word is not good enough," Elder Paula said, "Especially as it came late. Then there is also the matter of the skyship that carried them."

"There was no skyship," Kaluza countered. "Not one of ours, at least."

"Interesting," Elder Paula said, "Because it was spotted a dozen times along its route, circling over the continent at extreme altitude. And I don't believe any others have skyships capable of such a route. Such a skyship violates…" she turned to Kohar, who read parts of various relevant sections.

"None of this proves anything," Kaluza flipped around, "Go ahead and make your claims if you dare."

"Understood," Elder Paula said as she began to walk out. "Kohar?"

Kohar handed a stack of papers to sect head Naamah, "For distribution. Our claims, as well as the declarations from the continents of Aicenith and Brogora combined that the Soaring Air Sect is hereby forbidden from coming within two hundred kilometers of the continents, as well as anywhere in the sea between them. Any vessel that carries one of them will be confiscated, and anyone who trades with them directly will be forbidden from setting foot on the continents for the next century."

Kaluza looked calmly back, "You may make your threats, but the Exalted Archipelago will see through your ploy and support us." Anton was surprised at how confident she was with that declaration. The Soaring Air Sect couldn't have worked alone. "We have no interest in trading with you anyway."

"The silks you wear beg to differ," Paula said as the final word, but Kaluza didn't stop until she reached her airship and departed.

"A question," Anton said to Naamah, "Would you be obligated to stop me from… shooting random arrows out over the sea?"

She chuckled slightly, "We need to escort you out of the boundary of the Exalted Archipelago. What you do after that is not our concern, but we take no responsibility for your life if you enter the wrong territorial waters."

Anton wouldn't have actually shot down the departing diplomatic ship, even if they sort of deserved it… but he did strongly consider whether he could. For the moment, he had to contact the continent. It was a simple message, just declaring that the deal had… gone as expected. That information would be disseminated to the ports, and trading with anyone from the Exalted Archipelago would be immediately halted. Anton wasn't sure how long that would keep up, but the favors he had would at least be enough to keep that up for a few months.

As for after that, he wasn't sure. A display of power would be necessary at some point, and he was unsure if it should be his own. The Exalted Archipelago still thought they were better, and while that was true in some part… things were going to change. And some sects would likely be willing to give up trade with the Soaring Air Sect to keep up their newfound trade for different luxuries and resources that the continents had. The first to formally vote against the Soaring Air Sect would be the first to return to that trade. It was possible things could lead to war- but if the Exalted Archipelago was going to act as if they were at war regardless, that was how it would have to be.

Chapter 417

A steady breeze kept the ship going at a good pace, but as they had drifted north Ermias couldn't help but look towards distant shores he knew were there somewhere. They might be well beyond the range of his sight or energy senses, but they still felt a bit too close somehow. He looked up at the stars, trying to judge their position. "Are you sure we aren't too close?" Ermias asked the captain.

"Yes I'm sure. And it's the middle of the night out in the middle of nowhere. Nobody will notice. But I'm not going through the reefs in the dark."

"Right." Ermias nodded. "Of course." Skyships didn't have to worry about such things, but he'd been on mundane ships enough to know there were many obstacles even on what appeared to be empty ocean.

Things were silent for about another hour, then the dawn came. From the north, all at once. Neither of those things were normal, but there was no other way to explain the clouds and sea lighting up, was there?

There was a cracking sound as something impacted the ship's defensive barrier, and then the mast was tumbling over. Ermias didn't know what was going on, but he jumped away from the ship to the south, trying to fly away. Something impacted his chest, sending him backwards to sprawl on the deck. The sound of chain unraveling caught his attention, as he looked at the anchor somehow dropping itself. Once it was over the edge gravity would take over, but those things didn't just slip off the edge.

Confusing shouts, cursing, and frantic orders from the captain overwhelmed the pleasant sloshing sound of waves and gentle breeze. Ermias saw the sailors attempt various things, but those around the anchor were knocked back by sudden flashes of light. The captain eventually ordered them to chop through the chain, but that led to further flashes that disarmed people- and not just gently. Blood dripped from many people… though Ermias didn't see anyone dead yet. As for himself, he had a hole in his chest, but it only went a knuckle deep, not quite enough to be any real danger.

He considered trying to flee again, but that didn't work for anyone else who tried to abandon ship. They were all kept contained by whatever force was attacking. Everyone could feel the power, but not where it came from- except the vague direction.

"You!" the captain glared at Ermias, "This is all your fault! They're after you!"

Ermias tensed, ready to defend himself against the captain. One on one, they would be a decent match, and if Ermias needed to defend himself normally it wouldn't be an issue. He could just fly out of the enemy's optimal range and that would be it. But the rest of the crew would be with the captain, and he couldn't exactly get out of range without some mysterious force attacking him.

The captain's blade was halfway to him when something shot between them, forcing the man to pull back or risk his arm. Ermias briefly considered some sort of counterattack, but he had the feeling that this person wasn't on his side. He wasn't exactly welcome in the area.

Eventually all of the activity ceased, and people sat and waited. Testing the limits seemed to result in more serious injuries, but eventually they could feel something approaching. After a couple hours the ship was visible, though by that point Ermias was quite certain he was dead. He had plenty of time to sense the incoming person, and they weren't hiding the fact that they were from the Order of One Hundred Stars. No, more than that… it was him. In a way the one who had gotten Ermias into this mess to begin with. There simply couldn't be many other archers of that caliber in the Order.

"Do you know where you are?" a voice boomed from the approaching ship.

"About two hundred south of Droca," the captain said nervously.

"One hundred and ninety." The one who was speaking leapt ahead of his ship, water spraying beneath him as he moved before stepping onto the ship.

"I didn't know-" the captain began to protest, but a single look from the man shut him up. It was hard to look directly at this individual who shone in the night, and uncomfortable to think about how strong he was.

"Didn't know what? Where your ship was? Who your passengers were?" Eyes drifted towards the hold, "What cargo you have? We'll deal with that in a second." Ermias was suddenly looking into the sun- two of them, with each eye of the man leaning close to his face. Grand Elder Anton. It had to be. "Why are you here?"

"I-I was fleeing from the Soaring Air Sect."

"Why come here?" Anton's voice was forceful, nearly compelling him to answer, though Ermias imagined it was impossible to make his position any worse anyway.

"The rest of the Exalted Archipelago has extradition treaties with the Soaring Air Sect," Ermias swallowed. "I was planning to head to the Storm Reefs. They're… outside the claimed territory of the continent, right?" He looked back and forth between Anton and the captain.

A smile crept onto the old man's face. "And why would you be fleeing from the Soaring Air Sect, hmm?"

Those eyes burrowed deep into his soul. Lying wouldn't save Ermias even if he could at this moment. "Because of you," he just managed to croak.

"And then you got off course into our waters." Anton straightened, turning away from Ermias to the captain. Ermias hadn't even realized he'd fallen onto his rear until then. "Captain… care to explain why you're here?"

"It was just a small detour… we didn't want to approach the reefs directly at night and I suppose we drifted-" The captain swallowed, "I mean, I thought we wouldn't be bothered with since we weren't approaching…"

"The second part is more honest, at least," Anton shook his head. He walked over to a hatch leading below decks, flipping it open. Grasping several crates with his energy, he yanked them up onto the deck. Then he flung them into the air, before flicking fire at them and burning them to ash. "Listen, captain. I'm not interested in enforcing taxes on the rest of what you're smuggling down there, but I can't tolerate deathweed for any purpose. Next time you pick up someone like this," he gestured to Ermias. "Just send a message… or be very careful where you travel. This time it only cost you a mast, so be grateful."

Ermias found himself suddenly yanked by his collar as Anton leapt back onto his ship which had closed the remaining distance. "What are you going to do with me?" Ermias asked.

"Don't know yet," Anton said. "I'm sure we can work something out."

With most of the Exalted Archipelago either working towards compliance with the terms of the treaty or at least putting in the effort to pretend they were, for the moment the continents were content to not escalate matters. Personally Anton thought they were rather slow, though cultivators took their time in many situations. It was potentially difficult for them to completely follow through with the terms of the treaty. Perhaps impossible when combined with the rules from the Exalted Quadrant above. That was something they had to work out for themselves, however. If they couldn't follow the terms, that should have come up in the initial signing. They would find some way to extract other penalties if they failed to meet those standards.

While Anton would have liked to simply wipe out the Soaring Air Sect, he had to admit it was more a desire for personal revenge than some overarching justice. They'd killed five of their Life Transformation cultivators- not the best of them, but still a real loss- and extracting some other sort of penalty that avoided a war would ultimately be better for the world. But he couldn't help but reach back to clutch his bow whenever he thought of them.

Then there was the issue of Ermias. The young man- young for his cultivation at least- was a conundrum. But it was easy to make an exception. He would rather take a declaration from an individual that they were not part of the Soaring Air Sect when he was causing no trouble compared to the official matters where they declared people weren't working for them after they failed an obvious mission. Sect Head Kaluza had thought the Exalted Archipelago would shield her sect… and she was at least partly right. The trade ban might even hurt continental affairs more, but they didn't need anything from the Exalted Archipelago. They'd been smart enough to not push the limits for the most part, though Anton had been a hair's width from shooting down a skyship skirting the edge of continental territory.

So far no one except Ermias from the Soaring Air Sect had actually crossed the line. Nobody wanted to take those consequences onto their own head, after all- loyalty to a sect wasn't completely without limit. As Ermias made obvious.

Anton hadn't continued to press in front of the captain, but once they were alone he asked for more. "What is it about me that would cause you to flee the Soaring Air Sect?" He needed to know what they knew.

Ermias just gestured to Anton as a whole, "I think it's pretty obvious. You were one of those famous during the war, and have now reached the peak of your power. It appears you have no intention of ascending either."

"Is that all?" Anton asked.

"Well…" Ermias scratched his chin. "I was standing guard for one of the meetings of the upper echelon. They were concerned that perhaps you had reached a higher stage of cultivation. They wanted to make sure you didn't continue to grow."

"I see," Anton nodded. "And what do you think?"

"I saw the war," Ermias shook his head. "The Soaring Air Sect didn't seem to think the continental powers were capable of standing up to the Exalted Archipelago, but you proved them wrong."

"So you thought it was a good idea to sneak past the restrictions we had in place to hide yourself…" Anton narrowed his eyes.

"I believed you would follow the terms you had set in place. If I could simply stay out of the war, I would have a chance. I didn't expect the captain to be so careless."

"You are fortunate that it was me and not some of the others," Anton said.

"I suppose so. Though I doubt many others would have been able to spot us at that distance."

"About war… you think that is what the Exalted Archipelago intends?"

"The Soaring Air Sect thought it would be the case. Within a few years, at least."

"I see," Anton nodded. "I don't know if you can stay out of that war," Anton commented.

"I won't fight for the Soaring Air Sect. They have no hold over me."

"That's not quite true," Anton said. "But discounting further off troubles… what if I told you to fight on our side?"

Ermias thought for a few moments. "I am not a coward. I just refuse to fight for those who make reckless judgements about their opponent's strength."

"What do you think about us, then?" Anton asked.

"If you were truly reckless, you would have continued the last war… or started the next one quickly. Even if I hadn't seen your strength I would prefer the measured approach here."

Anton smiled, "You said they thought I reached a higher stage of cultivation. What do you think?"

"I don't, uh…" Ermias frowned. He was reluctant to try to feel out the cultivation of someone who could easily kill him from beyond where he could see. "I don't know. You seem like you must be, but you haven't ascended. They didn't… nobody seemed to know what you might have done. They were just afraid of the possibility."

Anton nodded, "Perhaps they should be."

Chapter 418

Looking at the places she could go- if she had money- they were all planets controlled by the Harmonious Citadel. Or related to missions for them. Theoretically if she got somewhere along the outer limits of their territory it would be possible for her to find some way to leave. It was unclear if there would be legitimate means of that or if she would have to find some sort of smugglers, and she wasn't particularly feeling hopeful about either possibility.

There was, however, one place where Alva was certain she could meet up with Catarina and Timothy. A place where people were coming and going from many different places all the time. It probably had a name once- but it was just known as Everheart's Tomb now. Rumor had it that he'd been killed by the combined efforts of the Exalted Quadrant and the Trigold Cluster. Maybe he had- but Alva knew that tombs didn't get built by people who were already dead. It was surprising that this one was the only one, though.

But to get there she had to make up for the stupid debt she had by going on a mission or two. As long as no disaster happened like the previous one, she should be fine. In truth, she was strong enough that she could go on trivial missions for a year or two and not have to worry, but just because she had a long lifespan didn't mean she wanted to waste possible years. Especially somewhere she didn't feel safe. So she chose a mission.

"I'm so glad we're going on another mission together!" Vari said with too much enthusiasm.

"Mhm," Alva replied.

"You're an archer right, Sister Alva?"

"Mhm."

"And you're from the lower realms? You'll have to tell me about them at some point."

"Why?" Alva asked.

"... because?" Vari tilted her head.

"Listen, Vari. Last mission… can you do anything?"

"Of course I can do anything! I am a practitioner of the great Holy Harmony Technique!" Vari's chest puffed up with pride. As she did so, more strands of something flickered away from her. "Not just anyone can practice such a magnificent technique."

"Sounds great," Alva said. She was holding onto another wriggling strand of energy, which apparently Vari couldn't see. They appeared around this place fairly regularly, but they came from Vari much more than anyone else. Alva hadn't seen any come from herself, but Vari couldn't see her own so… maybe that didn't mean anything. "Does 'anything' involve intercepting enemies?" Vari didn't seem to have a weapon, and Alva hadn't seen her take one out even when they were fighting the bandits… but she was admittedly distracted at the time.

"It can," Vari said. "I am capable in both hand-to-hand combat and barrier techniques."

"Great. We should team up then." Alva wasn't planning to sacrifice Vari for her own safety… but she did much prefer the idea of Vari getting hurt instead of her if someone had to. With her mobility missing a certain large wolf, she needed to consider other approaches.

When the fog settled over the Grasping Willows, Lev could immediately tell that it was wrong. Natural fogs happened in the area, but the way they appeared was much different. Perhaps if circumstances were different he wouldn't have noticed, but his perception spanned the whole valley- and not in the standard way where his energy senses stretched to cover something. Instead, he was present in every part of the valley, as the great branches of the Grandfather Willow.

Lev barely had time to start waking people when something struck the barrier from above. The barrier itself was not particularly amazing, but the way it dissolved after the single bombardment meant something odd was going on. A great burst of power that none of those Lev sensed could have created. Hopefully, a tool of limited use.

As cultivators rained from the sky, it became clear this was more than just a casual intrusion. More than that, people began to pour in from the surrounding area, Spirit Building and Essence Collection but more than a few Life Transformation. And those who came from the skies were nearly all Life Transformation.

It was difficult to pick out some of them, dropping almost invisibly into the sect grounds. Only the criss-crossing roots were able to sense those, while others were more straightforward. The individuals flying through the branches, for example, nearly brushed against the branches of the Grandfather Willow which would have gotten them entangled without Lev's input. Then there were those with swords, who were immediately chopping at the tree itself- its thick bark limiting the damage of their attacks, but not completely impenetrable.

On the other side, the Grasping Willows had twenty of their own Life Transformation cultivators present, and many of their disciples. Many of those who were weaker were told to simply form defensive groups, but some made their way to fight some of the relatively weaker cultivators who came from the ground.

The sudden attack was well coordinated and had great power, but they made one mistake. They came for the Grandfather Willow. Lev wasn't sure what they would do with it, but its wood was incalculably valuable. If things had been as they were in the past, the Grasping Willows wouldn't have been able to withstand even a portion of their forces, and the Grandfather Willow itself would have had no reactions.

But now, the Grandfather Willow was Lev. He had to pick and choose his targets. First were the assassins, then those attacking the tree itself. There was a whirling frenzy of branches as Lev directed dozens of them towards a handful of targets, while having the others sweep around randomly. The latter took basically no concentration on his part, so even if it only slightly inconvenienced one or two it would be worthwhile.

Roots sprang up beneath the assassins' feet, wrapping around their legs. Some attempted to tear them apart, while others just held them- still invisible, but obvious to anyone watching, making them a tempting target.

The swift and powerful resistance was clearly unexpected. While Lev's recent improvements weren't exactly secret, they also weren't public knowledge. With a good portion of the attackers seeming to be from the Exalted Archipelago, they might not have known. Or they underestimated him. In truth, Lev had some serious limitations. Beyond the limits of the Grandfather Willow he was not necessarily any better than any other Life Transformation cultivator… but here in his domain he was unstoppable.

Moment after moment, Life Transformation cultivators were grappled, crushed, and torn apart. Within the first few minutes there was a clear consensus among the attackers that they were going to retreat. Those from the Soaring Sky Sect picked up those who were convenient and flew up through the branches. Lev let them go, but only because he was focusing on protecting his people. And he didn't intend for that to last.

By the time he sufficiently cut back on the forces remaining on the ground, they were beyond the sizable reach of the dangling branches- some able to stretch a kilometer or more into the sky beyond the top of the Grandfather Willow itself. But Lev wasn't willing to just leave things at that.

Further above, he sensed at least a half dozen skyships, hovering between four and five kilometers in the air, waiting for their passengers to reach them. While letting them leave would still be a victory on the part of the Grasping Willows, Lev couldn't help but sense all of the lost life. Dozens of individuals, some of greater cultivation but all people Lev knew and wished to prosper. And these bastards thought they could come take what they wanted, lives and sacred wood?

The Grandfather Willow began to creak and groan as its wood stretched. The ground rumbled as roots tore from it, pushing the massive tree upward. The branches extended their length, and beyond their ends extended natural energy in the same form, reaching upward. Tendrils wrapped around cultivators and skyships, pulling them downward. In retaliation, dozens of branches were severed, but there seemed to be no limit to what Lev had to call upon. None of the attackers would be leaving with their lives.

Another message from Lev. Anton was paying attention to that messaging plate, but nothing said would change his decision.

"You don't need to do this. I had my revenge."

Anton shook his head. Then he replied, "The Exalted Archipelago has grown up in their bubble of safety and arrogance. They need to know there are consequences for their actions."

Through a series of relays, Anton had already contacted the Rising Waterfall Sect. They had the swiftest ships that Anton was aware of, and that was the most important feature for what he intended. It would take them a period of a couple weeks to get as many ready as he wished, but he had already arranged for payment. Now he just needed more people.

Messages went out to everyone he knew across both continents. He needed the best. Life Transformation cultivators were the bare minimum. Million Sword Vault were the first to volunteer with a dozen individuals. He gladly accepted them, though if his plan worked they would have minimal impact on the results. Other sects were reached out for. Anton didn't want to include the Grasping Willows because they had their own wounds to tend to, but word got around and soon some were in contact with him. Lev did not forbid them to go, because despite his protests he knew that it was better to respond with full force instead of something insufficient.

Beyond all of the familiar allied sects, there were those who simply wanted revenge on the Exalted Archipelago for any number of reasons. Anton accepted them all with one condition- they would follow his orders. And while the continents were large, not that many people were eager to suddenly go to war at the drop of a hat- especially those who had no connection to the Grasping Willows.

Beyond sects, there were individuals Anton knew he specifically sought out. Hiram was now the sole practitioner of the Deathly Heart Technique, which had the important feature of incorporating effective ranged attacks. Nthanda was an excellent archer, not yet capable of the same distance as Anton but still deadly and effective at a great distance. Marcio and others from the Order were requested, and while Anton had some authority to order them to come along he made sure it was clear they were not required to support him. Yet nobody refused a direct request.

Those from Brogora gathered made their way as swiftly as possible to teleportation formations to reach Aicenith, then to the west coast. The Exalted Archipelago had to know that they lost a great many cultivators, but they might expect a diplomatic response. And there would be one… later. First Anton was going to wipe some sects off the map. Previously there had been some trepidation concerning the power of those in the upper realms, but it was now clear that without the pact preventing them, some sects in the Exalted Archipelago couldn't coexist with the continents. As for those in the upper realms? If they had complaints, Anton was willing to receive them when they came to visit.

Despite the speed of the ships, Anton wished they could go faster. But perhaps it was better that they did not. Rage had certainly influenced his decisions, but as they made their way Anton had already rationally thought through what he was doing. It was still the correct decision, but he needed to think about collateral damage. Much of his advantage would be lost if he allowed ships to come close enough to display their intentions, but the majority of those in the Exalted Archipelago didn't deserve to die. Or at least… not for this particular incident.

That was why he wanted the fastest ships rather than those who could hold the most… though in truth with over a hundred Life Transformation cultivators between the ships they were a frightful force for anyone. They were missing the normal lower ranking cultivators which would normally disadvantage them in a pitched battle… but if anyone below Life Transformation dared to approach Anton, he could take them out by the hundreds without even breaking a sweat. And he would… but he intended to focus on the three sects directly responsible- and anyone who got in his way. The Soaring Air Sect had been right to be afraid.

Chapter 419

Five fingers tightly gripped a bow. That grip still wasn't as strong as it had been previously. Perhaps it would never be, though Anton still had some hope in that area. His body wasn't the important part of his power, though. After all, it wasn't so simple to combat a cultivation on the threshold of Ascension, but he had felt quite comfortable in his battle against Kseniya. And if he weren't holding back, he didn't imagine anyone could stand against him for very long. Though he wasn't planning to be completely reckless. That was why they had the fastest ships they could get.

Previously, the Exalted Archipelago's naval technology had outclassed the continents', but at the moment they were more closely matched. The Ponderous Turtle Sect was nearly wiped out and they previously had been the fastest, despite the name. Along the route they were taking there should be few ships capable of overtaking them, and Anton was fairly confident he could mitigate any issues.

While his maximum power output was not all that much higher than it had been before- though he could feel it steadily improving- the continuous inpouring of energy sustained him at a high power. And he had a few other tricks that had improved, if it became necessary.

Most importantly, Anton wasn't alone. He was most confident against large numbers of individuals, while single stronger opponents might be able to cause him some trouble. In turn they in turn would have to face against the rest of his allies more or less alone. That was the plan, but so far Anton hadn't killed anyone or sunk any ships.

Of the three sects, the Void Blades were the closest- Anton and the others were looping around from the west, taking a similar route to what the Million Sword Vault had previously attempted. While they weren't able to count on all of the other sects along the way being distracted, most of the islands on the archipelago were not that close together. If they were relying on visual methods to detect intruders they would never spot them, but Anton thought he'd felt some thin formations that would likely have revealed their location.

He shifted his grip as several ships seemed to be approaching, but they were still well over a hundred kilometers off. After a short time of waiting it was clear they were either not routing for their small fleet or unaware of their precise location. If something changed he would act, but sinking random ships would do more to give away their location than conceal it, unless he killed everyone on board. And while some people deserved it, the Exalted Archipelago was made of people just like anywhere else. Some were just trying to live their lives, focusing on their own cultivation.

Several hours later they were getting closer to their first objective, one of the outlying islands on the way to the Void Blades' main headquarters. By close, it was well within Anton's range. In fact, they were nearing the range of some of those with more reasonable offensive abilities- and the cannons. A few decades of testing had made the weapons a viable option, at least in situations where explosions were valuable. Against enemy cultivators the energy of an explosion was a bit too diffuse to be effective, but siege weaponry wasn't made to target individuals. It would be fired into groups… or used to destroy structures.

Once the cannon was in range of the outpost, it opened fire- with some adjustments made by those who could sense beyond the horizon. They were still a good fifteen kilometers away from the outpost… and another fifty from the main headquarters. Which put the headquarters- and the entire island chain the Void Blades occupied- within Anton's range.

When the cannon exploded, it took almost thirty seconds for the projectile to land. There was simply a limit on how fast it could move, though the energy of the cultivators manning the cannon kept the cannonball from losing speed as it would have otherwise. Such a long time was forever in a battle between cultivators, but before there was a battle they would have to sense danger. Anton felt it impact the walls, only protected by the continual formations and barriers. A three meter wide hole opened, and more on either side was ruined. They weren't close enough to send people pouring in through the gap in the walls, but it would allow other attacks to target whoever they pleased, since the formation was shattered.

At the same moment, arrows arrived on the main island. It was only Anton, but he didn't want them to have any warning. His first targets were those roaming around various facilities- Life Transformation cultivators, since they were the biggest threat and most responsible for the various faults of the sect. Some barriers blocked his attacks, but not everywhere. Maintaining high powered defenses around the clock was impractical, and covering an entire island was likewise difficult. Under the first volley, several enemies fell and others were injured- but the arrows never stopped, battering those who withstood the initial attack while others sought out new targets.

It wasn't nice, or 'fair', but it also wouldn't be 'fair' for them to fight Anton in their optimal range. And he'd had enough. Continuing to be reasonable wasn't achieving results, so he was going to be just a little bit unreasonable. If they were going to follow the rules of might makes right, he would show them who had the might. And he was going to hate every second of it.

The Void Blades had suffered greatly in the previous war, with several of their swordmasters slain and their bases raided by the Million Sword Vault- but they hadn't been slaughtered indiscriminately. Many of their cultivators were allowed to live, and thus had been able to grow in the following years. Which was a shame, because now all the resources they consumed had been wasted.

Those who witnessed the first assault- a few survivors of the Void Blades but mostly those dwelling on adjacent islands- recalled a dawn in the middle of the night. The sun never rose above the horizon, but the rays of light stretched out over them. They felt the power, muted by distance- but when cultivators in Life Transformation fought with all their power, they could be felt from cities away. This was more, and it was disturbing.

Messages of the attack were scattered all throughout the Exalted Archipelago, bouncing from place to place as anyone who could be contacted was. At first it was chaos, with information jumbled and confused. Some reported having vaguely sensed foreign cultivators before the attack, some having made reports while others having been unsure.

The largest sects and clans reacted with a little bit more intent, and soon enough they organized a meeting. For important matters they would usually gather in person, but the circumstances didn't allow that. Instead, they had to make use of their messaging chambers- rooms that appeared to be empty upon first glance. As Sect Head Kaluza stepped into her position, the chamber filled up with other figures- projections, standing in their own positions. Along with their image came their voice, with heated conversations bouncing around.

Kaluza didn't bother to announce herself, instead beginning her tirade. "This is what the upper realms warned us about!" she chastised. "Yet none of you were willing to act. We had to recruit some filthy dregs from the continents to make our move. Now the consequences rest on your heads."

"An interesting interpretation," said Treloar, of the Worthy Shore Society. "And what move, exactly, were you making? Did you attempt to slay this perceived threat, or did you instead try to chop down a tree?"

"The wood could have produced the greatest skyships ever known," Kaluza countered.

"I see. And after you had these skyships, you would have made a move on the most powerful archer this world has ever seen?" Sect Head Treloar nodded. "An interesting plan, I must admit. But I have encountered Anton before. I see no chance of any of this coming to rest on my head. Though I do recall yours being demanded."

"If we work together we could-"

"The Void Blades have been exterminated," Treloar said. "Overnight, and mainly from a great distance. Perhaps if we were willing to sacrifice ourselves, we could take down this group. But I plan to ascend in a few decades, so I can't be bothered to risk my life for no gain."

"The upper realms will hear of your cowardice," Kaluza glared.

"And they will hear of your death. And your mistakes…" Treloar said with a blank face. "The latter of which they shall take quite seriously. The destruction of your entire branch will mean your punishment does not stop at death."

"What? No, that's not… they wouldn't… you're responsible for this too! They warned us about the potential threat, and you did nothing!"

Sect Head Naamah shook her head, "They cautioned us about the possibility of those who might take alternate paths than ascension. This was long in the past, and they said foremost that we should not allow one to develop among our enemies."

"We had the chance to stop his recovery!" Kaluza clenched her fist, wishing she could walk up to the woman and punch her.

"And you solidified his position as one of your enemies," Naamah said. "The Hardened Crown Sect will not be coming to your aid."

Kaluza looked around. She saw that she was not without support. The Still Wind Erudition had no choice in the matter now, but there were others who saw the logic behind her words. Unfortunately, those who had stayed out of the initial war- and those who had smaller grudges against the continents- were not interested in taking the risk upon themselves. But it didn't matter. She would lead an army against them, slaying this Anton. It didn't matter if he was powerful, he didn't have the talent to ascend and instead ended up in some dead-end side path. They would kill him… and the Soaring Air Sect would be the ones to take the credit.

The smell of the salty sea was nice. Especially pleasant was that it was no longer tinged with the smell of iron and blood. Anton happily took deep breaths, replenishing himself. The energy inside him was fire, circulating with great vigor and heat… but to him, it was a comfortable warmth. Proper cultivation developed a cultivator to be stronger, and that was always a good feeling. Anton just wished it hadn't involved killing so many people. It shouldn't have been necessary, but this was where things were now.

The Void Blades were no more, except perhaps whatever individuals had been away. It can't have been many, because the number of Life Transformation cultivators had been about what they expected. With those Lev killed and the ones they had just slain, there simply couldn't be many left. And even if there were, there would be nothing to go back to.

It had taken additional effort to level every building, but aside from the fact that they would not be occupying any of this territory, they had to send the right message. This behavior wouldn't be accepted… and the continents had the power to back this up. If they didn't make this show of force, they would be subject to continual attacks. That had become obvious.

The looted resources were of no interest to Anton. It was part of war, but as he got better at it he grew ever more tired of it. And yet it seemed impossible to stop. Thus, his only option seemed to be making it undesirable.

"Anton!" Velvet called out. "They're coming."

"I know," he said. "I've already consulted with the captains on how best approach the incoming fleets."

"Yes but they're-"

"Under the water?" Anton said as she was gesturing. "Invisible? You do have a good sense for those things, and you are right. We'll be turning east, away from the islands. The Still Wind Erudition's buildings can wait for later, we have to move tactically. We should be able to face a more reasonable number of opponents this way. I'd rather not face these fleets all at once. That's far too much for me." Anton shrugged, "And perhaps it should be. That's what the rest of you are for, but we'll take out these ships and skyships one at a time."

"Skyships?" Velvet said, looking off into the distance. "They're here too?"

"They moved quickly," Anton nodded. "But this is to our advantage, if we leverage it properly. If they all huddled behind their strongest defensive formation together, we might have had some trouble… but they're still too far spread out. They have a general idea of our location now, but that means they're already too close to run."

Velvet shivered slightly. She was glad Anton was on their side. Despite being close to what she had once thought was the peak of power, he had something more… and the ability to leverage it in a terrifying way where people could hardly even fight back.

Chapter 420

Though the overall size of the continental fleet was much smaller than the combined forces of their enemies, the number of Life Transformation cultivators they had through the combination of multiple sects was higher. Life Transformation cultivators couldn't carry a battle by themselves, but part of that had to do with whether or not the enemy managed to actually outnumber them. If they couldn't bring greater numbers to bear all at once, a Life Transformation cultivator could work their way through many lesser opponents.

At the current moment the fleet was sweeping east, having previously been moving south directly towards the Still Wind Erudition. The Soaring Air sect's skyships were to the east, while other sects were sending ships from all directions- but those that were sent didn't represent the entirety of the Exalted Archipelago, and more importantly it was only the sects that were close that could do anything.

Because he now had a nearly endless supply of energy, Anton was already firing upon the most obvious ships. Some were well within his range, but he targeted them because he didn't want the enemy to know his limits. It was best to surprise them later when they thought they were safe.

Not all defensive formations on ships were the same. Some formed a barrier around the whole ship, a bubble that protected the vessel and crew alike- while others were focused more on the structure of the ship itself. Where cultivators were unprotected, Anton began to fill them with arrows, starting with the Essence Collection cultivators- he could finish them off quickly, and they had the most chance of influencing the battle otherwise. They quickly began to take shelter, running below decks- but not before he killed dozens. Then he moved for any other crew on those ships, though even if the rest of the deck was relatively unprotected the pilot usually was. Though a few ships were missing that key detail, and soon had nobody on deck to control their trajectory.

Anton had a short time where he was functionally the only combatant on the battlefield, but it didn't last long. They were already close to other ships, though they weren't supposed to know it. A small number were underwater, while others were invisible atop the waves.

"Follow my lead!" Anton commanded. Even if the others couldn't pick out the ships on their own, it would be fairly simple to shoot the same place he was, whether they were archers or had different ranged abilities. Anton began the assault with over a dozen energy bows- that was beyond his limit to maximize his power and control, but as markers it meant he could target every ship at once. Some were quite hesitant to fire underwater, but the invisible ships were just fine for them.

As Anton's attacks struck, with others following, small distortions in energy became apparent. Enough that people wouldn't lose track of the enemy vessels, at least. WIth that, he focused more on individual targets- starting with those underwater, as he was concerned with how they might target their own ships.

Fire was obviously not a good choice. While he was strong enough that he could make it work underwater, it was still less efficient. Light had similar difficulties, while standard Spirit Arrows lost momentum underwater. Anton had something else, though. Ascension energy could power through, but the other part of Fleeting Youth provided a more interesting alternative. The intangible energy that seemed to be drawn from beyond death was not only very appropriate for ignoring inconvenient terrain features, but Anton had also wanted to test out the changes. Having come much closer to a physical death than ever before, he felt a strengthening of that connection.

It was difficult to tell how much the effectiveness changed from his experiences compared to his general increase in power, but it didn't really matter. What mattered was that Anton was able to call upon more of the energy, and focus it better. It shot through barriers, barely affecting his attacks as they were not adjusted for such an unfamiliar sort of energy. The same was true of personal defenses, though even if they tried to resist the individuals more than an entire stage of cultivation below him were not capable of resisting. It was unfortunate that this power did not recover at the same rate as his natural energy, but he was still able to use it to great effect.

Soon the first enemy ships made their way into close combat, where cultivators on both sides tried to board each others' vessels. Anton likely could have delayed that stage of the battle, but there was no point. He could have sunk a handful of ships now, but when the others caught up to them all at once, in full force, he would have regretted it. No, he had to focus on the battlefield as a whole instead of just what was immediately a threat. Preventing the enemy from overwhelming them was his job. If he failed at that, he had led them all into great danger.

And the melee was going well. Although he had recruited as many cultivators with ranged abilities as he could, the vast majority were specialized in close combat on both sides. And with their fleet tightly packed together, they brought over a hundred Life Transformation cultivators to bear together. It didn't matter if the ships or individual enemies were hidden when a wave of attacks poured out. Fire, ice, chains, daggers, swords, and everything else imaginable came from the continental forces, clashing mainly against assassins who had intended to show up undetected.

Anton kept a careful watch on the skyship. They weren't quite close enough yet to be a threat, and he wanted to focus more on the approaching vessels from the various other sects for the moment. He began to concentrate his fire on individual ships, straining their defensive formations and eventually breaking through- which was where fire came into the picture. He'd had some proficiency in fire before his advancement, but now it was much easier. Sails and decks burned with the heat of the sun… though not quite that intense. At least, not on a wide scale.

As he continued to target the cultivators, some began to dive off the ships instead of seeking shelter. Anton very carefully allowed those who were swimming away from the battle to go unscathed- he didn't need to kill everyone, only those who continued to make the choice to fight.

Then the skyships were close enough. Anton was capable at extreme distances, but there was still a certain amount of power lost no matter how much he increased his efficiency. There was also a factor of how the enemy perceived the battle and his actions. In short, he wanted them to see what was about to happen.

Into his hands came a bow that could only be described as 'sharp'. A prize from the Million Sword Vault, and one that added an interesting twist to his options. Wide blades weren't particularly efficient compared to arrows, but he could control the more precise details of what the strange bow would do.

His focus narrowed to not just a single ship, but a single opponent. His voice echoed across the seas. "You've made your choice. Your head it is."

He did not allow the courtesy of making sure his voice had traveled to Sect Head Kaluza before he began his assault. Along with the bow held in his hands he fired five others in quick succession, driving a hole in the barrier of the flagship. Anton had to say he was slightly impressed. Kaluza managed to block the first volley, though not completely unscathed. She managed to dodged further incoming shots by rapidly flying up away from the ship, but that only left her more vulnerable. Anton focused his power into a single shot, a blade that was razor thin and no more than twenty centimeters wide.

She clearly sensed the danger, and as the attack approached she shattered some sort of talisman, forming a barrier of winds around her. It managed to weaken his attack enough that it only went halfway through her neck. The following attacks a moment later, however, completed the job.

On the scale of the battle, one Life Transformation cultivator was nothing much to speak of. The Soaring Air Sect alone had dozens. But it wasn't just any cultivator, but their sect head. And it wasn't a long, drawn out fight or a concentrated effort of several others overwhelming her. Instead, it was just Anton taking down one of their strongest in a matter of moments. It felt somewhat unfair, but he was not the one who had chosen to cause trouble. He just chose to finish it.

As Kaluza fell, Anton realized nobody could see what had happened. He took a deep breath, pulling in his energy. When he fought now, he couldn't help but emit bright light. He'd been conscious enough to minimize its effects on his allies, but he really wanted the enemy to see her as she fell, not just sense it. For a few moments it felt as if the whole battlefield stopped, everyone looking in that direction… though of course it wasn't quite that way.

When the head hit the water- slightly before the body, since it had less drag- Anton opened fire on the skyships in general. He picked whatever was easiest to target from the cultivators to the sails to the various mechanisms that allowed it to fly. Even if he didn't have a perfect understanding of what formations allowed it to be buoyant, destroying everything that felt expensive was a surefire method of achieving the results he wanted.

"We will allow your surrender," Anton shouted over the cacophony of battle. "All except the Still Wind Erudition and the Soaring Air Sect. Flee, and we will not pursue. Remain, and forfeit your lives."

The two sects in question obviously had objections to that, but as the Still Wind Erudition had been forced into battle without backup they were already on their back leg. The Soaring Air Sect turned to flee, but unfortunately they had gotten close enough that they were just properly joining the battle. A handful of kilometers, at most. That gave Anton an easy hundred kilometers as they turned to flee, and a somewhat more difficult but still possible distance he could attack them afterwards. He did divert some attention to the nearby battle, saving as many lives as possible. Some of the Soaring Air Sect would get away… for the moment. But that wouldn't last. He was willing to let those remaining live, but they would be taking or destroying every skyship and all of their resources. There would be no Soaring Air Sect within the week, but at most wandering cultivators who had once been part of them. That was his conviction.

"Alright, time to go," waved the captain, a youthful woman with a stern face.

"But we haven't landed," Alva said.

"Too bad, isn't it? You can buy a return trip if you want, but we're not going to ground."

Alva narrowed her eyes. The woman had seemed honest, but perhaps she was simply more adroit in the field of deception than Alva had anticipated. "Why not land? It's right there." She inched her hand towards her bow.

"Why not? It's death season. Look at the contract," the captain waved the piece of paper.

Alva did remember reading something like that. "And death season is…?"

"When the Tomb is especially riled up," the captain explained. "Unpredictable, as far as I'm aware. But if we fly this ship down, I'll be lucky to have a pile of scrap. Or my life. So you can jump, or you can take the ride back. At a discount, or with payment deferred if you need."

Alva looked to Vari, though she was loath to trust her companion's decision making on anything. "Okay then," Vari nodded, looking over the edge. "We just jump down."

"And avoid the arrows. And the spikes. The death beams. Bloodthirsty sky beasts. And don't forget the sudden stop at the end, of course."

Alva looked down. She didn't see all of those things at the moment, but she vaguely felt displays of energy elsewhere on the planet. She didn't really trust Everheart not to kill her, but she kind of needed to meet up with the others. Besides, almost fifty percent of people survived the trip. When things were 'normal'. She should be fine, right?

"If Everheart isn't already dead," Alva declared, "I'm going to kill him."

"You and everyone else," the captain nodded sincerely.

Then Alva jumped- and Vari with her. At least Alva knew she could shoot down the beasts before they got close, but she was going to have to really maneuver herself around to the best of her ability.

Chapter 421

With most of their forces killed in battle, the Still Wind Erudition had few capable of defending their sect grounds. Taking over was simple, and they gathered up every technique manual and all of the equipment, either to be destroyed or taken away. Given proper time, Anton would have preferred to find a more elegant approach to dealing with their opponents, rather than just slaughtering them all. Well, he did implement an alternative for some. Specifically, those who were young or lower in cultivation. Instead of death, they simply had their cultivation burned out of them. Anton made the attempt to do it in such a way that they might cultivate again later, though he erred on the side of nothing at all if it meant they might practice the same assassination techniques.

There was no time to personally interview everyone to determine if they signed up willingly or were forced into it, but Anton wasn't willing to slaughter people who were effectively defenseless and had not directly participated in the battle against them. It was the same with those who fled- he couldn't know if it was merely fear that drove them away or if it was never their intention to participate to begin with. People deserved a chance, and he was comfortable enough with his new strength he could give it to some.

Though perhaps those who lost their cultivation might die anyway, either through their own choice or because of others. The Exalted Archipelago still had separations between those who cultivated and those who did not… and if the cultivators treated the others poorly, they might not survive for long without their abilities. But that was a fate they'd sown for themselves.

After having participated in the most recent battles, Anton was more confident in his new power. He was a step above anything that could be sent after him, and the local area was quite depleted of anyone who would try. He still didn't want to stay longer than he had to, not because he was worried about himself or the rest of those with him should further fleets come after them, but because he didn't want to kill more people than he had to. Returning to some sort of peace with the Exalted Archipelago would be easier if they avoided what conflicts they could. They'd already made a sufficient show of force.

There was only the Soaring Air Sect to deal with now. Unless something momentous happened to draw another sect into the conflict, that was where they would stop. They had taken note of those who came to attack, but the lesser sects could be forgiven more easily.

What Alva had thought would be wind rushing past her turned into fire. Somehow, she was falling with enough speed for the air to ignite around her, which was rather troublesome as it obscured her vision. She needed her sight clear to shoot at the scaled beast flying at her. And to dodge the arrows and spear hurtling through the air. And the darts? That one had an unpleasant black sheen on it.

Her hands moved quickly, firing arrows for offense and defense, taking down the various projectiles. They had some energy enhancing them- upper energy, which meant they were a threat even to an Ascension cultivator like Alva. Vari was even more vulnerable since she was merely in Life Transformation- Alva wasn't sure if that was a good cultivation speed or not in this world, but the point was she was weaker. There were others who leapt down with them, having traveled from Rouhiri here to Everheart's Tomb- whatever it had been called before having been forgotten- but Alva didn't even consider helping them.

She did help out Vari though. While the woman might have been foolish, naive, brainwashed, or any other number of things, Alva didn't want her to die. She didn't deserve that. Thus, Alva devoted a few of her shots to deflecting projectiles coming for Vari. The woman had formed some sort of patterned barrier around herself, but it simply wouldn't be sufficient against a direct hit.

Her descent wasn't perfect, but eventually the ground was getting close. Fortunately there was no fire- she seemed to have slowed down enough- but she still needed to be cognizant of her landing. She didn't want to exacerbate any of the injuries she took as she fell, since this wasn't a place where she wanted to be below peak fighting fitness. Even if the Tomb itself didn't kill her, other cultivators might.

She landed, a cushion of energy slowing her fall, allowing her bent legs to absorb the last of the impact. Projectiles were still everywhere, so when Vari landed next to her, Alva grabbed her by the collar and dragged her along. There was a safe area in the archway leading inside, though Alva wasn't sure if it would be safe beyond that.

When they were in the archway- which was well over ten meters tall, and about half as wide at the bottom- Alva dropped Vari on one of the large stone slabs. "Well look at that. You survived."

Vari blinked a few times, beginning to stand up. Then she stopped, looking up at Alva. "Are you… actually one of the Saints?"

"What? No, of course not." A thin strand of energy came towards Alva, and she automatically attempted to bat it away with her hand- but as she touched it, it automatically melted into her meridians. It wasn't as if it bypassed her defenses, but rather as if she'd subconsciously accepted it as part of her. Power coursed through her, bolstering her. It wasn't anything great- perhaps a few days worth of cultivation- but it happened so cleanly. "Of course not. I'm not even part of the Harmonious Citadel."

"Oh." Vari said. "I… understand." She stood up. "You're not one of the Saints."

She said that, but Alva knew she didn't believe it. "Are you sure you can't see this?" Alva said, squeezing another thread of energy between her fingers.

"Your fingers?" Vari tilted her head. "They display the signs of devoted practice."

"Why do I even bother. Well, we should get going."

"Of course. Where do you wish to go, your grace?"

Alva made a face. "It's Alva."

"If you wish, lady Alva."

She really wished she had Fuzz with her. His devotion wasn't weird at least.

Alva took in her surroundings. In all directions were other cultivators, unfamiliar buildings, and signs of danger. According to the contact with Catarina, there were several notable landmarks. The Gardens, the Great Hall, the Library, and the Labyrinth. There were also a great many less notable locations, but if they found some of the greater ones they could meet up. There was just the slight issue that she didn't know how to navigate to any of them, and the Tomb wasn't exactly… small. It took up an entire planet, after all.

It was probably smaller than her home Ceretos. She really hoped it was, because otherwise it could take weeks or months to traverse in one direction- and that was without obstructions. The Tomb hadn't been fully mapped out yet, but what was known was that smaller features changed constantly… and that it killed people. Yet there were also great rewards to be had for passing certain trials. Though this place had a deadlier flare than those from Ceretos, and had remained active for much longer. Then again, everything in the upper realms tended to be more, so why would this be any different?

"We'll head in here," Alva said confidently.

"Very well, my lady," Vari said. "Let me provide you with what little support I can offer." She held her hand out, waiting for permission.

"Fine. Go ahead."

Energy stretched out from Vari. Ascension energy- upper energy- but controlled with amazing precision for Vari's cultivation. Alva was still getting used to the shift, but Vari should have lived with it her whole life. The energy spread out in a dome over Alva, a honeycomb pattern formed out of many smaller panels. Unlike simply protecting her with energy, the barrier was solid and seemed likely to last without active control.

"Interesting," Alva said. She looked down at her feet. The barrier flattened out below her, but protected her from below as well. It likely wasn't enough for her to rely on, but it was a welcome addition to her own defenses.

Alva sniffed the air. That was usually Fuzz' job, but she knew that scent was one of those things that most cultivators didn't consider when concealing things. The scents of metal or mismatched stone or an unexpected breeze could give away the location of a trap. Alva didn't sense any ahead of them, but that just made her look more closely.

Vari had already begun walking forward, so Alva eventually just followed behind. If Vari wanted to be a sacrifice, that was her prerogative.

The archway led to a long hallway. With how wide and tall it was, in other situations Alva might have been willing to call it a great hall- but the actual Great Hall was apparently a kilometer across with a statue of Everheart stretching as high as a mountain. Meanwhile the walls here were lined with mismatched statues that were only a few times life size- no more than ten.

"Are the differing designs meant to distract us?" Alva wondered aloud.

"I believe it is because these come from different sects," Vari answered helpfully. "The Majestic Herb Estuary, the Viridian Sea, and many others," she gestured. "And…" she stopped.

Alva looked, and found she recognized the statue. A stern looking man with a sword the same height as himself, standing like a cross in front of him. She hadn't really paid much attention, but her memory was good enough to recognize it. The style was also annoyingly familiar recently. "The Harmonious Citadel," Alva said. "That's the sword saint, isn't it?"

"Um, well, yes," Vari said. "But obviously this is a replica. The real one is still on Rouhiri."

"I'm sure it is," Alva nodded. She wasn't a great purveyor of the arts, but she'd seen many beautiful pieces in her lifespan, simply by virtue of meeting many great cultivators- some of who cared about such things greatly. The technique and skill required to make the statue that almost seemed as if it could come to life. Everheart was many things, but an artist was not one of them. Alva also imagined that he was not interested in forcing someone to make a replica for him. No… this had to be the original. Stolen quite some time before, and replaced in secret. Because obviously the Harmonious Citadel couldn't have something stolen from their seat of power, could they?

It also told her something else. The image of the sword saint was young, but she imagined every statue of the saints would have been made more flattering for those who were not impeccable. Yet the fact that it was here meant it had been made long before.

"How long has the Sword Saint maintained his position?"

"Since time immemorial," Vari said.

"... How old are you?" Alva asked.

"Only a hundred and fifty," Vari said proudly.

So at least that long then. Not that it was surprising for someone with high cultivation to live longer, of course.

The question was if new statues were purloined for this place. Was Everheart still active? The changing components could have been set up via formations. Unfortunately, Alva had no way to recognize any of the figures- and Vari was only able to report a few small details about those not from the Harmonious Citadel.

"What about that one?" Alva pointed.

"That's… I don't know," Vari admitted.

"How do you not? It has the aura of the Harmonious Citadel."

"It must be a fake, then," Vari said.

Alva looked at it carefully. It depicted a woman holding a spear. The face was strangely worn, though the other statues were pristine. Then she reached out her hand, yanking Vari back. With a click, the statue moved, its spear stabbing across the corridor. Then it returned to its former position.

Strange. The only part that was worn had nothing to do with the movements it made. Oh well, at least she'd seen a trap. It made her more comfortable.

But what was up with these stupid strands of energy from Vari that she claimed to not see? A day before they wanted nothing to do with her, and now they wouldn't leave her alone. She needed to find someone else who could see them, someone she could trust. Catarina would know… once they found their bearings.

Chapter 422

The fact that a whole army had followed Anton on his crazy escapade showed how strongly the continental sects felt about the Exalted Archipelago. The Archipelago was undoubtedly arrogant, but the continents had their own pride. Pride was not necessarily arrogance, but it certainly could have been. If Anton had only been at the lower estimates he had for his own power, things would have not gone so well.

But everything had gone better than expected, and they were approaching the Soaring Air Sect without further incident. In the future, Anton would have a more accurate assessment to go off of, though he truly hoped he didn't need to use his finishing up their current plan, of course.

The Soaring Air Sect made their home on an island that came almost vertically out of the sea. It stretched unnaturally high, several kilometers up. The highest points were above the clouds, and sheer cliffs surrounded it.

Anton raised his eyes to the peak. They flashed, fire burning within them. His advancement had almost cost him everything, his body having only been held together by the core of power within him. Now the power coursed through him, begging to be released. Yet it was well within his control, and comfortable.

The fleet had not approached the base of the island. It was impossible to say what sort of traps would have been set up there, but it was simply unnecessary to get so close. Anton empowered his voice, having it echo across the distance between them. "Cultivators of the Soaring Air Sect. Had you been willing to see reason previously, you would have been forgiven with the death of your sect head. However, since that demand you have only compounded your guilt. Now the only way you can pay is with the entirety of your wealth. Weapon, armor, equipment, and of course your skyships." The demand was extravagant. If the Soaring Air Sect was willing to negotiate the price might be lowered. The demand simply started so high because they needed to understand the severity of the situation.

No, that wasn't it. Anton had to be honest with himself. He made the most outrageous demands because he wanted to provoke them to rash action. Was that fair? Perhaps he might change his mind later, but he decided it was justified.

With no response offered immediately, Anton continued. "I have not the patience to deal with further trouble from the Soaring Air Sect. If you do not respond, I shall be forced to begin destroying your sect."

He could see people gathering at the edge of the island. They had only minor walls- the difficulty of reaching their height was already great enough that high walls were a pointless expense. The walls likely only served as the supporting part of a formation.

"Ten." Anton began to count. He held his bow, channeling energy into it as he pointed it towards them. "Nine. Eight." He could feel the defensive formations had already been raised to full power. He continued counting.

"You will regret this," finally came a response from one of the elders. Anton took special note of the voice and matched it to the movements of a mouth.

"That's not a response," Anton said. "One." He drew out the word, making sure there was time for it to reach the ears of everyone. Nobody even tried to stop him, though perhaps they felt it would weaken their position. They likely couldn't see him clearly, the blinding light gathered on his bow lighting up even the depths of the sea around him.

Then he lowered his bow- not to avoid attacking, but to target something easier. His arrow released, barely even fitting the definition. The energy he gathered simply couldn't fit in the confined space, but it functioned well enough.

There was no need for Anton to ride along with the arrow, observing from his perspective. If he couldn't hit his target, he would give up archery forever. Literally the only thing he needed to do was hit an island. As the arrow touched the rock, it melted through it, heat and light scattering everywhere.

A moment later, it came out the other side, several kilometers away. Anton could see natural light on the other side, through the drooping tunnel he shot. It was only a hand's width across, but that was because he'd constrained his energy to a smaller size. He could have torn apart more, but having a sign that would be visible to anyone who came near would be more effective.

Anton looked back up. "Whoever you have elected to speak for you clearly is not going to accomplish anything," Anton said as he readied another shot. He might not actually use it, but it was important for them to know he was ready and able to continue. "Perhaps you should choose someone else."

Vari had collapsed to the floor. In other circumstances Alva would have dragged her back away from where she was so that Vari could recover on her own, but she didn't want to have to wait for her to recover. Even then, the oppressive force of the room was far above what Vari could handle with a few days of training. So she lifted her up, enshrouding the foolish woman with her own energy as she continued forward. Unlike what she had experienced before, this room also had traps. But it did get gradually more difficult to travel though, until they finally came out the other side.

Alva let out a heavy breath. She wasn't holding her breath just because of the poison that had been filling the room, but it was part of it. The sudden change towards the end had been unexpected, with Alva only barely keeping her feet despite being in Ascension. "He's actually trying to kill us," she muttered.

"... Lady Alva," Vari slowly regained her consciousness. "You have been as impressive as always. I was unprepared for what we encountered. You must have great experience with traps."

"Not really," Alva shrugged. "It's just that I'm familiar with this style because-" she stopped herself. "Because I've seen something similar before." Saying she was from the same world as Everheart might be a bad move.

"I understand," Vari nodded. "I was thinking that perhaps you had been to the tomb before, but you applied experience from elsewhere. No wonder you are so strong."

"Yeah," Alva said. "That's definitely it." She looked at Vari, who was emitting more of those weird energy strands and looked not even slightly suspicious. "You… did you happen to not complete your training in Insight, by any chance?" Alva was not a good liar, and she'd been pretty obvious. Bringing it up was kind of risky but…

"Insight?" Vari shook her head. "An unnecessary facet of cultivation that merely serves to weaken bonds with the saints. Other techniques may waste their time on such, but the Harmonious Citadel advances beyond the need."

Alva groaned. How could Vari be so foolish? It was like… she'd been raised in a cult her whole life. Which she had. Along with everyone else on every planet she could go to. It was kind of pathetic, actually. Alva wasn't sure if she could blame her.

"Alright," Alva said. "So-" then she felt something. Not something bad, but just unexpected. One of the messaging devices.

It was Catarina. "Did … work this time?"

That was… a very unhelpful message. "I am not sure what you mean. Did what work? And which landmark are we aiming for?"

Alva readied herself to wait, but there was an immediate response. Then she was reminded that the weeks of waiting no longer applied with them being on the same planet, so it should be instantaneous. Now that she thought about it, the fact that she hadn't gotten a response for her initial message saying she was on the planet was odd now.

"Only getting about ha… message. Have you arri… Gardens."

Alva could have made some assumptions, but it seemed silly. "Are the Gardens good or are the Gardens bad?" She made sure to repeat the place name. If some of the message was lost, repetition would help. She planned to send the whole message again when she got a response.

"... Gardens. Repeat, meet at …"

Now Alva was ninety nine percent certain. And she also didn't want to have a one percent chance of going to the wrong place in this deathtrap. She sent her message again.

"Do not …dens. Dangerous. Great… safer. Repeat, the Great Hall is safer. Meet us there."

And that was why. Training in insight wasn't worth anything? Yeah right. Though it could have been some other mental training since Catarina obviously wasn't trying to mislead her.

"We're heading to the Great Hall," Alva declared. "Now let's just see what's out-" beyond the door she was hit with a wave of scent. Nature. Plants and animals and just enough regular patterns and walkways to indicate it was not wilderness. Alva sighed again. At least they had a landmark to navigate from now. And she only had to go a quarter of the way around this place to reach the Great Hall.

Soon enough Anton was back on Brogora. The coastal forces were still on high alert at the moment, uncertain what the response would be from the rest of the Exalted Archipelago. But if it came to a war, they had an early advantage- and the justification they had was quite significant.

"I'm glad you made it back," Lev said. "But I'm not sure it was the right move."

"I am," Anton said. "They needed to know what we can do. Speaking of which, there's something very important for us to decide."

"I really don't think skyships will do well here," Lev said. "Constantly having to avoid the Grandfather Willow?" Lev shook his head. "Though we could certainly use other reparations."

"Of course. That is already being arranged. But even more important… what do we call this?"

Lev frowned, "This? You mean us?"

"That's right. Our cultivation stage. It's not ascension. It might reasonably also be called Integration, but that would imply we are on the same path. Nor have we skipped ahead to Augmentation or Domination."

"No, it's different," Lev said, stroking his chin. "Natural Joining?"

Anton shook his head. "Not sure I like that one. How about Assimilation? You became part of Grandfather Willow, and vice versa. The sun is part of me. It's definitely a similar process."

"I suppose that's a decent name," Lev nodded. "Assimilation. Is that really why you made the trip?"

"It's important," Anton said. "Can't just go around without it having a name. And showing you I'm doing well is another one. In fact, I feel more healthy than when I left. Perhaps I was being too conservative with my energy use. I have a better grasp of it now."

Vincent was showing some age now, though he hadn't exactly looked youthful when Anton first met him. The man's cultivation had long been surpassed by Anton, but he was potentially on track to reach the peak of Life Transformation at some point, perhaps even ascension. "If someone had told me that day we would come to this, I wouldn't have believed a word," Vincent said. "Not that I doubted your determination, but realistically we both assumed you would die."

"And now here I am," Anton nodded. "Does it have to be such a big ceremony, though?"

"Absolutely," Vincent declared. "And no, it's not for you. Not really. This is for everyone else. We haven't had a sect head in my time, and it's a big deal. Frankly, making things official will make it easier for everyone. If you demanded something, nobody could really go against it anyway."

"I'd like to think I'm reasonable enough to listen to objections," Anton adjusted some fancy robes he'd been given. It wasn't that they were sitting strangely. In fact, they were enchanted for that to be impossible. They were the most comfortable thing he'd ever worn in the physical sense, but it was still uncomfortable mentally. He was pretty sure they cost more than Dungannon.

"Sometimes, yes," Vincent said. "But when you truly believe a course of action is right, nobody will stop you. Now it makes the paperwork easier. And it's a good public image. The Order has been rebranding to the Order of One Hundred Stars, why not have the only available One Hundred Star cultivator as the sect head? It's good for stability."

"If I live, at least," Anton nodded.

"I think if someone could kill you, it might have already happened," Vincent said.

"I could get careless."

"Then don't," Vincent said. "Besides, even a few decades will be enough. Your lifespan has to be at least that much, right?"

"Well…" Anton frowned. "I don't… really know." He shook his head. "This isn't me trying to hide something. I had a good couple decades at least before reaching Assimilation. Now, I don't know. The sense of it has sort of slipped away." Anton shrugged, "But I can get a least a good couple decades even if I have to drag myself out of the grave for it, so don't be concerned about that."

Anton wasn't looking forward to the actual ceremony, but it was how things were done. And then after that, he would be meeting with sects from the Exalted Archipelago. At neutral ground once more- the Hardened Crown Sect, again. He anticipated a lot of whining or shouting or stubbornness. But if anyone was going to be stubborn, he was going to outstrip them in that department. His eyes flared with fire. He didn't need to intimidate all of them, but he wouldn't stand for anyone causing more trouble.

Chapter 423

Local factions had obviously arrived much sooner than the continental forces- they didn't have as far to go, and they wanted the security of numbers. Anton saw many of them waiting on their ships, and some of them saw him in return. He was easily able to tell the difference between those who recognized him, and those who had merely heard of him. There was a distinctive difference in how much their heartbeats sped up. Normally Anton would block out such level of detail, but going into the current situation he wanted as much information as possible.

Those who had seen him fight in person not only had higher heart rates, but some also began to sweat. That was saying something, since cultivators generally had greater control over their own bodily functions. Yet it wasn't unreasonable either. If Anton had met someone else with his power, he couldn't help but be nervous either. He remembered witnessing the power of Fajra of the Radiant Beauty sect. She was the one who had reached the Augmentation stage, and even somewhat limited by the lack of ascension energy in the world it was a terrifying sight to behold. And in a similar fashion- since both were capable of inflicting widespread devastation on a battle instead of just slaying powerful individuals.

It was strange to walk at the head of the group. Anton often found himself in that position, but usually it was shared. His word could influence many from other sects, but each had their own identity. That was still the case, but now he was clearly at the head of their contingent. And that fit, since by cultivator standards and for standard political reasons, having a single mouthpiece would be advantageous. He had reminded the others that they could speak their mind, but on the way he had been briefed on what forces from both continents wanted. They even had some smaller sects with lesser stakes- those who had complaints about the minor details of how the Exalted Archipelago had been trading. But the main focus would obviously be on the attacks… and counterattacks, and what would come of that.

They were led directly to the auditorium where they would be having their discussions. The formations protecting the area made it impossible for Anton to sense anyone or anything inside, but he strode in without fear. People were watching, and if the Hardened Crown Sect really let him be ambushed he'd just have to fight his way out and make them pay. But he didn't think that would happen, and he had powerful allies at his back. The only one he could have asked for was Lev, but outside of his home territory Lev was not much better than anyone else. So he had Elder Varela. The man was nearly at the peak of Life Transformation, but for a sect that before Lev's generation hardly even had Essence Collection cultivators they had come a long way.

When he stepped into the auditorium, Anton took note of everyone that was there. Elder Naamah of the Hardened Crown Sect, of course. The auditorium was round to make everyone feel approximately equal in value, but the frontmost positions were still favored. Anton placed himself directly across from her, as the host. The others Anton recognized included Sect Head Treloar of the Worthy Shore Society. There were also others from the previous attempts at negotiations. Notably missing were the Void Blades and the Still Wind Erudition.

The Soaring Air Sect, however, did have a representative. It was an old man that Anton had spoken with upon his previous 'visit'. Specifically, this was the man chosen to represent them… after they dragged off their previous vice-head- Rodolph. Nobody had wanted to test if he could make a bigger hole in the bottom of their island. As members of the Soaring Air Sect went, Rodolph was quite a reasonable fellow. He was also intelligent, which was unfortunate. If they hadn't been on opposing sides Anton might have been friends with the man, but instead they were destined to remain enemies. But they didn't have to be enemies that tried to kill each other.

"Well then," Naamah looked around. "It appears that everyone is here. Let's try to resolve this peacefully, shall we?"

Anton gestured and produced a number of lengthy documents, formulated by Kohar of course. "To that end, we have prepared a list of initial demands. Some negotiation is possible, such as Acting Sect Head Rodolph has already done for the Soaring Air Sect. The terms of the treaties to end the war were quite reasonable and agreed to by both sides. The penalties were also clearly established." Anton looked around, fire burning in his eyes. "Attempting to circumvent those terms through force will not be tolerated, as I'm sure you are all keenly aware. This is our world and we expect you to act reasonably. Now, I'm sure you don't want any of us attempting to enforce these terms as I recently found necessary… which is why there are stipulations for how you must police yourselves."

In short, just staying out of conflicts wasn't enough. Perhaps they might have followed those terms to some extent if the Soaring Air Sect hadn't repeated their attempts- some desire for the Grandfather Willow was too great to ignore- but now they would likely be swifter about it. With the alternative being Anton doing something, he hoped they would take care of their own issues. They could have technically enforced other penalties against those who failed to act, but that would strain the level of goodwill between them. Though the documents made it clear what sort of penalties would be on them if they didn't enforce the other sects.

The room was quiet for some time. There was much dense language for people to read through, and nobody was quite sure if they should speak. Eventually the representative of the Purifying Mangrove Clan worked up his courage. "The penalties upon us seem disproportionately high…" he said tentatively.

The Purifying Mangrove Clan had unfortunately chosen to throw their lot in during the battle near the Still Wind Erudition. Because they breached the treaty, they had serious penalties- though less than that of those who had gone outside of the Exalted Archipelago to cause trouble.

"In what way does it seem disproportionate?" Anton asked. At the same time, he refamiliarized himself with the text that involved them.

"It's rather straightforward," the man said. "The proportions of resources and wealth are listed as higher for us than those who… acted similarly."

"We presumed that would be more agreeable than parting with any of your mangroves. That is where the majority of your sect's wealth lies, does it not? Others are penalized according to the value of infrastructure they possess, but yours is harder to calculate." Anton was glad that Kohar had spent many boring days talking over the terms with him, since it was easier to recall the reasons from a proper conversation compared to just reading.

Anton didn't expect the negotiations to be over in an afternoon- or a month, necessarily, though having a strong hand would certainly help speed things up. He truly didn't want to enforce more things through combat, but the threat of it certainly would smooth things along.

"We have a question," Treloar said with a slight smile.

"What is it?" Anton raised an eyebrow.

"What do you call your stage of cultivation?"

The question was set up for him, of course. It wasn't something people would normally think to ask, especially not in such a setting. If there was something Anton was actually unprepared for, he could at least sense who of those along with him was confident in answering. But this one was for him. "We have decided to call it Assimilation," Anton said.

The next question was not discussed beforehand, but Anton had tried to angle for it to be asked. "And who is… we?"

"Those few of us in this stage," Anton smiled warmly. He was not much of a liar. If he'd tried to imply there were many of them, no doubt some would have picked up on it easily. Lev's status wasn't completely unknown, of course, especially since the miraculous defense of the Grasping Willows, but Anton's answer left open the possibility of more.

"That is good to know," Treloar said, in a way intended to end the questioning. He might suspect, but they were on good terms. To the point that Anton might be willing to discuss the details behind his cultivation with the Worthy Shore Society at some point.

"It seems that our dear Alva has stumbled into the Gardens," Catarina commented.

"I don't know if she's 'our' Alva," Timothy grinned. "She's your… cousin of some sort."

"We're all companions, though."

"That's still a weird way to say it."

"What can I say?" Catarina shrugged, "I'm feeling fanciful. I mean, just look at this," she waved her hands around them.

"The entrapment formation or…?" Timothy tilted his head. "Because I'm not a fan of the architectural style."

"What's wrong with it?" Catarina said as she looked around them, studying the formation.

"It's something about the number of statues that are all a bit too handsome to be real."

"And a lot too young to actually be Everheart," Catarina said.

"I wasn't going to say that," Timothy countered, "Mostly because I imagined there would be traps attacking me for saying it."

"I disabled those already," Catarina said casually. "Actually, it might be natural to assume that a genius of his sort would appear young, but his active age was far too long. Much of his time was devoted to formation pursuits and… I don't know, robbing people I guess. His actual cultivation speed ended up barely above average, though he didn't seem to encounter any major roadblocks. Not that the records are clear on the details."

"Most of them just say 'Damn that asshole Everheart,' don't they?"

"Yeah," Catarina nodded. "Aha." She tapped her toe into the corner of the tile the two were standing in, and suddenly they were no longer squashed against each other. "There we go."

"That's… amazing, actually," Timothy said. "These formations aren't holding back. I'm pretty sure that was supposed to crush us, right? Have you reached another level of understanding with regards to formations."

"Though I would like to say that I have…" Catarina shook her head. "That's not quite it. There's something here. Something different. The flow of energy simply feels… like it's on my side?"

"A soft spot for those from Ceretos, maybe?" Timothy asked.

"Hah! No way. Besides, I do mean me. Or maybe… something I have," Catarina scanned the area around them, but nobody was close. They would have to be able to listen through a dozen layers of widely differing formations, but even so Catarina used the tip of her sword to scratch the floor, once more altering the flow of energy to suit her. "You remember that plate we found, in the decayed facility?"

"It was the only part even slightly in good condition," Timothy agreed.

"Well, that's it," Catarina shrugged. "I'm not certain though. And we'll have to find our way to the Great Hall to get some sort of hint. If there's something, it might be there."

"Or in the Labyrinth," Timothy said.

"There's… some chance of that," Catarina admitted. "But it's also possible that the Labyrinth is a collection of the most dangerous traps on this planet with no rewards inside it except the treasure of those who have fallen before you."

"That's… actually most of the treasure available here, isn't it?"

"... I don't think people are supposed to recognize that," Catarina admitted. "But that seems to match up, yes."

"Well then," Timothy said. "What do we have, a few days or weeks of death traps? Might as well get started."

"If only that was the biggest concern," Catarina sighed. Formations she could handle. Everheart actually trying to kill people was no slacker, but there were always routes of lesser resistance so far. People, however… they were dangerous. Especially for two loners who weren't part of a large faction. Sure, the two of them could express their connection to the Silver Sea Coalition, but they weren't particularly important and the faction wasn't powerful enough that people would be concerned about inevitable retribution. So they had to handle that part themselves.

Chapter 424

Recognizing poisonous plants was easy enough. Specifically, ones that would be dangerous if you brushed up against them. Alva had no intention to attempt to consume anything from the Garden. Those juicy berries full of natural energy might provide a boost to cultivation… or they might explode inside her, shattering her from the inside. Everheart could even have plants like here that weren't traps but had a purpose- like feeding them to others. Or training some forbidden technique.

Slightly more difficult was recognizing which plants were mobile or aggressive in some way. Plants that were full of large pools of tempting water were fairly obvious, as were the wide open leaves with scythelike blades around the edge- made to snap closed on anyone who stepped within. The trailing vines on the ground that were made to grab ankles were a bit more subtle when strewn in among the others that didn't act in the same way, but discerning the way the energy flowed through and around them let her pick some out. And others… Vari walked into.

… that wasn't Alva's fault. Vari had declared that since she was the one suited for melee, she should walk ahead. Alva directed her around anything she noticed. But sometimes there were trees whose leaves had dustings of deadly powder that shook off with the slightest disturbance.

Vari hacked and coughed as she breathed in a lungful of something awful. "Are you-" some blood came up with the next coughing fit, "-Are you alright, lady Alva?"

Alva snatched the strand of energy that came towards her and tucked it away. She wasn't sure whether she should make use of it. It wasn't clear if it was ethical or safe- and she needed it to at least be the latter. "I'm alright," Alva said. "Perhaps you should move out of the area?"

"I need to-" this time she hacked up black gunk, which quivered like gelatin on the ground, "-learn to overcome this."

"You know you're supposed to start with small doses, right?" Alva asked. "Anyway, we're heading thataway," she gestured. Her declaration that she was going to move also directed Vari away from the floating dust and spores. That was the one thing the woman's barriers weren't great against.

They were excellent against claws though. There were some lizards that seemed to balance on just two legs, though they used the claws on all of their legs to attack. Some were only about the size of a person, and those came in packs. Their scales were as hard as… well, diamonds weren't relevant to Life Transformation cultivators, let alone her. They were hard though. Maybe she could get someone to make armor out of them.

"Incoming," Alva said blandly as a dozen raptors leapt to attack them. Only eight or nine could reasonably fit around Vari, so the rest came for Alva. She took them out first, calmly shooting arrows into their open mouths or into their nostrils. She could move, running about to give herself distance, but she had some decent power to rely on.

Vari actually did very well when swarmed by attacks. Her barrier was tough, but if she simply sat there taking hits it would be torn through in a second or two. With a sweep of her leg, Vari knocked over several of them, grabbing one claw that was coming straight for her and swinging it into another. Fighting unarmed left her with little in the way of reach and finishing power, but she could disrupt enemies wondrously.

After taking the enemies threatening herself, Alva moved on to the ones around Vari. Killing distracted enemies was another step easier, though they didn't always point the same weak spots towards her.

Soon enough, they all lay dead. Vari pulled out an enchanted knife and began dismantling the creatures to collect what the two perceived as the most valuable parts. The meat was awful, though not poisonous, and the bones didn't seem worth much… but teeth, claws, and scales could certainly be used as materials.

"So," Alva asked casually, "Is there a saint of grappling?"

"No," Vari shook her head sadly. "I've been hoping to join up as an auxiliary member of one of the other spires, but none have been interested. I'm strong enough though! I don't understand it."

"I wouldn't know," Alva shrugged. "So is there a saint of archery?"

"Of course, I already spoke of Saint Tassaiades, the Bow Saint. Did you forget?"

"... of course not. I just wanted to see if you remembered." How could she forget if she hadn't been listening in the first place. "So what are they like?"

Vari closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she tried to recall… something. It made Alva uncomfortable the way her breath was ragged, her lungs still damaged from the earlier poison. That was not a safe way to live. Vari nodded to herself. "It is said that she is a great beauty, young and powerful. She can slay a man from a hundred kilometers away with her bow."

"A hundred, huh?" Alva frowned. "That's pretty…"

"Amazing, isn't it?" Vari said with her face beaming.

"... standard," Alva finished.

"What?" Vari tilted her head. "But that's… you can't even shoot that far, can you? And your archery is amazing!"

"Well, sure, but range isn't my specialty. It's mounted combat."

"Why don't you have a mount then?" Vari asked. Then she shrunk away as Alva glared at her. "So about the range… even if you can eventually match it, is one hundred kilometers not amazing?"

"My grandfather has been able to do that forever," Alva said. "And his master."

"Amazing!" Vari's jaw dropped. "Is it possible to meet your esteemed grandfather?"

"No," Alva said flatly. They could probably never meet again… so even if he was still alive, it still hurt.

"Oh…" Vari lowered her head. "I'm sorry. What about… his master?"

"Well, yeah. I guess she ascended. I don't know if she'll be able to meet up here or not. But eventually, maybe." Except Vari wouldn't be coming with her.

"That would be excellent," Vari's face lit up.

"Uh huh. Now we're going this-" Alva stopped her gesture halfway. "That way!" as she pointed somewhere else.

"May I inquire why we are not going the first direction, Lady Alva? I assume you sensed some dangers?"

"There's wolves there," Alva said. "I don't want to fight wolves."

"I see. They must be quite dangerous for us to be avoiding them," Vari nodded. "Thank you for your guidance."

Perhaps Vari wouldn't be thanking her when she learned they were going into the middle of a horrible swamp. But Alva preferred that over the other option right now.

Though things were going slowly with the negotiations, they were progressing at least. Most of the negotiations involved extending the lengths of time over which reparations had to be made. This ultimately came with a larger value that would be collected, but it was less punishing. Which was sort of the point of taking as many resources at once. On the other hand, since it was more likely to actually be followed through on to some extent instead of just leading to a larger more serious war, it was better to go along with it.

Ultimately the goal was to have everyone from the world cooperating instead of vying for power. A lofty and perhaps unattainable goal, but they had to at least try. Though Anton was of the opinion that much of the Exalted Archipelago was not of Ceretos. They just lived here before moving on to what they considered their true home. It was the people acting upon the orders from the upper realms- direct or indirect- that were the problem. Though many of the problems were dead now.

"There is it," Catarina waved her hand, gesturing to the horizon in front of them. Just peeking above it was a roofline that slowly expanded outward to fill the entirety of their vision. At the current moment the two of them were on one of the few stretches of truly open and bare terrain. It had little in the way of formations, and barely any air to breathe. Catarina and Timothy found it wasn't completely necessary to have air, but it was still easier to have their bodies function normally.

"That's the Great Hall, huh…" Timothy said. "It's possibly the biggest thing I've ever seen. Larger than the greatest cities… but it's completely unpopulated."

"Not completely," Catarina pointed out. "There are monsters. And other cultivators like us."

"Speaking of which, seems like we have some friends incoming," Timothy was in a relaxed posture, but he was ready to spring into action at any point. Immediately, Catarina was wandering around, carving into the dirt. That didn't mean they were going to fight, but if they did they would be ready. "Is that the Harmonious Citadel?" Timothy asked, just trying to confirm what he felt.

"I do believe so," Catarina nodded. "Where should we declare we are from?"

Timothy pondered as he waited for the approaching sources of energy. "I doubt they'll be dissuaded by telling them we're part of the Silver Sea Coalition. Even if they cared, they'd just kill us and destroy the evidence anyway. Or rather, try to."

"You don't know that," Catarina said as she began placing tiny stones that would be easily overlooked all around her. "They might try to influence us to join their cult."

"I feel like we aren't the typical target for that. We're a bit too… set in our ways. Not young and impressionable."

"We are young, though," Catarina pointed out. "By the standards here, early hundreds at our cultivation… it's still not bad."

"Hmm, swords," Timothy commented. "That's pretty… homogenous. Didn't they have a bunch of saints or whatever?"

"We'll have to ask Alva when she gets here."

The incoming group was led by a trio- one man, with a man and a woman on either side. There were six more following along behind them, but only the first three were Integration cultivators.

The leading male had a false smile on his face, his bare sword lazily resting upon his shoulder. "Greetings, fellow explorers. Have any luck with the Tomb?"

Catarina seemed quite focused on something in her bag, so it seemed to be Timothy who was going to have to respond. "Just death traps and monsters. Standard fare, really. No luck with the rewards."

The trio was quite rudely searching over the two, and attempting to peer into their storage bags. Clearly, they thought they were in a dominant position. Maybe they were, in terms of cultivation. Catarina and Timothy were still at the very beginning of Integration… but Timothy was still confident. In his own abilities, sure, but also Catarina's.

The man continued, "Seems the two of you make use of swords as well. We've actually got some good ones. We're open to trade, if you found something worthwhile." He gestured, and the six others with them- their cultivations ranging throughout Life Transformation- walked forward, swords held out on their palms.

The blades they offered seemed better than the ones at their belts, which either meant their leaders were assholes, or it was a trap. Maybe both. Timothy still stepped forward, offering an interested glance at the blades, his hand wandering away from his sword. "Interesting. They do look quite decent." He couldn't tell for sure without examining them more closely, since the materials were unfamiliar. But the enchantments were strong, a level usually only felt in the upper realms. Though some weapons of significant power had been obtained during the invasion. "The rapier is intriguing. Catarina?"

"Hmm?" she looked up. "Oh, yeah. It looks pretty good." She reached into her storage bag, "How about for this halberd? There are spear users among the Harmonious Citadel, right?"

"Of course," the man said, he and the trio stepping slightly closer. "We pride ourselves in making use of all manner of weaponry. May I see it?"

"Help yourself," Catarina handed it to him handle first.

He took it and twirled it around. Then with a sudden movement it came crashing down towards her, but she didn't move. Timothy wasn't completely certain if she was trusting in her formation or him, but he was the one who blocked it. He didn't just negate the momentum, of course. The weapon flew out of the man's hand and into one of the weaker six behind him.

"We didn't want cursed weapons anyway," Catarina said.

The woman among the trio tilted her head in confusion, even as they were all swinging weapons. "They're not cursed though?"

"Tell me that again in five minutes," Catarina said, as the blades tore themselves out of the hands of the remaining five Life Transformation cultivators, while the trio found themselves wrestling with their weapons but keeping a grip on them.

Chapter 425

The design for this particular formation was Chikere, of course. Few people from their inner circle would associate swords with anything else, despite the fact that both she and Timothy technically used them. Catarina didn't have same deep focus on that area, but she did know formations. The swords were simply set to follow the optimal flow of energy in the area to assault her enemies. Or at least as optimal as she could manage on short notice. The stones she'd scattered about served as miniature formation plates to add complexity that she didn't have time for. The rest was made up for by the area's abundant upper energy.

The six weaker cultivators found themselves fighting against the better swords with their backup weapons. Or perhaps their actual weapons and the good ones were only used as bait. Of course, those secondary weapons were also trying to rip themselves out of their hands and slay them, so they were finding things to be rather difficult.

Catarina stood back to back with Timothy, fighting against the three Integration cultivators. At most two could attack either of them at any time, which happened to be Catarina more often than not. That was because Timothy was more easily able to defend himself, and they wanted to exploit that. Yet even when she was behind him, Timothy would reach back with his shield or sword to parry blows she couldn't.

It felt like both of them were learning a lot. They'd sparred with others, but there hadn't been any serious battles against Integration cultivators before now. The attacks of their opponents were strong… but seemed to be lacking in finesse. It wasn't personal style either. The trio all used their upper energy like they were trying to cut mountains in half, and the other six used it to blast away the weapons attacking them.

Despite their inefficiencies, Timothy and Catarina would have been hard pressed if they weren't fighting inside one of her formations. The enemy's weapons were trying to betray them, while the other two were augmented. Timothy sustained the first wound, a slice along his arm. Then one of the six, nearly having their head chopped off by one of their swords. Catarina's stomach was pierced by a blade that never technically touched her- but she hadn't been able to fully guard against the energy extending its reach.

Then one of the six lost a hand, and Timothy flicked a sword away from one of the trio- only for it to return with intent to kill them. At that point the trio began to pick up their own wounds at an ever increasing rate.

The leader recognized it quickly. "Enough!" he said. "I doubt you can afford to get in trouble with the Harmonious Citadel. Since it will be too much trouble for us to defeat you, we'll be leaving… and things between us will be done."

He turned around as if that was the truth of things. He had declared the battle over, so it was. Two swords met in the middle of his spine, Catarina and Timothy moving together to slice into his body. The trio had managed to reclaim all of their weapons, but as he felt the attack coming his sword slowed his attempt to dodge and parry.

"You're right," Catarina said. "We can't afford trouble with the Harmonious Citadel right now."

Almost half of those who came to Everheart's Tomb died. That was averaged over the different seasons, but this was one of the most dangerous ones. A few disciples going missing wouldn't even raise an eyebrow. That was true in the other direction as well.

When the other two Integration cultivators turned to run, they found themselves blocked by a dozen swords. The six weaker individuals were already deceased, and thus the swords were freed up for other purposes. With the odds greatly shifted, Timothy and Catarina finished them off. Both ended the battle with more than trivial injuries, but they had won.

Timothy sighed, "It might be troublesome to use these swords. If anyone knows where they come from, anyway."

"They skimped on armor, though," Catarina gestured.

"It's not much different than yours," he shrugged. "Light, easy to move in. But you're right. It's not good."

They stuffed everything in storage bags- except for the bodies themselves, which were deconstructed in a formation. It was difficult to completely annihilate the body of a living cultivator, but with so much upper energy around once they were already dead it was simple. The storage bags would be searched through later, after they bound their wounds and began to recover. Somewhere safe, if they could find it.

The most tolerable thing about the swamp was that they could walk on top of the worst parts by supporting themselves with energy. The next best thing is there were hardly any tiny stinging insects to worry about. There were mosquitoes twice the size of what had been at the Clear Lake Sect, but that just made them easy targets. Alva shot down any of them that even vaguely approached. As they were part of a balanced environment, there could only be so many of them in an area.

Alva had expected more water dwelling creatures causing trouble, but they seemed happy to feed on the bodies of various insects that Alva and Vari left strewn about. And whatever else had died recently.

Ants weren't something that Alva would have considered to be in a swamp, yet they had them. Giant ants. Not like the giant ants back home, the size of a dog or maybe a person. These were closer to… an elephant. That ultimately meant they could only attack a few at a time. They had nothing on void ants. She honestly would have bet on a single void ant against any of them, as long as the void ant wasn't too young. It wouldn't have been an interesting fight, as the void ant would have slowly crawled up the larger one and slowly dug its way into the eye and brain, but the larger one couldn't have done anything.

Big ants had big eyes, and despite all having defenses of ascension energy they were easy to pierce through. And when there were too many, Vari would topple one or two of them. The large creatures found it difficult to flip themselves back over. It only took a second or two, but in a high level combat… that was an important one or two.

"This species sucks," Alva declared. "I don't care if they can be this big. It's just inefficient."

"I don't think we should complain about easy opponents," Vari said. She brushed a line of blood off her cheek. "Besides, they're not so easy for me."

"You're fine. You didn't even need a barrier." Alva pat Vari on the shoulder. "We need to talk about your cultivation technique."

"Why?" Vari asked.

Alva wrestled another strand of energy into the bundle. "I've seen some abnormalities," Alva explained.

"I don't know," Vari wrung her hands. "I'm not really supposed to discuss with outsiders."

"I swear to not tell anyone else anything I learn, without your permission," Alva said.

"Well, okay."

That was too easy. Sure, Alva wasn't trying to trick her, but she should have at least taken longer to agree. "Great. Do you have a copy with you?"

She shook her head, "We're not allowed to bring them away from the sect. But I have the Holy Harmony Technique memorized."

"Let's walk and talk then," Alva gestured. She wasn't sure if any part of the giant ants was valuable, but it would be a pain to gather it and no matter what it would take a lot of space. She just wanted to be out of the 'garden'.

The basics of the Holy Harmony Technique were… normal. It was about gathering energy and using it. The exact stages were different than the Hundred Stars, but it still flowed through Body Tempering, Spirit Building, Essence Collection, and Life Transformation. Except they skipped insight, and the allowable choices of essence was very small. "Nothing else works?" Alva raised an eyebrow. "That's crazy."

"Well, there are infinite variations on the essences. One person's Devotion looks different from any other. Servitude can have many meanings, depending on the individual. Devotion was my choice."

"Yeah, I see it," Alva said.

"Thank you," Vari said.

"That's not…" she was just thinking now she had a name for it. "Yeah, good job. You're very devoted to… the saints."

"As everyone should be! They protect us from the dangers of the world."

Alva wasn't going to ask how many of their disciples died every year. For one thing, she doubted the information would be accurate. And it probably wouldn't help. "And how do you achieve ascension?"

"Ascension? Oh, you mean integration?" Vari nodded. "The same as anyone else, really. With the culmination of the rest of your cultivation, it's the next stage."

That didn't tell her anything, but they could get into the details later. "Yeah… so, when that happens… where do you go?"

"Wherever you want, I suppose."

"That's not what I meant. When you wrest apart time and space and bathe yourself in… upper energy… do you get transported to a random location?"

"... What?" Vari tilted her head, very confused. "Don't people from the lower realms just… ride the tides of the universe? Then you have easy access to upper energy."

"So you're saying you don't do that here?"

"... No? Not that I know of. Maybe those who practice the Glorious Harmony Technique?"

"Is that… different?"

"Of course," Vari nodded. "Those who are deemed to have the proper talent are allowed to use the Glorious Harmony Technique, becoming true disciples. They often become amazingly powerful."

Alva made a face. "Let me guess what essences they use. Domination? Overlording…ness? Rulership?"

"Don't be silly," Vari shook her head. "Domination is a stage of cultivation. They practice Sovereignty and Glory, among other things."

"Vari," Alva gestured the woman closer, "I'm going to tell you a secret."

"Okay? What is it?" Vari stepped right next to her, leaning in.

"They're just using you for your Devotion." Vari didn't looked shocked. "Your energy. Stolen right from you and delivered to those practicing that other technique." She still didn't seem upset. "Did you hear me?"

"Huh? Yeah, I heard you. What was the secret? Oh! Was it that you figured that out without me even telling you? I can tell you're one of the type who could practice the Glorious Harmony Technique."

"But- that's… Argh!" Alva held her head in her hands. "You're… really in deep, huh?"

"Apparently not enough," Vari said. "They won't even let me support them."

"... This is going to take a lot of work. You wanted to hear about my world, right?"

Vari nodded. "It seems so interesting, the lower realms."

"Let me tell you about my grandfather," Alva said. "So he grew up on a farm…"

Hoyt was late. He'd gotten entangled with Dark Ring business. He still wasn't sure it was a good idea, but they had real support to offer. Alva had been able to get to Everheart's Tomb, so maybe there was no need to deal with the Harmonious Citadel at all for the moment… but he had the feeling they would continue to grow more problematic if ignored. And there was nothing saying they wouldn't come after Alva in the future for 'betrayal' or 'heresy' something. Not that she'd sworn to be loyal to them, but from the information that had gotten to him that was the sort of thing they'd do. More people from Ceretos would likely end up there if they hadn't already.

So now he was late to Everheart's Tomb, which also meant he was right on time. Death season was apparently dying down some. The starship that was transporting him was even willing to bring him to a specific point. He couldn't go directly to the Great Hall, but he could be dropped off nearby… and the starship would even get close to land. Compared to what he got of Alva's story, it sounded easy.

"Here we are," said the captain. "We've arrived Assside. Everyone off. Regular pickups are scheduled every three months off season, if you need a ride back. Or you can find a lift with someone else."

Or fly themselves. Though not everyone had that option. Integration cultivators did, though. It wasn't nice or efficient, but he'd gotten used to moving about in space. Though even moving between a few space rocks to different Dark Ring locations was a slog. Ships were the way to go. At least being out in the void gave him a lot of space to work on techniques without warning about burning… anything.

When he landed, Hoyt realized that the weird word that the captain had said wasn't just some sort of verbal tic. After making his way towards the steadily appearing building- apparently landing closer was impossible because Everheart wanted people to get the view walking up to the place- Hoyt entered the Great Hall. And there he was met with the backside of a statue the size of a middling mountain.

Chapter 426

The Great Hall was a neutral zone in Everheart's Tomb. That rule was partially enforced by those in attendance, and partially by the Tomb itself. Fighting didn't cause any trouble from the Tomb unless someone touched the statue of Everheart, but if they did… there were wider ranging consequences. That was why there was an exclusion zone around each foot and the butt of the spear resting on the ground. Everyone kept a hundred meters away from them, which wasn't too difficult. It wasn't like anyone would touch it on accident, outside of combat where some people had very wide areas of attack.

The Great Hall itself was a massive empty space, except for the statue. The ceilings were impossibly high, kilometers up, with only occasional massive pillars holding them up. Catarina could easily tell that the pillars were mostly for show, and the formations on them did the bulk of the work. Because it was static, it didn't require the excessive amounts of energy it might have otherwise, though the world they were on was quite high in the levels of ambient upper energy.

Though Everheart's Tomb was the size of a smallish planet, the population density of actual cultivators was fairly small by some metrics. Only a few hundred thousand, maybe a million throughout. Still, thousands of individuals crowded near the center of the room to take shelter or do business with those who were. This was a place where people could relatively safely exchange the rewards they had received by surpassing trials. The only risks were potentially being spotted by greedy individuals who might decided to steal instead of buy- though that required following someone out of the safe zone.

The communal enforcement of the rules in this specific place was strong, but outside of the area people traveled in trusted groups, usually with others from their sects or clans. It was rare to see solo cultivators or pairs like Catarina and Timothy. Loners were often seen as easy targets… though sometimes they were instead surprisingly dangerous.

Before they had come in, Catarina and Timothy had a quick conversation about the Harmonious Citadel's weapons. They might be able to trade them away and get something of similar value, but there was risk of that as well. Some of the others had no specific connection, so they should be safe to use or trade. The two of them couldn't exactly use fifteen swords, and that didn't count the various other things they'd taken from storage bags. Their recent battle had been profitable… but with enough danger they would prefer not to engage in similar activities regularly.

Over the course of several days they exchanged for a number of practical upgrades throughout the improvised bazaar that had been set up. They replaced their own weapons with some that didn't have markings of the Harmonious Citadel, and traded for other pieces of equipment they could use themselves or thought their allies could. Hoyt and Alva should be arriving soon enough, though something about the planet made the communication not work reliably. Catarina wondered about that, but she was more interested in the statue.

"It's weird," Catarina said to Timothy.

"Is it?" he raised an eyebrow, "Frankly, it seems that everything else just didn't properly display the size of Everheart's ego."

"Why is it here, though?" Catarina asked, "And not lording over the statues of all of those others elsewhere?"

"He might have another statue there," Timothy pointed out. "Alva just didn't mention it. I feel like there's more, though."

"There is," Catarina nodded, but said nothing. Timothy had been with her most of their lives, so he knew she was thinking… and that she was remaining quiet because of what others might hear.

Hoyt was the first to arrive, and it was easy to sense his approach. The three of them shared a single cultivation technique, and there weren't so many Integration cultivators that they wouldn't take note of a new one approaching the area. "Finally made it," he said, looking around. "Alva's not here yet?"

"She was passing through the Garden, last we heard," Timothy explained. "Though with the rest of us here, we might go look for her."

"I don't think that would be beneficial," Catarina said. "If anyone can find their way through, it would be her. We might simply pass each other by, and get lost ourselves."

"Yeah but… alone?"

"She said she had someone with her, I believe."

There were no immediate responses from Alva, though it was unclear if the messages were getting through at all. Hoyt received updated communication options from Catarina while they waited, using materials she traded for. Then they had to wait for another week.

"For the last time," Alva said exasperated. "I don't want the death flower."

"Golden Rafflesia is a valuable cultivation resource," Vari explained, "It would be a waste for one such as I to use it."

"I'm not getting within a kilometer of that foul flower again. If you want to use it to cultivate murder or whatever, that's your choice."

"The scent of death it exudes allows meditation upon battle experiences, as well as life and death itself. It is a unique opportunity."

"Then you should be happy to have it, right?" Alva asked.

"Of course, but it would be more effective in the hands of someone with talent."

"Life and death really isn't my specialty. Especially the last part. I'm more of a harmony sort," Alva shrugged. "Anyway, just keep it. You can sell it if you want, I don't care." She used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, "We're finally almost there. That freaking huge waste of space."

"... The Great Hall?"

"Yeah."

Their travels through the Gardens had been quite unpleasant, even with Alva leading them away from the most dangerous things. That involved approaching this 'Golden Rafflesia', a massive flower that felt like it was rotting her from the inside out every time she smelled it. It wasn't, though. It just wanted very specific creatures to come to it, while keeping others away. Others being almost everything in the area, and it would have included Alva if there hadn't been a large group of cultivators in one direction and some sort of worrying relative of a grasping willow in the other.

"Everheart is a terrible host," Alva said. "He should put little rest shacks occasionally, instead of wide open areas of nothing, then overly large buildings full of ostentation and nothing practical."

"Displaying one's might is to be expected."

"You sound almost like you admire Everheart."

"Should I not? He's said to be supremely powerful."

"Didn't the Harmonious Citadel have conflict with him? He stole a bunch of their statues."

"No he didn't. Those were replicas."

"Sure, right." Alva shook her head, "Anyway, he's an asshole."

"I don't know how you could know that. I have been with you most of your time in the upper realms, and before that you couldn't have interacted with him."

"Right. I've never met him, but I certainly got that impression." And her words were true, in a way.

"Anyway," Vari said, "I'm sure someone that strong has reasons to act the way they do."

Maybe, Alva supposed. But that didn't make him not an asshole. Sensible gardens didn't have more than one or two things that could kill people, but the whole thing was full of the most dangerous creatures in existence! Probably. Not counting void ants, or Paradise. Or Fuzz, but he was a special exception.

"I sense others with the same cultivation style as yours," Vari said. "Two men and a woman. I assume these are your companions?"

"That's right," Alva said. "I guess I should introduce you." It still took some time to get close, but the others moved towards her as well. "Hey everyone. This is Vari. She's following me around for some reason. Vari, this is my cousin Catarina, her husband Timothy, and my friend Hoyt."

"Greetings, Lady Catarina, Lords Timothy and Hoyt," Vari inclined her head.

"Is she alright?" Catarina asked.

Alva shrugged, "I don't know. She's just like this. Hey, actually…" Alva snatched something. "Tell me you can see this. Please?"

"What is it?" Catarina asked, leaning close. "Some sort of energy strand?"

"Oh good," Alva breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought I was going crazy. Do you think it's safe to absorb."

"I can try," Catarina said… but her attempts to control it were fruitless. "It doesn't appear to like me."

Alva looked at Vari. "Dammit."

"Do you know what it is?" Catarina asked.

"I don't know… devotion? Delusion? Could be either," Alva said. "So, how are things here?"

Things had gone quite well at the peace conference. Nobody had even drawn weapons, let alone been stabbed. So far, everyone was following through with their parts of the arrangement, but there were many years yet to go. At some point, hopefully there would be peace without all of this extra mess. Though it would take work to maintain. It was only a question of how much attention to devote to that aspect, and how much to developing the world.

Anton firmly believed they would need to be stronger for the next invasion. The Trigold cluster likely wouldn't just let them off with what had already happened. Or maybe they would, in which case being stronger simply allowed them to establish themselves as a factor beyond their single world.

News trickling in from the upper realms was mostly positive. Apparently Everheart only had a single Tomb in the upper realms, but it was massive and deadly. It seemed to serve a different purpose than the ones on their own world. He didn't have any way to provide relevant input on that discussion, of course. Not from where he was.

Anton knew any attempts to go to the upper realms would be deadly, but he idly considered if he could move to another planet in the lower realms. As if he could take the time away, or give up his responsibilities. And even if he could, he would likely find himself subconsciously feeling responsibility for what else went on atop distant planets. That might not be valid, and would certainly be disruptive. It was better to avoid such thoughts for a while. Maybe a couple centuries, after which point he would be dead or possibly unnecessary. And while at various points he would have hated to be the latter, the longer he lived the more he wouldn't mind it.

Fire burned inside Anton. As his connection to the sun grew stronger, Anton had empowered the other stars inside him. It was a slow process. Noticing a significant difference within a year was already beyond what could reasonably be expected. He was making some small strides, however. Perhaps it was rude to consider the amount of energy a first star cultivator had insignificant, but it wasn't unfair. If their stars were equivalent, he would be worth a hundred- but they weren't. Not by far.

Anton felt he could get wrapped up in an endless cycle of cultivation, withdrawing from the world and focusing only on his own growth. It might be nice to forget about the world, but if he did, he would no longer be himself. So he had to keep himself from drifting off.

Then Anton felt something. It was different from the natural energy he had inside himself, even that of the sun. Its power was… tolerable. The small strand of energy was insignificant compared to his total, but its density was admirable. Anton wasn't sure what had formed it, though. It wasn't quite like anything he recognized. The closest might be strands of insight, but this didn't carry with it thoughts or memories, but pure energy. After carefully observing it to determine if it was tainted with another's control, Anton couldn't find anything. It was strange, because though it wasn't a part of him it felt like perhaps it should be. Or it wanted to be.

He was careful, but he integrated it into his own cultivation. It felt… good? Like he had cultivated for several days instead of just minutes. Perhaps it was some stray bit of energy from some precious material that had formed or passed nearby. He would ask around the sect to see if any of them knew what it was from. He didn't want to deprive anyone of their own cultivation resources, but if there was more like that, he would be interested to procure such for himself. It might be time for a little adventure.

Chapter 427

Ambati. No sects or clans held a dominant position, but they had managed to keep their conflicts to a minimum. Most of the world no longer had a problem with food- enhanced growing techniques allowed land to be used much more efficiently. Even what had once been less desirable land due to poor soil quality or vicious beasts could be claimed and brought to some level of functionality. Perhaps in another century or two they would have to solve issues of overcrowding, but Anton hoped by that time people could work together towards that goal. Or they would wipe out another third or half of their population like the wars a half century earlier. That was a terrible method, but it would happen.

It was a shame that prosperity might eventually bring problems along with it. Even if more people were ascending, it couldn't possibly hope to keep up with the growth of even a moderate population. One a year, a handful, even if they got to hundreds or thousands it wouldn't be enough. Though people could simply choose to be more conservative with having children. It was the struggle for limited resources between factions that might become an issue.

That was not a problem Anton could deal with himself, but by fostering relations between people and countries he could hope that they would work things through. His reason for coming to Amabati wasn't for anything official, but just for a visit. Simply coming for a visit as the sect head of a powerful group meant something, but Anton knew people would read into his actions whatever they wanted. Though most had a positive opinion of him.

He expected to find who he was looking for at a great distance, but could not sense her. She should be staying in the area, but perhaps she had roamed off on some distant mission. Anton hadn't announced his trip ahead of time, so he had no expectation his arrival would be anticipated.

Asking around in the nearby city was fairly straightforward. Those with the highest cultivations would at least know of each other. A few had only heard of the archer, but one older man had some knowledge of her location. "Why do you seek her?" he asked.

"She was my student," Anton said. "I can't guide her along her current path, but I did help her with her early path of archery."

"Ah. It is you," the old man said. "I had expected your aura to be more… domineering."

"That would be completely unnecessary," Anton pointed out.

"That doesn't stop everyone," the man grinned. "Nthanda has spoken well of you in the past, and would certainly be glad to see you once more. She is currently in Kintale, half a day's…" the man shook his head, "Somewhere around thirty kilometers to the north."

Anton stretched his senses out, immediately sweeping over the area. "There are no villages there that I can find. Nor can I sense her."

The man blinked. "You should as you get closer, though I must say that it is not a village in a traditional sense. Many would refer to it as a nest. Void ants."

"Ah," Anton nodded. That informed how he should be searching. He could not directly feel void ants, but he could still determine their locations if he was careful. When they were closer, the details of their presence was easier to sense, as he would be quite aware of gaps in his senses. Even at a 'modest' distance, however, his senses were less attuned to those finer details. "I see. I believe I have found it." An ant's nest mainly consisted of underground tunnels, and void ants were no different… at a base. However, their intelligence allowed them to construct more complex structures- and to expand instead of merely tunneling. There were other ants that did something similar, creating great ant mounds, but void ants were more intentional with their design. They had regular patterns… and even some purely aesthetic choices. Many tunnels were wider than that of normal ants, because although void ants did not reach anything particularly large for an insect, they varied in size from the standard black ants to the size of a thumb. Though the Great Queen was the only example of the latter at the moment.

Having found Kindale, Anton noticed signs nearby. They were for the sake of humans, notifying them. He should have spotted them earlier, but he was focused on finding a person. That was a note he'd have to make for future study. Speaking of that person, Nthanda should still be something he could sense.

"She's certainly made progress," Anton said. "Thank you for the information, good sir."

"You're welcome," the man nodded.

Nthanda was difficult to sense, but compared to a void ant it was much simpler. It seemed she'd continued her training to gain their properties, and thus his energy senses had glossed over her. However, she left a much larger gap, and once he sensed her he could find traces of natural energy she was manipulating as well. Though for a Life Transformation cultivator, it was barely anything. The only natural energy she used was to form the string on the bow Anton had given her, and only the tiniest amounts of that energy leaked away. Excellent progress.

Anton took a quick stroll, enjoying the nature around him but not wanting to waste too much time. While he had nothing to do urgently at the moment, there were always things that could be done. But he wasn't too hasty. Leisure was important.

The area was remote, but it did have something resembling a road going through it. He took that route, not because he needed to, but because he wanted to leave a good impression on the void ants. It was their territory after all.

"Hello there," Anton waved as he approached. "I'm just here to see Nthanda." A few dozen meters away, two ants looked at each other, their limbs moving. "I do see you, in fact. And I understand your sign."

Ants couldn't blush, but as their language had developed they picked up certain tics that showed emotions even to humans. It was a faster way for them to communicate with each other as well, since pheromones could be slow and inexact. The two guard ants quickly recovered and returned to their duties, waving their forelimbs and antennae.

"I would be happy to accept an escort. Do you wish to walk alongside or ride along?"

As he held out his finger for one of them to climb up, Anton thought about how strangely vulnerable he was. A single void ant- with the exception of the Great Queen or perhaps a few of similar power or age- could do little bit create small lacerations before being destroyed. But having reached Assimilation, his relative battle strength against void ants was more or less the same. He was little better than a cultivator who had just finished the second half of Spirit Building in terms of body, which was about as far as the average cultivator went.

Though Nthanda was an exception. There were others who practiced Western Steel Body as well, but even most of them incorporated more energy. Nthanda simply wasn't suited for storing or using large amounts of natural energy, but she found a way that worked.

"Hello again," Anton announced himself as he approached. "Your progress is remarkable."

She turned towards him with a smile. "Grand Elder… no, Sect Head. I had not expected you."

"You can just call me Anton," he said. "I'm not here on sect related business. Just came to see how you were doing."

"Now you have seen," she nodded. "What do you think?"

"As I said, remarkable progress," he looked at her and nodded. Her skin had already been dark, but it was closer to black, with a faint sheen to it. It wasn't quite the chitin of the void ants, but it was a remarkable recreation of those properties. "Your energy control is impressive as well. And what are those arrows?"

Nthanda pulled an arrow from her pack to show him. It was entirely made of metal, including the 'feathers'. "This is a form of shape restoring metal. Once set into form, it will return to that form unless great effort is taken to keep it from happening." She snapped the arrow in half, showing Anton the two parts, then pressed them back together. The metal around the break almost melted back together, and within a few moments it was whole. "I need replace many fewer. If an enemy wished they might destroy all of my arrows, but the extra energy expenditure in combat would be significant for no immediate gain. I have also been studying different body tempering techniques to improve my own."

Anton nodded. "You're getting close to the peak of Life Transformation. Another couple decades, perhaps?"

"Something like that," she acknowledged. "Though I'm not sure what I will do after that."

"Unfortunately, I have no advice," Anton shrugged. "Not that directly applies, anyway. What should you do? Tear apart space with your bare hands?" He paused, "Perhaps that could be done, but I wouldn't have any idea where to start."

"It might not matter. At the moment, I am not sure if I would wish to ascend anyway. Here, I am strong. In the upper realms…"

"You would still be strong," Anton said. "But it is true that your control over your destiny would be more limited. Those of us who have reached that place have found various difficulties. But that's the path of cultivation."

She nodded. "Can you help improve my distance shooting? I lose track of my arrows once they are far away, and I am unsure why they are going off course. Simply having your senses to tell me would be a great boon."

"Of course," Anton smiled. "Any time." He meant it too. That was the sort of thing he was devoted to, and he very much enjoyed the process. It let him feel good about himself and the world.

Some time later, almost exactly halfway across the continent, Anton found himself once more underneath a great tree. His best bow was made via the contributions of the Grandfather Willow, his mental connection making it even more effective than just the materials could achieve.

Lev had clearly sensed him coming from afar, and Anton was directly guided to meet him. Anton took a sip of tea. "I am happy to say that part of my visit is social. But I do have some questions that we need to get to at some point."

Lev nodded, "I have sent for Elder Varela to join us. I'm sure you will not mind."

"Not at all. Last time we met we were swamped with diplomatic nonsense, so we hardly got to talk."

"Good," Lev smiled. "So what are these questions? Might as well get them out of the way."

"Well, I've been encountering a type of energy. I don't know where it comes from, and though it seems safe… I am rather suspicious."

"Describe it for me," Lev said.

"Well it's-" Anton was going to describe it, "Easier to see, actually." He felt some coming vaguely towards them. It bypassed him, but he snatched it. It was much more slippery than he'd previously encountered. "This sort of thing. A strand of energy."

Lev waved for him to let it go, and it continued towards him, and into him. "In fact, I do have some idea. I started to see it some time ago and began to look into it. Even the Exalted Archipelago's information was limited but… it would generally be called Devotion."

"Where does it come from?" Anton asked.

"From people," Lev said. "How much have you encountered?"

"Just a few strands now and then," Anton said.

"I'm surprised," Lev frowned. "I would expect there to be more."

"Is it common?"

"Not necessarily, but with you being you… there are many who are grateful to you for one thing or another. Though I suppose you do travel around frequently. It might have trouble finding you."

"So it comes from… people? I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that."

"That… is quite like you, actually. And perhaps you are right, in some ways. But I would not reject it. Devotion cannot be used by any but its intended. The information I have indicated that people could be encouraged to produce more, but that is where it might be inappropriate. People subconsciously offering you devotion in some manner will not harm them, but if they are encouraged to cultivate devotion over more practical alternatives, it can stunt their growth."

"So… I can disregard it then?" Anton asked.

"I suppose that is reasonable," Lev nodded.

"Why am I only noticing it now?" Anton questioned. "I haven't really changed. Was it related to the… events in the Exalted Archipelago?"

"From what I know, it shouldn't be. Not directly, at least. Being in awe of your power might change how people feel about you, of course, but it simply can't be sensed or used by those who have not surpassed Life Transformation."

"Not at all?" Anton asked.

Lev shrugged, "Speaking in absolutes seemes liable to result in me being incorrect. Not as far as I know, but again… limited information. Perhaps those in the upper realms might know more."

"I suppose they would, if ascension cultivators can interact with it. At the current moment the majority of those I'm in contact with are in Everheart's Tomb." Anton frowned, "And I just had an idea."

"Oh?" Lev raised an eyebrow.

"It's a stupid one," Anton said. "But perhaps they'll have answers for that as well. But I'd rather not say it aloud." He sipped his tea. "Varela's almost here. Perhaps we can talk about something more pleasant than mysteries of cultivation we don't understand."

Chapter 428

"This would be faster if I could see the formation directly," Catarina commented.

"No." Timothy's answer was instant and firm.

"What? I know better than to tear apart Everheart's ego-statue to find what's underneath. I was just saying it would be easier. If I really was going to do it, it would have happened a week ago."

"It's odd that Everheart would have created this grand tomb and returned to Ceretos to leave behind some sort of control plate," Hoyt remarked. They were as secure as Catarina could make their conversation, which meant they'd have to have some sort of formation grandmaster actively watching them to get anything. There might be some that would come to Everheart's Tomb, but they might be smarter than that.

"I don't fully understand the rules involved in going between the upper and lower realms," Catarina said, "But I don't believe Everheart is in the habit of leaving anything behind anywhere. And I don't think he would have left it untrapped, either."

"Wasn't that formation plate super trapped at some point?" Alva asked.

"At some point… certainly," Catarina agreed. "Long enough in the past that they seem to have crumbled before Everheart's time."

"That man was very busy," Hoyt said. "It's hard to believe how much he accomplished."

"We could likely do the same, if we didn't care about present or future consequences. He made enemies with everyone, but got away with boatloads of resources that allowed him to reduce the time required to create things. With enough raw materials, you can just slap together something like this quickly."

"This being…" Alva looked around.

"This Tomb."

"I don't believe you," Alva crossed her arms.

"If I had the resources and a vast supply of energy," Catarina said, "I could do this in ten or twenty years. Before monsters were seeded in and people were getting in the way. Of course, that's with the caveat that I was building atop something else. Like whatever's down there," Catarina gestured. She rotated the formation plate in her hand, feeling the fluctuations in energy as she attempted to control something she couldn't see. "I believe I have done all I can here for now. We can't remain forever, after all."

"I can send to be picked up," Hoyt said. "I'm sure a batch of people would be happy to get off-world."

"It will be better to ride along with another group. I believe Alva was looking into the options?"

"Oh, yeah. I had Vari take care of that." Alva gestured.

"Oh! Yes." Vari collected herself. "There's a group in the Gardens returning to the Harmonious Citadel next month…" the collective gazes of the surrounding people made her swallow nervously. "But of course as lady Alva has expressed her desire to not go directly back to the Harmonious Citadel for some reason, I looked into alternatives. The Library has a pickup in one week. Time will be a bit tight to get there, and the price is rather high. Otherwise there's a ship landing on the far side of the Labyrinth. But that one's going to the Bloodsoaked Nebula so I-"

"That's the one," Timothy said. Catarina nodded.

"I would like to stay out of conflict zones," Hoyt agreed.

"But the Bloodsoaked Nebula-"

"Hasn't had any major battles there in centuries," Alva said. "Right?"

"... It doesn't sound like a nice place."

Perhaps it wasn't, but it was a step closer to Nuvater, and was a step further from the Harmonious Citadel. Further from the Dark Ring too, but Hoyt wasn't restricted in where he could go. He was working with them on some level, but he didn't have to dive headfirst into the conflict with the Harmonious Citadel immediately.

Vari sighed, "I still don't want to go to somewhere I know millions of people died. All the energy is corrupted and gross. But we'd have to get through the Labyrinth anyway, and that's got some of the most deadly traps and… nobody seems to care about that."

"We care," Catarina said. "But we're also confident in our abilities."

"So is everyone else," Vari pointed out. "And half of them die."

"Then we'd best ensure we're part of the correct half," Catarina said. She wasn't going to mention that herself and Timothy had already made up for the numbers. Vari probably wouldn't like to know they killed people from the Harmonious Citadel- and besides, that wasn't how statistics worked. Though it certainly wasn't fully random either.

The labyrinth was a long and winding deathtrap, but it covered about half a band around the whole planet. The Great Hall was approximately near its middle on one side, which meant that going around involved traveling about half of the planet. Moving along the outside walls wasn't necessarily safer than inside the Labyrinth, as many other cultivators took the same route… and might be interested in finding loot conveniently on people instead of in deathtraps.

There were openings at various points along either side of the Labyrinth, so if they found a good route passing through would be much quicker. The paths never stayed the same for long, so there were no maps. Only general themes and signs of danger that were oft-repeated. Of course, those were just the signs that people survived to tell about- perhaps there were unknown dangers that were the source of the various deaths.

As they approached their selected entrance, they were met by a young man with deep black hair, expertly styled and sharply contrasting with his nearly pure white skin and clothes. "You're in luck!" The young man said. "A new challenge has just begun!"

"Oh wow it's been so long," Alva said.

"What do you mean?" Vari asked.

"It's just another projection of Everheart."

"But we haven't seen any…?"

"Don't worry about that," Alva pat Vari on the head, though they were basically the same height. "Yo, Everheart! What's the challenge?"

"The challenge is to collect these," Everheart pulled out an orb, seemingly made of swirling colors. It first appeared to be glass or crystal, but as the rainbow twisted and folded into patterns it was clear it couldn't be any sort of normal material. "Each labyrinth orb is worth a number of points. The group or individual with the highest number of points at the end of the event wins."

"What do they win?" Vari asked.

"A huge pile of cr- carefully handpicked equipment," Everheart said with a smile. "Enough to make you emperors."

"I could have already been a emperor," Alva shrugged. "But sure. How do we get them?"

"By completing trials… or being fortunate enough to stumble across them. And I'm sure you can think of other ways."

"Can we have that one?" Alva asked.

Everheart folded his arms in front of him. "That would be completely unfair to the other participants, would it not?"

"Since when did you care about that?" Alva tilted her head. "Can we have it or not?"

"If you want it," Everheart said, dropping into a stance. "You'll have to take it from me."

"Okay." Even before the word was done, Alva had drawn and fired her bow, a Spirit Arrow heading straight for the orb held in Everheart's hand. He barely managed to pull it out of the way, and the arrow went off into the distance. "Ugh, whatever. Let's go." Alva spun around, and the others followed her.

"Are we just giving up on that…?" Vari asked.

"I don't want to waste energy," Alva said as they began to walk into the labyrinth, the walls deceptively high and the path being a good ten meters across as far as they could see- with branching paths up ahead.

Then the orb bounced off the wall next to Alva, and she reached out to snatch it. She looked over he shoulder to see if Everheart would give chase, but he seemed to be content with cursing her under his breath. The arrow's return path had knocked it out of his hand when he wasn't ready… but Alva imagined he wasn't trying that hard. Of course, he was also focused on their group walking away from him, which was the point.

Everheart watched the strange group go. They knew him, but had never been here before. Not just the Labyrinth, with this particular projection of him. The entire Tomb. He kept track of such things. He also thought he recognized something about the cultivation technique four of them practiced. Had he met someone like that in the past? There were so many. Maybe they were just bluffing. But they could be telling the truth. The original would want to know about this.

Either way, it would be fun to put some special encounters in their path. Serves them right for that girl snatching away his orb. He didn't have a backup. He really wasn't supposed to give it away, but it didn't matter. Anything that could be done was fine. Cheating was a word those who couldn't handle the real world used to explain why they lost.

"Why is gravity sideways all of the sudden?" Vari yelled as she found herself falling into the hail of darts instead of ducking under it. Everyone else was also being pulled towards the wall.

"At least it isn't upside down," Hoyt said.

"Don't give him any ideas!" Alva complained.

A few moments later with a flurry of movement, they all found themselves on the wall, basically unscathed. Vari was curled up into a ball, but her barrier had served her fine, preventing enough of the incoming weapons. Timothy had helped with others, and Alva had shot the incoming wall to set off traps early, before they landed. Smoke and the aftersmell of lightning filtered around them along with piles of metal, but they were fine.

"Is this going to stop or…?" Timothy tapped his toe on the wall/floor.

The answer seemed to be that it would not any time soon. So when they came to their next turn, the option was to try climbing or drop down quite a distance. They could also try to jump across.

"It's not too far," Hoyt said. "The problem will be if there are other obstacles. Or hidden enemies."

"Pretty sure the walls across the way will crush us," Alva said. "Or something on that scale, at least."

"Down has too many formations to handle in freefall," Catarina said. "So we can try up where there are…"

"Snakes," Alva said. "And probably some wall-crawlers. The trees give some good mobility options, though. Just don't fall."

All of them took in the sideways forest above them, or perhaps it was more of a grove. An intentionally planted one at that, with somewhat regular patterns.

"A group's coming up behind us," Alva cautioned. "So we should hurry to make a choice."

"Up it is," Timothy said. "Let's go." He turned to Vari, "Need help?"

"I can do this," Vari said stubbornly. She leapt upwards at an angle, covering the dozen meters between her and her destination. She softly landed on the side of a tree, large enough to be a comfortable platform.

Timothy looked at Alva and shrugged, "I'm not sure why she likes you."

"Hey, I'm nice."

"Not to her."

With some effort, they all landed on trees of their own, just in time for the local inhabitants to begin their attack. It was rather odd, as both trees and snakes appeared to be functioning with standard gravity.

Some of the snakes were small- the length of an arm at best- but the amount of upper energy they contained was sufficient for them to puncture energy defenses, at least long enough to inject venom. As for what such venom might do, nobody was interested in testing it. Alva was focused on taking them down before they got close, but there were too many for her to take out alone.

The group used their footing on the sides of trees to maneuver, careful to not destroy what was holding them up as they attacked. They cut down their enemies as they approached, a wall of fire near the 'ground' encircling some of the trees keeping them at bay, courtesy of Hoyt. Vari flung barriers around in a way she had not previously demonstrated- using them as walls to redirect the possible paths of the slithering creatures.

The battle was going well, but many legged creatures that appeared to be more claw and limb than anything else were coming from 'above'. And the group of cultivators coming up from behind them seemed to be standing on the floor normally. For the moment they were observing curiously, but it was impossible to say what they might do if they found an opening.

Chapter 429

Everything seemed normal when they killed the snakes, despite gravity going the wrong direction. Approaching crawlers possessed some potential danger, but instead of worrying about that Alva took a shot at one of the many-limbed creatures. It was mostly clawed legs with barely a torso or head, but she was skilled at picking out weak points. Her shot found a heart or something equivalent, and the creature went down- individually, they seemed to not be a threat. Then it exploded, and a colored orb fell down.

Down from their current orientation, not compared to where actual gravity should be, nor the perspective of the creatures they were fighting. That particular crawler had come along the wall, so it fell towards the crossroads… where one of the nearby cultivators snatched it up. Annoying, but nothing worth concerning herself with yet.

As the crawlers came for the closest enemy, the one furthest up/forward, they clawed at Timothy. He adequately defended himself against their many limbs, but as their claws missed his legs they tore chunks out of the tree he was standing on, forcing him to jump to another or fall. He could cling to the wall or floor with his energy, but supporting his weight with energy alone while fighting was not the best prospect.

Further crawlers were slain, and more orbs of different colors dropped from them. Pure colors, not the mixed rainbow like the one Alva had snatched from the projection of Everheart. It was unclear if these were worth more or less, or if they were in fact not associated with the points at all.

Since the challenge had been set, Catarina reached her free hand out to catch any that fell near her, dropping them into her storage bag. They could chase down the others later, and for the moment staying safe was more important. The crawlers might be somewhat dangerous, but the humans' cultivations weren't weak either- even if they could only reach the upper realms through ascension, many people and creatures born in the upper realms were beneath their level.

Vari focused on defending not herself or the others, but the trees they were using as platforms. Using her energy to form a barrier on stationary objects was easier than people, but her range was restricted. She had to be close to her target, and touching was best. She leapt back and forth, fortifying the trees others were using. As she moved between another pair, she felt a momentary weakness. Then she was falling.

A fall would generally be of no consequence to a Life Transformation cultivator, but that was in typical gravity. Everheart's Tomb wasn't normally different, but falling sideways was already abnormal, and landing in traps would be a problem. As Vari tried to web out her energy to catch herself, she found her control slipping. Then she was yanked to a halt.

Alva dropped her onto the tree next to her and went back to shooting without pause. Vari was helpful, if confused. And while they were on a team, she wouldn't just let her die. But despite her lower cultivation, Vari was normally competent. It was strange that she had fallen at all- and even now her energy seemed in disarray. As Alva searched for the issue, Hoyt was already on it.

He left behind the gouges of fire around where he had been fighting, confident they would scorch any enemy that passed through him- but he had another target. He leapt at an angle, spinning to add what felt like horizontal momentum to his movement. It didn't matter if his opponents were standing on a floor or wall, all that mattered was if his attacks could reach them.

His axe chopped into the middle of the observing cultivators. While they didn't seem like they were doing anything, falling orbs were disappearing… and they had all dealt with similar illusionists before. His attack wasn't a warning shot either- but without knowing where to properly direct his attacks, he just chose somewhere central. His momentum and energy converted into a spiral of fire as he struck, filling the area with fire. It didn't matter if he knew where his opponents were if fire was everywhere. Hoyt could tolerate snatching falling orbs, but interfering with them as they fought was unacceptable.

Involuntary cries of pain directed him towards actual targets, and he spun around on his axe that was holding him in place to kick at the source. A wave of fire covered everything but a humanoid shape, though the illusion quickly fell away as the person's energy crumbled. They crouched down to their relative ground and covered their head… and Hoyt withdrew some of the energy. There might still be some mercy for these people.

The tide of crawlers didn't last much longer, and the others also began to seek out the illusionists. Soon enough they had them all packed into a corner where it was convenient to reach them and respective gravities met.

"Turn out your bags," Alva said, her bow drawn and ready to fire. "Hand over any of the challenge orbs… and you can leave." She was open to seeking opinions of the others, but she knew they would agree with her actions. While the small group had started the aggression, they didn't necessarily deserve to die. Even in a place full of danger like Everheart's Tomb, the group was not one they needed to be in deadly conflict with. It wasn't the Harmonious Citadel directly robbing them, but a group snatching fallen loot out from under them… and interfering with their fight. Maybe they would have gone further if given the chance, but they could be afforded some benefit of the doubt. Once.

The woman responsible for the group bowed her head in submission. "I thank you for your mercy, on behalf of the Illustrious Beguilers."

Alva didn't know who they were, which meant they were probably a small group… though there could be many such groups that were stronger than the Order. At least, what was left on Ceretos. The upper realms had a great population and powerful energy, so of course cultivators on average had high ranks.

After sending the group on their way, Alva and the others began to attempt their climb once more. Only to very suddenly find themselves falling to the normal floor. Perhaps whatever trap or trick they had encountered had expired… but they remained cautious should gravity divert itself once more.

Vari's eyes were sparkling as she watched the four, despite the awkward change in direction. "All of you are so strong."

Hoyt furrowed his brow, "This is quite a large amount of devotion," he commented, while noting Alva received at least twice as much as any of the others. "I don't think this is necessary. We were just fighting. Doesn't this weaken you?" he asked Vari.

She tilted her head. "Why would it? Devotion provides the core of the Harmonious Citadel's strength. It is only natural that those of you with saint-like features would receive devotion."

Alva just shrugged. It wasn't going to be a short road to convince Vari that anything was weird about her. They had a Labyrinth to get through still… and maybe points to collect. If they could figure out how the orbs worked.

Though it wasn't precise, Catarina had calculated a general amount of points. Solid colored orbs radiated the least amount of upper energy, and thus were probably weakest and worth the least… though it was possible it was exactly the opposite. Either way, certain colors seemed to be worth more, and mixed colors were the most. The rainbow orb from the projection was likely worth as much as the dozens they had collected put together.

Now there were more on offer. Another similar rainbow orb sat on a pedestal in the middle of an empty room, prime for the taking. Which of course meant it was extra trapped.

"I have the feeling that just avoiding traps won't be sufficient here," Catarina commented. "Though there's no projection around to explain it… I'd guess this is a formation test."

"Just tell us if you need anything," Timothy said.

"I will," Catarina nodded. "I think I just have to…" she began to walk in a strange pattern. It spiraled inward, then back outward. Her path even crossed over itself several times, but ultimately she made her way to the center. Then she kicked the pedestal to knock the orb off into her hand. She thought she might be able to just make her way out, but instead traced a new path through the mostly invisible flow of energy. The whole process was sometimes excruciatingly slow, minutes spent on a single step, but after a few hours she had the orb.

There were more monsters, though even with other complications those were the easiest to handle. More challenges appeared- suspiciously appropriate ones. Archery, where a target had to be shot around a corner while the arrow had to wind through an invisible maze. A corridor where continuous attacks rained from both sides, where Timothy and Catarina worked back-to-back. When they came to a towering tree with an orb embedded in it, Hoyt frowned.

"Is it just me, or does that tree look particularly dry and flammable?"

"That was the impression I got as well," Alva said.

"How much of this is a trap?" Hoyt asked.

"That's always the question, isn't it?"

"I can do more than just burn things," Hoyt pouted.

"Then you'd better get on it," Timothy suggested. "It's… growing towards us."

Not only was the tree extending roots, but also twiggy, leafless branches. They weren't just moving, but also expanding. Though there was nothing that said the challenge had to be taken on by a single person, the others took supporting roles while Hoyt chopped through the branches and set everything on fire. The tree burned exceptionally well, which is where Hoyt's training with the Glorious Flame Palace to control what he burned came in handy. Otherwise, the entire area being covered in flames would have been very uncomfortable for the group.

When the orb- with flickering flames contained inside it- dropped to the ground- Hoyt picked it up. "Well, great. Now I'm certain that… guy is watching us."

"I thought we could assume that," Alva said.

Hoyt shrugged, "That's what Everheart wants people to think, at least."

"It's lucky we ran across these particular challenges, huh?" Vari said. "Though I'm sure you could have handled anything."

"I'm amazed you could think this is just random chance," Timothy shook his head. "I won't say what I expected to see, but there are certainly worse things that could have come up. And probably should have."

As they continued on through the labyrinth, they came to a confluence of differing paths, dozens of corridors all arriving in the same large room. Somewhat predictably, there was a glowing golden orb in the center. Dozens of cultivators could be seen trying to reach it. Nothing was directly stopping them, but every step they took seemed as if they carried a thousand tons on their back. A great pressure obviously bore down on anyone moving forward, and many had to retreat as they found themselves running low on energy. Their retreats weren't always entirely successful either- many collapsed as they reached close to the edge, suffering injuries to their bare bodies from being unable to block the pressure with their energy.

Moving away from the center was somewhat easier, but clearly not trivial. That meant they had to judge whether they could make it all the way- or turn back before it was too late. The four from the Order silently exchanged glances. It was better to be conservative with such a thing. No point in hurting themselves for unknown value. They were only participating in the challenges because it felt like refusing would be a waste.

A cry of pain as one cultivator pushed too far, then collapsed into a heap of mangled bones and flesh. A reminder that this Tomb was not above killing people, quite regularly as well. But as long as they didn't overestimate themselves, they should be fine- or even grow from the experience.

As the four of them stepped forward, Vari remained behind. "You're not coming?" Alva asked.

"What is the point? The four of you have a chance to succeed, but I don't have the strength."

"You might be surprised," Alva said, "But caution is reasonable as well." It was entirely possible that someone of lower cultivation might do better… but that was up to the particular whims of Everheart.

Alva felt her energy draining as she pushed forward. It wasn't just fighting against the pressure, but some was intentionally torn away from her. That meant she was powering the very thing that was restricting her. Some curses for Everheart flowed out silently. It wouldn't do to tip things further against them in an area where they were watched more closely.

As she pressed forward, Alva felt herself invigorated with a strange energy. Not entirely unfamiliar, but somewhat unexpected. But as she looked over her shoulder, it was clear that Vari was anticipating something. The further she went, the more difficult it got. Alva reached a point that on her own she knew she should not pass. The others were slightly behind… perhaps receiving somewhat less devotion. Should she count on the devotion sustaining her? It didn't seem inherently reliable, but in the current circumstances it would feel rather insulting to just give up.

As Alva pressed forward, the drain and pressure both increased… along with the devotion bolstering her. It was uncomfortable, not because the energy itself felt tainted in any way but because of how easily she could come to accept or even expect it to be there. And though Vari seemed content with her life, ultimately this couldn't be sustained forever, could it?

Almost without thinking, Alva reached the pedestal and snatched the golden orb. The pressure immediately dissipated, but instead of a fight breaking out like Alva expected, the various groups were thrown back into whatever corridors they came from. Except hers.

"I guess we continue on, then," Alva said awkwardly. "We should be vaguely close to the exit, but this challenge thing might be over soon as well."

As they continued onward, they next found a body on a large stone slab. A burial of some sort? That was their initial thought, but several factors keyed them in that things were different. First, there was the sense of life and energy flowing from the person laying there. Then there was the snoring.

They decided to leave them undisturbed, and began to sneak around the perimeter of the room… until Vari kicked a loose stone. It clattered across the floor, echoing between the walls. "... sorry."

The snoring stopped, and the figure sat up. "Wha? Whozzat? Oh, challengers. Are you a group?"

"What?"

"Are you a group? It determines how the points are handled."

Chapter 430

Everyone exchanged looks. This slovenly projection of Everheart was somewhat of a surprise- not for his demeanor, but because of where he had appeared. "We are a group, yes."

"Are you sure?" Everheart asked. "Because it's worth more if just one person has all the points." He folded his arms and tapped his foot. "... And thus you get more rewards in total! And all to yourself."

Glances continued. Everheart was many things, but as far as the mechanics of his trials went he wasn't a liar. Or at least, he hadn't been. This particular Tomb was deadlier than the others, but nothing had strictly been a lie. Catarina put on her best evil grin, "Alright everyone, hand it over."

Timothy personally didn't find the situation very convincing, but it might not matter if Everheart believed them. It was just that he might change his mind if they talked about it. Timothy did his best to be convincing by starting with a very real truth. "I don't want to fight you, here." He extended the orbs he had collected.

Everyone else handed them over as well, including Vari. Catarina looked at Everheart, "I have obtained all of the orbs."

"That's umm… yes, indeed," Everheart nodded. "It seems you have. Come with me!" With only a slight moment of disorientation, they were elsewhere, or perhaps nowhere. Around them was a room filled with nothing- not light or darkness, but a strange absence of either. The projection rubbed his hands. "Good job. You connived your former companions into giving up their rewards. None will know what great wealth you can obtain here, so even if you return with pitiful prizes to placate them, you can still be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams!"

"What was that?" Catarina asked.

"What was what?" Everheart asked in return.

"The teleportation. I know how to teleport people, but the local formations didn't have anything related to that. The power requirements are also an issue."

"Oh, a formation master, are you? I can tell you, for a price."

"How much?" Catarina paused, "How much will it cost, how much will I learn?"

"I don't know what you will learn," Everheart admitted, "But I would tell all, leaving no secrets. It would be up to you to understand it. But of course, this would cost… half of your prize."

Catarina knew the orbs they had were not insignificant, by comparing with the illusionists group. It was possible that others got more than them, through luck or force, but they should be near the top. "Quite expensive. I would like to browse other options first."

"Of course," Everheart smiled. "What would you like? I have wealth beyond all measure!" He waved his arms, revealing the existence of something around them for the first time. A pile of precious metals and gemstones flickered into vision, sitting on some sort of shelf Catarina could not see. "Weapons and armors!" Everheart waved his hand, revealing racks of weapons and stands filled with glittering armor, stretching out into the distance. "Utility items, medicines, precious materials, I have it all!"

Catarina nodded, "Do you have anything to hide the origin of goods."

Everheart smiled. "Do I?" He frowned briefly, muttering under his breath, "Do I?" Then his face lit up and he clapped his hands, "Of course I do! I have just the thing!" Everheart waved his hand and there was a shift. Then he reached over next to him and tapped a chest that sprang into being. It was about one meter long, half a meter wide and tall with a bit of an arch on the top. There was little special about it, as aside from fine wood and metal bindings it seemed to be a normal chest.

"A chest," Catarina said.

"Yes!" Everheart nodded enthusiastically.

"If I want to hide things I can just put them in a bag," Catarina said. "I need to be able to use things."

"That's- what do you take me for, a charlatan?" Everheart smiled, "Good sense! But this actually works. Anything that can fit through the mouth can be resized and reshaped, within certain limits. Functionality remains identical, though visual features that are part of functionality cannot be redone."

"Sounds dubious," Catarina commented.

"No, it works! Perfect for using ill-gotten gains without any of the consequences! Though resale value might change depending on fame." Everheart shrugged, "And a skilled master can still determine who it was made for, and for what purpose. That's part of the inherent form of something."

"So if I were to take this sword, for example," Catarina pulled out one from the Harmonious Citadel, "What could it do?"

"Why don't you try it and find out?" Everheart asked.

"Will it cost me anything?"

"A few points… subsumed into the price should you acquire this."

Catarina squinted her eyes, "And it works… how many times?"

"As many as you want," Everheart reassured her.

"What's the biggest limiting factor?"

"Getting something worth transforming, of course." Everheart shifted awkwardly as Catarina's eyes bored into him. "... and the energy requirements."

"More or less than teleporting someone to the moon?"

"... Depends on the planet?"

"I'll test it," Catarina said.

"Go ahead," Everheart gestured. "And just this once I'll provide the juice. So your 'friends' don't kill you so easily when you get back out."

The sword fit easily into the box- it had the same sort of extradimensional nature as a storage bag, so though the sword should barely fit lengthwise, it went in quite easily. Catarina watched as Everheart closed the chest, and the outer surface shimmered and became transparent. She watched as the weapon inside transformed, the crests shrinking away and the shape of the hilt slightly reforming. As far as she could tell the balance should have remained the same. The blade itself changed less, but it soon looked much more generic.

"Here it is," Everheart handed it to Catarina, beaming.

She turned the sword over in her hands. If she hadn't just seen it transform, she wouldn't have known it was the same sword. The coloration was the same, but it would be hard for the Harmonious Citadel to claim anything with how it looked. "I like it," Catarina smiled.

"Thank you! I mean, of course. Everything I have is amazing and valuable." Everheart nodded seriously. "I told them…" he cleared his throat. "The other… participants… haven't recognized my genius. In acquiring valuable goods. Was there anything else you wanted?"

"How much would this cost again?"

"About a quarter of your points."

Catarina pursed her lips. If she got this, it would basically be something for herself and Timothy at the moment. Even if she discounted Vari's contribution, spending three quarters of the points on the two of them seemed a bit much. On the other hand, it would provide value to the group in the future, and they were trusting her to make good choices. Did she really need to know how the teleportation worked? No, that was silly. Could she afford not to learn it? Being stolen away from somewhere without even realizing it could happen was not an insignificant issue.

There was no way she could get a new bow for Alva anyway, nor an axe for Hoyt. Not that was better than what they had. Maybe some nice bracers, boots? And some gauntlets or gloves for Vari. Hers were nothing impressive to speak of, and if she was going to be striking and grappling stronger opponents, she needed as much defense for her fingers as possible.

"Show me the formation," Catarina said.

Everheart swept his hand, drawing in the two rainbow orbs. "That's half. Now then, it's rather simple…" Everheart unfurled a scroll he pulled from somewhere. "See?"

"Ooh, it's some kind of sub-runes woven into everything? I couldn't even tell."

"Wha- I mean, well yes, of course. A genius such as myself has many tricks up his sleeves."

"I know," Catarina nodded, "I've studied much of your work."

Everheart couldn't stop himself from grinning. "I am a formation grandmaster, after all. None compare to me. Though there are secrets you will not even find here, in my Tomb."

Catarina nodded, "Yes. I'm surprised there is hardly any future-hedged functionality like from your earlier work."

"Oh, you… know about that?" Everheart shifted awkwardly. "Well, of course, it's quite an elegant design giving the design constraints I was working with."

"Rather odd there isn't more of it here," Catarina said.

"Yes? No, not really. I don't need such crutches anymore. I've developed far beyond that," Everheart said cagily. "Anyway, wouldn't you like to keep looking at these elegant sub-runes?"

She did want to. Especially since she probably wouldn't have the chance later, unless she learned to recognize it here. It was actually fairly clear how it worked when separated on its own, but it would be almost impossible to pick things out in a functional formation if she didn't properly take this chance to learn. She was quickly scrawling her own copy as she asked Everheart questions. He seemed quite happy to answer them, though she had the feeling he hadn't intended to be so generous.

Catarina was gone. Snatched away by Everheart. For a reason, but that didn't make Timothy less nervous. Theoretically she should be choosing prizes of some sort. If she took her time, perhaps the first hour was reasonable. The second hour was a bit uncomfortable. By eight hours, they were setting up their camp and taking watch, with only pitiful formations instead of the proper defenses Catarina could put together. Timothy might have been impressed with his own work a century before, but it was hardly something that would affect cultivators on his own level. Though every little bit mattered.

"Perhaps lady Catarina has returned at a different location?" Vari suggested. "She could be waiting for us outside the Labyrinth."

"Perhaps," Hoyt admitted, "But if Catarina is still in the Labyrinth, remaining here would be for the best. There's still a week until we need to be out. We should be able to leave the other side within a day or two if we hurry so… we can afford to wait five days here."

"She hasn't responded to our attempts to contact her, either," Alva shook her head.

"Is that what those formation plates are for?" Vari asked. "Do those allow you to talk to her?"

"I thought I told you I had contact with her after coming here?" Alva said. "Though it was kind of unreliable."

"... You can do that outside of communication stations?" Vari asked.

Alva looked to Timothy and Hoyt for help. Hoyt was the first to respond. "I believe the Harmonious Citadel has restrictions on communication, but it's quite possible to do on a smaller scale, yes." Left unsaid was that some of Catarina's techniques weren't in use by others- but for the most part communication worked the same, including the delay between planets and systems- and the upper and lower realms. Which seemed to be just further systems.

They continued to wait. After a full day, there had been several attacks by roaming creatures… and a half dozen groups of cultivators came near them. Some directly turned back upon sensing them. Three Integration cultivators was not a group to be trifled with. Even if they matched in power, nobody wanted to risk being on the losing side for no good reason. Especially when they considered that they might be the one to die, even if their 'side' won. A couple groups of cultivators directly passed by the waiting group, cautious but not cowardly. Each group mentioned the challenge being over, orbs already having been exchanged for points and prizes. In short, there was nothing terribly valuable that couldn't already be seen and used against them.

Even after a full day, there was no sign of Catarina anywhere, nor a response. They hoped that the latter was simply because wherever Everheart had brought Catarina had more of the interference the planet had, but they couldn't be sure. She was the one who would be able to make that judgment the best. So they waited, and waited. Soon, they would be pushing up against the limits of their opportunity to leave. If she was already out of the Labyrinth they had to move to meet her, but if she was not and returned after they left a lone cultivator was much more at risk of death.

Chapter 431

After four days had passed, the group was getting ready to pack up- not that there was much to the process. Camping out in the Labyrinth was fairly simple, except for the potential packs of roaming monsters. It was a reasonable temperature, there wasn't really weather to speak of, and they had food. Though it was possible they didn't all need it anymore. Either way, they had enough comfort for one or two people to rest while the others stayed alert.

Then Catarina appeared. "Here," she said, handing Timothy a sword. "For you."

Timothy took it automatically, but when Catarina turned to Vari she just stared. There was a long pause, then Vari took the pair of gloves. "Oh, thank you."

Alva stared at Catarina for longer, not taking the proffered bracers. Eventually, Catarina tilted her head. "Is something wrong?"

"Were you in some sort of time distortion?" Alva asked.

"I don't think so," Catarina said, frowning. "Was I? How long has it been…" she shook her head, "No, I'm pretty sure everything is normal."

"It's been four and a half days," Alva said.

"Yes, that's right," Catarina nodded.

"And you didn't answer a single message."

"... I forgot about those," Catarina admitted.

Timothy just sighed, "I hope you learned something near about formations."

"I sure did!" Catarina nodded enthusiastically. "Fascinating and horrifying," her eyes swept the area around them. She shoved the bracers into Alva's arms and tossed boots to Hoyt. "We should be going now."

"I don't know why I expected anything else, honestly," Hoyt admitted.

"... Is there a problem with the boots?" Catarina said. "Oh, I also got us a thing that will be quite useful later, but we need to make our way out of the Labyrinth to meet with the ship, right?"

"I'm sure the boots are great," Hoyt said. "I trust that you spent our resources appropriately."

Timothy flicked the sword around a few times, "This feels strangely familiar. Why?"

"That's the chest I got," Catarina explained. "It's currently in storage. I can't really demonstrate here. I'd need somewhere to set up a grand formation to draw in enough energy."

"Alright," Timothy shrugged. He trusted his wife, and her judgment- especially on matters such as that. "So this is…"

"From that nice gentleman we met outside the Great Hall."

"Ah, yes," Timothy nodded. "I see." It was a good sword. At least a step above what his had been. If it were Chikere, it would fall outside of the top handful, but she focused more on that aspect of her equipment than anyone else. Timothy felt his shield at least matched the sword in quality.

As they were now close to the outer parts of the Labyrinth, the challenges were minimal. The days of rest had been valuable as well, allowing people to recover more wounds than they incurred from roaming monsters. They'd avoided being too deeply entangled in the challenge and come out with reasonable rewards- and perhaps some significant value where Catarina's information was concerned. That was something that only time could tell, however.

When they arrived outside the Labyrinth, it wasn't too hard to find the group of cultivators waiting for the ship to descend and take them off-world. There was another day for people to arrive, but there were already over a dozen. No doubt some people would arrive late, and some not at all. There would always be other opportunities to leave, but spending prolonged periods of time in the Tomb was a risk.

Vari seemed hesitant to directly voice any complaints, but she still chose to speak. "Are we certain this is the right ship to leave on? This doesn't take us closer to the Harmonious Citadel."

"We're not going back there," Alva pointed out.

"But-"

Alva looked directly at Vari. "We're not going back there. If you want to, you can look for other ships. You know where some are already. Or you leave with us."

"... I don't understand," Vari hung her head.

"I'm sure you will if you stay with us," Alva said with slightly more confidence than she really had. Vari might be too far gone to switch her ingrained line of thinking. That seemed to be the intent of the Harmonious Citadel, at least.

The ship arrived to carry them off to the Bloodsoaked Nebula. Prices were paid, and they boarded. But they would be back. Catarina thought of the formation plate in her bag, and how it connected to parts of the Tomb… or did it? It felt as if there were something else beneath the surface. With some study, she might be better able to see it.

Messages from the upper realms provided Anton with some comfort. His companions were doing well, and gleaning quite a bit of information they didn't have. Some of that information was about devotion, and though he had no intent to seek it out, some came to him. Including a strangely large amount from directly in the sky.

As far as Anton could tell, devotion took a more or less direct route to its intended recipient. The speed at which it moved varied significantly, from near instantaneous travel in some ways to leisurely floating around once actually in the presence of someone. It might go around the planet or through it, with either option just as likely. As for why it would come from above, he could not fathom. It would have to be from some other world. Perhaps his companions might have some sense of devotion directed towards him, but he was learning to recognize the source and some of it was fully unfamiliar.

Lev had been right about settling in one place, though. When it did not move with great speed, it traveled at a more leisurely pace. Anton found that there was a reasonable amount flowing in at all points, enough that his cultivation speed increased at least twofold. Not that he thought it was particularly fast. It was likely still a matter of a year or two to complete the next star, though that was nothing to scoff at. While a hundred and first star might seem like a small increase, there was also a factor of improving the power each star contained as his cultivation grew. Improving his connection to the sun would be beneficial as well. Though Anton didn't expect there to be any large jumps in his power anytime in the near future… or perhaps ever again.

That depended on how long he lived, and whether or not he could continue the Hundred Stars using the same methods. If he could still manage to achieve prime temperings, the next two would be at one-hundred and twenty-nine and one-hundred sixty respectively. Two more leaps was a reasonable assumption for when he might achieve the equivalent of Augmentation. Even to get that point there was nothing to go off of, and his path would be entirely new. Though if he spent a century or two approaching that point, he might be strong enough to significantly influence the next invasion.

It would be the most comforting disappointment if no invasion happened the next time the tides of the world allowed for it. A century and a half, two centuries… depending on when one measured from, that was the timeline that was being looked at. He wanted to be as ready as possible for such an event, while coordinating with those they sent to the upper realms. Those were his lofty plans. If he didn't keel over and die, first.

It was rather uncomfortable to know that his lifespan had a limit, but not what it was. But since he couldn't do anything about it, he resolved to simply get used to it. He would put his plans in place, and if he wasn't there to see them to fruition someone else would. It was a rather poor plan to begin with that hinged on a single person. Besides, he could grow himself along with the world around him, despite the fact that it would be somewhat slower than single minded dedication to himself.

The Bloodsoaked Nebula was rather uncomfortable to approach. The deep red certainly looked like blood, though verifying anything about it was difficult. When up close, the particles that made up the nebula were extremely diffuse, and it was only when there was a system or two thick of them that they could be seen with the naked eyes. But it was a rather bloody red.

The planet that they found themselves disembarking on wasn't much better. Gaoliv was cracked and pitted, and not from any natural forces. Even those with average energy senses could feel the remnants of battles long past, lingering energy containing violent intent. Mountainsides were melted into murky glass, the seas had boiled away, and life only survived sparingly on its surface. Where they landed was the single city that could be sustained upon its surface, numbering only a few thousands at best and situated next to a lake that had been painstakingly developed for the city's use. Very few people actually lived there, and for the most part it served as a port linking between different parts of the Scarlet Midfields.

"This planet is terrible," Vari gave her direct and honest opinion.

"Agreed," Alva nodded, "But at least it's obvious why. Some places hide it."

"Why do you hate the Harmonious Citadel so much?" Vari asked. She had little insight, but Alva wasn't even trying to slightly hide her intentions.

"Why do you love it so much? Tell me, have you ever spoken to a single one of your precious saints? Have they done anything for you?" Alva jabbed her finger into Vari's sternum, "And I mean you, the person. Not the planets they control that feed resources to them. You. Or directly to help anyone you know."

"Well, I mean… I'm not really important enough to…" Vari trailed off.

Alva waved her off. "Exactly." Alva looked around, catching the eye of the other three companions. "Now I want to find Fuzz."

"A tall task," Catarina said. "Though I suppose we should check this system at least. And there's plenty of free space to set up. You can start asking around to see if anyone's seen or heard of a particularly large wolf."

"I hope he's safe," Alva said nervously. Fuzz was strong, but all alone. Human cultivators would likely find value in hunting him, even if there wasn't a reason other than that. Hopefully he was visible enough and intimidating enough to be found but not approached.

Fuzz wasn't quite as alone as Alva presumed, though he wasn't exactly in plentiful company. He has Spikes, after all. Even if she said crazy things.

"We can't be a pack," Spikes said. Spending more time together had improved their communication significantly. Now he understood at least more than half of what she intended. "We are not the same."

It was things like that which told him he wasn't completely getting it. Crazy words. "Of course we can be a pack." He was part of the same pack as Alva and Anton and Catarina and all of the other humans that were not their kin. "We're even both wolves."

"I am a stone wolf," Spikes retorted. "You are a… rune-and-fire wolf?" Spikes looked unsure of that designation. "We are not the same."

"If we were the same, I would be you or you would be me," Fuzz pointed out. "A pack is made up of those who are not the same but are together."

Spikes didn't seem to agree with his arguments, and didn't continue the conversation. Maybe she was thinking about them… or maybe she refused to think about them. Spikes didn't much like talking anyway. It was too much of a 'human thing', even if they were both wolves. Fuzz agreed that it was a human thing, because he was only approximating the results of speech from his attempts. Maybe he was not communicating well on his end. His brain didn't work like a human, and Spikes was less used to it. She might not want to talk because it was difficult to try. Reading and writing was well out, of course.

But Spikes did not mind having help on a hunt. Spikes was very hungry, which was good. Hunger was for growing, and Spikes was not strong enough to be safe. Fuzz wasn't sure if he was strong enough either, but that was what his pack was for. He would find them. Or they would find him. Either was the same.

The nearest towns had no scent of any of his pack. Nor did the larger cities, though he could not get close enough to be certain they were not somewhere in the center. But if he understood correctly, they might still be very far away. So he would continue to roam the land until he covered all of it- and if he could not find them, he would find a way to roam other lands until he did.

Chapter 432

With painstaking slowness, fine lines were carved into the surface of the rock. Runes formed one at a time, developing into a fabulous tapestry coating the surface. It sparkled with perfection, the energy in the area bending to its whims. Then Catarina smashed it, exploding it into powder.

"Your attempts not going well?" Timothy asked, walking in from nearby.

"This technique is garbage and I hate it," Catarina said.

"Difficult to learn?"

"I'm pretty sure I've been bamboozled," Catarina frowned. "None of it works."

"So?" Timothy shrugged, "Probably takes more practice. How long did it take Everheart to learn it?"

"... I don't know," Catarina admitted.

"You were probably meant to not understand it at all," Timothy said, "But then you at least understood the idea. Everheart answered questions you had, right?"

"Yeah but… I thought I understood, but I don't."

"Same here," Timothy said. He drew her into a hug. "Sometimes, it just takes longer. What are you in a hurry for?"

"Grandpa needs our help," Catarina sighed, "And the continents."

Timothy nodded slowly, "Let's say we discount the part where Anton just won a war, and they do need us to help. What can we do? And when do we have to be ready by?"

"I don't know and… something like a century…"

"Or two," Timothy pat her on the head. "We've only cultivated for one, and we're already here. Don't let your distorted view of time take you over. We have time. We need time. It's more valuable to us than people twice our age. Or more."

"... I wish I could hear his voice," Catarina said.

"That sounds like a nearly impossible project," Timothy said. "Transmitting voice between worlds? It will have to keep a recording of it, of course. The time restrictions make that a requirement. I look forward to it."

Catarina was still technically leaned against him, but she was no longer really there. Instead, Timothy knew she was off in her own world… thinking about formations and how they might accomplish what she wanted. Though it was hardly different from what she had just been doing, a different task could provide the much-needed distraction. And maybe he'd be able to convince her to work in a proper laboratory environment instead of out in a field. They were still on Gaoliv, after all.

Some time later- Timothy didn't bother keeping track of whether it was minutes or hours- Catarina straightened herself, pulling out of his grasp. "This would be easier if there were more of me."

"Yeah," Timothy nodded, grinning, "I suppose so. But there's only one like you."

"There could be more, though," Catarina said, her face serious.

"No." Timothy said the word not as a denial of the possibility, but more along the lines of an order- or at least guidance. "That's a bad idea."

"But what if-"

"Projections capable of the necessary level of thought wouldn't be safe," Timothy reminded her. "Or ethical."

"I guess," Catarina said. "Maybe if they were proper extensions of me, somehow?"

"Is that really the first thing you should be working on?" Timothy asked.

"What else is there…?" Catarina tilted her head. "Oh, we still have a bunch of swords to refit."

"I don't need another one," Timothy pointed out. "So one for you. We could sell the others, but some might prefer they still had the markings of the Harmonious Citadel."

"What about Chikere?"

"She'd definitely want them to be obvious. So that people would come attack her."

"I just meant we should try to get in contact with her. And maybe sell or give her the swords, I suppose."

"That's in the wrong direction, though. Alva said it wasn't far from Harmonious Citadel territory."

"That is a bit uncomfortable. For her, and Vari." Catarina looked off into the distance, "Speaking of which, they messed her up pretty badly, huh?"

"She seems happy, at least," Timothy said. "I'm not sure if that's better, though."

"What do you mean we're not going back?" Vari complained.

"I already told you. I don't want to be inducted into a cult."

"It's not a cult!" Vari said. "Well, I mean, it is kind of a religious organization, but it's different."

"How is it different?" Alva asked. "They draw you in and then entrap you in a cycle where you can't leave."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?" Alva raised an eyebrow.

"We left."

"We escaped," Alva corrected. "And they're probably going to send people to kill us."

"Don't be silly. They only send the inquisitors after heretics. And I'm not…" Vari's face turned pale. "Did you turn me into a heretic?"

"Relax," Alva said. "They might just assume we're dead. We did land on Everheart's Tomb after all."

"It's hard to believe someone like that died," Vari said.

"Yeah," Alva nodded.

"He seemed like he was very powerful."

"Yeah," Alva agreed. "Wait, was? You think he's dead?"

"Isn't that what tombs are for?"

"... I don't think you know anything about Everheart."

"Yes," Vari agreed. "Except what I learned from visiting. And maybe I heard some things about him before that? None of it was very nice though."

"Yeah," Alva continued to nod. "Everyone agrees on that. Listen, I'll have you know this isn't his first Tomb. By a long shot."

"Really?" Vari frowned, "But you just ascended. I haven't heard of any others, how could you?"

Alva was already keeping their conversation private with her energy, but she made doubly sure. "That's because he's originally from our world," Alva said.

"Everheart is from a lower world?" Vari's eyes widened. "That's impossible!"

"Why?" Alva asked. "Because places like the Harmonious Citadel hog all the resources so it's difficult for anyone else to cultivate?"

"They need those to award to the most talented prospects," Vari said. There was obviously more, but Alva interrupted.

"Let me guess… all of them are friends or family of the saints?"

"Of course not. Favored disciples are chosen from among the entire Harmonious Citadel. Most people never even get to meet a saint."

"Don't need to meet them to bribe them," Alva said. "Anyway, back to the other thing. Everheart put dozens of those things in our world. Smaller, of course. A bit less deadly, probably. But it's definitely him. And he doesn't have the issue of resources and backing because he steals from… everyone, I'm pretty sure. People hate that guy."

"Even you?" Vari asked. "Despite him being a powerful figure from your world?"

"Who cares if he was strong? He's still an asshole. And that's all people will remember him for." Alva frowned deeply. "Say, you know about devotion, right?"

"To some extent," Vari said. "I wasn't aware that people could see it…"

"Is there like, an opposite of that?"

"I don't think so," Vari tilted her head, "Wouldn't that just mean people not devoted to others would drain energy from them? That's… even as great as the saints are, there are many more people not under their shelter."

"I was just wondering if there's like… hate-votion," Alva shrugged. "Because that seems like exactly the sort of thing Everheart would get a lot of mileage from."

"I understand that some people don't like him," Vari said. "But is he really that bad?"

"I'm pretty sure he's one of the top enemies of everyone who has ever interacted with him. Including your Harmonious Citadel. He definitely stole a statue of their previous spear saint and then you guys covered it up to hide the shame."

"That doesn't- ugh, I don't think I'll be able to convince you of that. But are you sure people hate Everheart?"

"Why don't you just ask?" Alva waved around her, to the city of Shoumond where they were staying. "Lots of people passing through here. You'll get plenty of opinions."

"Maybe I will," Vari nodded.

A day later, Vari returned to talk with Alva. "Are you sure Everheart is just one person? He seems to have been very… busy."

"No," Alva said.

"But he was! It takes a lot of effort to anger both the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Quadrant. They're quite distant from each other! It would take years just to interact with both."

"I meant no to the first thing. He might be multiple people," Alva shrugged, "Though in that case, very consistent. I think he's just an overachiever."

"... I asked about the spear saint," Vari said, her head hanging down. "People said… that she died. And was replaced by the current one."

"That's how lines of succession work," Alva pointed out.

"But I never heard about it!" Vari complained. "Maybe people here are wrong? They don't know anything firsthand."

"Neither do you," Alva said. "... Want to take a look at some cultivation techniques?"

"Why?" Vari asked. "The Holy Harmony Technique is at the top of all techniques."

"Let's say it is," Alva nodded. "It's still good to study others, observe their strengths and flaws. Trust me, I know this. I did reach Ascension- Integration, after all."

"It would be foolish of me to turn down the cultivation advice of a senior. Even though you look so young, your cultivation surpasses mine."

"Yeah well," Alva shrugged, "I am like a hundred and twenty."

Vari choked slightly. "B-b-b-b-but t-that's… younger than me! And I'm still far from Integration…"

Alva shrugged, "Then you won't want to hear about all my friends. And my wolf."

"We need to go back," Catarina said to everyone but Vari, gathered together. "Maybe not right away, but…" she pulled out the formation plate found in the strange ruins. "This is connected somehow. There are mysteries beneath Everheart's Tomb. I've gone over what I found from the Great Hall. No doubt other locations of interest have something similar. The Labyrinth… I admit I was too focused to check, but there should be more. Though making it too obvious might be an issue. We should wait… at least a year or two," Catarina shrugged.

"I wish we could establish a foothold here," Hoyt said, "But we're lacking in numbers, and resources to some extent. Integration isn't bad, but against a planet-sized sect with hundreds of Life Transformation cultivators, it hardly matters."

"Unless they have to come to us," Catarina said. "Though I will admit it would require significant expenditures to create a worthy defensive formation. Which is probably a bit ambitious for our first years here. Why don't we… do something else? Like look for Fuzz."

"Thanks, but…" Alva shook her head. "It's kind of vague. We don't even have any leads."

"We can just take missions to gain influence with different sects," Hoyt said. "Bringing us to different locales, perhaps on someone else's budget. Then we have Catarina do her thing, and worst case scenario we familiarize ourselves with the area and gain a foothold."

Alva nodded slowly. "It's just… crazy to go from being at the top, to just one of many."

"I think our rise to power made us quite fortunate. We did not linger long, building up terrible habits. It would be good to get in contact with further allies. Kseniya has ascended. Though spending all our time meeting up with allies might be inefficient, learning enough about the upper realms so that people can come to us with minimal risk…" Hoyt shrugged. "We chose to continue on and we find ourselves here. I fully believe we can do whatever we set our mind to. With time, and help."

Several years passed, slipping through Anton's grasp like wind. Though if he truly wanted to, he could stop the wind now, at least to some extent. Time was something he had no control over, though in truth he didn't want it to stand still. The world only meant things when something happened, and remaining static was just… meaningless. People were meant to be born, to grow, and even to die when their time came.

As far as dying went, Anton was glad that there weren't too many extras. The peace with the Exalted Archipelago had properly lasted, instead of collapsing after a year or two like he had feared. While the glut of people ascending from the Order of One Hundred Stars had thinned somewhat, Ceretos still had people ascending regularly. Catarina had invested in keeping people in contact, though some of the methods were more primitive than what the Order used internally.

They still had no contact with some of their former friends. Chikere and Vandale, for example, were difficult to contact. News about them came thirdhand, but the fact that it existed at least indicated they were alive. And that other people weren't, but the Harmonious Citadel was not particularly favored by those Anton knew. And Anton was pretty sure that some of the devotion he was receiving came from some strange girl he'd never met that was having a very difficult time learning a more complete view of the world.

Anton held a smile on his face. Every communication was another letter from family telling him about their lives. That was how the world was meant to be, people striking out on their own but never forgetting where they came from. Anton just hoped he could give as many people as possible that sort of opportunity.

Chapter 433

The ground slipped away as Anton thrust himself ever higher into the sky. He had no formal flying techniques, though he'd had opportunities to peruse the Soaring Air Sect's methods. They relied on the specific type of energy produced by their cultivation technique to fly, and Anton had no reason to attempt changing his core cultivation technique at such a stage. He could still fly, it was just wildly inefficient. That would have been a problem if he did not recover energy at such a rapid pace, but upon attaining assimilation he was greatly empowered in that regard.

Anton wouldn't wish to engage in combat during a flight, given he could only straightforwardly toss himself in one direction, but for transportation purposes it was fine. Though if he had time he preferred to walk, and running was much more controlled.

Neither walking nor running allowed him to go directly into the sky, however, so they were not much use in his current circumstances. Anton was in the mood to test the limits of the world- in a fairly direct method. According to the understanding of the Order, gravity was constrained to the proximate locations of the great celestial bodies. At least, in practical terms. So if he could be further away from Ceretos, he should find himself weightless. So he climbed, and climbed. Once he could no longer breathe, he noticed barely any difference- except his potential speed and acceleration increased with the lack of atmosphere. He needed to provide his own warmth and to refresh the air in his lungs using his own energy, but with his current level of power those were both attainable.

It was a surreal experience to reach the point where he could no longer detect the planet below him with his energy senses. Not in any detail, at least. For something so truly massive he could of course extend the thinnest tendril of energy and detect something beyond the hundred and fifty kilometer mark, but to be able to see it clearly with his eyes at the same time was a stunning experience. He supposed that in a technical sense the same thing happened with the sun and moon, and to a lesser extent the further stars… but they didn't encompass the whole of his vision. He could see most of Brogora beneath him, and his vision continued to expand. Somewhere in the back of his mind under the sense of wonder was the idea to fix some of the maps, with their inexact shapes.

He had been to such a height before, but he did not look down- instead concentrating on his task. Perhaps he should have, but he was grateful to have the chance now. As the atmosphere fell away behind him and his speed accelerated, his view of the planet beneath continued to widen- until he could see its full face. He could see the edge of Aicenith, but the islands of the Exalted Archipelago were on the far side. There were some other interesting features. Massive white swaths of land on the poles, previously predicted by the ice floes in the seas but generally avoided for their uselessness. Perhaps they truly had no value, except to observe.

As far as he was moving from Ceretos itself, he felt as if he were no closer to the moon or sun. And in the grand scheme of things, he was not. A few hundred kilometers was nothing compared to hundreds of thousands- though if he continued to accelerate, he might arrive rather quickly at the former. The sun was much greater in its distance.

There was a problem with continuing to accelerate, of course. A fall from any distance would not harm Anton. Even if he did not use his defensive energy to protect himself, a body tempered to the completion of Spirit Building was sufficiently strong to survive any fall that didn't land in the worse way possible- smashing headfirst into a rock or twisting the body. But that 'any distance' only applied within the atmosphere of a planet, where the air resistance limited the maximum speed one could fall. Now, Anton was moving many times faster than he ever had before, even if he didn't really feel it. At such a speed, he could impact the moon and create a grand crater. Having taken a significant period of time to accelerate himself to such a speed, stopping himself would require a monumental expression of energy all at once. At this exact moment he might be able to manage it, but much more and it would be impossible.

Anton had not planned to take a long trip, and so he should be returning soon enough. At some point, he had the intention to visit the moon to see what was going on with it after the collapse of the tomb there. Sometime when he had a few spare weeks, perhaps. He could make time, but it wasn't really necessary.

Even at his current distance of several hundred kilometers, Anton found that upon ceasing his efforts to propel himself further away from Ceretos resulted in him slowing down… though it would take quite some time for him to stop, if it would actually manage to keep its hold on him. But he intended to return, so he actively shifted his direction. Around Ceretos, instead of directly back. He wanted to see the whole planet, every angle, at least once. That might take a few days still, but he had some equipment to message the Order and remind them that he was fine.

It was a tricky process, keeping himself at enough height and accelerating around the planet just fast enough. He found a sort of equilibrium where he remained at the same distance, orbiting in the direction he chose. He saw from above the Exalted Archipelago, as well as other islands that filled the southern hemisphere in the same area. Many places unexplored, forgotten to time- at least as far as the continents were concerned. It was unlikely that cultivators had never sought out these places, but the invasions from the Trigold Cluster had intentionally quashed their knowledge in future generations.

When he finally returned to land, he came in at a sharp angle. As he hit the atmosphere he quickly formed a ball of fire- something he had vague memories of but was now much more conscious for. He would have to work on future reentries to arrive closer to his target and with less… disruption to the world around him. He did manage to slow himself before he impacted somewhere in western Ambati, but it would be better for one of his standing to not randomly show up in another country. Especially not in a manner reminiscent of the invaders.

The group had followed a series of rumors to the slopes of Illmount, and now that it was within their sight they could determine why it had such a name. It truly looked sick, yellow-orange pustules of lava squeezing out of the rock anywhere it pleased. The rumors of a fire wolf vaguely matched up with the timeframe Fuzz could have arrived, so they thought to take a look.

As they approached closer, Vari very politely complained. "Great lords and ladies," she said from inside her barrier technique, "I believe I may be more of a hindrance than a help should we continue any further. If I offer my aid, I am afraid that I will not be able to sustain it for long as my body fails."

Alva looked at her and shook her head, "In that case, you should just go back to town." She really didn't want Vari to try to protect her if doing so involved leaving herself vulnerable to burning up. On that note, it was incredible how extreme things could get in the upper realms. At the temperatures around them the entire mountain should be a puddle instead of just… half of it. So it wasn't completely different, but a constantly replenishing cone of lava solidifying and melting was more active than most of Ceretos' volcanoes. That included the one over the former Chain Harmony Sect, though this one wasn't spewing chunks of rock into the sky on a regular basis. It seemed to be more of a continual oozing.

"I do not wish to give up on my duties so easily," Vari said, "But I would truly only inconvenience you beyond this point."

Thus, Vari began to make her way back to the nearest settlement, while the other pushed onward. Their higher cultivations gave them a bit more leeway, but the key factor was the affinity for fire in the Hundred Stars. Even if Hoyt was the only one of them to practice the element directly, they all had some methods to resist the oppressive heat more efficiently. They didn't experience the same sort of constant replenishment of their energy as Anton mentioned, not to the same extent, but they could draw upon the powerful upper energy around them to sustain them.

There was not much in the way of life on Illmount, nor had they expected it. Once they reached deeper in the mountains, they could sense the few sources of controlled energy- beasts and a few straining fire cultivators they had passed. The one that had to be the aforementioned fire wolf was clearly not Fuzz- the entire aura was different, and the creature appeared to be more fire than wolf. They still had a reason to be in the area, however, as the creature seemed to have been causing trouble for the local populace- its passage burning down some of the nearby farmland, as well as snatching livestock at its whim. Most places didn't just have cultivators of their level convenient for hire, and paying them what their time was actually worth was beyond a group of farmers.

The city would be contributing some, and nobody really felt the need to charge the maximum possible price for their services at every opportunity. If those making the request had wealth or were requesting the return of materials or a body for use, that would be another matter. These people just needed it to stop causing trouble.

"It's just across that lava lake," Alva gestured. "I'm sure you'll be able to pick it out once it starts moving. I can start whenever you're ready."

Hoyt nodded, "I think I'll be sticking to a defensive posture here, deflecting the fire and whatnot. Unless it relies solely on tooth and claw, which I doubt. Though my axe is plenty sharp enough even without elemental augmentation, should I get an opportunity."

"I am ready to intercept whenever," Timothy nodded.

Everyone turned to Catarina, who was carving runes into the ground, "I swear it will work this time."

"It's alright if it doesn't," Alva said. "Just let us know when you're ready."

"It's not alright!" Catarina countered. "If my main contribution to the battle isn't even functional on a basic level, I'm just a below-average combatant with abundant energy stores."

Timothy placed his hand on her shoulder, "It will be fine. Nobody should expect an extremely difficult maneuver relying on the precise factors of the terrain to work every time without practice. And like yourself, I believe you will succeed this time."

Catarina held onto that hand as she continued to carve into the ground with her sword, going back over positions for unknown reasons. She even carved apart some of the flowing lava, which seemed extremely transitory in effect, but she was the only one who understood the complexities of this particular endeavor. "Thirty seconds," Catarina said. "I will be done then, and I can't count on it holding together for particularly long after that so we should begin immediately."

At the time Catarina finished her last stroke with a flourish, Alva began firing volleys of arrows. Timothy had placed himself partway around the lake of lava on the shorter side, but as the creature began to charge at them he realized that of course it was not concerned about moving directly. It was fast too, leaving him barely enough time to move into position. The creature's mouth opened wide enough to swallow Timothy whole, a beast more flame than flesh. His energy extended the natural width of his shield, causing the beast to impact upon it, but sending him staggering back.

On the ground, the glow of magma was fading and in its place spikes of rime ice were forming as the temperature rapidly drained from the area. At least some part of the formation was working, and everyone took heart as they positioned themselves to continue the battle.

Chapter 434

Gouts of flame washed over the four combatants, but just as easily as he created it Hoyt chopped apart the flames. There were details to how that worked not so easily comprehended, but the result was the flames split around them. The actual beast itself was less easy to sever, however. Hoyt's follow up swing managed to chop into the large fire beast and even pull away a piece of it, sending a spray of something like blood splattering onto nearby rocks, but his attack didn't cut it in two like he intended.

Timothy's new sword, courtesy of someone who picked on the wrong duo, allowed him to slice into the creature as well. He didn't have the same technical prowess with fire, but his attacks at least forced the creature to hesitate in its movements- not sweeping its claws when it otherwise might have.

Fire-blood sizzled on the ground, melting patches even through the rime frost created by Catarina's formation. The cold was a shock to everyone, but it was much more effective against the fire beast. Its glow dimmed slightly as it stood in the area.

Unlike those relying on physical weapons, Alva almost universally used energy on its own for her attacks. Spirit Arrows was just so convenient, and circumvented the need to carry an extraordinarily large number of physical arrows. With diligent practice they held their form just as well as anything might, and to a significant distance. In this case the fire wolf was just a handful of meters away from her, but Alva aimed for choice targets. The head was a good one, since the creature seemed to both bite and spew fire from the area. While it wasn't fully physical, it couldn't interact with the world without something to hit.

She just had to attune herself to the proper wavelength to hit the creature. Doing so consciously was difficult, but her frustration made her more effective. Who did this wolf think it was, making people think it was Fuzz? No matter how much change he had undergone with his ascension, she knew she would recognize him… and this wolf was. Not. Fuzz. For that, it would die.

Back in town, Vari waited patiently. Off in the distance she vaguely felt signs of battle from the four. She was disappointed that she had let them down with her weakness, but she could still provide support with her devotion. That was her purpose, after all. For some reason the lords and ladies didn't like how she spoke of them, as if they didn't desire her devotion. But who wouldn't? It was the proper way of things, for the strong to be uplifted by those who were not.

Then she sensed something. Something familiar. Cultivators from the Harmonious Citadel. Specifically, practitioners of the Glorious Harmony Technique. Followers of the Bow Saint, if she was correct- though it would be clear once she could see them. She found her way towards them, and they towards her. There was something unexpected in their demeanor. Was it hostility? How odd. She found herself praying for protection, but instead of the saints her thoughts went to the four she had been traveling with. How odd. She tried to picture the saints as she ought to, but found it difficult. They looked like… statues, mostly. She'd only rarely seen any of them pass by, and hours of staring at a statue didn't evoke the same sense of familiarity as eating at the same table as someone. And it had been so long since she'd been back on Rouhiri now.

Two men and a woman approached her, one of the men taking the foremost position. As Vari had anticipated, they had bows. There was just that sort of air about that type, looking down on the world. Not Alva though. Vari shook that thought off as the man addressed her. "Little sister. You are quite far from the Harmonious Citadel's territory." There was no response to be had to that. It was true. Nor had there been a question she had to answer. "What brings you this far?"

"I am here on a mission," Vari said.

"Is that so?" the man said. "I don't believe we have any missions related to this sector."

"That's… it's a mission for some local cultivators," Vari replied awkwardly.

"Were they approved?"

"Well, uh… the missions were so small scale, I did not think it necessary…" She also didn't have an easy method to report back, as she hadn't exactly been planning to leave.

"No matter," the man shrugged, "Such things are indeed inconsequential. What is more relevant is the matter of traitors."

"Who?" Vari asked.

"You, of course."

She shivered. The three didn't have to reach for her weapons for her to imagine her swift demise. All of them appeared to have reached Integration, after all. As expected of those practicing the Glorious Harmony Technique. "I don't… what do you mean? Me, a traitor?"

"You despised the protection of the Saints, leaving without so much as a message, let alone permission. That you were swayed by another who had not properly been instructed in the truths of the world is immaterial. Though, perhaps… you might be forgiven."

"How?" Vari asked.

The man held out a simple communication device. "You will help us capture the one who so rudely turned up her nose at the Saints. According to our information, a user of the bow… though certainly not a proper archer such as ourselves." His hand remained outstretched for a moment, before Vari felt compelled to take what he offered. "If she has any companions… perhaps some associated with the Dark Ring… that might also contribute towards your forgiveness."

"Of course, brother," Vari bowed her head. "It will be done."

It was unfamiliar and new to speak with Sect Head Treloar in the comfort of the Order of One Hundred Stars, but the head of the Worthy Shore Society had taken the initiative to come himself. In a way the two of them were equal… but in another way, Anton could be considered the superior. His cultivation was a level higher, after all- and not just an insignificant step.

"Thank you for receiving me so kindly," Treloar said.

"Of course," Anton inclined his head. "I requested the meeting, after all." He also hadn't been the one to prepare things. Even when receiving guests at his own home, he had merely made them comfortable with whatever seating was already available, and perhaps some food. Certainly nothing as fancy as what they had here. "How is your cultivation progressing?" Anton didn't need to ask- he could feel Treloar was approaching the peak of Life Transformation, though it might take between one and three decades yet.

Though it had simply been a polite introduction, Treloar pondered it seriously. "It advances about as expected, with the resources available to me. Though I am less certain of my future path than I once was."

"In what way?" Anton asked.

"There was a clear road laid before me," Treloar said, "Before us all. But now I see I was blind to the alternatives."

"Is that so?" Anton asked, sipping lightly on some tea. "Personally, I think there is nothing wrong with the traditional method of advancement."

"Maybe," Treloar frowned, "But seeing your power, I can't help but wonder."

"Let me ask something," Anton said. "Why would you want this power? If you desire to be a big fish in a small pond, it might fulfill you in that way. I would only attempt it for other reasons, though."

"What reasons?" Treloar asked. "Why stay in this small pond yourself?"

"Because it is my home," Anton said. "I desire to protect it. There are also certain other factors that prevent me from protecting it from afar."

"An interesting revelation," Treloar said, "Not one that I would share, of course. It would not be necessary for anyone to know."

"I appreciate that," Anton said, "Though perhaps it doesn't matter. The fact that I won't be chasing people among the stars doesn't mean that I won't be quite serious with anyone who comes here. On that matter, what is the opinion of the Exalted Quadrant on the latest issues?"

"Some were quite upset that you would dare threaten those of us in the Exalted Archipelago."

"I would hardly describe things that way…"

Treloar shrugged, "There were threats involved. Anyway, as I was saying, some were upset, some doubled down on… previous intentions… and others seem to find that the consequences were appropriate for the broken treaties."

"It seems there is some division among the factions."

"You might intuit that," Treloar said noncommittally.

"What will they do?"

"That, I can honestly say I don't know."

"What of the Trigold Cluster?"

"I don't know much, but they are not known for taking well to being slighted. Expect retaliation of some sort."

"I'll be ready," Anton said.

"You will," Treloar nodded. "I'm not sure if they will be though."

"Your confidence in me is inspiring," Anton said. "I can't guarantee I will be around, though."

"You traversed an unknown branch of cultivation. I am sure you will solve other issues. And if it is not you personally," Treloar shrugged, "I do believe that the recent changes to the world will have a great impact. There is sufficient time for another generation to grow and make similar startling cultivation advances like yourself. This world might become akin to the upper realms in some ways. Greater, perhaps, if given time. Though there are certain restrictions that mean it cannot be truly that."

"There is no ascension energy here," Anton nodded. "And I don't believe that will be changing."

"Anything is possible, I suppose," Treloar stated. "But I would agree. And it wouldn't necessarily be better. With the resources of a world like this, it is possible to more quickly grow through the lower stages of cultivation to ascend with greater power."

"So that's why you're here," Anton nodded. "I expected as much. How much can you say?"

"About cultivation? I am certain I can speak quite a bit. Though I would appreciate some guidance in return, should I wish to take a different route for myself."

"Of course, though I can't guarantee the method will be suitable for you. Especially not my particular experience."

The ship landed slowly, watched by Chikere and Rahayu from the side. It was a strange model, and not one they had detected coming far in advance. Chikere recognized someone on it, however. It would have been allowed to land regardless… though the results could have varied greatly.

Matousek, formerly of the Order of One Hundred Stars. Or perhaps still currently, though they were hardly an Order with a handful of people spread out over an entire region of stars and planets. The fact that they found this particular place was likely not a coincidence. Not that anyone had been entirely secretive.

Rahayu led the way, not even waiting for Matousek to fully disembark before speaking. "Greetings. We don't get many visitors here. What is your purpose?" Despite the powerful presence he displayed on occasion, at the moment Rahayu looked like little more than an old man asking about the weather.

"Greetings to you as well," Matousek nodded. "You would be Swordmaster Rahayu? Or perhaps that title is outdated."

"Swordmaster is quite appropriate," he said. "It saves effort. Otherwise you have to figure out what's next. Grand swordmaster? Swordgrandmaster? Sword-grand-master-swordster?" he made a face. "And don't get me started on 'saint'."

"That is the topic I am here for, in fact," Matousek said. "Though I am as dubious about those titles as you are. I come to warn you that the Harmonious Citadel is sending more attackers your way. And they will be much more competent than the last group."

"I should hope so!" Rahayu said. "There were only two or three decent ones in the whole lot!"

"They intend to wipe you out, you know. I come with an offer," Matousek said. "An alliance."

"Don't need it," Rahayu said.

"Are you sure?" Matousek's eyes landed on Chikere.

"We'll be fine," Chikere said. "They have to be sending some people with good swords anyway. And how can we grow without tempering?"

Matousek sighed. "Sects here are much bigger than you understand, I think."

"Oh, we know," Rahayu said. "And we don't intend to stay here forever. But while we go, might as well take some of them out of the picture, right?"

"That sounds like you're planning to die with them," Matousek pointed out.

"Pfeh. Unless that sword saint himself comes for us, what do they have? And if he does…"

"It'll be a race to see which one of us gets to fight him first," Chikere finished.

"Very well," Matousek nodded. "But I had to extend the offer. If you want to contact us… the option is there. And Catarina said this one is for her and those with her."

"Great," Chikere nodded. "I suppose Alva met up with them?"

"She did. How did you guess?"

"That group can do anything they set their mind to." Chikere looked at the devices she was given. "So how do these work?"

Several 'test' messages were flung through the void of space towards Catarina before Chikere was informed that the message could take weeks or more round trip. But Matousek verified one worked at close range for her.

"Good luck," Matousek said. "If we're not bringing you with us, we should get going. They could be watching."

"Every once in a while," Rahayu nodded. "Good luck with the whole Dark Ring thing."

Chapter 435

Despite continual efforts, Fuzz couldn't manage to persuade Spikes that it was possible to be in a pack with humans. In fact, he couldn't even fully convince her that they could be in a pack, and they were both wolves. Of some sort. But they were a pack whether Spikes accepted it or not, because they fought and hunted and ate together.

Fuzz searched the world for his people. So far, he had not found any of them, but it had only been a short time, and planets were large. Nearly his whole life he had been with his pack, and while that made some years of separation a harsh idea, it was something he already knew he might have to handle. Many of the pack were already here and strong. Catarina and Timothy had been among the first, and Alva would no doubt have followed after. He knew she would, which was why he had done what he did.

On the other hand, Spikes was looking for a new people. Her pack had perished, so she intended to seek out other great stone wolves. That was her choice, Fuzz supposed, but he thought it would be much easier for her to just join his pack. He had to find them first though, so the travel was necessary regardless.

"You wait here," Fuzz communicated to Spikes. "I will check the city."

"For those humans?" Spikes asked.

"Of course. Eternally, until I am reunited with my pack."

There was no discussion to be had about it. Spikes would wait, or she would not- though if she ran off, Fuzz would likely track her down for her own safety. Her power was strong, but as with the ice cats insufficient to survive alone.

Instead of slinking around, Fuzz strode confidently towards the city. He felt no powers of concern, and if he were spotted hiding the people might get the wrong impression. Visibly striding towards the city of course resulted in arrows being flung towards him, as well as bolts of lightning and other sorts of energy techniques. Fuzz batted them aside, and the guards on the walls recoiled. The barriers on the wall would not be able to stop Fuzz- his knowledge of formations was not terribly great, despite Catarina's work on him- but he knew more than that.

Instead of storming through the gates, he stopped, sniffing. None of those he sought had passed through these gates. Deeper into the city… still nothing. He patrolled around the walls, increasing his pace as he sensed humans gathering. Despite their relative strengths, they could eventually overwhelm him. But after he determined his pack was not in or near the city, he pulled away from the city. The humans had one chance to attack them, but one thing he was sure of was that they could not catch him. These humans appeared to be sensible, simply watching him leave instead of provoking him. They might send a hunting party later, but he would be leaving the region regardless.

Spikes waited for him where he asked, or close enough at least. She seemed to have caught a creature akin to a deer- thin legs, antlers, and the like. With a snort, fire flowed from Fuzz' mouth and nose, roasting what remained of the creature.

Spikes nodded in thanks. "One thing humans are good for is making food taste good. Raw meat is delicious, but always the same."

Fuzz thought much the same about cooking meat, though he understood it was troublesome for humans to digest meat that was uncooked as well. Cultivators could handle it, but that didn't make it their preferred option. Fuzz didn't care about parasites or whatever, if they tried to live in him he would burn them up.

The two wolves continued their travel, sniffing for people and wolves. Humans in the wild they avoided, and only Fuzz approached cities. Consuming large quantities of wild game and battling other beasts helped Spikes grow stronger, but she was still in the same rank. Life Transformation.

"How did you grow strong?" Spikes asked.

That was a topic hard to communicate with simple language. Fuzz wasn't sure if his whole explanation would be possible, but he could give a summary. "I can't help you with that," Fuzz said. Spikes appeared hurt, perhaps Fuzz not having properly communicated a difference between 'can't' and 'won't'. He pawed the ground, drawing a rune. It was one of those that rested upon him. "A human saved my life and empowered me with these. Along with my own efforts, I grew. You would not accept this help from her, and my talent would be insufficient."

Spikes snorted begrudgingly. "Humans again."

Fuzz nodded. After some time passed, he continued. "If you wish to grow strong, continue to seek that strength. Know what you grow strong for."

"To live."

"To live for what?" Fuzz asked.

There was no answer for that. Spikes had no pack, and perhaps did not consider life on its own a sufficient reason. Or chose not to answer for other reasons.

Then, after much travel, Fuzz smelled it. A familiar scent, though not the one he wished for. Instead, it was more like Spikes. Others of the great stone wolves. Fuzz did not think they felt particularly great, but he would not insult his companion by saying so. "I smell traces," Fuzz said.

It took Spikes somewhat longer to pick up the scent- she was a wild beast, after all. Fuzz had been trained by humans, and while a beast might grow stronger in all the ways they needed to survive, humans trained intentionally. They improved weak points and enhanced particular strengths, Fuzz' nose being one of those things. He knew how to concentrate his energy to enhance it temporarily, or to grow it slowly over time. Spikes had a nose no human could ever match, but it could be more.

Spikes wagged her tail in excitement. "Good. We have found them. A pack for me."

It was a pack, that Fuzz agreed. But for her? He was not so sure. That was not always a choice for the seeker.

Soon enough they caught up to the pack. The initial meeting involved much growling and posturing. Despite some intelligence, beasts had no formal language. Fuzz had a feeling he was also more intelligent than the others, or at least taught to think differently about things. Eventually, Spikes communicated her intentions. She brushed up against the members of the pack… males and females. The former looked upon her with interest, the latter with less goodwill.

Then there was a fight. One of the females felt threatened, perhaps. The strongest among them. Fang and claw fought against each other, as well as the stones themselves. Spikes of earth pierced upwards, not breaking through the tough hides of either Spikes nor her opponent… but making use of a technique Fuzz showed her, Spikes forced the other onto her back. Her teeth clamped around the vulnerable neck… just hard enough to be painful. The female whimpered in surrender.

The rest of the pack continued to look cautiously at Fuzz. He was concealing his energy somewhat, but they still felt caution. He looked at Spikes. "You have found a pack. Farewell."

He heard something akin to a thankful bark as he left, but Fuzz didn't stay to look. Instead, he continued onward. He was alone again… and Fuzz was not a lone wolf.

Several days later, Fuzz did not believe his nose when he came across a familiar scent. It was different, but certainly carried the energy signature of the Hundred Stars. Several scents intertwined, crossing with others he didn't recognize. At least a handful, perhaps another group moving in a similar direction.

Fuzz did not run, but neither did he linger in his place. He adopted a pace that should be swifter than those he followed, based on the depths of their prints and the freshness of their scent. If they were looking for him, he would find them. If they had some other quarry, he did not wish to scare them off with undue haste. And there was some small chance his nose deceived him. Not much, but Fuzz didn't know if he could afford getting excited only to face disappointment.

The trail led off into the middle of nowhere- and that was saying something, with Fuzz having traversed the wilderness for a very long time now. It was a rather odd place to go, and even more odd for two groups to go the same direction. Or three, though Fuzz wasn't really a group. He was just a wolf.

He very much hoped this was his pack.

Despite his efforts to maintain a consistent pace, he found his limbs moving on their own, increasing in speed. When he felt the raised energy of combat, he turned into a full sprint. Each stride pushed him tens of meters forward, tearing apart the ground beneath him. Who dared to attack his pack? And if it wasn't his pack, who dared to smell like them?

As he got closer, there was no doubt he was confused about the source. His speed continued at its utmost, closing the kilometers between them. With such haste, he could hardly conceal his approach. Five arrows suddenly launched towards him together, but three were shot by amateurs. No way would they match Alva or Anton. The other two were of some concern, but he flared his energy, fire surrounding him. He swerved towards the faster of the two, intending to face them one at a time. His paw batted the arrow out of the air while he pushed past the other. It tried to turn to meet him, but was not swift enough.

Fuzz wanted to continue forward to meet with his pack, but he'd underestimated the enemy's numbers. A foolish mistake. It was not one or two individuals, but one or two sorts of cultivation styles. He let his excitement make him stupid, and because of that he almost landed facefirst into a spear. Almost. Instead, he stopped himself, and then bit off the head of the spear. Life Transformation cultivators dared get so close to him?

Maybe it was a ploy. Either way, his focus got him an arrow stuck in his side. It wasn't deep, but it was the first wound. Fuzz couldn't face five archers- two in the Integration stage- and another handful of spearmen all alone. When an arrow struck one of the spearman in the back of his knee, nearly taking the limb off, Fuzz remembered that he wasn't alone. Just not fully reunited with his pack. He howled to the sky, summoning the best of his energy.

Despite their weakness, the spearmen accomplished the task of limiting his movement. They positioned themselves around him so he couldn't face all of them at once, nor could he immediately kill any of them. He took three stabs for two lives, but the wounds would slow him. Arrows continued to assist him from Alva, but they were only occasional. Alva had her own opponents to handle, no doubt.

The remaining two functional spearmen coordinated their attacks with a barrage of arrows, drawing great power at a moment of his distraction. They stabbed in unison, and though Fuzz moved to dodge he knew he could not avoid them. Yet their spears didn't reach him, instead stopping short- then yanking away, as stone spikes grew from beneath the topsoil.

A wonderfully familiar howl came from where one of the groups of archers had been- one weaker and one stronger. Now there was only the latter, and the element of surprise had allowed Spikes to wound them.

Fuzz immediately wanted to run to her, but instead he simply responded with another howl of his own. The opportunity she provided could not be squandered. He had three more archers to deal with, and Spikes should at least be able to delay long enough. Once they won this battle, he could introduce her to the pack.

Chapter 436

Hand clutched tightly around the object within it, Vari thought long and hard about what she was going to do… and that was strange. The answer should have been obvious and immediate. She had a task from the Saints, a chance for redemption for her failures. Alva often went to isolated places along with the others, so it would be simple to accomplish. Then she would go back to the Harmonious Citadel.

Why did that not appeal to her? Her whole life, she had longed to be accepted into the service of one of the Saints. Her cultivation style had been dictated to her. All of her efforts were for that. There was just one simple question. Why would it ever have appealed to her?

She had been allowed to peruse the various techniques to decide her own fighting style. Barriers, to protect those she served. Grappling techniques to restrict her enemies. Logical choices, yet somehow it had been decided that they were the wrong choices. Even if she were forgiven, where would she go, what would she do? She could not join the service of one of the Saints before, and with a tainted record it would not be possible afterwards.

Even so, her thoughts swirled. She could not make the choice. She had to serve the Saints. What had they ever done for her? She had to atone. What had she even done wrong? She had to give up her friend Alva. Was Alva her friend? Were the others?

A familiar presence got her attention. None of those traveling with Vari were exactly subtle, but she hadn't noticed Alva approaching. "You should go to sleep," Alva commented.

Vari guiltily slipped her hand behind her back. "I probably should."

"It's not good to stay up worrying about difficult topics."

"I'm not particularly…" Vari shook her head, "You're right, I'll go."

Days turned into weeks, which turned into months. So far, no decision had been made. Vari could only delay so much longer. Cultivators had patience, but it might seem as if she had no intent to comply if she took any longer. So she would do it.

She held it in her hand, formulating the message she would send. Almost unconsciously, her head scanned the courtyard around her. Nothing, just rocks, Alva leaning against a wall, trees… standard stuff. She almost dropped the communication stone. Alva? Her presence might be muted, but Vari still should have felt her arrive. Unless… Alva had been there the whole time. She'd been careless.

The hand that held the communication stone trembled. "I… I haven't sent the message yet." Vari swallowed. "You can still kill me and stop this."

"That's the only option, is it?"

Vari nodded. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because a group of elite disciples will come to kill you."

Alva remained with her arms folded in front of her, though Vari knew the woman could likely grab her bow and fire an arrow through her before she could properly respond. "That doesn't really answer my question."

"I don't know what else to say," Vari shook her head. "I have to. I'm sorry."

"Is that so," Alva stated without really phrasing it as a question. "Who do they have? Friend, family, lover… pet?"

Vari was confused by the question, and her face doubtless showed it. "What do you mean?"

"Those are the things that could be worth more than your life. If they just had some way to kill you, you'd be more concerned about the immediate consequences here."

Vari shook her head. "That's not it. I don't have… any of those things. And my life doesn't matter."

Alva frowned, "I don't get it then. Why do it?"

"I can't… not." Vari had thought about it a lot, and that was the conclusion she came to. "It is the will of the Saints."

"What saints?" Alva finally uncrossed her arms, waving a hand dismissively. "There are just strong assholes up in towers feeding off of devotion they farm in people like they're animals."

"That seems to be the case," Vari agreed.

"Then why listen to them? Just throw it away, or crush it or something."

Vari's fingers twitched. Her arm swayed, but she held her grip on the stone. "I can't."

"What, did they break your brain or something?" Alva said. "Of course you can. What are they going to do, kill you?"

"Yes," Vari answered. It took her a moment to realize the answer was ambiguous given the questions asked. "Both, probably. I can't…" Vari shook her head.

"Oh." Alva's face mellowed out. "Why didn't you say something? I could break it for you."

"I don't think… I can let you do that," Vari shook her head. "And the conflict would ultimately result in my death. So I would ask that you do it painlessly." Vari held her arms out wide.

"Don't be stupid," Alva said. "What do you have to do, report our locations?"

"I'm to inform them of a time you will be isolated away from prying eyes," Vari said. "Then they will kill you. Though I'm not sure why the specifics matter."

"Why not do it then?" Alva retorted.

"... I don't want you to die," Vari said. "Or the others. You are my… friends, I think."

"Let's sort out some details here," Alva said calmly. "They want to kill… me?"

"Yes. You refused the doctrine of the Saints," Vari said. "So that is what they determined appropriate."

"That's stupid."

"I… agree. People should be given a choice."

"I mean, how many of them were there?" Alva asked.

"Three Integration stage archers."

"And they don't know about the others?"

"I don't think so," Vari said. "They did not comment on them, at least."

"Then call them. Tell them I'm going to be out in the woods on our next stop."

"They won't give up if they don't find you."

"They'll find me," Alva said.

"But you can't-" Vari stopped herself. "I… the risk is too much. Facing three people alone…"

"Alone?" Alva raised an eyebrow. "I could do that, I suppose. But why would I?"

"Oh. Oh!" Vari's mind finally got onto the right track. "That's… still dangerous. And I can't guarantee it will be just the three I saw."

"Then we'll have to prepare for more. I can't imagine they have that many people to throw away on a backwater planet for one cultivator, though."

"I… don't know," Vari admitted. "There are many Integration cultivators throughout the domain of the Harmonious Citadel. But I do not know what would be appointed for this."

"We can see what they send… and run if it's too much. Just don't mention the others."

"Of course," Vari nodded. "And… I don't think I can help you fight."

"You're not weak," Alva said, "Just a bit lower in cultivation. We'd be glad to have the assistance."

"I mean… I don't know if I can ignore further orders."

"Ah," Alva nodded seriously. "We'll work on figuring that out."

Xillade was at the far end of the Bloodsoaked Nebula. The group could have traveled many times further in the time they had, but they had been taking on missions of various sorts as well as hunting for Fuzz. Rumors of wolves abounded, and though some spoke of wolves bigger than the Fuzz they knew, they didn't discount those. Xillade had another fire wolf somewhere, but it also had varied terrain that was good for choosing a location to fight.

It didn't make much difference to Vari where she fought, since she didn't need much space. Though upon considering it, that was exactly why picking a good spot was important. Hindering their enemies was important. Though the spot was chosen more so Catarina could set up a good formation there.

Vari had been told to continue to report. Though she didn't feel the same compulsion, she was told to continue. So she did. Strangely enough, she didn't even feel hesitant at not giving a complete or even truthful report. She did need help coming up with something that wouldn't be suspicious, however. "Stopping to make camp. Might be here for some time."

"I'd love to lead them on a merry goose chase around the whole planet," Alva said, "But that's a lot of our time spent being unable to relax. Here, we can set up properly… and then be done with them."

Alva could be scary. Everyone could, in fact. Catarina was a very nice woman who set up deadly entrapment formations like it was nothing. And that was before she learned new ones.

"Do I have time to set up subformations?" Catarina asked, mostly to herself. Vari wasn't an expert on formations, but she did know they worked off of being complete. Having formations that functioned continuously between stages of completion was abnormal. But she wasn't going to complain when they were keeping her safe.

Time passed swiftly, and soon a message was coming in. Vari looked to the others to see if she should receive it.

"Go ahead," Alva nodded.

"We are imminently approaching your location. You must-" Vari stopped herself there. No doubt orders transmitted via communication stone were less strongly binding on her, but if she never saw them, they couldn't do anything.

"They're coming," Alva said. "Look busy." Though the others shuffled around the camp, keeping their hands next to their weapons, Vari had no weapon to draw. So she followed around Alva, helping how she could. Or at least looking like she was helping with the nothing Alva was supposed to be doing.

Vari saw Alva react before she felt anything coming. That gave her an extra fraction of a second to form a barrier in front of herself and Alva. They had practiced Alva firing from behind her barrier, and though it weakened the barrier to have spots that didn't block everything, a small area where Alva's shots could go through was minimal enough. Vari's arms stretched out in front of them, holding the shield in place as arrows slammed against it. Alva would have to deal with the ones coming from other… directions. Except there weren't any yet.

Only after Alva had begun to fire in return did Vari sense anything that wasn't just a direct shot. There were more than just the three she had met. They had another handful of cultivators more her strength with them as well… but that wasn't the limit of their forces.

"I'm sorry," Vari said. "I didn't think they'd send this many." There were another two Integration cultivators, and another half dozen Life Transformation. Axes and spears were their weapons, and they'd managed to creep close before the archers began the ambush.

Vari couldn't hear whatever response the others gave to her words. A moment later she was seeing the two cultivators in the lead stepping out from behind some trees. She should have sensed them sooner. Were her senses that bad? Okay, maybe they were, but even so it was rather embarrassing.

The one wielding a spear gestured to her, speaking. Then he gestured to Catarina and raised his spear. They were going to attack her, and Vari was supposed to… help kill her? That wouldn't do. They were going to attack her and Vari was supposed to watch. That… was not a reasonable interpretation. They were going to attack Catarina, so Vari should go protect her. That did it.

She had to admit it was a stretch to interpret those gestures that way, but from her perspective it only made sense. Catarina was Vari's ally, so of course she should protect her. Likewise, these newcomers were enemies, so she should resist their attempts. The fact that they were trying to give her orders was irrelevant.

Vari was reluctant to leave Alva's side, but Hoyt was coming to assist and she still felt a compulsion. Her effectiveness would be reduced if she tried to stay, and she needed to get the utmost out of her abilities if she were going to help. Timothy looked at her as she ran towards Catarina. The spear wielder charged with several others behind him. Vari stopped, facing Timothy. His sword thrust out towards her, and she twisted her body. Her hands angled to throw up a barrier to one side.

Timothy's sword passed by her as he stepped immediately next to her, lunging. One of the weaker spearmen caught the tip of the sword in his chest, not a fatal wound but he staggered back. The leader, however, had been aiming for Catarina… with the path going through Vari. Though she'd chosen that position on purpose. Her barrier flexed and then shattered under the force of the spear, but managed to just barely deflect it enough to slip past her. Then her arms wrapped around the spear, grabbing tightly.

She lowered her stance, yanking on the spear. She didn't have the power to pull it out of her opponent's grip, but she did lift him. When she slammed him headfirst into a nearby rock, she wasn't sure which of them were more surprised. Yes, he wasn't hurt- the rock was destroyed by the impact and he was fine- but she actually moved him. The formation empowering her wasn't that powerful, was it? No, Catarina was good, but not that good. But this was one of the direct disciples of the Spear Saint, and a phase of cultivation ahead of her. It didn't make any sense.

But it didn't have to. She kept her grip on the spear. As it turned out, when her opponent was ready for her actions he held his feet better and next she was the one getting slammed into the ground… but it was just the ground. Soft dirt, and nothing harder than granite. The man wildly slammed her back and forth, but she didn't loosen her grip on the spear. She thought about pulling herself closer, but she actually made his leverage the most difficult where she was.

She wasn't exactly winning this fight, but keeping an Integration cultivator occupied was actually a pretty decent accomplishment for her.

Chapter 437

The sounds of battle continued as Alva sprinted her way through the forest. These enemy archers had some decent range, though personally Alva felt they should have been either further away or closer to their melee counterparts. Being isolated as they were only worked at extreme ranges. Though they hadn't anticipated anything able to flank them.

Twigs cracked underneath her feet as her legs carried her forwards. There were still several archers to deal with, but their threat was slightly diminished. Alva should have been focusing on those within the defensive formation, though those opponents might not last long. And her feet carried her automatically. She kept alert for incoming arrows… or more enemies, hidden somehow. She wouldn't put it past the Harmonious Citadel to have assassins among them.

Then a ball of fire leapt out from behind the trees. Alva was tackled to the ground, the weight of the figure pinning her down. The scent of blood was strong. "Wow, Fuzz, you're covered in blood," Alva said. "I hope most of it isn't yours."

As she was speaking, the canine tongue was licking her face in excitement. But their reunion couldn't last long as they were. Fuzz stepped back, letting Alva up. She grabbed a handful of fur and vaulted onto his back, just in time for him to leap forward away from incoming arrows. With his speed taking care of defenses, Alva was able to focus on taking down the remaining archers. Two of the stronger ones were still up, as well as some weaker ones. Though at the current moment they were being harried by… another wolf? Alva wasn't going to question that. Unless proven otherwise, it was on their side.

The man who had been causing the most trouble continued to fire a series of arrows at Alva. Now that they were in combat he did some fancier moves like curving his arrows, but Alva still recalled how they only went for direct shots in their initial barrage. As if anyone could fail to handle something so simple. Vari blocked the entire volley! Sure, she was now being flailed around holding onto someone's spear, but that effectively took a stronger opponent out of the combat so how it looked didn't matter.

Fuzz didn't slow down as arrows continued to fly at him. Alva shot half of them out of the sky, while the others Fuzz dealt with himself by avoiding… or just ignoring. Some weren't strong enough to hurt him.

Alva could see the eyes of the leader now. The distance rapidly closed between them. Several hundred meters became a hundred, then fifty, then ten. Alva took a moment to pull together a stronger shot, which shot into the man from an arm's length as she passed by- at the same time Fuzz pounced on the other Integration cultivator.

For some reason the man hadn't been prepared to be shot at that distance. Alva had kind of expected him to dodge it, preparing to twirl it around behind him, but it just went into his left lung. None of the opponents seemed funcional in close range, but turning to flee only gained one of them three seconds while Fuzz chomped into the other. Then he had to turn and build up speed. Alva's arrows sunk into the weaker cultivators, just to give her the ability to focus- but it didn't matter since the last one barely even managed to turn as Fuzz ran them down.

Alva glanced back at the battle in the formation. Too many trees were in the way to see, but it was habit. Her senses told her that things were almost done there. Vari had managed to wrestle away the spear from her opponent, then flung it aside. He was currently in a headlock with Catarina stabbing towards him. And then he was dead.

Fuzz didn't stop moving. His target was the other wolf. Was Alva supposed to shoot it? She hadn't quite made up her mind when Fuzz leapt onto the other wolf… in the same friendly manner as greeting Alva herself. Just in case, Alva disengaged herself from the whole rolling around. There was a lot of growling and biting, but no blood was being drawn. Yeah, they were friends. Apparently.

"Good job Vari," Catarina said. "I'm quite impressed."

Vari's head was snapping around, looking for more enemies.

"I do believe we've defeated them all," Catarina said. "Both here, and there."

Vari's eyes eventually settled back on Catarina.

"... you can't hear me can you."

Vari tilted her head, then pointed to her ears. They were bleeding.

Catarina put her face in her palms. "I said to stifle her hearing. Not destroy it."

"... She can recover from that, right?" Timothy asked worriedly.

"It should be fine," Catarina sighed. "Maybe a few months."

"I can't hear you right now," Vari said. "I destroyed my hearing like you suggested. Good idea."

They were going to need to get out writing materials.

"This is Spikes," Fuzz said to the group, via writing his message on the ground. "She's part of the pack now."

"Oh?" Alva said with a raised eyebrow. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"We are not mated yet," Fuzz wrote, seemingly without any form of embarrassment. Though perhaps that sort of thing was more human. Spikes made some noises, which Fuzz interpreted. "She humbly requests to join the pack. It seems she found the other stone wolves lacking in greatness."

"It kind of sounded like you already decided," Alva shrugged. "I have no objection. As long as Spikes can behave around people."

Spikes looked unsure of her surroundings, but controlled enough. Fuzz confirmed that she should be able to get along… if she wanted to.

The group was already working on treating their respective injuries. Even beyond Vari's self inflicted ones, some were reasonably serious. The enemy had been stronger than anticipated, and Fuzz' arrival had been a great release of pressure. The formation would likely have allowed them to come out on top regardless, but nothing was guaranteed. If one of them had gone down, the battle might have spiraled in the other direction.

Vari took out the communication stone she had and crushed it in her fist. "I hate this. I never want to interact with the Citadel again." The serious nature of her tone surprised Alva, who less than a few years earlier had only heard positivity about the Harmonious Citadel come out of her mouth.

"We'll find a way to prevent that," Alva wrote. "But how did they find you the first time? This is far from their territory."

"Maybe it was a coincidence," Vari lied poorly. "If you'll excuse me, I need to relieve myself."

Alva grabbed the back of Vari's shirt, yanking her to a stop. She wasn't going to let Vari just wander off to be hunted down individually- or to die before she could get more orders. They'd figure out a way to help her.

"At least we have lots of copies of the Glorious Harmony Technique to search through," Catarina commented. "It will make it easier to discern which ways it is different from the others."

Alva nodded. The bows were all the wrong size to use on wolfback, but they still got a respectable amount of wealth from their slain foes. The cultivation techniques were intended to disintegrate themselves upon viewing by those not approved, but after failing with the first one Catarina properly disarmed the enchantments on the others. There were also different supporting techniques available compared to what they found on the sword-wielders. Forms and stances and the like, not necessarily useful… but able to be sold to the right people for a tidy profit.

And they had Fuzz. Alva had almost given up hope that any of the rumors would find him, but after more than a year of searching they'd done it. It had definitely involved a bit of luck, since Catarina's attempts to track him down from beyond planetary distance had never panned out… but they did it. He was stronger than ever, though of course that was the case. They hadn't seen him since he ascended after all, the troublemaker.

"... I don't think I will survive restarting my cultivation now," Vari shook her head sadly. "I fear the Glorious Harmony Technique might have the same flaws, or the hooks buried in me might be too deep. Is it really possible?"

"Anything is possible in cultivation," Alva assured her. "Catarina's the best I've met at things like this, besides maybe grandpa. Hoyt and Timothy too."

"What about Everheart?" Hoyt questioned.

"Have I met him though?" Alva shook her head. "Besides he doesn't count since he's an asshole who wouldn't help."

Hoyt shrugged, "I'm just saying, he's amazing at breaking techniques apart and making new ones."

Vari's face scrunched up. "Are you guys saying something about Everheart? It hurts to hear, but… I guess he's really from your world, huh."

It was reasonable that she found it difficult to believe, given that he had taken over an entire planet and made a region wide phenomenon with it. It was strangely natural to them, though. Everywhere always had something left behind by him, with dangers associated with it.

"It's about time to head back, actually," Catarina commented. "I'm ready for the next step in figuring out the thing." The formation plate was still half-secret from Vari, not because they didn't trust her now but because it was safer for her not to know. "We'll have at least a few weeks, potentially months if we have to take a more circuitous route back. We can stop somewhere to sell some of our… recent gains. I'll need some materials, and we could all use some upgrades of at least part of our equipment."

Everyone agreed with that plan. Catarina and Timothy could return to the Silver Sea Coalition for some time of safety, but nobody was a dominant force around Everheart's Tomb anyway. Hoyt was also reporting what they had learned back to the Dark Ring, and though they couldn't count on backup from them they would be glad to hear of a victory over the Harmonious Citadel, even if only on the scale of individuals.

Energy gathered in Anton's hands, forming a special arrow in his bow. This one needed to go much further than any before… and faster as well. This particular Spirit Arrow was formed of light, and if Anton wasn't fooling himself he might be able to make it go nearly that actual speed. There were some methods that made things faster- or travel between systems would be impossible- but without active control that was all Anton could hope for.

He needed this arrow to be as stable as possible, disconnected from himself but still able to provide feedback. And he even had to twist some anti-ascension techniques into everything else. The skies lit up as his arrow arced into the sky, vanishing into a point of light that would never be seen by human eyes again as it left the atmosphere behind it. Anton waited, watched, and felt. He'd tried similar things frequently, but he had high hopes for this attempt.

The feedback was minimal- the tiny fragments of energy in empty space only hindering the flight of the arrow by the sheer quantity of them and the speed at which it came into contact with them. Anton focused on maintaining the link, but it was a boring half of a day before he got any relevant feedback. Distances in the void of space were strange where pure energy was involved. The ascension energy threatening Anton felt as if it were oppressively close, but it was beyond the furthest planet by a significant margin.

Anton almost missed the impact, where his arrow came into contact with ascension energy. It happened over a fraction of a second, but he smiled. Good. So the techniques worked to some extent on free 'upper energy' as well. He wasn't quite sure how that would be useful, since he would not be going to such a place, and he only need concern himself about those coming to Ceretos, but it was something to learn nonetheless.

Inside of himself, Anton felt his connection to the sun strengthening. He was almost at the hundred and first star. Via communication with the others, some of them were at that point as well- though it was clear the actual functional details of their cultivation had diverged. He wished he could speak to them in person to discuss the finer details instead of sending vague overviews, sadly limited in information. Maybe they could come visit. He wasn't certain if they could, until the tides of the world changed. That information was apparently not easy to find, even in the upper realms. But even if he could not see them again, he could at least be content that they were prospering in their new environment. Meanwhile, Ceretos itself was on another upswing. He intended to make sure it lasted as long as reasonable.

Chapter 438

There were certain mysteries still about how Vari was unable to control her actions- influencing the minds of others was difficult even for powerful cultivators. Catarina conjectured that the Holy Harmony Technique had some interaction with formations set up on planets controlled by the Harmonious Citadel. Without visiting herself she could not confirm anything, but that along with more mundane methods was likely how Vari's brainwashing came to be. She wouldn't question her control being rewritten if she was taught that all was as it should be.

Besides that point, assisting Vari with her potential cultivation options was going well. She was learning much, but when it came to matters of ascension her knowledge was lacking.

"What do you mean you had to tear apart the fabric of the world to ascend?" Vari's eye twitched. "Isn't it just… another cultivation advancement?"

"The lower realms don't have any ascension energy," Catarina pointed out. "Upper energy, as you would call it here. So to get access to it various extreme measures are required. Advancing without it is… impossible."

"I have the feeling you were going to say something else there," Vari said.

Catarina raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Do I detect a hint of Insight in there?"

"... it seemed important to train that. It's difficult, though. I think the Holy Harmony Technique is incompatible with it by design," Vari sighed. "It's… I almost wish I could just be like I was before, believing the Saints were something great. I guess they are great, by some definitions. And also terrible.' Her eyes flashed, "I'm going to destroy them." Then she cleared her throat. "Just kidding. I know I'm not strong enough to do that."

"Wow," Alva said. "This is… a pretty serious flip, either way."

Vari shrugged, "Almost everything they told me is a lie, or at least a deception. Now that I'm willing to accept that, anything less than wholehearted rejection would be a disservice to myself." She frowned for a few moments, "It's still hard not to fall into old habits though. But about that ascension thing…"

"We're fairly certain that actual ascension creates a fundamental difference in Integration cultivators," Catarina said. "The members of the Harmonious Citadel we've come into conflict with… all Integration cultivators on some level should be considered elites. They had flaws but were still strong… but not as much as perhaps they should be."

"I think you guys have weird standards," Vari commented.

"Do we? I understand that we are not typical cultivators where we come from, but even you were able to stand up against an Integration cultivator for a time. The difference in power is not what it should be."

Vari shook her head, "We were inside your formation though. But I'll admit… there might have been something else. I felt…" she frowned, "Like I was taking something back, I guess? Not just my determination to resist, but also something more practical."

"Very interesting," Catarina replied. "What would you say that something was?"

"I can only guess," Vari admitted. "But it should be devotion. That's the fundamental difference with the Glorious Harmony Technique. I don't know that for sure, though. Making use of that… will likely be difficult. I can't exactly practice safely." Her mind drifted away, thinking of various absurd options. "I at least might be able to alter my cultivation technique to maintain control over myself, with your help."

There were many more details to discuss- but such things took time, during which they had other goals to pursue. That included a return to Everheart's Tomb.

Having previously studied the Great Hall, there were several more locations that Catarina surmised some important connections to her formation plate were. The Gardens were sprawling and wild, a place that nobody wanted to land directly even if some chose to explore the area. The Labyrinth was another, and their previous trip they had simply been trying to get through- their route either hadn't taken them close to the sort of thing she imagined, or they missed it. That left the Library, which was not only a place people were willing to come and go, but also potentially useful for various endeavors.

It seemed to be full of all sorts of cultivation knowledge… but instead of being freely available, access to certain parts of it had all sorts of stipulations and tests. As was the case with the entire tomb contrary to those on Ceretos, some of those tests could be deadly. They still maintained the frustrations that were Everheart's bread and butter, of course- the annoyance factor was perhaps even increased, with the danger dialed up as well.

Outside of the Library was a scholarly projection of Everheart- a well manicured beard meant to provide a tone of dignity, along with well fitting robes that were not overly ornamented, at least as standards of powerful cultivators went.

"Stay in line, everyone!" Everheart called out. "Everyone will be processed quickly." There was only a single entrance, and for some reason people were being manually observed by this projection instead of things being handled by a formation. It seemed unnecessary, but that was just one eccentricity of Everheart. Given that this was one of the largest points of interest on the planet, the fact that only several hundred individuals were in line was quite reasonable. "Level one access," Everheart handed a group badges. "Next!" Several more cultivators approached him. "Insufficient contribution points. Go complete some challenges… or hunt down some bounties," he gestured to the side.

"What are the bounties?" Vari asked Alva.

Alva didn't know, but she was able to focus her eyes more than the others. "It appears to be tied to people… and particular texts. It seems that people have stolen some things from the LIbrary."

Another group approached, "We come with donations," the leader said, holding out a magic bag.

Everheart dumped it out on a nearby table- his usual carefree attitude showing through, though he did use his energy to soften their landing to avoid damaging them. "Moonlight Shadows…" Everheart flipped through the book, "Already have it," he casually tossed it back into the bag. "Golden Heart…" he said as he unfurled a scroll. "An early copy. Fascinating." He set it aside. "Ten Thousand Sword Stances…" Everheart looked through it. "Ehh… I guess I technically don't have it. That's worth something." He continued to sort through the book- rejecting many and disparaging many more. "This is sufficient for you to go to the third level," he declared to the group, tossing them back the bag of the rejects. The rest were swept out behind him with a flick of his sleeve, flying into the Library on their own.

The line moved fairly quickly- Everheart made snap judgements about donations of texts, and people either had enough points to enter or not. Eventually it came to time for the five- or seven, if the wolves were to be counted. "Any destruction of property by your animals will be your responsibility. As a group, you can descend to the second level." With that he waved them through. But just as they were about to cross the threshold, Everheart turned from the group he was about to screen back to them. "One moment." They stopped, aware that ignoring him could be dangerous. "You don't happen to have a copy of Candle Wax, do you?"

"I don't believe so," Catarina took the mantle of speaking for the group. "Why?"

"It's simply that I have been looking for it," Everheart shrugged. "It's worth extra until my whim passes." There was a muttering of those in line at that. Then Everheart turned to the group in front of him again. "This technique manual is garbage," he said. An older member of their group dove after the book he tossed into the distance, a pained look on his face.

Before they could be stopped again, the others continue past the threshold, finding themselves inside the Library proper. Unlike the Great Hall it was a reasonable height- shelves that the average human could reach the top of- but stretching out in all directions as far as the eye could see. Scrolls and books and even ancient stone tablets filled the shelves, or occasional other methods of storage. They didn't have a specific goal in mind except for the thing Catarina was looking for, but the huge stores of knowledge were an opportunity for all of them.

Inside the Library seemed safe, which didn't mean it was. In fact, Catarina could confirm that it was decidedly not safe, but nothing under Everheart's control ever was. From what she could tell it was mainly for the protection of the books. In this place, fighting was expressly not allowed. "Why does he allow books to be stolen?" Catarina wondered.

"People are just tricky, I guess," Vari said.

"That only works if you aren't being monitored at every moment. Placing something in a storage bag will hide it from vision at the exit, but he still knows who stole what. Otherwise there wouldn't be bounties. This place has sufficient power to just stop them. Or it should…" Catarina muttered to herself, "Is there insufficient power, or is it for some sort of sadistic fun?" The truth would likely swing towards the latter.

Vari looked at the shelves around her. They were vast in scope, rows and rows stretching off beyond where she could see. "I don't know how anyone finds anything here," she admitted.

"That is my job," a floating orb of light said from right next to her. She startled, as she hadn't sensed it approach. "Do not be alarmed. Combat functions are not included in me. What do you want to find?"

"Uh…" Vari frowned. "Things on the Integration stage and… stealing energy?"

"I can direct you to the former. The majority of the latter category are in levels you do not have access to. Do you desire materials on Ascension as well?"

"There's a difference?" Vari asked.

The orb of light paused for a few moments. "I do not understand such things, but they are overlapping categories. What do you wish to be directed to?"

"Umm, both, please."

"Very well. Please be advised that you are limited to-" the voice faltered briefly, "-eight texts in your possession at any time. Reading tables are provided throughout the Library. Please remember to eat and drink, but do not make a mess. This includes forgoing such activities and dying on the floor. You will not be forgiven for such an act."

"... I don't plan to die," Vari said. "Can you help me find my way back to my companions?"

"They are here," the ball of light said.

"I mean later."

"Yes. With their permission, I can guide you to others."

"Okay," Vari nodded. "I'll find you all later, then?"

She followed the ball of light which scurried off down between rows of shelves- while also remaining exactly in place. "Can I help you find something?" Catarina somehow felt the formless voice was directed at her.

"Formations," she said without thinking. Though her answer would have ultimately been the same regardless.

Timothy and Hoyt left to study energy redirection and fire control respectively, though as they were inspired they might find interest in different topics.

That left Alva with two wolves- one seemingly quite comfortable and the other concerned about being indoors. Spikes was still new to non-cave things around her.

"Your interests?" the light askes Alva.

"Archery, mounted combat…" Alva frowned for a moment, then was nudged by Fuzz. She watched how his paw moved on the ground, tracing letters but not actually scratching the surface. "And he wants beast techniques, if you have them."

"Very well. This way." The light split in two. "Archery here." The other swirled slightly, "Beast techniques here. I must remind you that damage to property via teeth marks still results in penalties."

"Uh, actually," Alva said. "... maybe I'll go with them right now."

The light leading the other direction disappeared, and she followed the other with the two wolves. Spikes didn't seem to fully understand what was happening, though Fuzz seemed to be able to partially explain. At least the light didn't require clarification on beast techniques… or maybe it did. If she found herself looking at taming options, she would have to be more clever with her wording. If Everheart even had what Fuzz was looking for.

Chapter 439

In the sort of library a normal person would construct, places for reading and writing were standard. There was no lack of those within Everheart's Library, but there was a standout feature- a rear courtyard for practicing attacking techniques or sparring. Normally even cultivators would separate those two things by a larger distance, though in this case it was a practical arrangement. It didn't require anyone to leave the grounds of the Library and go through the line again. Even so, it was simply a large open area that offered no privacy between cultivators. Perhaps that too was by design.

Off in one corner sat Vari. The surroundings weren't exactly conducive to meditation, with people making use of their energy in uncontrolled fashions, sending shockwaves of sensation even if they weren't close enough to cause physical harm. She focused on doing exactly the opposite of what she was used to, to no discernible effect. Some part was missing. Perhaps it was a particular target to draw from, perhaps she simply had a false understanding to begin with… maybe her talent just wasn't enough.

She was interrupted by two large wolves tumbling past her, claws and fangs meeting with sharp stone and burning fire. The two creatures had been peacefully practicing some sort of mental training not long before, but either they had finished or one got bored. Alva had been watching them, but she had her own training to get to. Though the battle looked dangerous, they seemed to be having fun.

Further away, Hoyt was attempting to light a training dummy on fire. Obviously if it were something made of cloth and straw it would burn to ashes in an instant, but even if it were simply made of the stone it appeared to be he should have been able to catch it on fire. Energy channeled through the stone shape, resisting him much like a cultivator might. It wasn't just a direct barrier, but active change that frustrated his current attempts. What he was training was a sort of clinging fire- he could create a trail of fire that hung in the air, burning anyone he chose that passed through it, but attaching it to someone was more difficult. It was still possible, but as they actively resisted they could free themselves. Hoyt was attempting a particularly nasty technique that burned upper energy directly, the difficulty being he didn't want to set his own energy on fire. Thus, he was being cautious.

Neither Timothy nor Catarina were in the training yard- no doubt they were at a different stage of their studies, or perhaps they didn't want to have others see what they were doing.

There was some significant overlap between energy barrier techniques and what Timothy wanted to do, reflecting enemies attacks back upon them. He'd had success with that already, but he could always be better. He had some plans to compare notes with Vari to see if a real person could spark any insights different from the texts he was reading.

Then he sensed something. He barely suppressed his instincts to stab them through the heart. He could only hope he managed to hide his hostility. He sensed no particular reaction from the man, but that didn't mean much.

It was a member of the Twin Soul Sect, unconcealed. Thoughts rapidly spun through his head. How could one be here? Hadn't they eradicated them? The answers were rather simple, however. If the promises they had been given were even partly true, then those who died should have reincarnated in the upper realms. And, even if that wasn't the case… the sect still had a presence in the Trigold Cluster.

And the reason for them to be here was the same as anyone else- drawn in by the promises of wealth and knowledge. That was true even for their own group, in a way. Otherwise they would have not come back. Timothy didn't know what Catarina might reveal, and whether it would be worth the risks, but it seemed important. And they couldn't afford to sit around slowly growing stronger when their enemies were already ahead of them.

Timothy kept part of his mind on what the Twin Soul Sect cultivator was looking at, but otherwise pretended to ignore him. Unless he'd revealed his intentions somehow, the man shouldn't even know that they were enemies. Unless they recognized the One Hundred Stars, of course.

After surveying the general quality of the information available, Catarina realized she wouldn't be learning much about formations in the first two levels. She could spend years combing through the books to find minor improvements, but they would pale in comparison to the days she had spent with Everheart's projection, learning about sub-runes woven into what looked to be a single larger whole. The amount of hidden complexity that could be added to anything by that still gave her plenty to absorb for the next century.

She still needed to go deeper for other reasons. There might be valuable techniques- not that the ones in the first two levels were trivial- but more than that she couldn't find anything that reacted to the formation plate she had. She was almost certain it should be at this location… but how far?

They would have to obtain permission to progress further. That meant 'donating' or performing challenges. Hunting down a bounty was also possible, though she didn't particularly like the idea of being an enforcer for Everheart. Some of them likely deserved retribution, but not necessarily for robbing from Everheart. Though perhaps at some point they could browse through the options and see if there were any they would like to take down for other reasons. That was a bit risky, though, because they were without significant backing. If they made enemies with any large group, it could be trouble. That included the Harmonious Citadel, but it seemed that it was inevitable.

The three she and Timothy had killed should still be a secret, and according to Vari she had only mentioned Alva, but there was no telling if the second group had gathered more information and reported back about their group. The incident occurred far enough from their territory that it might not have gotten back to them, but it wasn't as if they didn't kill anyone important. Even by the standards of the upper realms, cultivators at the Integration stage were notable to some extent… though there was a big difference between those at the earliest steps and the late stage.

Vari sat down with Timothy in a vaguely isolated section of the library. The location and their own efforts to conceal their voices with energy meant that at least nobody would casually overhear their cultivation discussions. It was standard practice, as cultivators were secretive with such things especially around those they didn't trust. For Timothy that was nearly everyone in the Scarlet Midfields. For Vari… she was honestly no longer sure.

"What you do with your shield isn't quite the same as my barriers," Vari explained. Her techniques all originated in the upper realms, or at least had been there for some time. Timothy's might have been from a lower realm, but they weren't necessarily worse. Just different, and requiring some adjustment for proper functionality with upper energy. "It retains more flexibility instead of being rigid."

"That means when faced with overwhelming power I can soften the blow rather than having my defenses shattered," Timothy explained. "It does slightly limit the maximum strength attack I can receive, but I find it worthwhile."

Vari nodded. That all made sense. The origins of their techniques were quite different, but there was still advice they could share. Mostly on Timothy's end, since despite being younger and from a lower realm he had more practical experience. He'd been in several actual wars, while Vari had semi-regularly gone on missions defeating bandits or exploring. The shelter of the Harmonious Citadel had allowed her to grow in safety, but perhaps not as much as she might have achieved otherwise. Or she could have died. It was still possible in such an environment, of course, but more rare.

The exchange eventually devolved into Vari seeking advice, since she rarely had anything useful to offer in return. "I know you don't study this kind of technique," Vari said, "And it's new to me, but several things in this manual I haven't been able to get any success out of at all."

"Let me see, energy draining techniques? Which ones?"

"The first one is sort of functional, but the second and third just… seem like dead ends."

"Maybe they are," Timothy pointed out. "They could just be bad."

"But… they're in Everheart's Library."

"So?" Timothy asked.

"He literally threw away a technique manual as we watched!" Vari exclaimed. "He checks these things. They should work, right?"

"Just because he has certain standards does not mean everything that makes it into the library is a good technique. For example, he could allow mediocrity. Perhaps only the first technique in that book needs to function and he couldn't be bothered to dismantle it. Or maybe there's still something to learn from them, even if they're failed techniques." Timothy shrugged, "It could be any of those, or maybe he leaves them as traps for people who can't tell they're not good."

"Oh," Vari deflated, "So I've just been wasting my time?"

"It's just a few days," Timothy pointed out. "And you figured out they don't work already. So see if there's anything you can glean from them and move on. No technique is going to be flawless anyway. Not a core cultivation technique, offensive, defensive, or auxiliary. They're always being refined from older versions."

"Yeah!" Vari nodded, a bit more confident. "That's right. I just have to figure out what's good. Hey, guiding light thing, can you show me to any copies of the Holy Harmony Technique, and the Glorious Harmony Technique?"

The light had not been present, and then it was. "No."

"... what do you mean no?" Vari asked.

"No indicates a negative response, meaning that I cannot."

"But why?" Vari asked. "Do I need access to a deeper level."

"No."

"Do you not have any?"

"No."

"Does that mean you do have some?"

"No."

"Can you provide another response?"

"No."

"... I think I broke it."

"That's… odd," Timothy said. "Can you… start over?"

"Hello," the light blinked. "I am here to guide you throughout the library. Please state your request."

"Do I just ask again?" Vari tilted her head.

"You have not asked anything," the light responded neutrally.

"Try phrasing it differently," Timothy suggested.

"Okay, uh… are there copies of either the Holy Harmony Technique or the Glorious Harmony Technique here?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"No."

Vari put her face in her palms. "Let's start over. Is there a reason that people would be forbidden from finding techniques related to the Harmonious Citadel?"

"The answer to that question is only available to members of the Harmonious Citadel."

"I'm… I practice one of their techniques," Vari said. "And I have my whole life."

"Are those words meant to indicate that you are a member of the Harmonious Citadel?"

"Yes?" Vari couldn't keep her voice straight. She wasn't sure if this thing could detect lies but… she hadn't technically lied. She wanted to indicate that without saying it because even lying to say she was part of them still felt wrong.

"Very well. The same or similar request has been made fifty-seven times recently, twice by yourself. Full reason for denial: 'No. Stop asking about that you [expletives removed] cronies. You can't have her stuff back.' End of official statement. Would you like me to direct you to your sectmates?"

"No that's okay," Vari said. "In fact, don't tell them that I'm here. Or lead them to me if they ask."

"Affirmative. Can I assist you in other ways?"

"Is there any way to request access except through you?"

"You can speak to the librarian projection," the light declared. "Would you like me to assess the probability of a favorable interaction?"

"No that's… I think I'd rather not know." Vari frowned. Was Everheart working with the Harmonious Citadel somehow? It felt like that at first, but now it seemed antagonistic. Then there was that statue. A statue of a spear saint she'd never seen nor heard of. She hadn't believed it to be real at the time but now… maybe it was. "What do you think?" she asked Timothy.

"I think interacting with Everheart is a bad idea," Timothy said. "But if it's important enough to you… it might be your only option."

"... I can't know how important it is until I have the information," Vari shook her head. "But I can't just stay like this. I'll have to… look into other options on my own." Talking to Everheart would be her last resort. Surely she could find something on her own.

Chapter 440

Within the reasonable course of time, Anton had formed the hundred and first star. By itself it was nearly inconsequential, simply marking continued improvement. A small portion, but a necessary step along the path of cultivation. Anton wondered if there should not be more to it, like Body Tempering or Spirit Building. Essence Collection and Life Transformation focused on general improvement in personally relevant areas, so perhaps it should be more like them. Either way, Anton felt there was something missing. He could continue to advance and grow in power, but if there was some fundamental improvement to be made he didn't want to gloss over the opportunity. Yet his instincts felt safe with forming the star, so it should not be too much trouble to integrate whatever he thought of later, assuming it was possible. If Anton had not spent so much of his time guiding others he would be fumbling around in the dark, and even with that experience he was not really sure how to continue carving a new path. Perhaps he would run into a dead end… but so far, he felt he had done well.

He certainly didn't feel his power was lacking. He'd had no opportunity to truly test himself since advancement, but based on his power capacity and his experience fighting against the invaders, he should be more than adequate- though the invaders seemed to be somewhat restricted even without anti-ascension techniques being used against them. Personally, Anton was quite pleased to be able to continue incorporating those in case of future troubles- those who had ascended found it extremely difficult to achieve the same results, since their own energy was now ascension energy. Or upper energy, though Anton was uncertain if it was fundamentally better- just typically a higher density. That was important for cultivators, but it wasn't the only factor that mattered.

Along with his own cultivation, Anton was intimately aware of the sun's energy. For most it was so distant that they barely felt it, but having attuned himself to it he felt more. Fluctuations of energy beyond a level he could fully comprehend were commonplace, though most were not directed towards Ceretos even in the broadest sense. Even the one he'd chosen to help him advance had ultimately had little effect on the planet- some people might have noticed, but more took note of his advancement.

A few years was not enough to be certain of everything that could happen with a power source of such a size, and Anton was learning more every day. Perhaps he might approach closer to study it directly at some point, but that could involve a significant time away from home so he didn't want to do it spontaneously. Even so, he felt something new- something that didn't quite fit. It was buried among the more powerful energy of the star, nearly insignificant in scale. Perhaps it was unimportant, but it was new to Anton. He added it to his list of things to monitor- along with everything else. People and places and the stability of the planet were important, and he was doing all he could to keep things trending in a positive direction.

Day and night cycles still existed on Everheart's Tomb- though they were harder to comprehend inside the Library. Artificial light sources provided no sense of time, and it was easy to lose track of things. Outside, the lines waxed and waned with the daylight- while powerful cultivators were less beholden to the cycles of light and darkness than others, they still retained the same habits. There were more dangers at night, so most chose to rise during the day.

Outside the Library, Vari planned to take advantage of this, specifically the reduction in lines. She didn't want to make a public spectacle of herself, and interacting with Everheart's projection outside of necessity was unusual, especially with the light guides. But she had to speak to him directly, and it was risky enough to do that even without other people around.

So she stood around awkwardly until for at least a few brief moments nobody was around. Everheart's projection stood tall and straight, waiting for more people to approach. Vari approached from behind, slowly. "Excuse me, mighty Everheart. I have a question."

He turned towards her, hands clasped behind his back. "You can ask the light constructs to direct you to anything you need. Bounty board is over there."

"It really does need to be you," she said carefully. She was always polite to powerful figures, but even the saints did not individually control a planet she'd been on. Not that Everheart was greater than the saints. Or was he? She honestly didn't know their individual strengths, and it didn't matter if she thought less of them when they thought of her not at all. "There was information denied to me and I was wondering-"

"Rules for reaching deeper levels of the library are clear."

Vari ignored the interruption, except to let him speak. "It was denied for other reasons. A group has been seeking information you possess and seems to have offended you, and I am separately seeking the same information. So I was wondering if… I could be allowed access?"

For the first time Everheart was actually paying attention to her. The projection wasn't the same as an actual person, but she felt energy sweeping over her nonetheless, whether the product of a formation or a technique it was much the same as being scanned by energy senses the normal way. "Ah, the Harmonious Citadel. I do believe I have already been quite clear. My tomb is open and equally fair to all, but I am wondering if I should consider banning the entrance of your kind."

"Could you? I mean, not me. Others from the Harmonious Citadel. Because I know I seem like I'm with them but… I'm trying not to be. Oh Great Everheart." She wasn't sure if she'd ended up too casual. Being around Alva and the others made her somewhat careless in that regard, as they didn't even like being called Lord or Lady.

"I certainly don't intend to involve myself in intrasect conflict," Everheart said. "If you want to leave your sect, just leave and don't get me involved."

"I understand. I was just wondering if the restrictions were in place because it was them, or if I could study the copies of the techniques. I was hoping to find a way to get back my devotion."

"Sorry, what?" Everheart tilted his head.

"I'm a practitioner of the Holy Harmony Technique so I've been offering devotion to the saints and disciples my whole life. I just wanted to try to get it back."

"That's stupid," Everheart said bluntly. He took a step forward towards her, looming over her even though he was not particularly taller. "Audacious. Impossible." With each word he stepped closer. Vari wanted to turn and run, but that wouldn't do any good and might harm her instead. Then his nose nearly touched hers. "Interesting. I imagine the most likely outcome is you kill yourself, or draw unwanted attention for no benefit."

Vari swallowed. "Maybe. But I don't know since I haven't even had a way to try it."

"And you no longer consider yourself a member of the Harmonious Citadel?"

Vari nodded. "I'm not."

"Swear that you will never again join their ranks."

"I swear it," Vari said. Something twisted inside her, partly of herself… and partly some sort of compulsion. Though she couldn't tell if the latter was locking into place, coming undone, or both.

"Swear that if you ever get a good chance you'll kick the Saint of Light in the balls."

"..." Vari blinked a few times. "Could you repeat that?"

"I want you to kick Hans Sigismund in the nuts."

"Ok so… that's the name of the Saint of Light?" Vari asked. The saints were never called by their names, so she didn't know it. "Umm, if I get a chance, I swear to do it. I guess."

"Good," Everheart nodded. Vari didn't feel any change on compulsions upon her, but then against she'd never felt them being established in the first place. "Good luck, don't die. Though if you do it doesn't concern me."

A floating orb of light took Vari through a winding path in the library… which was odd because everything was literally arranged in straight rows and columns. Any obstacles that would stop construction from proceeding exactly as intended had been carved away, and supports were extremely regularly placed into the pattern. Yet Vari could swear she made a full loop around a specific bookshelf, and she definitely zig-zagged past a certain section a few times.

After a good deal of that, she came to a door that opened for her. She was quite certain the door had not been there when she was on the other side of the bookshelf approaching it, and things behind her also weren't the same. The shelves themselves were all the same size, but the contents were all shapes and sizes. The contours were definitely different, but Vari couldn't stay to look. She had to keep up with the light.

They stepped into a hallway full of doors, of which only one opened. When she looked inside, the light spoke- increasing and decreasing in intensity as it did so. "You are reminded to only take the items from units B4C-17 and nothing else. Noncompliance will be met with nonstandard consequences."

Vari didn't want to think about what that meant, but being denied access to other things made her more curious. She didn't recognize the sources of the various techniques though she did see something labeled Golden Heart which looked even older than the one she'd seen donated- though without reading either of them she couldn't know if it was even the same thing. She carefully reached out for the books for the Holy and Glorious Harmony Techniques. They were thicker than she remembered, and upon beginning her perusal she saw there were more guidelines for cultivation included. In fact, there was much more commentary about cultivation than the actual basics of the techniques.

She would need to browse further, but she didn't want to just stand around awkwardly. "Is there somewhere I can sit?" she turned to the light.

"Tomes cannot be removed from the area. Feel free to use the adjoined sitting room."

"What room?" Vari said. There was only the door she entered in, but as she looked out it was in fact a small sitting room. Comfortable chairs as well as tables and a writing desk if she needed it. "Oh. Thank you."

There was a weird paradox that Fuzz found in studying the beast techniques. The most critical one said it improved 'cognitive function'. Thinking, apparently. Yet it was written. If he hadn't been able to read, it would have been difficult to comprehend. Of course, Alva could have read it for him- and she did read it aloud for the sake of Spikes, though Spikes didn't fully understand human speech. In short, to learn it he needed to kind of know it already. But he also couldn't think of a way to avoid that restriction.

Fuzz wasn't sure how much the technique worked, but it felt good to practice. Spikes didn't really get it, but she was able to replicate what he did if he was slow. Minimal interaction with humans meant she hadn't developed the same way Fuzz had, and so she was still getting used to the idea of practicing in general. In the wild, Spikes used her natural abilities when they were necessary, and would otherwise conserve her energy. She was still able to improve with hardship, but humans improved before hardship and thus were more likely to survive it to grow more.

All of this Fuzz was trying to communicate to Spikes, and some of it got through. They had half a language between them, and she understood a portion of what humans could say… but the most important thing that could be communicated between them had already happened. Spikes had chosen to follow after him instead of staying with the great stone wolves. It seemed all of her efforts talking about his pack, and how they benefited from not being exactly the same, had paid off. Though she was still reluctant to admit it. Then again, she was still getting used to the mere possibility of clear communication.

Chapter 441

After several weeks of curiosity, Anton finally decided he needed to figure out what the strange fluctuations were. If things somehow fell apart with him gone for a short time, then clearly things were already far too strained to begin with. He didn't think that was the case, but he could always be deluding himself.

Since he was now officially the Sect Head of the Order, he had to create a clear spot in his schedule. Most things didn't actually require him, but people felt more important when they interacted with the sect head instead of someone else. There were rarely any new people he had to meet- everyone who had a reason had already done so in recent years- and his friends could simply wait if they wanted to see him. The only question was how long he might actually be gone- it would be at least a few weeks, and perhaps months if he could not immediately find a cause.

Flying was rather simple, though Anton felt he would need years of practice to elegantly make use of it in combat. He was just using raw power to propel himself upward and away from Ceretos, like running along with a giant boulder.

Though presumably he should feel weightlessness at some point, his efforts to accelerate himself far outweighed the effects of gravity- he barely felt the pull on him diminish, though once he actually thought about it he could notice that it was gone. His goal… the sun.

Looking towards it required a significant effort to shield his vision, despite the tempering of his body. The atmosphere of the planet filtered some of the power of the sun, and he was now beyond it. Beyond that, the experience was strangely empty. Points of light hung around him in the distance, and it was quite fascinating to have a nearly unrestrained view of the sky for the first few days- but ultimately, it was the same sky he could see from home, just all at once instead of rotating with the seasons.

As he got closer to the sun, Anton found himself having to shield his body from further effects. Despite being assimilated with its power, there were parts of it he simply couldn't allow to affect him- a great intensity of power that dwarfed anything he had ever felt. He already knew the power of the sun, but it had been felt from a great distance or through a tiny channel inside him.

As he grew closer, the power of that connection increased to the point that Anton was almost certain he could draw upon more power than he could control. He did not test that, of course. It would be rather foolish, to incinerate himself attempting to wrestle power he had no need for.

His thoughts drifted away from the politics of the planet below- that would be waiting for him when he returned. Cultivation was a constant backdrop to his travel, as he circulated the energy within him to replenish the air in his body and to wipe away fatigue. He was uncertain if never sleeping again would cause trouble, but he had gone longer than a month without it. Only when he was busy- in general, Anton preferred to live a life taking advantage of the normal daily necessities of food, drink, and rest. It kept him connected to humanity, and without that connection he was unsure if he might drift away.

An issue came up when he drew closer to the sun. He had sufficient energy to protect himself and was able to constantly draw on more, but there was another matter. The great power of the sun made sensing anything else difficult, and the sun was… not small. The distance across seemed to be approximately one hundred times that of Ceretos, which translated into a total surface of close to six hundred times as large. In normal circumstances, Anton could sense hundreds of kilometers in every direction, but the restrictions of the atmosphere was nothing compared to the roaring torrents of energy the sun put out.

The only thing he had to go on was a vague sense of something in a small part of the sun. It took some doing to even get there, reorienting his movement without drawing too close to the sun. While he might be able to resist its power at a significant distance from the surface, if he was pulled into it he would surely be consumed into nothing in a matter of moments.

Fortunately, the phenomenon he was sensing seemed to be away from its surface, or not deep within it at least. He focused on the slightest fluctuations, maneuvering towards anything that didn't feel like a natural part of the sun. He had a few false starts and nearly had run-ins with several solar flares, but eventually his trajectory brought him close to something. A miniscule source of energy, but highly visible for how starkly it contrasted the rest. He wasn't sure whether it took days or weeks, but he managed to approach… slowing his movement relative to it as he did so. He didn't want to zip past or impact whatever it was.

What he found was… a metal box. No, that wasn't quite right… but neither was it wrong. Nor was its power something to be ignored. In comparison to the sun, perhaps it was negligible… but compared to a Life Transformation cultivator it was more powerful. Against Anton himself, the power stores were somewhat comparable as it resisted the heat of the sun. He could feel it sensing the area around it, focused on the sun. Searching for something.

As he got closer he could sense the working of formations, channeling energy without the direct input of a cultivator. The metallic thing made use of some energy to protect itself from the heat of the sun, and to maintain its position.

Closer, and Anton sensed people inside of it. A ship, but without sails. Or any of the more familiar pieces. The skyships Anton had seen were much like those that sailed on the oceans- and from the tales of those in the upper realms, so were the ships that sailed the stars. Similar, at least- though with certain considerations taken for the lack of air. Regardless, they were mainly made of wood, shaped in a certain way, and quite different from this metal contraption.

Even so, it was a ship, for it carried people. Cultivators of middling power, yet with equipment brimming with energy. They didn't seem to have noticed him yet, with their focus clearly on the massive star in front of them. If he had solid reason to believe they were enemies he could strike them down before they reacted, but he wasn't willing to just assume ill intent.

When trying to determine how to contact them, Anton noticed a porthole on the rear. A window. His senses found several more about the ship, not quite glass but instead something dark, barely translucent. Most were completely sealed with an additional layer, indicating that nobody was attempting to see anything at the moment. But the one in the rear was open, if dark.

The people inside seemed to be in another compartment, but Anton made his way over to the rear window and prepared to knock. Before he touched the vessel he did his best to sense for defenses that might take issue with that. He settled for pulling out an old bow, fortifying the defenses around his body and ready to heighten them and propel himself away, while keeping the minimum amount of energy around the bow to prevent it from combusting. Then he tapped the window a few times.

Only one of the people inside seemed to react, turning slightly. Anton waited for a few moments, then did it again. They fully spun around, alerting some of the others… though only the one individual made their way towards him. Anton could vaguely make out a room with strange contraptions inside of it, the light around him and the dark window making it difficult. But he could focus power to his eyes enough to see a human- or something extremely close- entering the room. Anton waved his hand in front of the small window. The person looked around the room once more. Anton tapped on the glass again, then waved once more. Eyes locked on his… and the person inside nearly fell over in their fright.

Armed with new knowledge, Vari wondered what to do with it. It was like someone had handed her a sword. She technically knew how they worked, but figuring out the best way on her own seemed impossible. Yet she didn't have anyone to guide her on what she was doing. The others could help her with general cultivation advice, but they practiced a different cultivation technique… and had gone about ascension completely differently.

Not that Vari was planning to ascend. She wasn't even sure if she could, already being in the upper realms. They spoke of calling upon upper energy, breaking through the barriers of the world to do so. Of suddenly empowering themselves. That simply couldn't happen, as it was already her norm to use upper energy. Though she was aware that her cultivation speed might increase if she had items infused with lower energy. She was not privileged with such rarities, but she knew the practitioners of the Glorious Harmony Technique received opportunities such as that. Arrogant jerks.

The speed at which her thinking about the Harmonious Citadel flipped on its head was somewhat concerning to Vari, not because she felt as if her current mental situation was incorrect but because it had been so far removed from her even considering it just a few years before. She was pretty sure her mind literally wouldn't have allowed it. And that was why she was swinging so far in the other direction.

She had already memorized the differences between the older and newer versions of the techniques. The Holy Harmony technique had still been meant to drive devotion towards those practicing the Glorious Harmony technique or the saints, but it was missing some small tidbits that likely made its practitioners more susceptible to certain kinds of mental influence. Vari was trying to draw herself away from those parts, but reworking her cultivation was not simple.

She did her best, but she couldn't keep slamming her head against the same ideas forever. She needed a break, though the only thing she could think to do at the moment was look up unarmed and grappling techniques. Just because the Harmonious Citadel felt they had no place didn't mean that fighting style was worthless. Vari understood that a sharp blade had a multiplicative effect when determining how much damage it could cause, but she felt that it was a completely valid approach to deprive her enemies of such things instead of trying to get one of her own past their defenses.

As she rounded a corner, she felt the impact of running into someone- skull first. She hadn't felt any sign of them before the impact. "Watch where you're going! Sneaking around like that." The Harmonious Citadel had taught her to be kind, and while she still at least thought there was some merit to that, she wasn't in a good mood.

"I could say the same for yourself," said a large man with medium brown skin who loomed over her even while crouching down. He reached out his hand towards her. Vari pulled back but… the hand just lingered.

When she finally realized it was being offered to help her up, she reached for it. "Sorry, I think it's the Library screwing around with us."

"I would not discount it," the man said as he pulled her to her feet. A completely unnecessary gesture. He remained half crouched, returning to his browsing of the nearby shelf.

A trickle of moisture on her lip alerted Vari to blood running from her nose. "What the hell?" she said. Most cultivators walked around with at least a minimum amount of energy defenses, keeping their clothes from getting scraped up and the like. She should have been able to run full force into a brick wall and come out uninjured with little more than her tempered body.

The man turned towards her, standing slightly. "It seems our impact was more severe than I imagined. I was anchored in position. My apologies."

Now that she thought about it, the man hadn't moved at all. She found herself knocked back, but the instant he appeared her nose was smashing into his forehead. The complete lack of absorption apparently pushed her past her limits. Kind of embarrassing. The blood was stopping already, and she was wondering if she needed to reevaluate her body tempering. "It's alright," she said. "You're forgiven, if you had any fault. How did you get so… solid, though?"

"That's the Hardened Crown Technique," he said, "And I was anchoring myself so that I could maintain my awkward position."

"Interesting," Vari nodded. She realized that the light she had been following had stopped, not as if it was waiting for her but as if it was done. Indeed, this was the section she was looking for. "Hey, you believe grappling is a valid fighting style, right?"

"Of course," the man said, extending a massive hand. "I am Kiran, of the Hardened Crown Sect. It is good to meet you."

"Vari," she nodded. "Of… nothing, for the moment."

Chapter 442

Seeing much of anything but the sun was rather difficult, but Anton remained in the same relative position with what was likely the only other thing to get vaguely close to it. At the moment the metal ship was sensing Anton, much like it had been doing for the sun itself. He let it happen, since the people on board would likely be more willing to communicate if he did so. Specifically, once it was clear that he was peaceful. His actions should have made that quite obvious.

As it studied him, he continued to study the strange contraption. It was surprising that it was not incinerated, as most materials would be. The amount of energy it was using should not have been sufficient to protect it, but it seemed to be rather efficient in its functions. Perhaps there were deeper levels to it he could not sense, as the flow of energy through it was quite complex and only partially matched what he knew of formations.

He hoped something productive would come of this new contact- and that it would not turn into a battle. Yet he was prepared for that eventuality. He doubted that these new people would care that this was his native system if they felt threatened. Actually, he couldn't be completely sure they weren't from a planet around the same sun. It was predicted that other planets weren't habitable by humans, but if settled by cultivators with their oddities it might be possible. He should visit the other planets. And perhaps the moon, just to see what was left of Everheart's work.

The ship completed its scanning, and then began to move. Technically it was moving the whole time, but it broke away from its orbit around the sun, moving towards Anton- or rather slightly past him. He changed his own momentum to follow along behind it. He didn't feel that it was trying to run away.

It continued to accelerate, but at a steady pace. It didn't make any adjustments to its course. As they left the range of the sun where its energy signature overwhelmed almost everything else, Anton felt the ship's senses upon him again. He was also able to get a clearer picture of the ship in return, a relatively small vessel with only a handful of inhabitants. He still didn't understand how it functioned, though.

Eventually the rear porthole was unsealed- it had been kept closed to block out the sun's intense light and heat, but now he could see through. The person inside pointed down. Anton slightly lowered himself relative to the ship, and he could sense part of it opening. A small room that led to another. He'd sensed a change in it before it opened- the air removed. Yes, something like that would be necessary. Anton could replenish his own breath, and the ship likely did something the same for those living on it. But if they lost some, it would be gone until they entered an atmosphere.

He didn't sense any sort of trick in the small room- it seemed to simply be for entering and exiting the ship. If it came down to it, he could tear open the doors or walls unless there was something very significant he didn't sense. If communication was going to happen, someone was going to have to take the first step of trust- and honestly, allowing him into their vessel was riskier than the other way around.

After he entered, the doors closed behind him and the room once more filled up with air. Anton took a breath. It was basically what he expected, and didn't have any poisons that he could sense. Actually breathing was nice as well. Relaxing.

Several people crowded around the internal door before it opened. Not necessarily in an intimidating manner, but rather because space was limited. As the door opened, Anton held up a hand and waved. "Hello. Good to see you."

They responded verbally, but not in a language Anton recognized. That was quite sensible- though Ceretos had one primary language that seemed to have mixed with what they knew of the upper realms through cultivators mingling, language wouldn't be exactly the same everywhere.

After the initial back and forth Anton was unsure if he should continue talking, but a woman in the lead gestured towards him as she spoke. Gestures could be different as well, but his training in Insight likely wouldn't lead him far astray. "You want me to speak more? I'm not really sure what to say. My name is Anton," he gestured to himself. "And I live in this system. It seems you are from the outside?"

One of them was looking at something in their hands and nodding. The woman in the lead stretched her hand out towards him. "Anton." He nodded. She pointed to herself, "Matija."

Anton bowed slightly, "Good to meet you, Matija," he focused on the last word. If they would speak more, he might be able to pick up their language. Actually, he could hear a couple that weren't in the same hallway speaking. They probably didn't think he could hear them, but he really didn't know what they were saying yet. Anton wondered how long this would take.

The woman turned, gesturing for him to come along with her as she spoke. Anton followed. The hallways weren't very wide and he practically brushed up against the other two even as they turned to the side to let him through.

The woman grabbed a rail and pulled herself along slowly, one tug to accelerate. There was no gravity to speak of, after all. Anton wasn't sure if walking would be rude, but it felt more appropriate. He held himself to the floor as he went. These people around him should have enough energy to do that… but perhaps they thought it wasteful. Then again, they might have little way to replenish their energy in the void of space.

They came to a small room with storage devices- though all the rooms were small. The storage devices were more like cupboards instead of typical storage bags, but they felt the same functionally. Without even needing to pry to learn what was inside them, the woman pulled out two small bags with liquid inside. "Drink." That was just a guess at what she said, but Anton was fairly confident in his interpretation. Especially when she twisted something at the corner and then put it between her lips.

Anton twisted the same thing, finding that the bag was slightly squeezed as well. Water sprayed everywhere, but he captured it with a net of energy. Embarrassing, but also somewhat entertaining. He gave a slight laugh. The way the water formed into little wobbly spheres was fascinating. A lack of gravity made interesting things happen. He somewhat reluctantly put the water back into the little waterskin and then drank a small bit the same way as the woman. He didn't necessarily need water, but an exchange of food was a good bonding method.

He wondered if he should offer anything of his own. These people still seemed human, so they should be able to eat the same things. What did he have on him? There were certain cuts of raw meat he hadn't dealt with yet from a hunting excursion- more of an extermination of beasts, but leaving their meat would have been a waste. Raw was no good. There were boring nuts, and some rations that might not be from this decade. Technically they were still just as good- practically, they were never good.

Ah, there was something. Anton pulled out a couple handfuls of berries, offering one palm to the woman. He knew others were watching, peeking around the corner. Did they not know he could sense them? Perhaps they simply didn't think about it and couldn't stifle their curiosity.

The woman, Matija, took the berries Anton offered… and they promptly began floating in all directions as he released his energy holding them in place. Matija made a panicked grab for them as they slipped out of her hand, but she ended up losing more than she held on to, and squashing half of that. She looked panicked, but Anton couldn't help but giggle at the amusing sight. He wasn't sure why she wouldn't catch them or just hold them in place with her energy, but he gathered them for her, keeping them together with just the lightest touch.

"Eat," Anton said. "They're tasty." He started munching on them as he made the suggestion.

The woman was slightly hesitant for some reason. Perhaps there was some issue he did not know about? She carefully studied one of the segmented berries, then slowly put it in her mouth. Her expression indicated it tasted good, as it should. When it reached her stomach, she suddenly seemed surprised. Anton was unsure why that was… or why she wasn't circulating the energy it was releasing. There wasn't much from Ceretos these days that wasn't imbued with natural energy on some level- and that included these berries. It wouldn't hurt her to just let it digest, but it was less efficient than actively absorbing it.

Anton frowned internally. The situation was so awkward, and formal. He didn't want to overstep his bounds, but he'd really rather invite the others if they were going to eat. He said as much, though he doubted they understood yet. Even with whatever methods they had, it wasn't like they could easily predict new words yet.

Matija continued to slowly munch on the berries, but seemed hesitant about what to do with the juices of the crushed ones vaguely clinging to her hand. Anton hoped he wouldn't cause any problems, but to make her more comfortable he intentionally squashed one, staining his fingers, then licked it off.

Attempts at conversation continued, but there was little actual communication they could do yet. Anton was clinging onto their words, using his tempered mind to attempt to comprehend something… while they used their own methods. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long. He could mimic their words now but he wouldn't know what they meant well enough to be sure he wanted to say them.

Only after talking with the others did Vari realized what she had done. It wasn't wrong to train with others- and the Library was perhaps one of the only places in Everheart's Tomb where it was properly safe- but the identity of who she trained with was important.

"I don't like it at all," Catarina said.

"Is there something wrong with the Hardened Crown Sect?" Vari asked.

"Only that they're here," Catarina admitted. "That means there are both sects from the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Quadrant here. Our history with both is… not entirely positive."

"... you've fought against them before? Already? They're significant powers." Vari shook her head, "I can avoid working with Kiran again, if you wish."

"That shouldn't be necessary," Catarina said. "Unlike some of the sects in the Exalted Quadrant, we have not had conflict with the Hardened Crown Sect. The issue is that both groups are here at once. They're not exactly friendly."

"... that would be an understatement," Vari said. "If I understand correctly, they're responsible for much of the Bloodsoaked Nebula being as it is. Now that I think about it, they have agreed to keep their business out of the Scarlet Midfields after a past conflict."

Hoyt had something to say there, "Maybe Everheart's Tomb doesn't count. Or the rewards are worth it somehow."

"The problem that I see is that we didn't see any of either last time," Timothy said. "Perhaps it was a coincidence, but I have the feeling we've been spotting more and more of them each day we're here. When it was just the Trigold Cluster it seemed to be bad luck."

"Enough of the Exalted Quadrant likely would be against us as well," Alva shook her head. "And our backing here is… minimal."

"At least most people won't be able to directly recognize our cultivation techniques," Catarina said. "That's one good thing about organizations of this scale."

Vari was still just thinking. "... I can't believe your world produced Everheart and got into conflict with the two Great Powers."

"That's just how it is," Hoyt shrugged. "Also, there are only two 'Great Powers'?"

"The Trigold Cluster and Exalted Quadrant flank the Scarlet Midfields, so we don't really run into anything else." Vari shook her head, "The upper realms are vast, but little information exists from beyond either region. And perhaps my knowledge was intentionally limited by the Harmonious Citadel. They… liked to imply they were as strong as the Great Powers, but I'm rather uncertain about that now."

For the moment, there was nothing that could or should be done about cultivators gathering. People had gotten most of what they could be expected to learn at the moment- and for their other purposes, they needed to reach deeper. That meant earning points somehow throughout the Tomb. It would be good to get some practical experience to see if their learning actually helped, as well.

Chapter 443

Dust flew up, as powerful feet stomped the ground, despite the heavy-packed dirt that made up the training grounds. Fire raged around the area as two cultivators faced off. With a flaming axe swinging towards them, the first instinct of a human was not to move closer- but that was the appropriate response if one wanted to get an advantage. At least when wielding weapons with shorter range, or none at all. Vari stepped inside of Hoyt's range, lunging forward so his step back wouldn't return her to the proper range. Her forearm deflected the throat of the weapon while her other arm wrapped around Hoyt's arm to transition into a throw.

A moment later he was tumbling away, but Vari didn't find that she came out ahead in that encounter. After all, her very energy was burning away, the fire spreading faster the more she tried to fight it. She only managed to extinguish herself by creating a solid barrier around her that didn't ignite the same way as more free-flowing upper energy. However, that time lost her whatever advantage she gained from the throw- Hoyt was already back on his feet, uninjured.

"Alright, I surrender," Vari held her hands up. She had the potential to do more, but it wouldn't be appropriate to display her actual limits in front of prying eyes. That was why she was training with Hoyt instead of Kiran. Though attempting to monopolize the time of either of them would have been too much anyway. She could barely help them improve, being in a lower realm. There were other factors to consider with the fellow from the Hardened Crown Sect that made working with him too much inadvisable- since noticing either her connection to the Hundred Stars or her cultivation technique could be problematic depending on who it was.

"Pretty good," Hoyt said. "Why didn't you try to hold onto my axe?"

"Because I couldn't have actually wrestled it out of your grip. And you were ready to kick me away."

"Didn't think I made it that obvious," he shrugged. "Though I was thinking I might suggest something."

"What's that?"

"Carrying a weapon," Hoyt said as he made sure nobody was listening.

"I do," Vari shook her head. "I can't just expect to choke someone out. I have daggers ready if I need them."

"Something bigger," Hoyt suggested. "That will make the daggers look like backup weapons, and make people less likely to suspect what you actually intend. You might even use it occasionally."

"I'll think about it," Vari said. It was a good point. Deception was despised among the Harmonious Citadel… publicly, anyway. She wasn't sure how much it was practiced internally without her knowledge. The way everyone practiced one weapon at least seemed honest, but only at the basic level.

"Greetings," Anton was pleased to hear a strange voice speak after only a few hours. "We have translated the basics of language. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Anton nodded. He noticed that they spoke into a device they had, and it spoke either to him or back to them. "That was pretty fast."

"Similar start makes speech easier," Matija said via the translation device. "Close stars, possible past."

"That might be," Anton admitted. "I don't exactly know who came and went from Ceretos." Talking more might not be fully understood, but perhaps it would help advance their understanding. And he could listen to what their translation thing thought he should be saying in their language, though he wasn't going to assume it to be fully accurate.

"You…" Matija gestured vaguely, but Anton understood it to be about him moving things about.

"I move things with my natural energy, yes. Would that not be expected of cultivators like yourself?" Anton demonstrated with one of the empty packets that held water just to indicate he somewhat understood.

The reaction of the others indicated that perhaps they did not. There was some measure of surprise and unfamiliarity upon first meeting that Anton had chalked up to that, instead of assuming anything he was doing with cultivation was unfamiliar. Except perhaps surviving in the void of space, but it was a logical extension of power that should be understandable.

"You fly without… this," Matija gestured around her. "Using energy."

"That's correct. I use natural energy to power what I do. You also use energy with your ship," Anton gestured, "And the translator," Anton pointed. "And for those… weapons?" he gestured to devices on their waist that had more highly concentrated energy.

"Yes. Everything uses energy. But not without this," she said, indicating the device in front of her.

That was odd. They were certainly cultivators. Anton could feel the energy inside them, and he could feel them activating the translation device with it, though it had its own internal power as well. "You are cultivators," he said. "Energy inside," he pointed to himself, and then to Matija. "The same as there." He gestured with his energy, but they didn't seem to notice it, not clearly anyway.

It took a few moments for Matija to respond. "Yes. But energy is inside, not outside."

"Why?"

It was a simple question, but even if they knew what it was the answer was not necessarily so simple. "That is… how it is."

So they didn't know how to do anything else. Curious. He would ask to see their cultivation techniques, but that was a bit forward and useless since he wouldn't be able to read it. At best he might see meridian diagrams, but explaining cultivation techniques without clearly shared language would be impossible.

"You can do it," Anton said. "See this?" he pointed to a little bubble of energy in his hand, holding up the little bag- the waterskin of strange material. He tossed one to Matija. "Try it."

A few moments later, Anton felt a smaller version of the ships senses upon him. It was one of the smaller devices. Another member of the crew was aiming it at his hand as they tried to understand what he was saying and doing. He could still feel it activating, but now how it worked- or how they got the sensations from it.

"I will try," Matija said. Despite that, she seemed to be having difficulties. He could sense her energy moving inside her, indicating she had control over it. The energy even flowed through the meridians in her arm up to her palm, but it just stayed there. Matija placed the waterskin on her palm… and then it exploded. More or less directly at Anton, since she was facing him.

Everyone seemed quite concerned, worried shouts and all that, but it only took a few moments for the metal ship to pull the smoke and particles of material out of the air. It seemed quite efficient, and Anton followed its motion through a very fine mesh that stopped the small bits before the air returned to the compartment.

As the smoke cleared Matija and the others were able to see again. It took her only a moment to look at Anton and prostrate herself on the ground.

"That's entirely unnecessary," Anton said, "Please stand up." Since they hadn't apologized to each other the translator didn't really know what to say, but he got the idea. "Get up. I am unharmed. I am fine," he gestured to himself as well as waving her up. One of the crew members had his weapon pulled out, pointed vaguely at Anton. Or at least he found it reasonable to assume that it was at him given the arrangement of the arm. He probably thought Anton couldn't see it because he was behind him. No need to bring that up unless he actually tried something though. "Come on, get up," Anton said to Matija as she looked at him cautiously from the ground. He held out a hand in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. He still had his little waterskin and held it out. "Want to try again?"

She was at some risk from that explosion, but he'd protected her and everything around them from the explosion and the potential bouncing around. It was interesting to see that happen, since these cultivators were clearly somewhere around late Essence Collection or early Life Transformation in power, but seemed to have limited control of natural energy.

Matija seemed to understand the extended arm was to help her up, and that Anton wasn't angry. It would have been pretty rude to get upset over something he encouraged that was also obviously an accident, but on the other hand… he could see people reacting that way. Even if it had been a real threat to himself, however, he liked to think he would have responded the same way.

"Try again?" Anton asked, holding his hand towards her. "Yes?" he pulled it away, "No?" He returned it to a neutral position, his palm open as he floated the strange waterskin above it.

She cautiously reached out. "Yes. Try again."

She held the waterskin on her palm and more slowly gathered energy, more cautiously. Then, after a moment, it began to float. Well, it more bounced erratically as she blasted it with energy, and then it tore to shreds a few moments later but… it was basically the same.

Anton could see her eyes widen, and everyone was excitedly talking at each other. The crew member who had pointed a weapon at Anton was no exception, having now returned said weapon to its sheath.

Matija remembered that Anton was present after a few moments of celebration, hugs and shouts of excitement and all that. She turned back to him and put on her more formal face. "Try. Yes."

"You did it," Anton said. "Good job." He was getting close to the point he would try speaking their words. All of the new information was jumbling around in his head, but what was a couple rounds of body tempering for if it didn't include perhaps the most important part? Cognitive abilities were enhanced by cultivation, which was necessary for the more complex subtleties of advanced cultivation. Focusing on multiple things at once was one of those improvements necessary for a cultivator.

Matija looked at her hand. "How?" she finally asked.

"It is normal," Anton said. He tapped his head, "The mind controls energy, like these devices control energy. Have you not tried before?" Surely some must have. Even people randomly stumbling about with cultivation could learn something about energy control, and these people were many times more powerful than necessary to see results.

After another several hours that were productive in learning to communicate if nothing else, they had moved to something like a lounge- with couches placed in various positions. They had straps to keep people from casually floating away, and the room was rather crowded with only a few.

"So why did you come here?" Anton asked.

"To study the star," Matija said. "Ceretos?"

"Ceretos is my planet," Anton said. "That is just… a star. The sun."

"Your planet? Is it close?"

Anton shook his head. "Not at this speed. We're also going the wrong way." They hadn't continued accelerating once they got an appropriate distance from the sun, but they were still moving. Not all that fast, but nothing slowed them down either. "What about the sun did you want to study?"

"We noted strange energy fluctuations within the last few years. So we came to see it." Matija frowned. "The change is… very similar to you."

Anton shrugged. "It's possible that it is not a coincidence. So what do you know about cultivation?"

"It was a legend," she said. "At least the way that you are, and speak about it. We have a method to grow energy inside of ourselves, but it is not the same. Most of us can't sense energy outside of ourselves either, except in vague terms."

"Surely you must have tried to control things with energy, the way you control your machines."

"I suppose?" Matija shook her head. "They mainly draw on us. We simply allow it."

"If I may," the crew member who had stood behind Anton spoke up. Anton had learned his name was Premysl. "There are talks of such power. I think many of us attempted such things in our youth to no effect."

Matija nodded, "That is the same with me. But seeing you do it, I felt something. Does that make sense?"

"I suppose so," Anton agreed. "I can't say I did anything at all with energy without seeing or feeling it in action first." Though maybe some of what he felt before he became a cultivator was subconscious and rare, it wasn't as if he'd been completely cut off from cultivators for the first century of his life.

"Once we are stronger, there are cautions about the dangers," Premysl said. "I hadn't considered that projecting energy could be anything but uncontrolled chaos."

Anton nodded, "Nobody's born with a century of experience. All of you will be far ahead of myself in understanding the basics of our system. And I can see why nobody would search with great intensity for alternatives when you have something that works," Anton gestured. "This ship is impressive. It functions like a complex formation with only the minimum number of runes."

"I doubt they could use any more," Matija said. "It makes use of pretty much everything runes can do."

"Really?" Anton raised an eyebrow. "I will admit the very small mechanisms seem quite effective even without runes involved, but I would have thought that basic durability runes would be involved in the outer surface instead of an intensive field of energy. Though the materials themselves are astounding."

From their expressions, perhaps they didn't know more about runes than what he had, in which case he was even more impressed. It might do them quite a bit of good to learn, even from him. Or perhaps they had simply gone beyond the need for the things he thought they were missing. Sharing too much information might not be good, but they seemed friendly enough. If they were hiding ulterior motives beneath the surface, they were good at hiding them- though friendliness didn't necessarily equate to goodness in the end. He'd have to get to know them more deeply to determine that.

Chapter 444

The forces on the metal ship eventually identified themselves as part of the United Ruteran Order- Rutera being their home system. They had recently developed to the point they were exploring other realms, and as Anton had already learned they had come because of changes to the sun that likely involved him. Their presence told Anton it was possible to move between lower realms, though he wasn't certain if it would be wise for him to do so himself. Even so, it opened up possibilities previously unavailable.

"I am certain you are eager to return to your world to report this interaction," Anton said. He pulled out a pair of communication plates. "These should allow us to keep in contact, though it will require the injection of some energy. You will have to translate on your end, since it uses our characters." He wished he had better ones, but he didn't normally carry around extras. This was the only one he was certain would work at distances greater than planetary.

"... This doesn't look like any communication device I am familiar with," Matija commented. "Specifically, it seems like it's missing the most important parts. Like a transmission method."

"The formations are intertwined with each other to function at any distance," Anton said. "There will be some time delay depending upon how far your system is, but it should not be too onerous. Days, at most."

"Are you sure? The distances between systems are… vast."

"It would be able to communicate with systems in the upper realms, which should be further away if we are truly neighbors."

Premysl was muttering to himself, something about comparing it to their faster-than-light communications. He probably didn't think he could be overheard, but it didn't matter much either way.

"Now then," Anton said. "I should be going home. Perhaps we shall arrange for a visit at some point… but I would avoid showing up uninvited. We've had incidents with others that people would react strongly to." Then there was the matter of the Exalted Archipelago. They might not be happy with such communication, and even if their lower realm counterparts were he wouldn't wish too much information to reach the upper realms.

Soon enough he found himself outside the 'airlock' and returning towards home. It was much too far to sense- and though he knew the approximate plane it was on even with unlimited range it would be a stab in the dark because of slight variations. However, Anton wasn't so easily lost. He knew the relative locations of stars throughout the year, though in truth he could have navigated by the connection he had to the planet. That allowed him to affirm his direction was correct, but if he were to go exploring he would have to get used to a lack of terrains or landmarks. Especially outside of the system, though once again he was unsure if that was smart. The sun was a great source of power for him, and the intensity of that connection might wane with distance.

Inside his pocket, a few test messages came in from Matija. He responded, confirming that it worked. They had recorded how each letter matched the sounds and their devices seemed to take care of the rest.

After what he had learned- and what had been revealed to them- Anton imagined both sides would have plenty to think about for quite some time. Even if he didn't learn how to do any of it, simply knowing there were methods like theirs for controlling the world's energy was a great revelation. He would have conversations with many people about this. Including Catarina, though that would be slow and unfortunately not as detailed as he would like.

Within the Scorching Mirror Desert, Elder Vasu took in the whole of his surroundings. The sands evoked a healing of light and heat, but there was more to it. Natural energy was abundant despite the lack of visible flora and fauna. Various cacti and succulents survived in the harsh desert, though it could not be said to be overflowing with life. Likewise, creatures other than humans were present but rare. All such life was powerful, however.

There was another aspect to the sands as well. Vasu took it in along with the power it held. Sands would typically become rounded from their friction with other particles, and this was true of the Scorching Mirror Desert as well. However, around the headquarters of the Million Sword Vault there was an anomaly. Instead of rounding, some grains would not only retain their size but grow into something more similar to actual pieces of mirror, sharp shards that could cut. Like tiny swords.

Elder Vasu wished the best for the Chikere and others of the Million Sword Vault who would be ascending, but he planned to remain where he was. He quite liked Ceretos, but was unwilling to give up continuing his cultivation. In times past he might have had to accept losing one or the other, but recent times had revealed new options.

The sands of the desert swirled as he exerted his influence over them… and in turn, allowed them to gain a modicum of influence over himself.

There was a large variety in how library bounties for Everheart could go. There was the matter of whether or not an individual was still on planet- none of the group wanted to go chasing people to new worlds, and especially not breaking into their sects. However, not all of the bounties required the individual in question. Some just listed who had taken what, but didn't concern themselves with whether or not anything happened to the 'criminal'. Others had explicit instructions that people were to be brought back.

Taking precautions in such work was necessary for those who tried to uphold a moral core. While Everheart's words could be trusted to the point that the individuals took what he said from his Library, that didn't necessarily indicate people had done something wrong. Certainly, not more than Everheart himself. The vast majority of what he possessed was no doubt already stolen or pillaged from others- the distinction being perhaps less important to the man himself. The point was, members of the Order of One Hundred Stars knew that cultivators inevitably looted things from others, but the method through which people came into conflict was important. Competition over resources didn't have to end in death, even if it often did.

A few had rather easy solutions. There were rare individuals who had vileness inherently woven into their cultivation, empowered not just by death but by gratuitous violence for its own sake. Murder, torture, and the like. Cultivators weren't usually so easy to judge, but they had chosen some of the bounties based on exactly such factors. There were temptations to go after a disciple of the Twin Soul Sect, but beyond being unsure of her presence on planet, they wanted to avoid obvious conflict with larger sects. Just because they had rooted them out of their world didn't mean they were stronger than them, especially with just a handful of people and two wolves- no matter how exceptional any of them were.

Then there was the situation with Yarros. There was no bounty on the man himself, but they managed to track him down. He was a brave one, perhaps, traveling alone. They moved in from all sides, Timothy blocking him from the front. "Are you still in possession of 'One Thousand and One Noodle Soups, first edition'?" It was a somewhat ridiculous thing to say seriously, but the points were worth it, somehow.

Yarros was an older man, and as he found himself surrounded glowing tomes popped out of his rucksacks, swirling around him in a whirlwind. "You'll never get my- wait what did you say? Noodle Soups?"

"That's right," Timothy said, holding his position with his sword at the ready and his shield half raised.

"Well, I made a copy of that but…" A book popped out of his rucksack. "Oh." Another followed it. "I think I forgot to put back the original."

"Everheart put out a library bounty on it."

The man solidified his stance, "You still won't take me, no matter your reason."

"We're just here for the book," Timothy said. "The bounty isn't on you. Though it does call you out, so some people might not care."

"Are you certain?" he said as books formed into rows like walls around him, inside the whirlwind.

"Absolutely," Timothy said, holding up the bounty. "Book return required. Nothing else."

"In that case, maybe I should take it back myself for that reward."

"You sure?" Timothy raised an eyebrow. "Just because he didn't specify anything for you doesn't mean he won't decide you should get punished if you happen to be there."

"... your words are quite persuasive," Yarros admitted. "Take it," he tossed the book to Timothy. "But do try to get it returned quickly so I don't have to deal with anyone else."

They had, partly out of respect for the man and partly because they had to seek out information on their next target, and gathering places like the Library were the best place for that. Despite the fact that nobody could enforce any laws and violence was often encouraged by Everheart, most encounters between cultivators didn't involve conflict of any sort, and killing was a step rarer. If everyone fought, then in no time at all nobody would be left alive. If the odds were close to even, even a handful of battles would almost guarantee an individual's death. The victors of a battle weren't actually random, but knowing when to not engage or to withdraw were both important lessons.

The Thousand and One Noodles Soups had been carefully scrutinized by the group on the way back, but no signs of code or hidden messages could be discerned. It really was just a large number of noodle soups. Everheart didn't like being stolen from, of course, but the price was too great for that. There were many others where he had a lower price or demanded the body of a thief for the reward of lesser value. So perhaps there was something more to it, or it was a joke of some sort… or Everheart really liked that particular book. Because that was always possible.

Everheart took the book off their hands with barely a glance, but he likely wasn't actually careless. "You now have sufficient points to reach the third level. It will require significantly more to reach the fourth level."

"We are aware," Catarina said.

"I would not mind letting you there right now…" Everheart said slowly. "If you could give me a copy of that technique I mentioned earlier."

For a person who loved causing trouble, Everheart was actually being somewhat circumspect. "I'm afraid we don't have it." That was true- though Catarina could likely produce a copy. Candle Wax was a simple enough technique that she'd previously memorized it, fit for use even by those in Body Tempering. She just didn't want to admit to having seen it, because that would let him know they were from the same world. That might have benefits, but it might be a terrible idea. It was already uncomfortable that he suspected them. They couldn't even assume any of their conversations were private, though Catarina was getting better at picking out his formations.

"Move on, then," he waved them past.

Back at the Order of One Hundred Stars, Anton conferred with Zajoc and Fodor, along with the other seven Grand Elders. "Traveling to other systems may be a bit hasty when we have not conquered our own, or for the most part even left our planet, but it is something to consider. According to the information from the upper realms, we could craft such ships with only minor differences from skyships." Both took significant amounts of energy, and interestingly enough the lack of resistance outside the atmosphere meant that even accelerating to much greater speeds was not as much more expensive than one would envision. Reaching speeds that could swiftly travel between systems- any faster than a handful of years- was another matter.

"Regardless," Elder Fodor smiled, "Peaceful contact with others is something to celebrate."

"Indeed," Anton nodded. "We will be keeping this information secret, except for the highest leadership of our longstanding allies. That includes other members of the Order. Once word is out, it is impossible to conceal it. If someone could be allies against invasions from the upper realms, we don't want there to be any warning."

All of the Grand Elders agreed. They didn't have to, and Anton specifically wanted them to disagree when they had a reason. Having a bunch of cronies who just did what he said would make it pointless to even have a council. If he wasn't going to listen to them, he could just be a tyrant like some people made him out to be. Mostly those from the trampled sects in the Exalted Archipelago.

Chapter 445

For the sake of making responsible choices, the group cored by the Hundred Stars tried to do research before taking up a bounty. Even following around someone was enough to get into a conflict, so ensuring the request was reasonable became an important matter. They didn't always have much to go on, though. This particular one was just too good to pass up, with sufficient points to get the entire group to the fourth and final level of the Library, where they could finally begin their real goal. And the danger was minimal as well.

No, minimal was perhaps an overstatement. Nonexistent should be more correct. A single cultivator at the Essence Collection stage shouldn't be a threat to any of them unless they simply forgot to put up any sort of defenses. Perhaps Vari and Spikes who were only a stage ahead or the equivalent could be injured, if they were likewise solo.

But the target might not be the problem. Even if people tried to hide it, word naturally spread of an inflated bounty on this fellow named Rouben. That meant competition. But only if others arrived almost simultaneously- it couldn't take more than a minute on the outside to subdue someone like this. On the short end, it would be a mere instant- and that was many times more likely.

The information beyond his name and cultivation level were sufficient to decide it was worth pursuing. He'd stolen a technique called the Essentia Lockbox, the fancy name meaning nothing on its own… but finding it had origins with the Twin Soul Sect and had perhaps been lost to time gave them additional motivation. They couldn't be sure if it was already too late to prevent the Twin Soul Sect from hearing about it, if Rouben wasn't already working for them, but they couldn't afford for it to be easily available. It had apparently been locked away in one of the more secure layers, so returning it there would at least limit access. Destroying it… might be preferable, though they couldn't be sure if Everheart would find out and produce consequences for them.

Rouben had gone toward the Gardens. Alva's brief cut through the area had given her some idea of what to expect, and with Fuzz navigating the area would be much easier. They just needed to pick up the right trail, which might involve a bit of guesswork. They had a physical image, but it didn't include useful things like scent. Simply the fact that the man passed through the area around the Library was too vague, with hundreds of scents at minimum every day. Fuzz and Spikes sniffed around anyway, but there was no guarantee anything would come of it later. Perhaps they might recognize someone who had been at the library, though whether or not that would help was a different matter.

As they began their trek in the direction of the Garden, which was basically just an area of wilderness that covered a good segment of the planet they were on, Fuzz took note of some scents. These he had context for… and not just from recently.

"Twin Soul Sect…" Alva shook her head. Were they around because they were looking for this, or was it a coincidence? Either way, the chance that they were heading in the same direction purely by accident was ignorable. Which meant they had to pass them.

A group's speed was limited by the slowest member, and that was usually related to cultivation level. Vari was simply not able to keep up the same level of exertion as everyone else. Spikes was at a similar cultivation strength, but was more trained for running. The ability to recover stamina quickly that helped out humans at lower levels of cultivation was overcome by the fact that a beast's body would continue growing more powerful automatically. Body tempering excelled in consistent performance, but generally gave up slightly on the upper end of power since the user would have less energy to focus on key moments.

There was a simple solution to speed up the group. Vari just rode Fuzz with Alva. Spikes was familiar enough with them that Vari might have been able to ride her, but Fuzz was used to moving with a rider. One more made little difference to him. That technically made Spikes the slowest, but she was able to more or less keep pace with the Integration cultivators.

Knowing they shouldn't be more than a day behind their quarry, they expected to catch up well before he reached the Gardens- but only if they chose the right path. It wasn't as if there was only one path between two points on a planet. There were some annoying terrain features like rivers and what was either a salt lake or an ocean depending on who you asked. There were also mountains, of course, but the biggest factor is that Everheart didn't tolerate people climbing over the structures he made. Even if they were laden with deathtraps, it was generally safer to go through than over.

For the moment, they followed what seemed to be the biggest pack from the Twin Soul Sect, assuming they would at least have a decent understanding of where they were going. Or maybe they were suicidal, because they chose to go through the Smithy.

"It's not that bad," Hoyt said.

"I don't think you get to comment, fire cultivator," Timothy said.

"You could still do it," Hoyt grinned. "And Fuzz is fine as well."

"Same answer," Timothy grumbled.

The Smithy was located inside of a volcano. Not on top of, but inside. The main tunnels took a winding path right next to magma chambers in the mountain, with occasional bridges over pools of the same. And if that was all there was, then even the fact that was hotter than lava got in a lower realm wouldn't have been a terrible setback. There were of course fire creatures looking for something to eat. And something else, in a way worse than all the rest.

*Clang*

The sound of a hammer striking an anvil was normally rather pleasant. Perhaps a bit loud and disruptive, but most people appreciated the industry it upheld at the very least. That was when other factors were normal, and the hammering didn't send out shockwaves of sound that threatened to collapse tunnels while also bowling people over or trying to send them tumbling into molten rock. The fact that the rock was dense enough most people wouldn't sink much hardly meant anything when it clung to everything like glue.

*Clang*

The volcano trembled. The sound was simultaneous with the shockwave pushing through the hallway they were in, though Timothy took a position in front to block it. The first time he'd made the mistake of attempting to completely negate the shockwave, and had been blasted backwards on a trajectory that would have collided with half of the others had they not dodged. This time, he kept his focus smaller, not just deflecting some of the sound wave with his shield but also scattering it by forming rough surfaces with his energy instead of a flat plane. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he was sent sliding back several paces, but his efforts reduced the amount of trouble the others had to put up with. The wolves were particularly grateful, since their ears were more sensitive.

"I'm sensing two paths ahead," Alva said. Her senses could stretch further than the others. "The group we're following forged straight ahead, while the other tunnel curves around to the left. There's some sort of treasure in the other path."

"Sounds like a trap," Hoyt said.

"But is going for the treasure the trap," Vari commented. "Or not being greedy that's the trap?"

A question that needed to be asked, since with Everheart it could be either. It wasn't entirely random. Treasure usually had more danger near it, but an overabundance of caution in that regard sometimes led people astray into somewhere even more dangerous, for no gain.

"We have to keep up with that group, right?" Catarina asked. "Do we have a choice?"

"We do," Alva said. "We're not far behind them now. If we follow directly after them, we'll run into them. If the other path leads us out the far side- and there are many that do- we can pass them up and perhaps get a sign of their quarry."

"And people don't just seek equipment for no reason," Hoyt pointed out. "If it makes us stronger, passing it up could be a waste. This is said to be one of the best places for weapons and armor in the entire Tomb, as one would expect from the Smithy. If you can survive the traps."

There was no question there would be traps of some sort- in either direction, but most likely both. Before that, they'd have to pass through an open chamber and deal with the threats therein.

Over the next several months, Anton kept in communication with the group from Rutera. There was nothing of great worth said, but it was a reminder that at some point they would have a more intentional meeting. Before that happened, Anton wanted the support of as many people as possible. That included the Glorious Frostflame Mirror. Or whatever name they were trying right now. Which part of fire or ice went first in naming was a constant matter of contention, but as much as they internally fought about small things like that, the sect that was the combination of the Glorious Flame Palace and the Frostmirror sect was unified on the important matters.

That was good for Anton, because it meant more grandchildren in one place. And while some of the members of the sects still remembered their individual rivalries, the leadership was firmly united, with a minimal amount of quibbling even for a married couple.

Anish and Annelie had chosen to remain upon Ceretos instead of ascending, though they did not yet have a plan for Assimilation or another route of reaching a higher level of power. Perhaps they wouldn't. The peak of Life Transformation was still a respectable strength in the world- Anton just wasn't sure if it would be enough. He wasn't going to push anyone too hard, however. Sometimes an outsider was a better judge of someone's limits than the person themself, but most who had great achievements as cultivators reached a proper understanding of their own limits.

"We will support you in this endeavor," Anish nodded. "If we could ally with another system, our position would be more secure."

"It is only a matter of them having sufficient strength," Annelie commented. Her face remained emotionless, but that was merely for times such as this- serious discussion. She would keep her calm during such situations no matter what happened, but starting with her generation the Frostmirror Sect did not fully cut off their emotions. When the time was appropriate, she could smile and laugh as much as anyone else. Perhaps slightly less, but that was due to her individual personality. "You said they didn't understand the same form of cultivation we use?"

"That is true," Anton nodded, "But I sensed they had sufficient power regardless. Even if they only have several ships of that sort- and I was led to believe there were more than a few- they should be as powerful as any of the great sects. I can't say for certain since we did not fight, but the ship might have even been able to give me trouble."

"From anyone else, that might not be a complement," Anish shook his head, "But from you, it means much. I would expect you to be able to wipe out a handful of Life Transformation cultivators in an instant."

"In general," Anton agreed. "Their defenses seemed quite exceptional. Able to withstand the heat of the sun. I imagine even you would burn up with that intensity. Of course, resisting a consistent environmental hazard is easier than withstanding a concentrated attack. I might have riddled them with holes and left them to suffocate."

"I doubt it," Annelie shook her head. "That would be quite unlike you."

"I meant in general," Anton shrugged, "In terms of simple combat strategy, that would be efficient. And I would have been able to capture them as they passed out, so I could actually do that."

"If they managed some sort of deception and return as enemies, I have no doubt you'll be quite effective," Annelie nodded. "Though in such a case I would have expected them to come for Ceretos regardless. Were they not curious about the planets here?"

"It's just that they were focused on the sun first," Anton explained. "It seems that particular group wasn't meant to make contact with people, should they find any. Though now they might have to."

"Yes," Anish nodded. "I doubt they would want to risk an entirely new group when those you are familiar with would be more palatable. With your power, your opinion matters."

"It is quite nice to be respected for that," Anton nodded. "I almost wish it could be like the old days, where I was respected solely for my wisdom."

"Grandpa," Annelie commented. "You went hunting in the dead of winter at a hundred years old so that we would not be hungry. You've always been respected for the things you would do. You were a comforting power, even then. We just didn't know about how much stronger the world of cultivation was."

There wasn't much to say to that. He supposed that in a world where those he cared about had food and shelter, pure strength was towards the top of the list to maintain that way of life. He was just glad he wasn't going to be the only one, since he couldn't be around forever.

Chapter 446

Ultimately the group decided to break off towards the route where there was a clear sense of treasure. It might be bait, but while Everheart's Tomb absolutely killed many people… so far they hadn't heard of anything being impossible to get. If they judged it too risky they could simply pass by. Continuing after the Twin Soul Sect would lead to an encounter they wanted to avoid if possible or simply delay them from reaching their goal.

Before their choice actually mattered, they had to walk across a bridge of stone, the underside of which was white-hot from the magma beneath it. There was no benefit to attempting another method of traversal since anything else would simply be more risky- even if they could technically achieve flight with sufficient energy usage, that energy could be better put to use protecting them. Like from the repeating *Clang* of the hammer and anvil. Sometimes the time between sounds was drawn out over a minute or more, while other times they came in rapid succession. Either way, the sound propagated throughout the entire Smithy.

*Clang*

Timothy took the foremost position, and found that compared to tightly packed tunnels the direct impact of the sound was less focused. In short, he was able to hold his ground with the energy scattering out of the tunnel in front of them into the larger chamber they were passing through. It didn't act entirely in the natural order of things- it gathered together again at the far end and pressed into the tunnel- but he was able to prevent a portion of the force directly coming for their group. It still flowed around his shield in all directions, but the forces mainly canceled out, providing a sort of pressure but no force pushing people in any particular direction, except down into the stone bridge. However, if such a thing could not withstand a little bit of pressure, it would have broken down long before.

Alva was in the rear atop Fuzz, so the majority of the power of the soundwave returned before it reached her- but Fuzz' fur was surprisingly good at keeping it away, and his bulk took the majority of the impact. If the sound waves were all they had to deal with, then it would have been simple. Which of course meant it couldn't be. Before even shouting a warning, she began to fire shots into gatherings of energy within the magma. "Enemies!"

The creatures were indistinct- no, fluid. Much like the magma they dwelled in, their bodies were liquid, but of such a high viscosity they generally held their form. A source of energy within them guided their movements, and Alva knew that such creatures couldn't survive outside of a similar environment. Not that they were in any risk of suddenly being somewhere 'normal'.

Her first arrows went for heads and necks, the upper torso where traditionally vital organs were kept. She was uncertain if these creatures had any, but either way her attacks didn't manage to penetrate deeper than the width of a finger- and any damage was quickly closed as the creatures oozed together. She would need to concentrate on a single point or enemy to have a better hope of damaging them.

As the creatures glooped their way up the edges of the chamber people began to hope that their attacking options were limited, but unfortunately that was not the case. A number of the creatures moved to cut off easy retreats in either direction along the bridge, but some remained at the surface of the burning magma below.

A bubble of energy and something more wormed its way through one of them, taking on a shape vaguely like a tube. No, a cannon. Though the shot didn't come with an explosion like Grant's devices, it still accelerated as it moved- a mass of molten stone hotter than anything on Ceretos could survive flying just over Catarina's head. She ducked, but it still managed to catch a strand of her hair on fire despite her defensive energy. More creatures of vague form began to do the same.

Besides Alva, Spikes was the first one to attack the creatures. The wolf was canny enough not to attempt attacking the creatures directly- subjecting herself to the heat of the magma below- but instead used a howl-bark to strike with her energy. The energy under her control struck the magma and caused it to stab through one of the creatures like her spikes of stone. It was marginally effective- causing it to stumble its attack- but did not seem to be particularly damaging. Spikes wasn't swayed from her efforts, however. She bent down low, face poking over the edge. Once more she directed energy with a forceful shout, and the spikes of magma briefly solidified as they stabbed through another creature. It peeled itself away from the impediment a moment later, and the spikes rapidly began to melt once more- but it meant one more enemy not attacking.

Vari held the rear with Hoyt as several creatures charged together. The bridge was quite comfortable in width- more than a few meters- which also meant there was sufficient room for multiple enemies to swarm them at once.

Hoyt took great swings with his axe, not only chopping through the creatures but flinging parts of them away as they formed molten claws or attempted to crash over the combatants. Hoyt wasn't just using raw force- normally he would wreathe his axe in flames, but now he was attacking the heat in the enemies directly. As he chopped through one of them, the parts on either side of the cut briefly solidified as the heat was pulled from them and blasted away.

Vari relied on simpler methods. She didn't believe she had the ability to kill these creatures, not more than a couple at least- but she could move them. It took them a good amount of time to climb up either end of the bridge to reach them, so she formed a solid barrier in front of her and simply shoved them back or to the side, trying to get them one at a time. She toppled them off the edge one at a time, but if she didn't give them enough momentum they were able to cling to the side and climb back up.

Timothy and Catarina pushed forward on the front, Timothy doing all he could to disrupt the enemies with his sword and shield. The heat from the creatures was intense, but he kept contact to a minimum. If he was using his previous sword he thought it might have melted- or he would have had to use several times as much energy keeping it intact.

Catarina sliced into the creatures, but instead of stabbing deep or trying to chop them into bits, she dragged the point of her blade through them. Her weapon flashed, and for brief moments runes appeared. They resonated with formation flags she threw down around the area, and whatever energy gave the creatures mobility was thrown into disarray. While the creatures seemed to have some understanding of how they could fight and swarm tactics, they didn't seem actually intelligent. They didn't learn from mistakes, for example.

"Above!" Alva called out. She had been tracking the process of some of the creatures up the walls of the large chamber. At first she thought they would be making ranged attacks from a different angle but it didn't seem they could do so. Perhaps they needed the molten lava instead of the nearly molten walls of the chamber. It shouldn't have taken much, but either way they continued upward and were soon going to be above them. Before they could even consider dropping down, Alva began to focus on some of them.

Multiple arrows in succession hit the same point- the enemies didn't even try to dodge, so a technique like that was trivial. This allowed her to increase her damage without spending a larger time forming any individual arrow. She was searching for some critical point that made these things active. They weren't products of a formation, and their energy had to be controlled by something. Several collapsed, but she couldn't determine why- her attacks hadn't all been at the same points, and others didn't seem to share similar weaknesses.

When they began dropping, Spikes and Fuzz focused on the enemies trying to break apart their group. Spikes had to awkwardly work with what bridge they had, reforming it into spikes or even little cages without losing structural integrity below. Fuzz, on the other hand, bit one in half. Alva would have told him that it was a bad idea if she had even considered that he might try it, but the sheer audacity of it was why she should have guessed he would do it.

Fuzz' teeth and gums, or any of his muzzle, didn't get off without pain. The smell of burning fur assaulted him and the others, but ultimately he came out on top. The creature he bit in half was spit out into the pool of magma below. It might have reformed, but not immediately. Meanwhile, the remaining part simply turned into a disturbingly hot puddle. It was a good thing that the rock bridge had a bit of leeway, so instead of melting through it the puddle began to harden.

Timothy took a page from Vari's book- though the energy he used with his shield wasn't quite as solid as her barriers, the effect was more agile. He could redirect the angle of his shield easily enough, so charging forward into a small group and then tilting it to the side shoved several creatures away at once. Any remaining loners were taken care of by Catarina, who also revealed something of the creature's cores as she stripped away their energy.

The fight so far had been fast and frantic to the point they forgot about one thing. When another shockwave of sound echoed through the chamber, they weren't ready. Timothy's shield was angled the wrong way, but fortunately the force of the sound pushed him the long was across the width of the bridge instead of two steps closer to the other side. He had to stab his sword into it to halt his momentum as Catarina grabbed on, but he didn't go plummeting down.

Spikes happened to have roughened the terrain around her and Fuzz enough that they had better positions to hold onto, and the sound actually helped them by blasting apart the creatures near them. Alva held on as well, though only through the virtues of the saddle and a fistful of fur.

Vari managed to react in time to duck down, curling into a ball. A small dome barrier covered her, anchored to the ground- and she got away unscathed.

Hoyt happened to be in just the wrong spot, right by the edge. The exact way the sound echoed through the chamber pushed him off to the side with a force he couldn't quite resist. He hovered awkwardly over nothing for an instant as gravity began to overtake him. Then he dropped from sight.

Nobody was in such an easy position that they could keep perfect track of what happened with Hoyt via their energy senses, but a moment later Hoyt was back above bridge level- a glowing ball of fire pushing him towards their exit, but also higher into the air. He slammed into the wall above the tunnel, but reoriented himself as he fell, slicing one of the creatures in two.

Fortunately the enemies in the rear were blown away, so Vari was free to make a mad dash with the others towards the exit. Timothy managed to get in position with Hoyt and Catarina to hold the exit for a few moments- and once they were a few dozen meters down the hall the creatures stopped their chase. Fighting in the tighter confines of the actual tunnel was to the advantage of the smaller group, as they only had to watch one angle and the ranged bombardment could no longer reach them.

They carefully moved along, wary of traps as they began to bind their wounds. Burned fur was the least of their worries, but fortunately the battle had been short enough to avoid more serious injuries. Perhaps they might have been able to defeat all of the morphic creatures if they had to, but for no reward but the battle experience it was better to retreat. They had learned what they could and might be able to apply it in future battles, actually killing the creatures was just a chore at that point.

They turned down their chosen tunnel, towards the lure of loot. What they found was either the laziest trap in the world or the most devious. Everheart was there- the aura of his projections unmistakable even as this particular one looked different from the rest they had seen. Large and muscular, bare chested- and bald-headed. Glistening with sweat, and posing. "Oh, welcome," Everheart said. "Didn't see you there. If you got this far you deserve a reward, I guess. Go ahead and take one each." He waved lazily.

Throughout the room were dozens- no, hundreds of pieces of equipment. Some were stabbed into the walls or ceiling, usually quite close to oozing magma falls. Others were strewn about in a pool of magma below- and some, buried deeper below. Of course those that were the most tantalizing in power were in the hardest to reach places. There were no signs of bodies- but why would there be? Anyone who died would be incinerated. The way certain treasures were placed was highly suspect, though.

Chapter 447

The room was practically loaded with treasures, but instead of being enticing it seemed more worrying. Vari looked out into the magma lake to see various bits and pieces floating there. Even with the high durability of powerful items, some had partly melted even after being reinforced by the formations in the area. Even the best equipment wasn't always prized for its durability.

"I have a question, if I may Great Everheart," Vari said. She could see a set of metal legwear- greaves and sabatons- along with a breastplate and bracers arranged in a manner that indicated to her someone had once inhabited them and they remained where their previous owner fell. "What counts as one reward?"

"Good question," Everheart nodded.

After a good ten or twenty seconds, Vari realized he wasn't thinking about it. "Are you going to answer or…?"

"Nope. Have fun retrieving stuff. Though I suppose I should tell you it's anything you can get out of the room… without tampering with the formations." He eyed Catarina as he said the latter.

"I wouldn't do that with someone watching!" Catarina turned up her nose.

Everheart snorted. "Good attitude."

Everyone could feel the energy various pieces of equipment radiated. Even those buried within the magma could be felt because of their increased strength. Actually feeling details about them, on the other hand… that was a challenge. Extending senses towards the magma resulted in the tendril of energy combusting. Fortunately it didn't propagate- but it did make it more difficult. Even the magma in a place such as this was not normally hot enough to ignite upper energy- the idea of that was ridiculous- but certain natural conditions and a bit of help from the formations made it possible.

Vari was the first to act, and she began by taking off her shoes. Before anyone could ask it seemed she had made up her mind to take a running leap over the lake of magma. In truth her previous footwear would have provided little protection, but it would still be something compared to bare feet protected only by energy that had already been shown to combust in the especially unnatural heat.

Her flight was only drawn out for a moment before she landed, her feet slipping into the footwear floating upright atop the magma. She sunk slightly as her weight was added, but the bronze footwear protected her from the heat instead of scalding her with stored heat. That was what she had determined before making the leap- she knew she wasn't strong enough to directly face the heat. Even now she was barely resisting it, and she didn't have to account for anything below the knee.

"Anyone else want something from the surface?" Vari said as she kicked her foot under the breastplate, sending it flying up to where the others waited. The bracers soon followed.

"I don't think so," Hoyt had only just begun to speak when two massive figures rushed past him on either side.

"He said we can have one thing each," Fuzz explained. "I don't think there's much here for me and you except…"

"That," Spikes nodded. Both wolves sniffed, smelling something beneath the flames and sulfur and general painful heat.

"Precisely," Fuzz nodded his head. Spikes was slowly picking up that sort of humanlike habit, but Fuzz didn't even notice he did it anymore. It was just what was normal. He barely had any memories before he was with humans.

"You will take it, then," Spikes replied. "You are the stronger."

"Don't be silly," Fuzz said. "We can split it. Besides, it's too risky alone. The fires beneath burn like the heat of the sun."

"What can I do?" Spikes asked.

"The same thing you did before. This is melted stone. It is not suited for swimming. You help clear the way, I protect us from fire. Though I think it will not be so simple as that."

"Then we will take and… share it," Spikes nodded. "Oh, the humans have already started!"

It seemed they had. The new one known as Vari was a decent human, if very confused. She seemed to be having no trouble with the surface however. Too bad what they wanted was deeper in.

"Let us go," Fuzz said. "We must quickly go in and out, or no amount of training will save us."

They ran to the edge and leapt in. Fuzz went first, blasting away the heat. When the two of them touched the magma, it only held them back for a moment before blasting apart, going everywhere but where they intended. Immediately, Fuzz could feel the fire trying to burrow into the two of them. Even his own energy wished to catch alight, turning to nothing. Even in relative strength, it made the heat from the last time he'd been in a similar situation seem quite comfortable. The great many-legged lizards had only lived among the sort of magma that could form in the lower realms, after all. The stones surrounding them might have been prized treasures in such a place, but here they were just natural cave walls.

Fuzz helped out by pawing at the ground, flinging the gooey magma away as quickly as he could, careful to not scorch his own undersides any more than required. Their goal was near the wall, and soon they uncovered it. It was barely small enough for Fuzz to fit his jaws around the narrow part of the great bone, but as he yanked on it to pull it away he found it was stuck. Fused into the wall.

Spikes quickly reacted, using her abilities to break apart the stone instead of worrying about forcing it free and losing some of their prize. As magma began to ooze into their quick hole, they were already on their way out. Fuzz focused on keeping Spikes free from the flames, as he had promised his protection in that regard. His claws dug directly into the wall as he brought along the bone that was as long as himself, climbing nearly vertically until he was away from the worst of the heat.

He knew his fur and pads were blackened, and his gums were burning from the remnants of magma clinging to the bone. But it would be worth it. Nothing that smelled so strongly and with such great power could be ignored. Though perhaps he should have considered his short-term combat potential when judging whether he could retrieve it.

The two wolves spurred the others into action, as most had already picked out something they favored. Confidence in their own abilities didn't mean that anyone would spend a second longer than they had to in contact with the magma. Carving into it and through it at maximum speed became their top priority.

It seemed nobody truly misjudged their own abilities, but now they had to consider if the prizes were worth the injuries. Recovering might only take a few days, but it was unclear if they had that long when seeking their current quarry. Perhaps the allure of the treasures was enhanced by the formations… or maybe they were simply so easily lured like other cultivators.

Hoyt secured for himself an axe. Many of the treasures were already fire attuned, and this was no different. It seemed as if it were made of molten rock and metal itself, almost liquid… but solid nonetheless. Hoyt had thought that perhaps the heat it radiated was the result of its positioning, but in actual fact it was extremely uncomfortable to hold even once free from its confines.

Timothy secured for himself a helmet that at first glance appeared black, but was actually an extremely deep purple. Not a metal, it seemed, but carved from some sort of gemstone. He was unsure if there was some function besides theoretically being a good helmet, but he would carefully test it before he actually wore it.

Catarina retrieved a handful of formation pillars- nothing like tiny plates or flags, they were each taller than a person and just as wide. Their retrieval had only been possible by sacrificing some of her formation flags to the magma. It was unclear if the value was greater, but at least she had something new to study.

Alva had gone for a quiver of arrows, but upon touching it found it to be merely a shell of what it once might have been. The entirety of it disintegrated, except for a single arrow which she snatched up and quickly brought with her.

The constant sound of the forge range through the area once more, inescapable and yet so easy to forget. So that they would not have to risk falling into the magma once more, they quickly made their way out.

Vari ran into a bit of difficulty, as her progress was halted by an invisible barrier. She reluctantly tossed away the bracers, but found that was still not enough. The breastplate went next, and she managed to step through. She was worried that the footwear might sadistically count independently, but it seemed that was not the case.

"Beasts aren't allowed-" Everheart said as Fuzz and Spikes dragged the bone out of the chamber. "I guess that doesn't count. Whatever." He shrugged and kicked the breastplate into the magma.

"It seems we have run into a great difficulty," Fuzz said to Spikes.

"Truly, the strongest foe I have faced," she agreed.

The two of them attempted to gnaw on the bone, but it would not break to allow them to get to the tasty marrow- or to consume it. Fuzz nearly broke a tooth when he tried to force it- and he was still considering pushing further. His human friends could help him regrow teeth if he needed it. Though it was probably a bad time to do that. They had a mission, after all.

That mission came after a break, however, and so Fuzz continued to gnaw on the bone of what must have been something very large indeed. It gave of a great power that he wanted to absorb, the tiny wisps of energy that could be gained through normal absorption being nothing compared to what it must contain should he consume it- or his share of it, at least.

"It smells like a person," Spikes commented. "A fire-person."

"People don't grow this big," Fuzz pointed out. "Though I can't disagree. It's not a person though." Eating people was bad. Even if they were enemies, it was better not to eat them. That was what he had learned, and he wasn't going to start doubting it now.

Fuzz couldn't help but sniff. There was the bone, of course, but there was also something familiar among the scents ahead of them. They were no longer on the same route as the Twin Soul Sect, but he could still smell them. Maybe it was just all of the other familiar scents, or the fact that his nose had gotten dipped in magma. He couldn't guarantee it was smelling right, and in fact he could guarantee it was a bit lacking at the moment. That made sense as both he and Spikes looked like black-skinned hairless wolves at the moment. They didn't need fur, so he'd protected what was important- and barely was able to manage that.

Ahead, a figure clutched his fist tightly. He hoped the tome would be worth it. Having people chase after him was not entirely on purpose, but if he was lucky the various groups would conflict with each other. He just needed to make it to the nightmare forest. That would throw off his pursuers… hopefully more than he himself was hindered. No, it should be. He had spent more time here than any of the rest of them. He knew the Tomb just like anyone knew their home. And yes, it was a terrible place to be born… but he could only say he was lucky regardless. He was alive, after all. And maybe he would be able to get something from this technique. Maybe Essentia Lockbox would turn out to be worthless for him, but as long as the Twin Soul Sect didn't have it he could count it as a win.

Either way, he wouldn't be staying for much longer. Not if he could help it. At first he hadn't left the Tomb because he didn't have the resources. Once he grew and learned- and remembered, he stayed despite the danger. He needed everything he could to get a foothold. And Essentia Lockbox might be the last piece. Or maybe it would get him killed. There were more than just a couple Life Transformation cultivators after him… and maybe some Integration cultivators. Maybe he'd been a bit too hasty, but there was no going back now.

Chapter 448

Taking an alternate route through the Smithy ultimately proved to be the correct choice. Even with additional caution required after the treasure room, their pace managed to keep up with the Twin Soul Sect group. They still had some injuries they hadn't recovered from yet, but they could hope the other group would be the same. In the worst case they could give up on the bounty rather than risk their lives- saving time would be useful to them only if they lived to have that time. Nobody wanted to overestimate themselves and become part of the death statistics.

Everyone was relieved to see daylight again, and to be free from the repeated hammering sound. They could still hear it on the slope, but the intensity was greatly reduced. Their quarry was still more than a day's travel ahead- Rouben must have kept near his maximum pace even around danger to pull that off. But Fuzz now had a scent they were almost certain was his, less confused by the particular group in front of them.

"It's strange," Fuzz warned the group by writing on the ground. "It's familiar yet unfamiliar. I haven't smelled him before but…" Fuzz shook his head. He couldn't explain it. Perhaps when the scent was more fresh- too much detail was lost by distant steps and tiny fragments of energy left behind.

The route down the mountain had to be chosen carefully, not just to avoid annoying lava flows but also to avoid the notice of their competition. Even if the Twin Soul Sect didn't recognize that they were enemies, knowing they were going after the same quarry might encourage them to deal with their group first. They didn't want to fight that battle if it could be avoided, and if it was going to happen it was better for it to be on their own terms, not the Twin Soul Sect's. At least Fuzz could help them avoid potential ambushes, as scent was less frequently concealed. Even for the purposes of hunting beasts, most stealth techniques only reduced the scent to a point incautious creatures wouldn't notice it- one like Fuzz who had developed more like a proper cultivator could pick out the signs.

A faint hammering sound became an exceptionally loud ringing as the top of the volcano exploded. The odds of it erupting while they were present was… not that low, honestly, but eruptions every few weeks meant there was a better than average chance they shouldn't have had to deal with this. They quickly changed tactics to avoiding the raining debris instead of focusing on stealth. Though they could withstand the heat, the kinetic impact could still be significant. They also had to keep away from a rolling cloud of noxious superheated gas.

At least everyone else would also be focused on the same thing. More than a dozen groups of cultivators could be picked out, and whichever direction they had previously been going the only appropriate one was down the mountainside now. With their energy roused all of the cultivators stood out more which in a way made them less individually significant.

The group of seven had two cultivators with an emphasis on defense, and they remained closely packed so Timothy and Vari could shield them from anything they couldn't dodge. If the group had the luxury of remaining stationary a formation would have greatly boosted their defense, but while mobile they could only attain the basic benefits for working together. Through no fault of their own, Spikes and Vari were the least familiar with the group and those tactics, minimizing the functionality of a group formation. It would take years of teamwork to reach a proper level of functionality in that regard.

The slope of the volcano that was the Smithy led directly into the Gardens, though the borderline was rather vague since the Gardens were at least the size of a proper country. Regardless, the wilderness itself would soon be a threat- though that by no means meant there was no danger from traps. Challenges set up by Everheart still existed within the Gardens, and not all of the area was wild. There were also the dangers from other cultivators- intentional or unintentional. Some set traps for beasts with no regard for who might stumble into them.

The trick was navigating around dangerous beasts while tracking someone who was absolutely running through their territory to provoke them. That was the main issue keeping them from catching up as quickly as they would like, though keeping a watch for other pursuers was important as well. After a full day of travel into the gardens, it had to be assumed that anyone nearby was after Rouben.

Then there was the other issue. Fuzz and Spikes had put a great amount of effort into retrieving a giant bone, but so far they hadn't been able to scratch it yet. Its dimensions were too large to fit into any of their storage bags, so it was awkwardly strapped to Fuzz' side. He was still fast enough, but it made his pace uneven.

Their group still had to rest occasionally, both to recover their energy and to continue to mend the wounds they got from obtaining the 'rewards'. It couldn't be long before whatever conflicts would begin, so they had to be at the top of their game.

Rouben continued to run, though 'running' implied that his feet were touching the ground. They did, occasionally. Mostly, he was leaping through the air. It was inefficient in some ways, but as a cultivator he was able to maintain his forward momentum and not just crash into things. He had slowed down occasionally to allow himself some rest, but he was mainly sustaining himself via food dense in upper energy and medicines that would temporarily boost his power. There would be consequences later, but he wasn't going to see later if he didn't push himself.

According to what he felt, the Twin Soul Sect was still a good distance behind. Perhaps the blooddrop spiders along the way would slow them down. The steelhide gorilla should at least cause someone trouble. A copse of trees in its territory burning down should have gotten it riled up. Thankfully he could do that from a significant distance, or it might have locked onto him as a target. Instead, he did his best to make his attack come from another direction.

He was so focused on his plans for beasts in the area and the more obvious threats behind that he almost barreled into an area of fog. But his memories helped him, and he hadn't survived so long in the Tomb without developing good instincts. He came to a screeching halt before the fog thickened. What was off about it? It was strangely dark, yes, but more unnatural was how it was confined to a small area. He immediately made up his mind to go around, though it would cost him dearly in distance.

Then it began to come to him. When they took action he could sense the figures inside. Individually they might not be an issue, but together he was concerned about defeating them… quickly or not. But he couldn't just turn and run, either. That would bring him back in directions he didn't want to traverse.

He didn't want to make a scene, so he clutched a ball of fire in his hand. Anyone close enough would have already gotten an idea of his location from his power output while running, but he had to hold back enough to not directly mark his location for people further away. One ball of fire after another streaked its way into the fog, forcing the individuals to spread out while Rouben ran tangent to the fog, attempting to make his way around.

At first he thought he might make it. The fog was almost sluggish in how it reacted, but then it began to flow more quickly, beginning to creep over him. It didn't help that he had to dodge droplets of water shot at him. Such a thing shouldn't have been a concern, but he had the feeling letting one touch him would be a regrettable failure. They had the same sort of wrongness that the fog did. Poison, perhaps.

His attacks weren't effective enough to deter his opponents, and he didn't have the speed to get away. Perhaps he should have waited until his cultivation was higher, but that was an excuse he could have used forever. It was already something to have survived forty years in Everheart's Tomb, especially with his early cultivation being how it was. The factors had all seemed to align, he just hadn't predicted people would come after him so immediately. This was supposed to be his chance to break through to Life Transformation and recover more of his memories.

He found himself hard pressed to keep the fog away from his skin. It was reaching for his pores, and he could guarantee if it got inside he would spiral his way to death. Might as well reveal himself to everyone within a hundred kilometers. At least then people might fight each other. He might be able to find a chance in that.

He pulled directly away from the fog to buy himself a few moments. His arm raised, but no ball of fire formed within it. Instead, it formed far above him in the sky. Not just one, but many. Falling Stars rained down, building up momentum and power to blast away the fog and those controlling it all together.

Anyone paying even the slightest amount of attention could not miss the scene. Energy forming in the sky had nothing blocking it from others' senses- or just being directly spotted with the eyes.

"There he is!" Vari pointed. "It's not far! Let's go!" She looked at the others with blank expressions on their faces, "Look, I know it was probably too obvious to need to be said, okay? I was just trying to motivate us."

"There's no way," Hoyt said. Not to her, but the others who practiced the Hundred Stars. "It's just a coincidence, right?"

The discussion was not taking place at a comfortable walk, but a brisk pace that was getting incrementally faster without the conscious input of most involved.

Timothy shook his head. "It could be, I suppose. It doesn't feel… quite right."

"It's Falling Stars," Catarina confirmed. "But it doesn't have the same base."

"How would anyone know that?" Alva countered. "He invented it himself! We didn't have any contact with the upper realms."

"Someone from the Twin Soul Sect, maybe…?" Hoyt said doubtfully. "They could have observed it and replicated it."

"You know it's not that simple," Catarina said.

Trees flew by them as they moved. Angry beasts occasionally made themselves known, but most backed away upon taking a better look at the group. The others found themselves chopped down by Hoyt without slowing.

"Umm… who?" Vari asked. "And what? I assume Falling Stars is that attacking technique. But who is 'he'? Rouben? Do you know him?"

"It can't be," Hoyt shook his head. "He's dead." He looked towards Vari. "Yes, that technique is the Falling Stars. It was created for use with our cultivation technique. I'd recognize it anywhere because… it was my grandfather's technique." Hoyt took a deep breath. "I don't know how someone got their hands on it, since as far as we know it remained secure. But I'm going to find out, one way or another. For that… we'll need a clear path."

The fires wrapping around Hoyt that he was using to chop his way through beasts flickered out as he focused all of his energy elsewhere. His grip on his new axe tightened, as he focused on the heat it produced. His energy spread to its utmost limits, then formed itself into distinct points.

Hoyt had to admit that he was cheating the technique a bit. He wasn't as practiced as his grandfather had been, but the power of the Integration stage was sufficient to make up for his lack of proficiency. Hundreds of Falling Stars rained down, lacking the pinpoint targeting Vandale was known for and instead carpeting a long strip of forest in front of them, burning away plants and animals and anything that might get in their way. No doubt it would put Rouben on guard, but with an unblocked path their speed would be several times his- and they already knew his location. It was impossible for him to escape.

Chapter 449

With such obvious displays of power, everyone nearby began to converge on a single location, or for some of those who were uninvolved retreat from it. Yet even some of those who had not previously had any stake in Rouben's bounty, they were interested in observing the upcoming conflict.

Those who arrived first would have an advantage. Rouben's relatively lower cultivation meant that he should be defeated quickly- letting whoever captured him and the stolen tome retrieve the prize. Those who came after would have to determine if they wished to face whatever group took him out. The cost might not outweigh the potential benefits, especially with other opponents on the scene who might just want to take advantage of the chaos.

The objectives of one group had changed. No longer were they disinterested in Rouben himself and only after the rewards. Now there was information they needed from him in specific… though whether that information made them greater foes yet remained to be seen.

Hoyt's eagerness in creating a path allowed the group to move more quickly towards their quarry- and in return, Rouben seemed to find the scorched jungle acceptable for some desperately needed moments of speed. They drew closer to each other, still beyond sight but the kilometers between shrinking rapidly.

Before they came into closer contact, however, their advance was cut off by another group. They were almost upon them when Fuzz halted himself, howling a warning- which included spitting a bolt of flame at the same time. He was clever enough to not attack people that he didn't know were enemies, and once everyone's attention was drawn to the right place they immediately realized who it was.

A figure stepped out from behind a scorched tree, a woman holding a rounded shield. "We can allow you to take our prize. And you," her eyes locked on Vari, "Shouldn't you be on our side?"

"Of course, elder sister," Vari bowed her head and began to walk towards the woman.

Other members of the Harmonious Citadel revealed themselves, a mix of various weapons and cultivation levels. Many had been previously spotted around the Library, and it was not terribly strange that they would have set their sights on the same prize. There were only half of the numbers expected, however. That included the ones that were still hiding, as if their half-unsheathed daggers and killing intent didn't give their positions away. But perhaps they were simply bait.

Vari dismounted Spikes and walked over with her head down. Everyone else positioned themselves to be ready for battle, not quite ready to commit for the moment.

"You wish to stop us?" Hoyt said, the head of his axe trailing on the ground where it burned away the soil beneath it. "I don't see how it would benefit you to try… and with just yourselves, I can't imagine you'll have much success."

Counting Fuzz, they had an equivalent of five Integration cultivators on their side, versus simply three on the other side. The woman with the shield had no obvious weapon, but two men wielded an axe and a pair of daggers respectively. There were more than a twenty others in Life Transformation and Essence Collection combined.

"A bold statement," the woman said. "But even though we most certainly can defeat you, we just have to delay you for a while."

That was where the rest of them were, then. But they would no doubt have others waiting for them as well.

"Now then," the woman said. "We are generous enough to offer you the option to leave, at no cost this time. Unless we find out you were mistreating our sister." She turned her head towards Vari at the mention of her. "You can stop, you know. No need to stand in the very back."

For a moment Vari continued walking, then she did stop, right next to one of the men in the Integration stage. Her fingers softly curled just under the head of his weapon, and then she kicked forward, her fancy bronze boots gleaming.

The man had the choice between two options- letting go of his axe, or letting the kick land. Even with an advantage in cultivation, the surprise was enough to overcome his potential speed.

He tried to yank his weapon from Vari's grip as he retreated, but her gloves, her anger, and her training kept her grip firm. As her foot was nearing waist height, the man was already stretched back as far as he could. The men who were present would have agreed his following move was the correct one- he let go of the axe, finishing his backwards movement.

With a single swing, Vari brought the axe down in an arc, then on its path back up it went sailing behind her, flinging as far as she could manage past her current allies. She hoped they had not been seriously trying to negotiate, because she couldn't hear any of it- and she wouldn't even pay attention to the lips of any of the Harmonious Citadel just in case.

Her actions were rewarded with two responses- a half-dozen angry individuals alternately swinging axes or stabbing with daggers, and her friends coming to her aid. The former she was happy to deal with by grabbing the wrists of two with daggers- dealing with those at her own cultivation level felt almost easy compared to her minimum level of success against the spear user previously. Those daggers then were redirected towards those with axes, the outstretched arms also getting in the way of the incoming chops. Vari was content that she only received a few moderate injuries with those odds.

Catarina's opening maneuver was one which was unfamiliar to all of them, which was quite sensible considering the objects she flung from her storage bag were the recently acquired pillars. None of them expected her to use new formation techniques without at least spending some proper time studying them, but as it turned out they were also quite serviceable as projectiles. While three of their intended targets managed to dodge completely out of the way, the fourth got a dislocated shoulder out of it- and the fifth found that even the hastily gathered force of an Integration cultivator was enough to bring him down.

All of the others charged forward, arrows, two kinds of flames, earthen spikes, and an unstoppable force shoving people to the side. By the time the axe-using Integration cultivator thought to snatch one of the axes from his comrades, Vari found herself surrounded by allies, and six of the Harmonious Citadel cultivators were out of the battle.

The dagger using members were the most proficient at stealth, so naturally the man who was the strongest among them went for Alva. An archer in close-quarters combat, even upon a wolf, was an easy target. His dagger was halfway to her when his left side was bitten off- from the tip of the dagger to his shoulder. That was impossible, but that was what he felt nonetheless. An illusion technique was a reasonable defense, but he could see through it.

And maybe if that was what it was, he might have landed his blow on Alva. Even she was surprised when Fuzz's head suddenly seemed to come out of his rear hip. It was impossible for him to turn almost completely around in an instant, but his fangs reached the area nonetheless while at the same time chomping down on the target in front of him. Alva briefly wondered at what sort of absurd beast techniques Everheart had been keeping in stock.

Hoyt was surprised to find the deadliest attack launched at him came not from the daggers or the heavy axes, but from a shield. He had simply thought the woman had a spear or something tucked away in her storage bag, but with a flick of her arm her shield was flying at him. His first instinct was to grab the edge of it- his better instinct was to dodge. It was a good thing he listened to that one, because even with a sensible amount of defenses around his fingers they would have been cut clean off. Instead, he just got a cut between his neck and shoulder as he flung himself out of the way. It came back around in an instant, but it avoided any foes and returned to the woman's hand. An odd fighting style that would seem to leave her open, though it could be a ruse of some sort.

That momentary dodge brought enough time for several others to close in on Hoyt, which he kept back with a sweep of his molten axe. Flames lingered between him and them, allowing him some time to prepare an attack. Though he wasn't sure if they realized. In truth, there could have been another reason for the mass of energy appearing off the battlefield on that side. They wouldn't even feel a direct connection to him, since the energy was diffuse in all directions.

Hoyt wasn't sure if it was actually more effective to use Falling Stars, given his lack of real experience, but it felt right. He suddenly wanted to do it, so he did. When it came crashing down at the shield woman, she had to hurriedly withdraw an attack to block with her shield. Sadly Hoyt found he only sent her flying back a hundred meters- the angle wasn't right to properly drive her into the ground. At least it had decent power, though.

The battle had barely been on for a minute when the axeman struck Timothy's shield like a gong. That was the second time he lost his weapon in the battle, and the sword in his sternum made it likely to be his last time ever. It was unfortunate that the woman was already retreating- chasing after her would delay them too much- but they would be remembered at some point regardless.

"I think my new helmet worked," Timothy commented as they were quickly scanning the battlefield.

"You aren't wearing it," Catarina said. "And you didn't get hit on the head. Or did you?"

"I didn't," he agreed. "So it worked."

"Vari, are you alright?" Alva asked. "Your wounds…"

"I'm going to stop you there because I can't hear," Vari held up her hand. "I'll just say that I resisted the compulsion much better this time and just didn't want to risk it." Alva walked forward, almost poking her finger into a hole in Vari's side. "Oh, that? It's not that deep…" Everyone was already beginning the preliminary treatment of their wounds, but they wouldn't be able to do much more than bind them and consume recovery medicine before heading on to the next battle.

Falling Stars continued to rain, indicating they shouldn't be delaying for too long- and that Rouben was still fighting. As they made their way towards him, they could make out a group of small individuals chasing after him- but before that, the other members of the Harmonious Citadel. The latter was locked in combat with another group of cultivators. They were mismatched in cultivation techniques, but clearly familiar with each other's fighting styles. Their coordination was excellent… and their targets not an accident. Though the Dark Ring avoided wearing obvious insignias, Hoyt knew how to recognize them.

He wanted to assist them… but more than that, he wanted answers from Rouben. As he rushed towards the battle, he once more had the urge to use Falling Stars. Was it to indicate he was friendly? At the very least, Rouben's response would tell him something. Hoyt's attack blasted apart the poisonous fog in which the Mistwalkers were hiding. Hoyt didn't know much about them, but it was easy to recognize them from their techniques… and their height. Something about their technique or environment seemed to stunt their growth, though it didn't hamper their effectiveness in most cases.

With nobody between them, even from over a kilometer away Hoyt locked eyes with Rouben. In his eyes was much the same thing he felt. Confusion… yet a vague sense of familiarity. But he was unable to confirm any suspicions just yet… and the approaching Twin Soul Sect members would doubtless make conversation difficult.

Chapter 450

Despite some trepidation, Rouben continued on his trajectory towards the new group. Memories nagged at his head, things he should have known but did not. Were they friend or foe, or simply familiar in an inconsequential manner? The one with the molten axe pulled ahead of the rest, and Rouben slowed. He didn't think he could get away from an Integration cultivator in a direct chase, but he didn't want to get too close. If they were enemies he was probably already dead, but maintaining caution was how he'd survived so far.

The man's eyes burrowed into Rouben as he also slowed his approach, but now they were only a dozen meters apart. That could be covered in a single instant by a powerful cultivator, and the man didn't need to get into melee anyway. "Where did you learn that technique?" he asked, his tone demanding a response.

"Where did you learn it?" Rouben countered. Perhaps it wasn't wise to speak back to a stronger cultivator, but he couldn't give a satisfying answer anyway. Because he didn't truly know. He remembered it, but like everything else there were swaths of memory missing. That was a large part of the reason he'd taken Essentia Lockbox. Staying to study it might have worked, but the Twin Soul Sect had been poking their nose around too much.

Strangely enough, the other man didn't provide an answer. Instead, he gestured to the south with his axe. "What is your relation with the Twin Soul Sect?"

"We're definitely not friends, if that's what you're asking," Rouben wanted to make that as clear as possible. He felt something sweeping over him, some sort of sensory technique. He wasn't sure what it was supposed to do beyond that. "I'm not working for them, either. Look, you're probably after a book, right?" It had been obvious from the outset that his getaway hadn't been clean, though he'd hoped it would be. That was the plans, but plans never worked out quite right, did they? "For one of those Library bounties. It doesn't require bringing me in, does it?" If it did, he was already screwed. He could only imagine what it took to get a group of Integration cultivators involved. "Also, do you have a name? You doubtless already know mine."

"The price on your head is much less significant," the man said. "If you tell me where you learned the Falling Stars, I can forgo collecting on that part. You can call me… Hoyt."

"Look, I'd love to tell you but the truth is… I can't tell you right now. That's the whole point of Essentia Lockbox."

"You don't remember, huh…" Hoyt frowned. "But it's from a previous life?"

Rouben shrugged. "That would be my assumption."

"Maybe we can-" something shoved Hoyt from behind. It wasn't a surprise in the traditional sense. He was quite aware that the person was there, but not prepared to be pushed. He staggered forward two steps. "Catarina, what-"

The woman that had to be catarina took a formation flag and kicked it into the ground where he had been standing- far deeper than made sense, as the actual flag portion was crumpled up. "You can talk later. We either need to start running or get ready for fighting."

Observing the area around them, it seemed she was betting on them doing the latter. She must have been going full force while they were having their short conversation, as the landscape was already being rearranged. The others in their group had been conscripted to flatten certain parts, it seemed- and tendrils of Catarina's energy were writing runes around them.

"Is mangling flags like that appropriate?" Hoyt asked.

"Yes," Catarina said. "We're fighting the Twin Soul Sect, after all. They don't get to leave."

Rouben swallowed, "Look, I appreciate the gesture but I'd really rather survive this. The Twin Soul Sect is huge. I don't even recognize which one you all are from," despite it being familiar somehow, "Which means you're almost certainly not up to making them enemies. If some of you could just slow them down, I could give you the manual…"

"Then we become the targets," Hoyt pointed out, "So we're fighting anyway."

"I… didn't mean it like that," Rouben said, "Really."

"I believe you," Hoyt said. "But I want to find out the answer to my question… and it appears that involves keeping you alive for a while longer."

"Move," Catarina said as she pointed her sword at Rouben. He subconsciously stepped back, and where he had been standing a hunk of stone was slammed into the ground and then carved up. Harder surfaces such as the remaining trunks of trees had more carvings, but even loose soil had some.

"So uh, this formation seems… ambitious," Rouben said, taking in its size. "Will you actually be able to finish?"

"It will be functional in a moment," Catarina said. She turned to Hoyt. "Stall them- inside the perimeter."

Alva rode up to Rouben atop Fuzz. "How long can you continuously use Falling Stars?"

"For a while," Rouben said, "If I don't have to defend myself. I'm not exactly fresh but-"

"Good. You'll provide long range support. Timothy! Block for this guy." She dismounted Fuzz, who was curiously sniffing Rouben. Fuzz shook his head, apparently not finding whatever answers he desired.

Having Timothy defend Rouben was not merely for his sake- but also because if anyone was to be backstabbed, Timothy would do the best. Alva was going to take up a position somewhat nearby, because Fuzz' mobility advantage wouldn't be as useful in this particular case as staying out of close combat. Hoyt and Vari would need the wolves to back them up, especially with the incoming numbers. It would be a pain to hold off enemies that could come from all directions, but perhaps the formation would help with that. Alva honestly couldn't say she'd seen most of the components before. This wasn't one of Catarina's usual things.

It had been some time since Alva had fought against the Twin Soul Sect. Somewhere around seven decades. "Everyone, keep aware of possible illusions!"

"The formation should minimize the impact of them," Catarina shouted from another angle, "But keep track of ally positions!"

Then, the battle started. Or rather, the enemy was close enough for Alva to comfortably attack. She picked a weaker target, aiming to kill but with the secondary possibility of one of the stronger cultivators having to rush to defend them. It seemed they were harmonious enough for the latter, as one of the Integration cultivators blocked her arrows from a distance- destroying them so she couldn't attempt any tricks. Unfortunately she didn't even force the man to move to a different position. She'd need more power to break through whatever sort of barriers he flung up- whether they technically fit the name or not, they served the same purpose.

In terms of power, Falling Stars was certainly better. This one seemed a bit slow, though. She thought Hoyt was better, then realized it wasn't Hoyt. Which made her quite impressed with Rouben. He was only at the peak of Essence Collection, but the power behind it was pretty decent. Though it was quite slow to form. She could have filled him full of arrows by now.

The enemy seemed to think the same, but Timothy blocked the first volley of attacks. Others were aimed at the gathering energy, but it was much higher than cultivators generally had to aim. The individual attacks were not enough to shatter the control over the technique, and it continued to gather energy for multiple seconds… an eternity in combat in the upper realms.

When it finally began to fall, picking up speed and leaving behind a trail of flames, Alva continued to be impressed- even when her senses revealed Rouben's expression. It seemed even he hadn't expected the results. The Falling Star broke through a hasty defensive technique and slammed into the target- a Life Transformation cultivator who found themselves buried in the ground by the force of the attack, before it detonated. They likely weren't dead- there was still the difference in cultivation to consider- but being able to control that much energy at once was a decent feat. And Rouben didn't even look tired. Though that probably had something to do with the formation, since Alva could feel it beginning to draw energy towards the center. And not just from the surroundings either… but also from the cultivators of the Twin Soul Sect.

Hoyt, Vari, and the wolves were now clashing with the front line of the Twin Soul Sect. Unlike many others, the Twin Soul Sect wasn't limited to a specific style. On Ceretos they infiltrated different sects, but here they moved openly. Though it wasn't certain that they didn't also do the same.

Hoyt was able to notice shimmering oddities that spoke of illusions, but they seemed unstable. Either they were exceptionally well crafted to the point they did that on purpose to fool him, or they simply weren't able to keep up. He had to trust in his senses to some extent. Aiming for large groups of individuals had to be right, since there were more enemies than allies. So far he was fairly certain he had accurate positions of his own allies, and the way they moved and fought was accurate.

In an attempt to funnel enemies inward, Hoyt had begun the battle with wide sweeps of flame to either side. He wasn't enamored with the idea of letting them be surrounded, but they didn't exactly have much in the way of terrain to rely on. That was partly his own fault, but to be fair the trees in the area wouldn't have done much to stop them.

As he fought, Hoyt found those below Integration strangely weak. Obviously they should be weaker than himself, but it was more than that. He barely even felt any augmentation from the formation, so his judgment shouldn't have been too off. But as he deflected a spear thrust to the side, he got a good look at one of the enemies. His face was strained… though it was far too early in the battle to have built up significant fatigue. Even moving quickly to reach them shouldn't have been that serious.

One thing Hoyt knew he shouldn't do during battle was focus on the far end of the battlefield. Though it was the center of the formation, it was not his job to concern himself with Rouben. Timothy was handling that adequately, providing cover from more than just the front. But Hoyt couldn't help but keep part of his senses trained on Rouben. He'd changed the way he was circulating his energy- though not in the same manner as the Twin Soul Sect. Hoyt had already thoroughly investigated him, just in case. There was nothing suspicious about his actions, either. After his first attack which was a bit too much of an overcommitment, his usage of Falling Stars had spread out to be a wider battlefield approach. It was nothing like Vandale did during the beast hunt, continuously attacking hundreds of separate positions, but targeting several people at once was sufficient. His attacks could even give cultivators a phase above him some pause, which was impressive.

Hoyt clashed with a dark haired woman, the midnight black hair hanging down to almost trail on the ground. Her primary weapons were daggers, but Hoyt saw how her hair waved about on its own. Perhaps like the Grasping Willows, it would be part of her combat style. Either way, the fact that it had not ignited simply from being close to Hoyt was impressive- though plenty of cultivators wasted their energy on vanities such as that.

His wide sweeps kept the woman back, intense flames forming a barrier of sorts that she weaved her way through to make quick attacks. He dodged when he could, generally maneuvering her towards areas of danger. He wasn't suited for such a foe, though if they had been fighting one-on-one he might have managed. He found himself pressed further back, and the others were experiencing the same pressure. So far they'd kept more than a small handful of enemies from simply passing them by- but that could only last so long. Either they would be properly surrounded soon, or simply ignored while the back line was targeted.

Yet any time Hoyt thought he couldn't catch someone they seemed to become sluggish. Even if they got past himself and Vari, one of the wolves would catch up to them. Not that he felt fully confident. He'd kept his own wounds minimal, but Vari was in a poor state. Come to think of it, it was possible she hadn't even heard anything about the illusions. She seemed to have a decent idea of her surroundings, though, as she directed enemies into attacking each other or losing their weapons.

Finally, the lines broke- over a dozen enemy cultivators maneuvered around their little group of four, close to half of the stronger enemies. The group in the center would almost be a match for the front lines except for Catarina still being busy with the formation. He wasn't feeling the usual steady increase in power, but perhaps she had something more subtle it was doing.

Chapter 451

With a group breaking away towards the center, Timothy was becoming less confident in his ability to protect Rouben. There was no deep connection between them, but the implicit promise to keep him safe made Timothy determined to do his best. The ranged attacks from Rouben and Alva had been overcoming the enemy so he'd had a small reprieve from the most dangerous attacks, but now he'd need to stop as many as he could at once.

The enemy was delayed a few moments by destroying formation flags along the way as well as shattering carved stumps and kicking apart loose dirt. Since they were inside the formation, it wasn't terribly difficult to destroy parts of it. Timothy hoped that the pieces weren't too important but he honestly didn't know if those particular parts were important.

"Every part of a formation is essential to the whole," Catarina said, resting a hand on his shoulder. She looked just as spent as if she'd been engaging in the same frantic combat as the rest of them. "Not to be rude to our guest, but I need you to focus on protecting me now."

"Of course, I'm always glad to." He was also still in the way of reaching Rouben and Alva, though it was not a terribly difficult thing to go around. If the enemy could afford to split up, anyway. Timothy wouldn't, with Fuzz angrily chasing after them, but he wasn't calling their shots.

"Sorry my contributions have been minimal up to this point," Catarina said as she crouched down, placing the tips of her fingers on the ground. "Hopefully, it will be worth it."

As she did so, the atmosphere changed. Timothy was used to the standard sorts of enhancements her formations provided- slight increases to his own abilities while enemies were hampered. A change in the natural flow of energy that benefited their allies. At the moment of the full activation of the formation, Timothy barely felt anything in relation to himself. He did, however, notice one of the enemies rushing forward suddenly stumble- not from any physical barrier, but because their energy did not propel them forward in the way they intended. Timothy was too far to take advantage of that, but Alva snapshotted a couple arrows at the man, injuring his leg.

The biggest threat was a man in the Integration stage, capable of conjuring stone needles out of the air. They weren't much different in function than Spirit Arrows, though they came in greater numbers- just without the benefit of propulsion a proper bow provided. A full volley bombarded Timothy and the area around him, attempting to squeeze over, under, or around him. He expanded the reach of his shield over a meter to either side, preventing anything from reaching Catarina.

The next ones came through the ground… but Timothy wasn't going to fail against something so simple. He extended his energy deeper, aware that he couldn't keep up his pace… but strangely, his opponent was the one who looked to be straining himself. Not only him, but the others rushing forward- much more so than the group still engaged with Hoyt and the others.

When one of the faster Life Transformation cultivators tried to slip past Timothy, his slash was almost a token. He planned to follow up with something more… but the woman's defenses crumpled. After his sword cut across her chest, her face paled. The trickle of blood couldn't have caused that in such a short time, but Timothy could feel the undercurrents of energy pulling away at the enemies approaching them.

Alva's quick attacks took down several more rushing for her, their energy defenses simply not what they should have been. On the other side, Rouben kicked a blast of flame that sent a Life Transformation cultivator staggering back without the benefit of building momentum like the Falling Stars.

The faces that had been so confident in their victory moments before suddenly had looks of horror. Fear- but not necessarily of the power. Timothy found it odd, because any cultivator going into battle should have known that death was a possibility. Yet it seemed as if they only now realized this, despite more than a dozen of their comrades having fallen earlier.

In battle, a match between similarly powered individuals could drag out for minutes or hours, only to be decided in an instant. Sudden weakness allowed Timothy to cut down those immediately in front of him and begin chasing after the man flinging stone needles. Timothy wasn't afraid of desperate direct attacks- but he was surprised that some of them crumbled apart before they even reached him. The others who had gotten past Hoyt had already fallen, so Timothy felt no concern about leaving his post. Hoyt and the others were just cutting down their opponents as well.

When Timothy's sword stabbed through the small of the man's back, he had the feeling the man was trying to get just a few steps further, out of the formation. As if that would save him somehow- even though the energy ripped out of him wouldn't be coming back.

As the last enemy fell, two things happened simultaneously. Catarina collapsed to the ground as the formation ceased functioning- formation flags and runes bursting apart in various sized explosions of energy. Then Rouben began to break through to Life Transformation. That was quite clear to everyone nearby.

"Alva! Any other enemies approaching?" Timothy said as he swiftly marched back towards his wife.

"It seems clear for the moment," she said, surveying the area. "And the battle between the Dark Ring and Harmonious Citadel seems to have gone in the favor of the former."

Timothy gently turned Catarina onto her back, and she looked at him with a faint smile.

"What was that?" he said as gently as possible. "I'm sure you had your reasons but it seemed dangerous…"

"And not as effective as having something decent the whole battle," Catarina smiled weakly. "I thought it would be a bit faster. And I knew we needed that for…" she gestured to the bodies around them. "So they'd be dead."

"Of course they'd be dead," Timothy said. "We wouldn't leave them… oh."

"Their souls get to stay here now," she said, a bit of strength returning to her voice. "I was probably a bit too ambitious with that one, mixing new techniques with ones I hadn't really practiced." She looked over towards Rouben, "That feels a bit…"

Timothy nodded. Hoyt was watching intently as well, as whatever fire-type cultivation technique Rouben was making use of was showing traces of the Hundred Stars. Had he picked it up so quickly, or was that vague notion correct? Perhaps they would find out soon. Though they'd need to make their way somewhere safer if they wanted proper discussions.

As she stepped out of the ship, Matija looked quite nervous. She wasn't a diplomat, and Anton knew that… which was the whole reason he wanted her to be present. Having someone he'd built up some trust with among the delegation from Rutera was also important.

He was waiting at the landing pad himself- simply a large, flat, durable surface. The ship had landed quite gracefully upon it, negating its momentum until it was barely moving the moment it touched. Anton expected that sort of control from cultivators, but conscious being a step further removed from the process seemed as if it would make it difficult.

"Greetings," said the woman beside Matija, clearly a leading figure. She had darker skin, though not quite so dark as some of those from Ambati. She bowed deeply. "My name is Nirmala, as you no doubt know. Thank you for receiving me."

"Welcome," Anton said- but speaking what he had learned of the Ruteran language instead of through the translator. "I am the head of the Order of One Hundred Stars," Anton bowed what he felt was an appropriate amount, and was glad for learning what he could about Ruteran body language from Matija. Mostly, it was similar to what he was used to. The rest, he could hopefully learn as they went. "We have been waiting for you. We have representatives from various places. Here on Brogora we have representatives of Ambati, Ofrurg, Facraona, Droca, and Estary. I am authorized to speak for Graotan as well as the Order," And there was a difference between those now, even if it wasn't a large one. "I am sure this will be much to take in, but we could not deny anyone their proper representatives for such a momentous event. From Aicenith, we have Marvelous Rabbit Mountain, the Million Sword Vault…" Anton continued through the list, making sure he did not leave out anyone. They were trying very hard to pretend they weren't listening, but he didn't want to accidentally insult anyone.

"I am impressed that such a large number of diverse groups have this measure of unity," Nirmala responded. "I will be glad to speak to everyone at the appropriate time."

"Of course, but first you have come a long way… in a not particularly comfortable vessel. I will show you to the quarters we have arranged and give you a tour to familiarize yourself with the area." Though welcoming foreign dignitaries to the peak was appropriate, it was clear Nirmala and some of her entourage were uncomfortable. It had been some time since Anton experienced the same in an area of high energy density, but he gradually sheltered them from the pressure. No need to cause a fuss about things. Just because all of their representatives were combat capable didn't mean the Ruterans needed to do the same.

Matija had the presence of mind to consult beforehand about weapons and guards. Anton wanted them to feel comfortable, so he had emphasized that they could bring them- but should not need them. Cultivators like himself were not uncomfortable around weapons, but for his own sake he had his own weapons stowed. Not that he would need them to fight any of the Ruterans. Even if their weapons displayed remarkable power like their other devices, this was the territory of the Order, and he could safely say he was the strongest person on the planet. He felt no need to mention that to them however.

Some time later, the diplomatic group found themselves in the newly constructed compound set aside for them. One of its features was minimizing the amount of natural energy that suffused the area- though there were options to gather energy in particular rooms. They were carefully calibrated to not hurt anyone if they changed something on accident.

"He is the one who knocked on the outside of your ship?" Nirmala asked Matija. "He seems like a kind old man, rather than a warrior."

Matija smiled, "He seemed very comfortable with the bow on his back. And it was most certainly the same Anton."

"The energy readings… I thought they were a mistake, until we scanned him here. I'm not sure what it means, though."

Matija shrugged, "It means he's the sort of person who can fly through space under their own power and even approach the sun to the same distance as a science vessel. That seems to be how people work here."

"Perhaps the old stories are true," Nirmala frowned. "Cultivators who can control energy directly. It was mentioned… that he taught you how to do the same?"

"I wouldn't go so far as that," Matija shook her head. "In an environment with gravity, I can barely lift a pen." She shook her head, "I haven't been quite certain how to improve."

There was a knock on the door. "Honored delegates, should you require refreshments or wish to tour the facilities, know that I am here to assist."

The message took a moment to be translated for their ears, after which Nirmala pursed her lips slightly. "I am rather nervous to eat anything. I believe they mean us no harm, but it's hard to be certain it will be nutritionally compatible."

"Everything I ate was," Matija reminded her. "But I'll admit I did scan everything."

"It would seem rather inappropriate to do so at a meal, don't you think?"

Matija shrugged, "I'm pretty sure everyone here can do the same thing with their mind. I doubt it would hurt to ask, though."

They did end up taking a meal- the time of their arrival made it somewhat blur the line between lunch and dinner. They ate privately, which the assistant sent for them offered as one of the first options. Delegates should certainly interact with the locals, but diving in too deep too fast might be uncomfortable.

Following that, they opted to take a tour of the sect- of which, the most interesting location was the Library. Most of the facilities were highly practical, and clearly centered around training cultivation. Aside from the observatory, anyway. Anton had shown that to them, explaining that it was for both hobby and practical purposes. Since it was only afternoon they couldn't make much use of it to see how good it was- though Matija was quite interested in figuring that out.

When they came to the library, they found it quite intimidating. Their translators worked on written language, but they simply didn't know where to start. Perhaps it showed on their faces, because Anton gestured to a section. "That is where we keep the basic cultivation manuals. Perhaps Matija might wish to compare your knowledge with what is there, considering your methods are quite different. And what would you be interested in, Diplomat Nirmala?"

"I find myself interested in the history of your world," she said, thinking it a safe topic.

"Of course," the old man nodded. "It is unfortunate that due to various circumstances the histories generally fall off past the seven hundred year mark, but I imagine that should last you for some time."

"Umm…" Matija bit her lip, "Is it alright if we copy what we find here?"

"Of course," Anton nodded, "Knowledge is meant to be shared. Though I would be cautious with the cultivation techniques. They are generally categorized by difficulty and safety, but some are only good for study and not for practical use. Though if you have any questions, I could answer them."

Matija nodded, "Thank you." Cultivation and energy control were of great interest to her, though at some point she wished to probe the depths of their understanding of other methods. Formations, Anton had mentioned. Something like how they controlled the energy in their devices, but clearly quite different. Though she likely wouldn't learn all that much in a single afternoon, and they would have to move on to their actual diplomatic mission. Or at least Nirmala would. Perhaps she might be able to slip off…

Chapter 452

From the outside, there was no clear difference between Rouben attempting to cultivate normally and delving into a new technique. Even from a few feet away on Fuzz' back Alva couldn't feel any difference. What she did notice was the constant spiral towards familiarity, fragments of the Hundred Stars worming its way into Rouben's technique. Except that wasn't quite completely true. Some parts weren't like they did things today, but whether the failures were from incomplete observation on Rouben's part or something else she couldn't say. Though that was the question they wanted to answer right now.

At the current moment, they had no time to stop for proper, comfortable cultivation. Yet to get the answers they sought he needed to practice Essentia Lockbox, and he didn't have long. For his own safety, they also had to get him off world. After the bounty was turned in and some time passed it would be safe for him to return, if that was what he wanted, but at the moment nobody would believe he no longer had access to it even if it were true. Which it would be soon enough. Copying techniques that one didn't understand was difficult, since it was more than just words on a page… but Rouben said that it was 'deceptively simple'. Either way, he had to make the best copy he could before reaching their destination, so practicing from the original text would help him achieve that as quickly as possible.

There didn't seem to be anyone hot on their trail- perhaps they saw what happened to the others and decided it was not worth it, perhaps they were simply further behind… or maybe they were better hidden. Alva hoped for the first, but there were always more cultivators willing to throw away their lives for the hope of a large gain.

Anton was personally quite glad that he was not in Nirmala's position. Very few people were here to take any of his time. Instead, there were many questions about Rutera that were probably answered a dozen times to different people in different contexts. Cultivators had excellent memories and given their positions would certainly be paying attention, but it wasn't appropriate for them to listen in on all conversations with the diplomats at all times. Thus, details about how the Ruterans worked were brought up many times, though the skill of the diplomat allowed her to mostly conceal her annoyance. Even he could only feel it faintly when something came up for the fourth or fifth time in a day. If she wished to, Nirmala might be capable of great deception. Perhaps she was, though none of the others gave away any understanding that things were not as truthful as possible.

Then there was Matija. Her purpose was partly to be a familiar figure, and partly to discern the differences in understanding that the two groups had. The individuals from Rutera did not cultivate in the same manner, and from certain perspectives could hardly be considered cultivators at all. Yet they did maintain the most important aspect, in some ways. They were still capable combatants, they simply relied on the support of devices… yet even then, they powered osme with their own internal energy.

Fortunately, Matija asking Anton to demonstrate his abilities provided opportunities. "I hope you don't think I'm trying to pry into your secrets," she said. "I'm just curious."

"Some people would think less of you if you weren't trying to pry into my secrets. But there is quite a lot I can demonstrate before we get to any of those," Anton said with a smile. "Though I would like to see a demonstration in return. I imagine you would wish to keep the exact power of the weapons integrated into your ship secret, but at some point, if we continue interacting, we will compare combat abilities. Cultivation lends itself directly to martial prowess."

He watched Matija's reactions as he spoke. She did not seem overly concerned about the thought of potential violence, though whether or not that was because she trusted Anton or her own abilities he was uncertain.

"I see," Matija nodded. "So should I… shoot you?" she kept her hand well away from her weapon as she made the suggestion.

"At some point, I would be quite glad to try it out personally. However, in the interest of safety… we do have training grounds with targets."

"Of course," Matija said awkwardly. "Why wouldn't you."

"What is a comfortable range for you?" Anton asked. "Something you can reliably hit to test the power of your weapon. We generally have targets set up in increments of fifty meters, as well as closer range targets at twenty-five."

"... Fifty meters would be fine," Matija said. "What about you?"

"I can shoot anything you can see," Anton said. He could also shoot anything a significant distance beyond what she could see, but that didn't need to be mentioned at the moment. "But for demonstration purposes one of the closer targets would be good, so you can observe it."

Anton noticed that Matija walked much the same speed as a non-cultivator, or at least someone in early Body Tempering. She had been studying some of their manuals and was beginning to make real use of her internal energy, but she simply wasn't used to a faster pace.

"Here we are," Anton said. "Don't worry about the targets. They can be replaced. Would you like me to go first?"

"... sure."

He understood that demonstrating combat capabilities might make people nervous, but even if they were to be enemies he thought that the Ruterans understanding some of what the local cultivators could do would be important. It would give them incentives to leave them alone. Though so far they simply seemed… intrigued.

He pulled out his bow, forming a Spirit Arrow and delicately drawing it back. He kept his arrow to a reasonable speed, not to make himself seem weaker but because he was unsure if Matija's eyes could follow it. The arrow sunk into the target- went through it, technically. He just unraveled the energy once it came out the other side so it wouldn't continue unnecessarily far.

"Oh, um…" Matija pulled out a device. "Is it… could I… do you mind if I scan you while you do that?"

"It will give you a better understanding, I presume? I think you should. It's only fair. We scan you all the time."

"You do? Oh, right."

Anton demonstrated a few more shots, though he wasn't hitting anything anymore. The arrow just made its way through the hole in the target.

"Hmm," Matija said. "You made that hole? How do you determine the distance you shoot? Are there settings on your bow?"

Anton held it out towards her, "It is simply a very nice bow. The energy of my shots unravels when I wish them to."

"... Can I hold it?"

"Of course. If you are able to accidentally hurt me with it I will be quite surprised. Especially without arrows."

"It forms them though, right?" she said as she waved the scanning device around the bow. "What is this made of?"

"It is made from the Grandfather Willow," Anton explained, "And I form the arrows."

"This is just wood?" Matija said in confusion. "These markings…"

"They are for the enchantments upon it, though the majority of its potency comes from the material itself. Now then… what about you?"

"Me? Oh!" Matija nodded, handing him back his bow. "Thank you for demonstrating. I guess it's my turn. You sure you don't mind if the target is destroyed?"

Anton shrugged, "It's just straw." Nowadays all of their straw came from energy-bearing cultivars, but it was still relatively low value.

He watched as she pulled out the weapon. Her hand fit around it slightly differently than he might have presumed, and a single finger slipped into a small loop on the long metallic device. The internal structure reminded Anton of Grant's cannons, though obviously on a much smaller scale.

Instead of firing a projectile, the weapon was actually much closer to functioning like Spirit Arrows. Matija gathered her energy, injecting it into the device as she pulled the trigger inside the loop. Though it happened in a very short time, Anton's senses and reflexes were far beyond a normal human. He could see as energy was released from dozens of small holes, gathering together before forming a cohesive beam of energy. Matija hit the bullseye of the target, but the beam was wider than Anton's Spirit Arrows and not perfectly centered so it caused a large amount of damage to the target, ultimately setting it on fire and leaving a hole perhaps five centimeters across.

Ultimately, he found it to be somewhat more powerful than he had expected for his estimated cultivation equivalent for Matija. The efficiency was also very high, with little energy wasted. "Impressive," Anton said. "Perhaps someday you will show me your limits with that device."

"Uh, maybe," Matija said awkwardly. "Also, we would call it a 'gun'. Or an energy gun, if we wanted to be repetitive. What about you? I'm sure that wasn't the limit of what you can do."

"Of course not," Anton said. "But it is sufficient to know, is it not? Either one would kill a person, without some sort of defenses. I am curious to learn how yours works at some point. It does not have to be any time soon, of course. Once the proper level of trust exists between us would be fine. Now then… how goes your cultivation?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I… definitely have much more energy than a beginner."

"You do," Anton said. "It is simply that you don't use it the same way. Nor intentionally cultivate it in power."

"We do," Matija said. "Just not the same way. Repeated practice is how we grow."

"That certainly works," Anton admitted. "But it could be quite inefficient. And it requires you to have specific pieces of technology functional."

"Don't you need your weapons and armor?" Matija asked.

"I can make the arrows," Anton said, "And though it's not as good, I can also make the rest of the bow," he formed one between them, facing towards the targets of course, and demonstrated a shot.

"You… you… how did you do that without touching it?"

"It should be quite obvious. I simply concentrated some of my energy there. Perhaps we should practice your sensing, that would be the most useful here. And… perhaps back home it would be of value as well. I'm not sure what your devices tell you."

"Quite a bit, actually," Matija said. "Look at what it said about your bow!"

"Energy readings I understand but have no context for," Anton said. "... Composition something? I don't believe I learned that word in your language."

"Elements. The smallest building blocks of things."

"Ah yes," Anton nodded. "I see. Though it's rather general about some of the locations."

"Well, it's dealing with new arrangements. Too bad I can't see the tree this bow came from."

"Why not?" Anton asked. "It's still there."

"It is?" she asked, looking around, "Where?"

"The headquarters of the Grasping Willows. A decent journey, but Lev might be willing to take you."

"He's the Sect Head, right?" Matija tried to recall all the people she had learned about in the past weeks. "Similar to you?"

"Yes and no," Anton said. "The position is slightly less honored because the Grasping Willows have only recently risen to prominence… but his personal power is generally on par with mine." Anton left out that that varied based on where Lev was. That was a secret not his to share. Around the Grandfather Willow he imagined Lev would be stronger than himself… which was why if there was for some reason a bizarre world in which they fought he wouldn't be getting within two hundred kilometers of the sect.

"... How far away is it?"

Given the significant effort in traveling between systems, the delegation from Rutera intended to stay at least several months. At this point, Anton would be willing to bet on longer since relations seemed to be trending in a positive direction.

"Depends on how fast you travel," Anton said. For the moment, they were keeping their teleportation formations a secret. "I could get there in a few days, but if we provide transport it could take a week. Or if you were able to take your ship I can't imagine it would take long at all."

"It's not really meant for atmosphere," Matija admitted, "But the planet's not that big. I don't think I could get that authorization, though."

"No, I imagine not," Anton agreed. "But we can certainly bring you to see it."

Matija pulled out a device, displaying an only recently familiar image. Ceretos, as a globe. "Where is it in relation to us?"

"About a thousand kilometers east by northeast," Anton said. The image got closer as Matija did something with the device. "I see you already have it marked by one of those dots."

"Dots? Oh right umm… wait it's one of the anomalies?"

Anton shrugged, "If that is what you call them, I do not believe it would be inaccurate. It should be an area with divergent energy concentrations, at a minimum." Anton was tempted to ask what they had noticed about the Exalted Archipelago, but that was a matter for a later time. Best not to drag anyone into issues- or cause some where there otherwise wouldn't be any.

Chapter 453

It was not unusual for people to track Anton's movements. In fact, it would be strange if they didn't. As a powerful cultivator, his movements were of great interest to many people. If the spies had been closer to his own perceptive abilities perhaps Anton would have assumed that was the case, but their glances were not directed primarily at him. Nor was the other most likely candidate the target- Lev. Yet Matija being the target was not actually unexpected either- and she was the one that the eyes landed on the most. A traveler from the stars was certainly an oddity, even with invasions being involved… but Anton had the feeling that not all of the glances were simply curiosity. Nor did he believe all worked for continental forces.

But… as long as no specific agreements were broken and nothing else happened, the Exalted Archipelago's spying was simply to be expected. Anton did keep track of the various faces he saw, just to be thorough. It was impossible for the Ruteran group to stay private anyway- not with sects from both continents informed about them. Anton just wished he could predict what response the Exalted Archipelago would have.

There was nothing along the road to cause them actual trouble. That would have required a serious army, one which Anton could have picked out half a country away. Brogora wasn't so distracted by the visitors that they weren't taking care of their continental security.

Along the way, Anton explained his experiences in various towns and cities, as well as the previous relationship between Graotan and Ofrurg. For the majority of a century they had been at peace, but the early years of his cultivation dominated Anton's memories.

"Just over there was where we first met," Lev added to Anton's details. "I was nearly dead in a cave, my arm full of parasitic moss planning to control and devour me."

"It's good that your arm has recovered now," Matija commented.

"It's not," Lev said, letting it flop to his side. "The wounds are so deep and so old, I don't know if it's possible to fully recover. Nor do I know if it matters." In truth, Lev had done more damage to himself with his early connection to the Grandfather Willow- his limbs basically didn't work on their own. "I certainly can't complain. I have methods to overcome my weaknesses, and power I could have barely imagined."

"You met before that war?" Matija asked. "But wasn't it a century ago and… you're still young."

Lev shrugged, "I certainly look young, don't I? By cultivator standards… in fact, I might be. At least for my cultivation level. I'd be closer to middle age in pure numbers. I would expect to live at least another two centuries, if I am not slain."

"I see," she frowned. "Our lifespans have expanded as we grew more prosperous. Living to your age would not be an oddity but we would expect to look more like… more elderly."

Anton grinned, "You were going to say more like me, weren't you? How old would you say I am?"

"Given what Lev said… you should be at least two hundred, perhaps two hundred and fifty?"

"Much closer to the former," Anton said. "But I'll have you know… I looked like this when I began cultivating."

"I'm pretty sure I began cultivating before him by at least a year," Lev nodded. "Though my early progress was nothing remarkable."

"I… don't really know what I expected," Matija said. "The way things are done here is quite different."

"It is only through great practice that I did not gawk at your technology," Anton said. "Different is absolutely the correct word. No doubt we can learn much from each other."

"I am surprised how much you are willing to share," Matija said. "We have been… more cautious than you."

"That is understandable," Anton said. "Personally, if I find people to be decent I would not wish to hide anything from them. But the full understanding of that takes time. Our initial interactions with your group were positive, but we've had some… trouble with unfamiliar individuals in the past."

"The invasion," Matija nodded. "That's… concerning to hear about."

"From what I understand, your world might not be of interest as a target," Anton shrugged. "But I cannot say for sure without visiting."

"Will you?" Matija asked.

"I… don't know if that would be a good idea," Anton said. "It is quite far."

"Why would that-" Matija stopped herself. "Perhaps it's better I don't get an answer for that, actually."

Soon enough they arrived at their destination- the Grasping Willows. Matija was not able to change her own energy signatures to blend in with them, though the smaller ones mostly relied on touch to grab their prey. The Grandfather Willow, meanwhile, was under Lev's control- and along with Anton he was ready to protect Matija from any trouble.

She was suitably impressed by the Grasping Willows when they were demonstrated to her. When she entered the valley where the Grandfather Willow stood, she seemed confused. "Where did all the underbrush go? And all of the trunks?" She used her scanner to curiously observe the dangling branches, keeping herself well clear of the grasping appendages. Or at least what seemed to be a safe distance to her. "These are all… part of the same thing?"

Lev gestured towards the main trunk. "That's right. The Grandfather Willow. It's barely visible between all of the hanging branches, but it occupies this whole valley."

Matija took out another device, presumably to help her see further ahead. "Whoa, you're right!" Throughout that day, she excitedly scanned as much of the tree as she could- branches, roots, trunk, and leaves. "No wonder we could sense this from space!" she said.

Anton took Lev aside. "I appreciate you giving her this opportunity. I know there is some risk…"

Lev shook his head. "I understand that. But if they come to try to take it from me, I am certain you will be ready to help provide a proper response. And I believe in her sincerity as much as you do. As well as her understanding that the information will mostly be put to good use."

"Mostly, huh," Anton nodded. "I'd like to see this Rutera, but it's a bit difficult, isn't it?"

"I certainly wouldn't go," Lev said. "But I wouldn't fly around in space either. I imagine being so far from your Assimilation touchstone would be a problem for you?"

"I… think so," Anton said. "But I haven't tested the limits, really. Distances away from Ceretos are difficult to comprehend."

Deep within his own soul, Rouben finally found what he was looking for. He had expected something monumental, a great source of power. A vault of knowledge. But here it was, a tiny speck. And how could it be anything else while still keeping its secrets hidden. He hadn't just searched for it, either. If his understanding of Essentia Lockbox was correct, he'd created this point of connection to something that should have been lost to him.

Now the trouble was opening it. In theory he could uncork this seal like a bottle of wine- and if he did so carelessly it might spray everywhere like the same. If these were really lost memories of his soul, he wanted to receive them gently.

The tiniest touch flooded his head with thoughts. Memories came to him of many things at the same time, yet he felt as if it was only a tiny fraction of what there could be. He retracted his touch, trying to settle the memories. Days of memories filled his head. Perhaps years, but not in a cohesive whole but scattered about randomly. Piecing anything together was difficult, but he managed to put something together with what he already knew. One important piece of information.

He slowly withdrew from within himself. His departure was soon- but before that he needed to answer the question of these strangely familiar individuals around him. Not just for them and because of the implicit threat of their presence, but also for himself.

His eyes opened. "I have an answer," he said. "I am not sure if it is the one you want, but… the reason I know Falling Stars is because I created the technique."

The intensity of the gazes upon him increased, especially the one known as Hoyt. He thought he remembered that face, though it didn't quite fit. Perhaps it was merely someone else he knew. "Do you remember… what your name was?" Hoyt asked.

"It was…" strangely, that information hadn't seemed important in the memories he possessed. Cultivation. A sect. People. But his own name hardly mattered. Even so, it was still there. "I think it was… Prospero? Prospero Vandale."

The woman known as Catarina inclined her head. "It is good to see you again, Grand Elder Vandale. I had not expected this meeting to be possible."

"Please, don't," Rouben grimaced. He was much more familiar with that name still, at least for the moment. "I don't think I deserve such an unfamiliar honor for something I can barely remember."

"Also…" Hoyt said, "It is awkward because you could be referring to me."

That was it. For some reason, he'd had the feeling it was his own face. But it was his son- no, his grandson. "I… the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars is in the lower realms," Rouben frowned. "How is it that any of you are here?"

"I think the answer is fairly obvious," Hoyt said. "The traditional way. And it's One Hundred Stars now, since the technique is no longer incomplete."

"That's… comforting," Rouben nodded. "Though I can't say I actually remember as much as perhaps I should."

"I have no doubt you will remember more given time," Hoyt said. "And practice."

Over the course of the next few days, only a small collection of memories were recovered- but it was enough to confirm that he actually was Prospero Vandale reincarnated. An impersonator might know of large events, but personal exchanges that wouldn't be noticed by anyone else were a different issue. Hoyt didn't actually have many more of those than anyone else, by his own will, but he had latched onto some memories more tightly.

"We must be going now," Hoyt said as a ship was landing. "We will pay for you to be taken off-planet. The ship captain is as trustworthy as they come. The rest of us have to resolve this bounty. And see if we can keep this technique out of the hands of the Twin Soul Sect permanently somehow."

"He does lock up some things," Vari said helpfully. "Perhaps we can convince him to do the same with this. Especially since it was stolen."

The concealment formation they had been staying within while waiting faded away as they stepped out of it, and Vandale was taken away- with a plethora of different communication options. Even if he wasn't fully the person they remembered, simply parting ways would be a terrible waste.

"Which one is your star?" Anton asked. They had returned to the Order, and Matija had wanted to look at the observatory.

"It's difficult to pinpoint from here," she said. "The skies are mostly the same, but I'm not used to seeing our star being there, you know?"

Anton nodded. "Only during the day. I believe I pointed at the right cluster, based on the direction you departed in. It should be one of the closer ones as well."

"Yeah, but… I can't really see that well either," Matija admitted.

"Ah," Anton shrugged. "A fault of ours, I suppose. The telescope is intended for use with eye techniques."

"I just realized," Matija said. "I can just look it up." She pulled out a few small devices, placing one where her eye would be on the telescope. Anton could see information being pulled up on the others- images, even. "I only have access to the information on the ship from here, so it's kind of difficult but… it should be that one," she finally pointed.

There was nothing remarkable about the star. It was fairly bright- but it ought to be as one of the closer stars. "I see," Anton nodded.

"And this is what your star looks like from Rutera," Matija said. "Just let me find it. See?"

"I have to admit… familiar as I am, they're not terribly different. A slightly different color and brightness, perhaps. "Though that should be normal, as humans do best in a particular type of world."

"Yeah…" Matija nodded. "It's weird that we're all the same though."

"It it?" Anton said. "I would imagine cultivators populated everywhere at some point in the long past. They have been traveling the stars for quite some time, after all. Just not in quite the same manner as yourselves."

Matija grinned, "It's funny to hear they use old-style ships," she said. "But I'd really like to see one."

"They're not much different from the skyships," he explained. "You could probably take a look at one of them."

As she considered that, Anton thought about Rutera. He had a thought, but was unsure whether it could possibly work… or if he should try it even if it would. But that was for another time. For the moment, the trajectory of their current relations was positive. Perhaps in a decade or two they'd know Rutera well enough to think about going further.

Chapter 454

The group took a somewhat more circuitous route back to the Library, even though they were fairly certain nobody was following them still. There was only so much any group would do for a specific level of reward- and while the equipment they had looted would certainly make them seem more valuable targets, the fact that they had defeated enemies of significant power would balance that out. Notoriety such as that could be either beneficial or detrimental depending on the circumstances.

"We're here to turn in a bounty," Hoyt said at the entrance, pulling out the technique manual for Essentia Lockbox.

"Ah yes, that one," the Everheart present nodded. "It wasn't supposed to be stolen. Where's the perpetrator?"

"The bounty didn't mention anything about needing them," Hoyt said cautiously.

"Ah, whatever. It's fine," Everheart waved him off and grabbed the manual. "You're going away where you'll be safe now…"

"About that," Hoyt said. "It seems it was rather easily stolen. Some individuals were quite interested in getting their hands on it…"

"Yes yes, I know all that," Everheart nodded. "It will be more secure than previously. It should have already been placed with the forbidden manuals."

"... but there are forbidden techniques literally everywhere in the Library," Hoyt said. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to continue to engage Everheart in conversation, but he couldn't help it.

"Forbidden depends on who you're asking," Everheart grinned. "You should know that by now, I imagine. This one fits my standards. It's simply that with so many techniques, some get misplaced."

Everheart didn't feel like the sort to make mistakes… but, perhaps he was right. With a library of this magnitude, it only made sense that there would be some slip ups occasionally.

"Now then, how are you dividing the points?"

"Equally," Hoyt said. "That should still be enough for us to go to the fourth level, correct?"

Everheart sighed, "Yes, I suppose it is." After they walked past, he muttered to himself, "Not enough people taking everything for themselves these days. How sad."

With the passage of time, more cultivators at the peak of Life Transformation had decisions to make. Anton wasn't aware of many of them, though he did know there was a surprisingly steady flow of people attempting and presumably succeeding with Ascension. Within the Order there were two in particular that needed to finalize their choices- Devon and Velvet. Both came to Anton for advice.

Devon was the first. "I enjoy my life here on Ceretos, but I haven't comprehended any method to advance further in cultivation. I believe I could succeed if I Ascended, but I'm not sure if I wish to."

Anton nodded, "Then you must ask what is more important- your cultivation, or your home." Their cultivation paths were different, and so far Anton's advice had borne no fruit for Devon in terms of alternatives to Ascension.

"My home here…" Devon said, "But I also want it to be safe. Acquiring more strength so that I can hopefully return to fight in the next invasion…"

"Understandable," Anton agreed. "But remember, I would think no less of you if you had chosen to forgo cultivation entirely. If you're going to do it, do it for people you care about… excluding myself. While I can't say that we will be perfectly fine without you, having you here still using natural energy and able to make use of anti-ascension techniques will still be a viable strategy. We can't be sure if returning ascenders will function at full capacity here anyway."

"That's true," Devon nodded. "I will have to think on this for a while."

The conversation with Velvet went much the same way, with different specifics. "I want to be as useful as possible," she declared.

"If only I could predict the future," Anton said, "Then I would guide you to the best option. But as I am… I can only say that most with talent should take the opportunity to ascend. There are those in the upper realms who could use your help, and we could use any information you could acquire. Though of course seeking some of it would be quite dangerous and I would recommend a slow pace. We still have well over a century before an invasion is possible."

"I'm also worried about here," Velvet said. "The Exalted Archipelago likely still has many secrets."

"Perhaps," Anton agreed. "But their most problematic elements have been dealt with, and I believe we can deal with them if something comes down to it. And if the Trigold Cluster and Exalted Quadrant choose to work together, then perhaps we simply get wiped out. It is hard to know how much they might bring to bear."

"I might be able to learn something here." Velvet frowned, "On the other hand, straightforward cultivation progress has been more effective for me. And I am a known factor here. Infiltration would be difficult."

"Indeed. Unfortunately, we can never make choices with all of the information. Going with your gut isn't terribly good advice when one is not a cultivator as it seems more or less random, but as a cultivator it is slightly more likely to result in something positive. So using that method wouldn't be the worst."

Ultimately, neither had decided just yet, but Anton could tell what directions they were leaning in. He could push them towards making whatever decision he wanted, but in truth all were valid and whatever they chose without him pushing them beyond simple advice would be slightly better.

The tomes on the fourth level were full of powerful techniques, and Catarina found it valuable to study them when she got the chance… but her actual goal was something greater. At least, if things played out as she thought they might. The area reserved for the fourth level was somewhat smaller- though Catarina had the feeling it could easily be expanded.

The smaller size made it properly explorable, and she wandered the shelves for only a few weeks- making sure to browse anything that stood out to her as she moved- before she finally found what she was looking for. Something that matched the node in the great hall, connected to the strange formation plate they'd found on Ceretos. Something that was not integrated into Everheart's formations but instead built on top of, covering it up.

Catarina knew her actions were being observed on some level, but studying the formations in the area was an excellent cover. Especially when she found herself engrossed in that task instead of looking for the specific node of whatever was buried.

Eventually, she found it… and unlike the one in the Great Hall it didn't seem like she would need to destroy anything to gain access to it. At least, not to make a connection of some sort. It was both beneath the library and between shelves- either the node or the Library, likely both, were messing with the space around it such that it could fit in between. She took her time just to be cautious, but she finally made the connection. The formation plate seemed to grant her access, which meant there could be some problems if she lost it, but at that point she would likely be dead anyway.

And if not, she might be able to find some method to replicate it. Part of her studies went towards that, and part went towards understanding what this covered formation actually did. It wasn't entirely clear, but what she did know was that it was powerful, and as conjectured connected to the points in the Great Hall and the Labyrinth- or at least it seemed like the final point was in the Labyrinth. Perhaps nearby, if she was lucky. But being in the most death trapped area seemed like the most likely option.

Even if she thought she could do something with just a connection to one node, Catarina would have waited. The one in the Great Hall would likely involve some destruction, which could land her in a whole lot of trouble. She had to be certain she was ready to go for that one, so studying this that she had better access to and then finding the third was the plan. So she would spend some time with this one… then go off world again for a while while that notoriety died down slightly.

Having not run into trouble with the Exalted Quadrant during the bounty hunt- during which the others from the Order of One Hundred Stars had run into some reincarnated elder- Vari was fairly confident that sparring with Kiran would be safe. They'd already turned in the bounty, after all, and the man from the Hardened Crown Sect was friendly and had previously helped her practice. His guidance had certainly helped her stay alive during the bounty incident.

Safe, of course, was a relative term. A dislocated arm or a few broken bones were only natural when facing a superior opponent, and Vari didn't want him to hold back too much. There was something interesting about being a cultivator where the ground was often soft enough to give way before the cultivator. That was the norm in Life Transformation, even with standard stone. The training grounds was just dirt, so when she felt like she impacted a solid steel floor Vari knew something was different.

She just lay there for a few moments, trying to figure out what had happened. Kiran had already backed up- likely meaning it as a learning point. If he continued to brawl with her afterwards, she wouldn't remember as well.

Certainly, impacting the ground at a faster velocity would make it give way in a different fashion, but there wasn't much of a dent beneath her. That meant there had to be more to it. Thinking about how Kiran's energy flowed, she recalled a slight hint of it going into the ground. That would do it, perhaps. Hardening the ground was certainly a valid option, though it involved splitting focus and would require some familiarity with the material. Or would it?

Certainly, if she wanted to work with the material that would be a requirement, but she could make a barrier there… or anywhere, really. Though forming one beyond someone could be rather difficult, and then there was the question of anchoring it. Still, it was a good idea. She stood up ready to try it… and was partially successful.

She was fairly certain that Kiran let her slam him into a barrier once, but he certainly didn't bother to feign any actual injuries. The Hardened Crown Sect had tough bodies, and even if that wasn't the case his cultivation was still higher. He could have absorbed the impact purely with his energy, unless he was careless about how he defended. Still, it seemed to be more of a matter of power and practice most of all.

Combat training was all well and good, but advancing to the next stage of cultivation would be the biggest leap for her. She had plenty of inspiration, but she had to do it right. She wouldn't get a second chance, after all. Thus, she had to allocate time for training towards that goal as well.

On the way out of the sparring grounds she was stopped by an unfortunately familiar figure. "Hello there little sister." The face that was in front of her was the woman who wielded only a shield.

Vari's first instincts was to destroy her eardrums- her second instinct was much more rational and told her that she had just barely started to recover them. Besides, she had to face this eventually. "I am not your little sister. I'm no longer part of the Harmonious Citadel."

"But you are. We have not allowed you to leave. I was quite disappointed in your results the other day. Tell me, do you have time for a little spar?"

Vari's body responded for her. "Of course… not." Last second willpower overcame the command. She'd been practicing that, though obviously without practical experience she couldn't know for sure it would work. The result was adequate. "I won't be drawn into something like that."

"Something like what?" the woman raised an eyebrow.

"Some sort of match where you can 'accidentally' kill or maim me. And the rules here don't allow battling without mutual consent." Vari wondered if influencing her mind did not count as an attack. Or maybe Everheart wasn't monitoring the area. Perhaps that was true, if pigs could fly and up was down.

"Nonsense, I was just planning to teach you a friendly lesson. But about those allies of yours… I will be needing your assistance to bring them down. You'll do that for me, won't you."

"Yes, of course elder sister." It wasn't just the response that bothered Vari. It was that she knew it was true. This time, the force of the woman's personality bearing down on her was irresistible. "But before that… I need to say something."

"And what is that? I'm curious."

"Your hair is stupid."

Perhaps it wasn't smart to provoke someone who had control over her in that way, but it made sense at the time. "Hold still," the woman commanded. Vari had no option but to comply. A flash of movement and power, and the sharp edge of the shield was looking her in the eye. Vari could feel her own hair falling to the ground, not evenly severed but in chunks. The woman smirked.

Vari really hoped this was one of the times the rules meant something, but as seconds dragged on she began to get the feeling that it somehow didn't count as an attack. Perhaps she should have pushed through and leaned forward just enough to get cut. And if not, she could at least figure out a way to circumvent orders and kill herself before she did anything to hurt her friends.

Chapter 455

Though the mental pressure had brought Vari into a bad headspace, her automatic verbal responses were hardly as binding as they seemed at first. She said she would help betray her allies- but she didn't want to. Her mind told her that she shouldn't punch this woman in the face given her status, but she wanted to. Her energy circulated inside, fighting with itself. It was possible Vari could punch this woman who hadn't even bothered to share her name, but perhaps that wasn't the right solution to begin with. Though the rules hadn't been enforced yet, Everheart was said to be quite serious about them.

So when the woman from the Harmonious Citadel turned around, Vari didn't punch her in the face, kick her in the back of the head, or wrap her elbow around her neck and strangle her. She was almost certain she could have attempted any of those if she pushed hard enough. But she had something better. "One moment, sister. I need to keep you safe."

She placed a barrier in front of the woman who was just beginning to walk off, causing her to run into it. She turned angrily to Vari. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Vari shrugged, "I'm just trying to protect you." Barriers were easiest to form when flat. Making one or two was the easiest. Sustaining more than that was trouble, but she formed one between herself and the woman… then on either side. Top and bottom, forming a full box. It nicely blocked out the sound of her voice, the feel of her energy. That gave Vari a moment to clear her head.

It also slowed down the edge of the woman's shield enough that when it came crashing through the barrier between them Vari managed to lean to the side and only have it cut through her ribs and one lung. Though that wouldn't matter much when she died in a moment. "How dare you move against me! I don't need the help of a lowlife like you."

"Just get this over with so I don't have to listen to you whine anymore," Vari said. It was half defiance, half a ploy to maybe provoke her and control how she acted, and an infinitesimal amount of resignation.

The shield was returning. Vari was wondering what angle a barrier might best hold back the shield which was also a bladed disc. Maybe an angle? She wished her allies were around, but unfortunately they weren't out in the training field at this exact moment. Kiran had also left ahead of her.

"I'll destroy you!"

"You will do no such thing," came an annoyed voice from behind Vari. She turned to see two hands clap down around the shield. Then it was crumpled into a ball as if it were made of paper instead of highly enchanted alloys. Everheart stood there, his eye twitching. "No attacking people is one of the few rules here."

"This is the sparring arena, and she's a junior in my sect. Tell him!"

The order pounded in Vari's head. She turned to Everheart, who was waiting for her response. "I was raised in the shelter of the Harmonious Citadel… but I am no longer one of their disciples. She has attacked me physically multiple times and mentally many more." Imprecise wording was a blessing, even if her body still fought against her saying she should do what was implied.

Everheart shrugged, "Thought so. Well, rules are rules and all that." He flicked his arms out to the side, forming the image of an open book. His hand slapped together, closing the human sized book around her. When it faded, she was gone.

"... Thank you, mighty Everheart," Vari inclined her head. "May I ask what will happen to her?"

"Normally, the sentence is death," Everheart said. "But in the case of powerful factions, I often make exceptions. You know how things are." Everheart began to grin, "They will simply have to pay appropriate reparations for her return."

Vari gulped. She didn't want to know what price the Harmonious Citadel would have to pay, but from the look on his face she felt it was actually a greater punishment instead of going easy. She didn't need much training in insight to read that from the wide smirk he had. "I… see. I'm sure it will be very appropriate. Thank you once more."

"If you want to thank me… make sure no more rules are broken! And make sure to donate!"

Actually, they still had a bundle of technique manuals from those they had defeated. While the others wanted to save some for study by their own sect, Vari was still given a portion. Studying those from outside the Harmonious Citadel wasn't doing her much good, though she was interested in the deeper soul related ones- she had to remove this compulsion from inside her after all. "I will certainly find some appropriate things to donate," she said finally.

After reading another message from Catarina, Anton smiled. Vandale reincarnated? That was unexpected. The cycle of reincarnation was only fuzzily understood- even the Twin Soul Sect's techniques on Ceretos had only described one specific method, and it didn't seem they allowed retaining memories on their own. It required something after their death to achieve proper results. Vandale only having a small portion of his memories was unfortunate, but given his death the fact that he had any form of reincarnation was a pleasant thought.

Another powerful ally in the upper realms waiting to happen was good news, but perhaps better was Catarina's progress with the formation plate. Was it a coincidence that it had been placed in their world and was useful where Everheart had set up his Tomb? Hard to say, really. Even whether or not it was purposefully left was unclear. If anyone knew where it was, however, they'd had an adequate chance to retrieve it during the previous invasion. Nobody had been watching out in the middle of nowhere. But it might have even been more than a cycle since it was left behind. Curious.

It was unfortunate that Anton could not personally experience what was happening in the upper realms, but he'd made his decision long before he expected there to even be a possibility of reaching the peak of cultivation in their world. Ascension was just an unnecessary pipe dream. His perspective was different now, but in truth he only cared about the portions of the upper realms that might affect home- and the people who were friends and family.

Despite having the greatest freedom he'd ever experienced, Anton was feeling a bit tied down. Visitors from another system had him thinking about visiting neighbors in turn. He was planning to test the effects on his power as he went away from Ceretos' sun. There was still the matter of making the trip in a timely fashion, as making a journey to even neighboring systems required faster than light travel through one method or another. Catarina had studied some of the ships traveling between planets, but it wasn't simple for her to transmit large quantities of technical information. It was being done- just not directly to Anton. That would be pointless, since he wasn't a formation master.

Even if Rutera had been willing to share their technology- and they hadn't asked- Ceretos had no basis for all of the other pieces that would lead up to their ships. That was something that would take longer, though he heard formation masters were very excited about some of the 'simpler' devices they had been shown.

The reaction from the Exalted Archipelago had been minimal. Anton was hoping to speak to someone from the Worthy Shore Society on the topic to get the most reliable information he could. It was unlikely they didn't care about the Ruterans at all- but whether they would do anything was a different question. Anton still didn't know how many lower realms the Exalted Quadrant had their fingers in.

Anton looked through the telescope, enhancing his eyes to pick up details of the Ruteran's star. There was little special about it except for it hosting what he hoped would be friends- or at least neutral neighbors. He subconsciously reached out towards it, cognizant of the great distance between them. Yet without fully meaning to, the connection was formed. Anton could feel something stir within his hundred-and-first star. His actual power… changed not at all. But he was quite certain he'd done something similar to what happened with their own star.

That was why he hadn't actually been trying. Now he'd have to apologize to the Ruterans. Hopefully nothing noticeable would happen, with him being so distant. Though now the idea of visiting was more appealing and also more problematic, since if it didn't do anything with him here he could guarantee it would react when he got closer. Sure, he only drew upon the tiniest portion of a star's power… but they'd been able to sense fluctuations with a star a system over- how much more effective would they be in their own system?

Just for the sake of curiosity, Anton focused on his ninety-ninth star, as well as one of the other closest stars that should be in neighboring systems- still a very great distance away, but closer than the others. Consciously trying to form a connection did nothing. The same held true for other stars. It seemed only the hundredth and beyond had the ability to connect to other stars, which was quite reasonable. He was glad not to have to think about connecting to a hundred stars… especially without permissions of those who lived near them. Technically that was also the case in this system, but he was one of the residents so it was fair enough. And he was fairly certain others could do the same. The sun should be able to support other cultivators… though there weren't exactly a large mass of individuals clamoring to attempt Assimilation.

Throughout all of Ceretos Life Transformation cultivators numbered in the high hundreds, perhaps the low thousands. Recent advancements in cultivation efficiency had approximately doubled those on the continents, but ultimately most of them still wouldn't reach the peak of Life Transformation, and of those even fewer would ascend- or follow another path beyond. Though they were a huge step up from their previous rate of once a decade at best.

Out at sea, on the back of Paradise, Erin took in the great power of the turtle. Paradise allowed the disciples to use the natural energy in his ecosystem, though whether or not he recognized how they contributed or simply found them beneath concern was unclear. They weren't enemies, though- Erin had seen what happened to them.

The next step would be much easier if Paradise could talk. It was risky to even try, but then again so was everything that involved new branches of cultivation. It was just also risky because outside of blowing herself up it might happen from something external. She'd seen how the Ponderous Turtle Clan got a reaction from Paradise.

So to avoid potential collateral damage, she slowly walked down to the top of Paradise's head. It was underwater, as usual, but he was not moving particularly fast at the moment so sticking to him was trivial. She stood between two small mountains that were the bulges of his eyes- though it was a relatively small change from the bump of his skull, at such a scale they stood out.

She carefully pat the head beneath her, sending energy she hoped would be soothing. She wanted him to be aware of her so he could react at the earliest possibility. She was well aware of how quickly he could respond when threatened, so perhaps he would still destroy her at some point… but she hoped to let him react with something less extreme. If he showed discomfort or dissatisfaction, she would give up on her attempt.

Paradise was an island, but he was mostly a turtle- one that was growing, if only at a very slow rate. For the purposes of cultivation, however, he seemed to be both. Paradise had an ecosystems of plants that resonated with natural energy, but he also had his own internal energy stores. In battle, he called upon both equally.

Erin attempted to tap into both. She knew she couldn't control such large amounts of energy on her own, but if Paradise would synergize with her she could direct a small portion of it for her own use… and perhaps more efficiently than city-leveling balls of water. At first, she was uncertain if Paradise noticed. He didn't even respond to her extended energy. Then she felt a wave wash over her- water and energy. She was sent swirling away, but no follow up attack came. And if Erin was correct, it wasn't really an attack. That might have simply been the response she was hoping for, but with the usual subtlety of Paradise. She resolved herself to make another attempt. This might be a long process instead of something instantaneous, but not all cultivation had to take great leaps. That was the sort of thing that left you a burned out husk that was lucky to survive. Erin slightly envied Anton's power, but she knew it was better to be practical. So, another attempt. Once she managed to swim back to Paradise, since she'd been shoved quite a distance away.

Chapter 456

Rather than wait to see if there was some sort of issue, Anton contacted Matija to ask about. It wasn't possible to go into much detail, but the very act of asking about Rutera's star would have some implications. He trusted Matija enough to respond appropriately. If that ultimately meant sharing the information and the Ruterans taking offense, he would attempt to carefully release his connection to their star.

Rutera was much closer than anywhere in the upper realms, but messages weren't as much faster as Anton might have thought. They could still take several days, despite being more than a factor of a hundred off in distance. Perhaps some oddity related to the difference between natural energy and 'upper' energy.

The response took somewhere more than a week- which meant it likely wasn't immediate from Matija's perspective. It didn't say much. "No notable changes. Should there be?"

"I would hope not," was Anton's reply. "There was simply a possibility something would have happened."

There was no particular response to that, which he took to be good news. He continued to exchange occasional unrelated information as normal in the following days and weeks.

Since he had to test it at some point, Anton took the time to test the limits of his connection to the sun. Traveling any significant distance through space was still unfamiliar, and Anton was hesitant to continue accelerating without end. He understood it didn't feel like he was going faster, but reaching the sun within a day had him going at a truly alarming speed. The issue wasn't that he thought he would run into anything- though there were indeed tiny particles of matter in what was otherwise empty void, he could withstand the impact. He was more concerned with what would happen if he left the influence of the sun and didn't have the energy to turn around. The speed at which his energy regenerated was vastly different after reaching his current stage of cultivation, and he was also skeptical about how much natural energy would be in the void of space between systems.

There was a notable difference between his connection to the sun while on or near Ceretos and that when he was close to it- within a few solar radii- but his rate of regeneration and maximum power output increased by nearly fifty percent. However, after a certain distant the drop-off was sharp until reaching a point within a few percent of what he considered normal- and that remained true, very slowly reducing with distance until he was beyond the orbit of the most distant planet in the system.

He spent weeks exploring, carefully moving towards the limits until he felt a consistent if slow drop-off in his connection. He couldn't be certain if it would continue exactly in that manner, but he felt if he doubled his distance his connection would dwindle to almost nothing. About the same as he felt to Rutera's star, in fact. Perhaps the minimum. Either way, it wouldn't get him to another system. Perhaps a tenth of the way at best, which made him quite hesitant to think about going further.

For the sake of curiosity, he placed himself on the trajectory to Rutera and found that the drop-off was slower despite the fact that the distance was far enough that between the two stars of home and Rutera he should reach a point far enough from both of them that they were insignificant. Confirmation would have to wait, though. He had no reason to risk anything at the moment, and showing up uninvited would be rather strange even if things went perfectly. And if it didn't work, he might die in the void of space, which would be a shame because he had many things left to do.

Instead of immediately returning to Ceretos, he toured the other planets in the system. There were several large gaseous planets with many moons as well as rings of stone caught in orbit around them. The gravity he felt from them made him hesitant to approach too closely, but he didn't feel any fluctuations of natural energy that would indicate anything living on them. Then again, he was only used to a certain kind of life. There were a few rocky planets, but they were not in a place that non-cultivators could survive even if they had atmosphere. Too hot or too cold- and likewise without any obvious life.

The moon was the most interesting, because Anton knew that it had something on it, and even where it had been. He was ultimately disappointed that the ruins of Everheart's Tomb on the moon had undergone the same process as everything else- their futures held against their present, crumbling away to almost nothing. He did not perform an exhaustive search, but he was actually able to cover a surprising amount of the moon with his senses at once. He merely swept past vast emptiness, but without an atmosphere he could stretch a thin tendril of energy all the way around, and his omnidirectional senses comfortably reached for dozens of kilometers.

He found familiar shapes of structures that had once existed, but he could not find where the living creatures had dwelled in a forest. It was presumably underground, but Anton couldn't say how far. It was amazing how much Everheart had done- even if he had been around for a significant period of time- but that was what reckless disregard for what was sensible got you.

It was years before considering himself Prospero Vandale no longer felt strange. There had always been small bits and pieces of memory with him since he reincarnated, without which he would not have survived. Even with them he had been exceedingly lucky. A well developed sense for danger only went so far on a place like Everheart's Tomb. His early years of life were still unclear- he didn't remember his parents, but he must have had them. He wasn't certain he wanted to remember them.

Beyond the complications of adding new family, there were only a few options for them at the current time. Dead was most likely, but they could have also abandoned him. There was precious little else that was not some offshoot of those two options.

He slowly remembered more about his previous life. Who he had been, and who he had known. He was joined by the other members of the Order after some time, people he remembered mostly as promising individuals from what had been the latest generation at the time. That included his grandson.

For the sake of laying low, he had been directed to a small, backwater planet- Zethea. There weren't any particularly appealing resources, but it had a reasonable level of ambient upper energy and had regular enough ships passing by, including those from the Dark Ring. Even though his grandson had joined up with them on some level, Prospero still had some reservations about them. Not that he thought they were hiding something- they never claimed to be a righteous sect and simply wanted to fight against the Harmonious Citadel because they were trying to take over.

Having grown up on the Tomb with information of all sorts flooding into the area he knew they weren't bad, but Prospero still thought that they could do better. Either the Dark Ring, or someone else making their own sect. Saying that the Order of One Hundred Stars- which he was very pleased with the progress of- was a sect in the upper realms would be going a bit far, with only a half dozen members. But there was the potential to expand. The others even had the intention to create something of the sort, though how was still somewhat in question. Such things took time.

Finding time when Hoyt was alone was simple on Zethea. Interrupting another's cultivation was rude, but Prospero didn't even have to wait for Hoyt to come out of his meditation when he got close. "Do you need anything?"

Prospero wondered. "I just want to talk, I suppose. I'm not sure if I was a good grandfather."

"Maybe not," Hoyt shrugged, "But I didn't really give you the chance. I wasn't a terribly good grandson either."

Silence held the majority of the conversation, but it wasn't entirely uncomfortable. "I thought allowing you to forge your own path was the best. Especially with the results I saw."

"It is what I wanted," Hoyt agreed. "It's hard to say if it was ultimately better, but I appreciate it nonetheless."

"I wanted to be closer," Prospero explained. "But after the loss of your parents, I didn't really know how to approach you."

"I understand," Hoyt said. "I don't feel any resentment. I respected you greatly as a cultivator and as a person. I just don't think we were much of a family."

"And you found another grandfather."

"What can I say?" Hoyt grinned. "Anton naturally became everyone's grandfather. At first I was just amused by an old guy working so hard in the fields, but when I realized he was new to cultivation it was a great surprise. He was so easy to get along with because he was just a person. He's still that way, actually- though the cultivator mindset has certainly changed him somewhat."

"I'm glad he's still alive," Prospero nodded. "And forging a new path of cultivation. I can't say I'm surprised. I'll have to work hard to surpass him. Can't let myself be outdone by someone younger than me. That includes you as well," Prospero noted. "Even if I was dead for some decades, I'm still much older than you."

"Go ahead and try," Hoyt held his back straight. "I'm not going to make it easy to catch up though."

"Good! Exactly as it should be."

"... it still feels weird to use it," Hoyt said. "I spent so long trying to not be you, but in the end it's a really good technique."

"I didn't even know you'd studied it at all," Prospero said. "Did Anton teach you?"

Hoyt shook his head, "No. I just watched you. You didn't even use it very often, but I always paid close attention."

"You've got great talent," Prospero said, "And of course, I don't mind if you use it. The Falling Stars might have been made by me, but it was meant for the benefit of the Order as a whole. Though it seems that not many were suited for its use."

"You saved many lives with it," Hoyt said. "So I'd say it did its job excellently. Anyway, when you get a bit stronger we should spar sometime."

"Why not do it right now?" Prospero grinned. "Afraid of something?"

"Hardly," Hoyt said. "Though we really shouldn't, if we're trying to remain on the down low. Not when your attacks can be seen and felt from two counties over."

"I bet yours can as well."

"Only partly," Hoyt laughed, "I usually don't make images high in the sky. Speaking of which, how is it to have two eyes again?"

"It's great," Prospero said. "Being young is amazing. I'd say I'm not going to waste away my youth this time and make something better of myself, but I honestly think I did quite decently last time. Maybe there will be a few less distractions on the way." He slowly stood up. "Well then, I'll leave you to your cultivation. I've got most of Life Transformation to find my way through again, though it will mostly just take time. I'm basically just planning how to Ascend. Or… attain the Integration stage."

"Good luck with that. And don't hesitate to ask for advice. I do have some practical experience in that regard. Though I'm not quite certain if you can actually Ascend properly in the upper realms."

"It does make things difficult, doesn't it?" Prospero stroked his chin. "We'll definitely have to discuss all of that, but for the moment I just need to bring in as much energy as possible."

Prospero walked away feeling much better. While they might not be proper family, at least he confirmed they were on good terms… perhaps better than when he had previously been alive. He resolved to learn more about how he retained his memories… especially with how it related to the Twin Soul Sect. And hearing about how there could be another invasion in just a short couple hundred years or less, Prospero knew that shifting the odds in their favor as much as possible was important.

Chapter 457

Concentric rings of carved runes fit a surprisingly compact space around Vari. Though her understanding of formations would inevitably be improved from so much exposure to Catarina's work, it wasn't on such a quick time scale that Vari thought she would ever actually approach the same level of skill. But she didn't need to. Everyone had different specialties, so knowing how formations worked was only important in a general sense- recognizing them and not carelessly entering unfamiliar arrangements.

Thinking about how much it cost to put together this particular formation, with inlaid materials individually worth more than everything she had approximately a decade prior made Vari's head spin, but she'd received a split of everything they'd won in battle… which was quite a lot, considering that more than a handful of Integration cultivators from rich sects had been taken out by their group. Even if she got a slightly smaller share, Vari still felt that she was receiving too much… though she couldn't be quite sure how much of that was the Holy Harmony Technique speaking, telling her to be a good subordinate. In truth, Vari didn't mind following others, but having it be compulsory was quite unpleasant.

Which was why the majority of her acquired wealth had been poured into this formation, and the various vessels containing concentrated upper energy. She had remained at the peak of Life Transformation for more than a few years, and was finally taking a chance at advancement. No, she was going to succeed. Or perhaps her method was flawed and she would die or have horrible side effects. Either way, she wasn't being half hearted about her efforts.

If she simply wanted to advance through the normal processes of the Holy Harmony Technique- or even the Glorious Harmony Technique- Vari was rather certain she could accomplish that… but it wouldn't achieve the results she wanted. All that delving into the deeper secrets of the Harmonious Citadel's cultivation styles would be pointless.

To some extent, all cultivation ran on belief. It might be confidence or mental fortitude or simple understanding of insights, but what one believed greatly changed what they could do. It didn't make the impossible possible, but it could make the barely-possible more achievable. The Harmonious Citadel took this a step further, focusing on it and relying on the power of devotion for the growth of some of their best disciples- and for their saints. Which in turn meant it came with related flaws.

The Saints promised to protect the members of the Harmonious Citadel. Whether they meant it or not, or even actually said anything of the sort, they spread that belief. That made it true enough, and believed enough in the relevant ways. It wasn't just a rumor spread about them, but a belief fostered by them.

Interpreting the phrase "The Saints protect the members of the Harmonious Citadel" could result in many possible interpretations. None of them had to be right, and Vari was betting that she didn't have to personally believe the one she was going to rely on. Enough people did, which was all that mattered. They chose to tie themselves into the Harmonious Citadel… and those like her who didn't actually have a choice shouldn't be harmed by her actions.

There would only be one chance. Activating the formation was simple, requiring her only to shift a small cylinder into the center, dropping it in so the patterns matched. There was no active control of the formation that would be happening, instead it only gathered an augmented energy, as well as hopefully increasing Vari's connection to the metaphysical components of the Harmonious Citadel. She could only trust that some amount of that worked.

Power swirled around and through her. The Saints swore to protect her. Protection was not just against physical things, but mental compulsion and of course tracking. Vari didn't care to consider whether it would protect against such things from those outside of the Harmonious Citadel- she simply wanted to be away from their influence.

The Saints sword to protect her, and to use their power for those of the Harmonious Citadel. Vari was part of the Harmonious Citadel, as far as they were concerned. She had it on good authority that she had not been allowed to leave. Any possessive instinct they possessed towards her and other members should reinforce that.

The Saints were powerful. They would provide for the people. Vari felt something new within her senses as her cultivation approached the brink. New, yet familiar. After it had been brought up, she had a vague sense of when devotion flowed from her, so it was like recognizing an old friend she had never seen.

Some of it was from her, and it continued to flow towards its intended recipients- just not the saints. Where the rest came from had a clear direction, a long trail that flowed towards and into Vari. She was going to retrieve all of her devotion from the saints and the elite disciples… and whatever else she could get, since they owed it to her.

Vari felt her presence swell, and quickly realized even the small fraction of power she was bringing to herself was far too much for her to handle. Even as she began to break through to the Integration stage, the change was insufficient. But if that was how things were going to be… she did not mind redirecting some of it. Directly focusing it on someone else, but letting it flow through her to be transformed seemed to work. Devotion was converted- a portion for herself, and a portion for her friends and saviors. For those who deserved actual respect, real devotion. And maybe just a bit for a certain individual who took over a planet and didn't deserve any of it except grudging respect for his power.

Conscious intent rapidly left Vari, and she turned only into a swirl of thoughts and feelings. The devotion that flowed through her carried traces of thoughts and memories- nothing concrete, nor would she remember any of it afterwards in any specifics. But a myriad of prayers for protection from the saints filled Vari… and she knew deep down that many of them had not been answered in any way. The devotion was taken, exchanged for nothing but neglect.

When the torrent of energy settled down inside Vari, she found there was still a small but continuous flow towards her. Perhaps it was so little that the saints would not immediately notice… or maybe they would come to kill her personally. She wasn't quite certain she could manage a proper resistance even with her advancement, but she relished the thought of such a conflict at a later point. She just hoped her companions weren't endangered by her before the time came.

Anton put away his communication plate. He was relieved to find that the sudden torrent of devotion was, if not entirely intentional, at least calculated. Apparently only a small part had ultimately made its way to him. He had not met this Vari, but she was certainly doing interesting things with her cultivation. Perhaps that was what was necessary to gain a foothold in the upper realms.

Timing didn't always work out quite how he wanted. Velvet was planning her own ascension, but he would not be around to witness it. Anton had sensed disappointment and acceptance- he wasn't just going to be wandering off for no reason.

Instead, he had been formally invited to visit Rutera. Whether the current number of years of contact made that fast or slow Anton couldn't be fully certain. He was not the only one- six individuals would be going, two from each continent for the moment. There were plans for more, but there were limitations on how many additional individuals could fit on a ship. Anton imagined it wasn't exactly cheap to send people between systems, either. Their end was not yet ready to make the attempt, but a Ruteran ship would retrieve them.

Along with Anton, Ayotunde would be representing Ambati and Elder Tola representing Estary to the north. This was of course incomplete, but such were the limitations. Representing Aicenith there was Elder Paula of the Marvelous Rabbit Mountain, as well as Elder Intan of the Million Sword Vault. Elder Vasu was more prominent, but intended to remain with the sect… indefinitely, perhaps. Finally, there was Elder Sudheer from the Silver Rhino Legion which rose to prominence in northern Aicenith after the fall of the Whispering Watchers. Anton wasn't terribly familiar with them, but they were among the reasonable sects. Though truthfully, Anton found that the majority of people upon Ceretos were trending in a direction where problems were solved with less violence. It certainly wasn't perfect, but there was continual progress.

The ship to carry the diplomats was differently arranged and slightly more luxurious than the science ship, but still mainly utilitarian. A dozen crew members were there to make sure it ran smoothly, as well as a few assigned to making the travel comfortable. However, at the level of the cultivators on board even if they had to stand in one place for several weeks they would not be too uncomfortable.

With less natural energy as they left the system they couldn't distract themselves with cultivation in the same way but interacting with the crew and each other still made time pass swiftly. Personally, Anton felt watching the distorted view of the stars was another interesting way to pass the time. There was a slight blue tinting in some of the stars as they had accelerated, but that was overwhelmed by the change that happened when they shifted into subspace. Anton hadn't received a full explanation, but the purpose was that distances were shorter within subspace, thus reducing the time required to travel. Though it was achieved through alternate means, Anton thought it felt slightly like what happened to people who ascended- though he couldn't confirm the details having only observed people ascending, while only feeling this particular phenomenon from the inside. Subspace distorted views of the stars, making some seem larger or smaller or changing colors. He wasn't sure what caused all of them, but it was quite interesting. The distortions changed even if the relative positions of stars seemed to remain basically static around them- with the exception of Ceretos' star and Rutera's star.

If Matija was around he would have asked more questions, but he didn't want to bug the obviously uncomfortable individuals on this ship too much. It was reasonable to be nervous around those of great power, but Anton tried to make them as comfortable as possible… which mostly involved leaving them alone.

When they dropped out of subspace, Rutera's star was still quite some distance away. Yet, it was also suddenly more tangible, at least to Anton. He did his very best to not draw from it in the slightest, though it left him feeling rather weak. The trip didn't appear to have been detrimental to his health, however. If he chose to draw upon Rutera's star, he imagined he would feel quite similar to home.

The small chance of him dying along the way had been calculated for. He was still more comfortable traveling in the ship than flinging himself through the void of space alone- and he'd never felt truly detached from the stars, though within subspace the connection to either felt dull.

At the moment they were outside the system, and soon enough Anton discovered why they came out where they did. They passed by several gorgeous planets on the way to Ruterea. Planets with people on them, verified not just by their guides but by Anton's own senses. They seemed to live in controlled environments, which was sensible. The Ruterans didn't seem to have any individuals who could function without normal bodily needs.

Then they came into sight of Rutera itself. From the specific arc they had traveled, Anton imagined they had intentionally come to the night side, revealing a glowing spiderweb of light. Bright cities, not unlike the arrangements of cultivator populations upon Ceretos but with more actual light instead of concentrated natural energy. Though Anton could tell that Rutera had its own reasonable quantities of natural energy to draw upon, simply being used in a different manner.

He noticed structures floating outside the atmosphere- some with people, some smaller and without anyone aboard. He learned these were orbital stations and satellites, and from what he could tell there had to be thousands of them around Rutera.

Their entrance to the atmosphere was a careful descent- fighting against gravity to keep themselves maintaining a reasonable speed. The ship protected those inside from the heat of reentry, both with the materials and control of energy directly, and experiencing it from inside was quite interesting

Following that, he was treated to the sight of tall buildings teeming with people as they made their way to their proper destination. Though the population of Ceretos had been climbing significantly in the last half century, it was possible there were more people in this city than any of their individual countries. Millions… perhaps tens of millions, though they also covered quite a wide expanse to achieve those numbers.

Chapter 458

The main thing that Anton could say about Rutera was that it was different. Trying to keep track of everything going on was impossible, but it was mostly people going around their daily business. People worked, visited businesses, ate, found leisure time, and everything else that humans were expected to do. The details were different than Ceretos, but all were easily recognizable.

It was different, but good. For the most part things were peaceful, though Anton had to restrain himself from interfering too much. His senses were quite expansive even when not directed to the extremes, which inevitably resulted in spying some crime. The Ruterans could obviously handle such things on their own, but a few nudges to make someone trip up didn't seem uncalled for. If he thought they would notice perhaps he wouldn't have done anything, but most of them didn't have personal energy senses.

Some areas he could not sense into- though they didn't seem made to specifically bar his inspection, they did seem to block him. Likely for the very same reason, but against their own techniques. No doubt he could worm his way inside if he pressed, but people were entitled to their own privacy, especially if they worked for it. Anton would pick up plenty of extraneous information anyway.

One shielded location was actually their destination- a grand tower that stood out from the others not by its size but by its separation. At ground level there were gardens, instead of simply more buildings packed together. These gardens were matched by additional plantlife on balconies. He thought he spotted some inside, but they ultimately descended atop the building, the majority of its roof wide and flat and clearly for this very purpose. Transportation was clearly much more dependent on vehicles for the Ruterans, instead of cultivators who generally relied on themselves- or occasionally powerful beasts, though the expense of finding one that would consistently remain ahead of a cultivator was difficult.

Once inside the building, even without trying the vast majority revealed itself to Anton's senses. He could tell there were lesser versions of the protective barrier on the outside throughout, but they were much less effective.

The others were clearly just as interested in what they were seeing as Anton. This was just like the Ruterans visiting the Order, though personally Anton thought himself better at hiding his reactions if he chose to. Though showing an appropriate level of interest was best, so that the Ruterans knew that their intentions to impress had worked.

A flurry of people were introduced to them- representatives of different regions of Rutera itself, standing for their cultural differences. It was good to know that unity hadn't completely subsumed individual expression- differences were required for the best learning to occur. Diplomat Nirmala was present, along with so many others Anton had to focus to keep track of them all. The most important was the President. The ruler of Rutera, though it seemed to be a temporary position. Aneirin Park was his name, and he appeared to be around middle aged. Determining his actual age was difficult without probing too deeply, especially given the way Ruterans aged being different from cultivators. Even those who didn't have any significant energy seemed to reap the benefits of technology on their lifespans.

"Welcome to Rutera" was the phrase of the day, said by their guides to the president to all of the others. Important people, certainly. Some who Anton imagined gained their powers from wealth, but a few obviously of military background. They stood out not only from their posture, but also the greater internal power they had. Using certain aspects of Ruteran technology trained natural energy, regardless of them being aware of it or not.

Serving staff of all sorts did their best to stay out of everyone's way, and Anton did his best to make sure he encountered them regardless. They were still human, and determining how such people were treated could tell him much about the Ruterans. He was overall satisfied. It was little different than Anton would have expected. Some didn't treat them well, thinking those performing menial labor lesser. Others were cognizant of them being people, and acted as such. In this place at least all of them were quite well paid, though it took some time to determine that. Not that he expected less from such an institution. The embassy tower was quite luxurious, and even the least pleasant people understood that servants in such places had to be paid accordingly.

With his ability to listen in on the slightest whispers, Anton could have delved into the depths of Ruteran politics… and while he noted the various interactions, he was more interested in what was happening outside of the embassy.

Anton turned to the individual who was assigned to be his personal assistant while present, Koby. "I'd like to see the outside."

"Of course," Koby nodded. "We have a few spare moments, we could tour the gardens…"

"I'm sure that would be lovely," Anton agreed. "Though I hoped to visit more of the city. Though I understand that it would be preferred for me to see everything in the best light."

"Other excursions are planned for the future," Koby admitted, "But it would be preferable to remain here for a few days while you adjust."

"I suppose so," Anton said. "And I might cause a commotion roaming the streets."

"Most likely," Koby nodded. "Though perhaps not for the reasons you imagine."

"Hmm," Anton thought briefly. "Obviously my clothes are quite different than what is here, but there is enough variety throughout the city that without weapons I might blend in," then Anton grinned, "Though they do an excellent job of making people uncomfortable."

"Most people have minimal interaction with weapons."

"Perhaps that's for the best, though when it become necessary, lacking experience in such things can be quite problematic."

Several days passed. There were only so many ways Anton could talk about his past without mentioning just how many battles he had been in, though some of the others were more open about those aspects. Perhaps they liked to see people squirm.

For those like Ayotunde, who wore his scars proudly on his bare and strongly muscled arms, it didn't take visible weapons for anyone to know he was a warrior. Elder Sudheer of the Silver Rhino Legion walked around in obvious armor as well, compared to Anton's thinner and more mobile options.

Anton paid close attention to the security around them. From what he could tell, it was increased significantly, some positions seeming bloated with guards. They always reacted to the presence of any of the cultivators, though Anton felt it was more appropriate caution based on what they had heard than an aggressive inspection. They should be around to protect them, though honestly Anton couldn't see the individuals hired doing much against any Life Transformation cultivator. Nor any of the more military personnel, some of whom had sidearms that were not quite as concealed as perhaps they imagined.

It was not something Anton would call anyone out on, unless he thought them to have ill intent. Having weapons on hand was merely practical, and while relying on the defenses of those you were a guest to was polite, it wasn't always safe.

One of those armed individuals was General Nicodemo, a youth by any reasonable standards. To have a position such as his at somewhere around forty years old seemed to be an exception, and he was the youngest of those in similar ranks Anton had seen.

Anton found himself seated with Nicodemo at one of the meals. There was some polite conversation, but eventually they moved onto more interesting topics. "I hear the six of you are great warriors. Yet I am curious at how strong you can actually be, with outdated weaponry."

Interested listeners all around tried not to look like they were focused on the conversation. "Outdated in what way? I find that our weapons are perfectly suitable for our needs."

"Perhaps that is so," Nicodemo said as he carefully took a bite. "But blades are only of use in a melee. I understand you are an archer, so you must understand that. Yet the range of a bow is minimal compared to a proper rifle."

"Yet there's a reason for every choice," Anton replied. "Even you carry a blade."

Nicodemo stiffened, "What?"

"Did you forget? Ten centimeters, strapped to your left thigh on the inside. Reinforced with some rather interesting alloys." Anton smiled, "Don't worry, nobody heard that part." Anton released his hold on the sound around them, "Though our weapons may seem outdated, they are quite effective for our use of natural energy. Your weapons condense the energy for you, but with our individual level of control your firearms would most likely limit us."

"I am not so sure of that," Nicodemo said, externally appearing calmer than his heartbeat said. "Perhaps we will have a chance for a demonstration."

"I am certain we can find the time," Anton said. "It is a long journey, and we aren't planning to leave immediately." Anton was well aware that Nicodemo wanted to show off, and prove some sort of superiority. In truth, Anton was tempted to do the same. Being able to observe some of their better weaponry could be valuable, though of course he wished to keep things friendly. That was why Anton didn't mention he could kill anyone in the room before a single guard could even think to react.

If there were not a specific goal in mind for those in the upper realms, they wouldn't have chosen to return to Everheart's Tomb. At first it had been a convenient location to meet up, but upon discovering that the formation plate had some connection to it solving that mystery seemed to be important. There were simply too many dangers- both from the tomb and enemies, since that centrality of its location attracted all types. They had managed to survive so far, but there had been uncertain times for some of them.

Now they would be returning with Prospero Vandale, formerly calling himself Rouben. Having grown up on Everheart's Tomb in his reincarnated life, he was still not fond of the idea of going back for no reason. "I hope that this excursion will pay off," he said. "Revealing some great power and controlling it could help establish our position, but there are still few of us." He shrugged, "Of which I am the weakest, at the moment, I admit." Spikes was the only one not in the equivalent of Integration, though she had the potential to advance soon. Meanwhile, Prospero was still taking his first steps in Life Transformation. He was a bit more capable than just his cultivation level indicated, but he was a full stage behind. Yet an additional ally was a boon, especially one more deeply familiar with Everheart's Tomb.

"You spoke of anomalies in the labyrinth," Catarina said. "Of what sort?"

"In some areas, traps don't function as it seems they should- whether making them more or less powerful than intended, it seems random."

"Anything like odd gravity?"

"Not that I have heard of," Prospero admitted. "That might have been some sort of specific action taken by Everheart. Which means we should do our best to avoid his notice upon entering now. Better for him to not have us on his mind."

"I thought the same," Hoyt agreed. "We can handle any incidental dangers or standard traps, but intentional moves by the fellow controlling a planet… seem dangerous. And he could learn too much." They were never truly comfortable having such conversations, but they had not even landed yet. Which meant they were close to the last moments they could be certain their plans were secret- though they couldn't exactly avoid conversing on the planet sometimes.

They could only hope that the various pieces of Everheart operated independently, which was the case as far as they were aware. The projections on Ceretos were only aware of each other because of knowing plans or learning about things like everyone else. There might be some communication, but the projections couldn't share every tiny detail… or watch literally everywhere at once.

Chapter 459

There were many things involving the technology of Rutera that Anton didn't understand. For example, there was a very common practice of those uninvolved in the diplomatic interactions to hold something up towards what was happening. It wasn't a scanner as far as Anton could tell. It only used a small amount of energy for whatever it was doing. Fortunately, Anton had Koby to help him, and the ability to conceal his own ignorance. "What is that?" he asked, "Those people over there, holding up those devices?"

"Who? Ah, I see. The photographers. They're taking pictures for the news. Does it bother you?"

"I was simply curious," Anton said. "These pictures… how can they produce drawings so rapidly?"

"Perhaps it would be easier to show you the result," Koby said. "It captures incoming light and allows it to be displayed later."

"Interesting," Anton said. "I believe there were occasional attempts at similar things, but they were generally larger and more unwieldy."

"Earlier versions were certainly less portable," Koby explained. "But now they can do quite a bit with a small amount."

"Thank you," Anton said. "I was wondering about that."

"You are welcome," Koby said. "Can I ask something?" he was getting used to Anton's friendliness, and was actually willing to interact outside of required work. "How do you do… this?" He gestured around them. "Cutting off the sound around us. Does it make people unable to hear us?"

"That's right," Anton said. "And the method is rather direct. I simply halt the sound from moving beyond a boundary with my control of natural energy. And I conceal the images of us slightly so that our lips cannot be read, and our body language becomes less distinct. Otherwise it hardly helps."

"Fascinating," Koby said.

Leaving the diplomatic compound was a rare event, though Anton didn't exactly feel trapped. He could see why they would be reluctant to have anyone go out, with how many people were watching every move. The people in the surrounding city were very cognizant of the presence of foreign individuals, and there were quite a large number of individuals involved in the news present. Apparently, they were displaying it to other parts of the world nearly instantaneously.

Communication at a far distance was not a new concept, but transmitting more than simple text in a continuous manner was not something Ceretos could accomplish. They had a very different path, though they were beginning to learn some of Rutera's technology and adapt it to their own uses.

The land vehicles that carried them away from the compound were highly protected, windows tinted to prevent people from seeing in and also fortified with hidden barriers. They seemed intended for privacy and safety, though in truth they were unnecessary for either. The gesture was appreciated, however.

Today was one of the excursions Anton had been looking forward to. Since it was decided it would be too much fuss for him to walk around the city unaccompanied- and too much of a scene to have him wandering around at his whim- the next best thing was something practical. Specifically, a military demonstration. Anton had seen Matija's personal weapon in action, and it made efficient use of her energy- but he was curious about the various different things the locals had.

General Nicodemo was obviously looking forward to the demonstration, no doubt to show the visitors how weak their outdated weaponry was. And if it truly was better, Anton was certain that people would be interested in changing their fighting styles. Though personally Anton would have to see something remarkable to make him change away from archery. Perhaps if their technology could make a better bow it would be one thing, but centuries of experience would be hard to replace with only a minor improvement in power.

The results were… interesting. Anton could say that the weapons demonstrated were better than what Grant and those in the same field as him had developed so far. In general, the weapons were more compact. Personal weapons seemed to be either using an individuals internal energy like he had already seen, or like small versions of cannons. Both were guns, but the projectile weapons stored their own power in the ammunition, using both an explosion of some sort of powder and the local versions of formations to propel things with energy. The actual projectiles were rarer for personal weapons, but both forms served the purpose of bringing up the average combat ability of individuals. Then there were larger weapons, which in effect were the same as cannons. Capable of creating large explosions that would damage a wide area.

Anton was fairly certain they had more weapons in reserve, though some of the larger ones could match an Essence Collection or Life Transformation cultivator in power, if not flexibility. Yet weapons weren't the only thing demonstrated. The more interesting properties were the defensive shields they had, less versatile than a cultivator defending themself with energy but also more automatic. These could be powered by the individual wearing them or an attached device. They could be standalone or part of a full-body combat suit, a body hugging outfit that served as armor as well as a form of amplification.

In their combat outfits, Anton saw the movements of soldiers amplified, and it seemed their reactions as well. There were only short demonstrations between personnel- with lower powered weapons for safety- but while the individuals weren't trained like normal cultivators, Anton could see them move more quickly and smoothly, aiming their weapons and avoiding enemy fire. There was much focus on ranged combat, and thus cover became an important factor. The larger weapons could destroy it, of course, but there were high energy costs involved.

"Well?" General Nicodemo asked, puffing out his chest proudly.

The others no doubt had their own opinions, but Anton proffered his first. "I must admit, I am impressed. Efficient use of energy, and a fighting style that greatly suits your developments." Anton paused to gently word the next part. "It would be even more impressive with the addition of personal energy control. If they could adapt to the situation, the effects would be magnificent."

"The soldiers are quite able to adapt to new situations…" General Nicodemo said. It was clear he wanted to be more forceful with his response, but he was politically savvy enough to restrain himself. "Do you have… specific comments?"

"Your weapons fire in straight lines. Functional, reliable, but predictable. A small bit of control could allow the beams of energy to curve around cover."

"We have methods for that," General Nicodemo said defensively. "Specialized weaponry that can be calibrated to any situation."

"I am certain it is excellent," Anton said. "But if it could be fast as thought, it would be even more impressive." Anton's words were all genuine, and he made sure to add as much positivity as possible, but he knew that any negativity seemed to drown out greater amounts of good.

"Not enough swords," was Elder Intan's only comment. The answer merely served to baffle General Nicodemo, because despite his disdain for 'outdated weaponry' the comment was not even related to what was shown.

Ayodunde kept his opinions between himself and Anton. "They're decent," he said, "But I could be upon them in an instant while they were unprepared, cutting them down."

"Perhaps so," Anton agreed. "But I think they would have more soldiers to replace them. It is not the preferred method of cultivators like us, but allowing a larger portion of your population to be militarily capable is effective."

"Greater numbers are cultivating every day, though," Ayotunde pointed out.

"I also prefer our own methods," Anton said, "But that may be because they are familiar. And I can see the possibilities of merging parts of them. If nothing else, their transportation methods are impressive."

"No teleportation though."

"We haven't seen any teleportation," Anton said. "That doesn't mean there isn't any." He hadn't asked about it, because that would lead towards questions about Ceretos. That was one secret they probably still had.

Anton didn't mind curious individuals taking pictures, but when they were being taken from outside of the compound he was less comfortable with them. Not those walking up to the gates and looking in, but those off in the distance looking down upon the gardens. Apparently pictures could be taken with such high fidelity to allow for them to function from a long distance. Anton had asked, just in case the individuals in question were spies.

"Someone taking pictures from a nearby building?" Koby asked. "I don't see any but… it is on the edge of what is allowable. With private individuals it would be forbidden, but taking pictures of a government facility such as this from a location the individual is allowed to be is tolerated. Though we could have them stop, if you point them out."

"I don't mind if they wish to look at my wrinkles," Anton shrugged. "Though I suddenly want to play a prank on them. I could wait for them to take a picture… and then show up behind them."

"Hah!" Koby grinned. "Now that would be something. Running like that would be hard on the knees, though. How do you see them anyway?"

"I have good eyes," Anton said. "And I could do it. Though I'll probably keep things toned down. Watch," Anton said.

Koby watched Anton as he asked, unsure what he was supposed to see. The old man suddenly turned to look in a specific direction. Then, an instant later, he was gone. No, he was a few dozen feet away, behind a hedge- at least from the viewpoint of where he had been looking a moment earlier. Anton waved to Koby, who scurried over. "What was that? I didn't even see you move."

"I just scrambled over," Anton said. "In a very short time."

"How does that even-"

Anton's face suddenly turned serious, and he held out a hand to stop Koby. "I need you to get me in contact with General Nicodemus. Immediately."

"What is it?" Koby looked around- though he dutifully pulled out his communication device. Before he could speak into it, Anton stopped him once more.

"Sorry, hold that thought. I'll go myself."

Then he was gone- though not far. Anton simply appeared in front of President Park, who was coming in through one of the gates. "President Park. Are you expecting visitation from other non-Ruteran individuals?"

The president took a step back as Anton appeared, his guards taking half a step forward. "How'd you get…?" he quickly composed himself, seeing Anton's serious manner. "We haven't been in contact with anyone else."

"You had best make sure everyone is prepared then," Anton said. "You would want to make-"

A harsh tone rang out, indicating that the president was being contacted. "One moment," he said, pulling out the communication device he carried. "This appears to be an emergency." He turned away and lowered his voice as he spoke into his device. "Yes? Who is it?" Anton could hear both sides of the conversation, though it was about what he expected. "Unknown signals? Very well, I'm on it." He turned towards Anton. "How did you know?"

"I sensed it," Anton said. "A powerful energy signature. Not like any of yours or ours."

"Really?" he looked taken aback at the information. "Is that even possible?"

"It is." Anton frowned as he looked up into the sky. "It seems you will not be preparing in the same way as you might have expected. Hostile action has been taken by the newcomer."

"Are you sure?" President Park asked- but he was answered immediately by another call. The compound quickly broke into action, as information poured in from various directions.

"Mister President," one of his guards said, after a message on a slightly different communication device- ones Anton knew were always listening for specific sorts of communication. "We need to get you inside the building. This is the safest nearby location. The guests as well."

"One moment," Anton said, "I'll round up everyone who is outside."

"That won't be-" before they could even begin to explain, Anton had dragged Koby and several others over to the door. Anton smiled at the most experienced guard who had almost managed to track him with his eyes.

"You should get inside," Anton said. "It doesn't seem they are going to stop shooting things up there." As a guest, it was only proper to contribute to the defense of their hosts. Or at least, Anton didn't want to wait around while anyone died. Fire was being exchanged in both directions, so even if their side suddenly became more effective it wasn't as if he would be sparking something that wasn't already on the way.

Chapter 460

The vessel Anton could sense in space was much more akin to Anton's expected idea of vessels. It was a ship much like he was used to, and while there were certainly metal reinforcements it still took the form of a traditional sailing vessel with one exception. There was no upper deck to speak of, the vessel being rotationally symmetric around a round core, with eight sets of sails. It still maintained a clear bow and stern, with most weapons aimed along the former.

From what Anton could tell with his minimal ability to probe inside the vessel, the crew was sheltering inside while they controlled the weapons, some akin to ballistae while others functioned much like the local Ruteran weapons, pure beams of energy. The method they used to achieve that was much more familiar to Anton.

As soon as it had revealed itself, Anton took in as much information as possible. There was a significant energy signature making up the vessel, though comparing it to familiar cultivation levels was difficult. Then it had engaged in combat- shooting down orbital stations and satellites in an extremely aggressive maneuver. If there had truly been no prior contact with Rutera then it was an insane first move.

Several smaller structures were quickly destroyed, though some of the defensive satellites retaliated with their own beams. They were effective at first, striking against the defensive barriers around the incoming ship and depleting some of their energy. Anton didn't expect them to break through quickly, but he was even more surprised when the weapons suddenly stopped being effective. Instead of digging into the barriers they began to splatter off of them, though Anton felt no change in the weapons' intensity. The power of the barriers hadn't increased either, though there was something that changed with them.

As Anton snapped up everyone outside in the gardens, bringing them to the shelter of the main embassy tower which Anton knew was well fortified, the other cultivators began to make their way out. First were Ayotunde and Intan, who eyed each other. Ayotunde wielded a large straight sword, yet Anton knew he could use it with great finesse. Meanwhile Intan of the Million Sword Vault carried two smaller curved blades. The exchange of glances only lasted an instant before they were focused back on the enemy above.

Following behind them were Tola from the Infinite Wisdom Forest as well as Paula from Marvelous Rabbit Mountain. The former threw out formation flags, setting up a small barrier. Paula immediately began to run up the outside of the tower, though the distance was not much different between the ground and top of the tower compared to the ship on the edge of space.

Sudheer of the Silver Rhino Legion was last, brushing past various people trying to stop him, including President Park. "We can't protect you if you don't take shelter!"

"We appreciate the concern," Sudheer responded, "And if we determine it will be beneficial, we will take shelter within the embassy. But where we are from, we expect to fight." He looked up into the sky, "They will have to come slightly closer for most of us to have an effect though." At most tiny sparks of light could be seen in the sky against the midday sun, and only to the trained eye.

"We have ships scrambling to intercept," President Park explained. "They will be present momentarily." Another message came in for him, and he cursed. Nobody was supposed to hear him mumbling about other incoming ships, but they all did.

Anton had already delayed long enough, occupying himself with getting others to shelter and confirming the response of the Ruterans. He reached into his storage bag as he formed energy bows around him, firing up into the sky. The enemy ship would have been outside of his normal comfortable sensing range, but much of it didn't even have atmosphere to interfere- a couple hundred extra kilometers through space was actually quite a bit easier. His arrows made probing attacks, striking the main body of the ship as well as the masts, sails, and weapon emplacements. As far as he could tell the barrier protected all equally, which meant he simply had to force his way through single points.

He ramped up the intensity of his energy, forming another half dozen energy bows. His attacks focused on two points, arrows striking simultaneously. That was when he realized he'd made a mistake. Somehow, between the first and second volley, the enemy's barrier had adapted. Anton expected his clusters to pierce through the barrier to the inner layers of the ship, but he only managed to break through in the cluster with his primary bow, his shot digging into the reinforcing metal plates but going no deeper. Most of his arrows had impacted uselessly on the barrier, causing little more than minor tremors. The speed and effect of that adaptation was disturbingly fast.

Having avoided drawing upon the Ruteran sun until this point, it was only now that Anton determined his connection was incomplete. He had the potential to form the same powerful connection with his own sun, and he was quite certain he could do so without the tremendous consequences of his first attempt, but he only had a smaller channel at the moment. Even as he drew upon it he could feel it widening, but it wasn't enough. Even so, he continued his bombardment… while reaching further for energy he could never have, drawing upon ascension energy.

No matter how many regular spirit arrows he shot, the enemy barely seemed to notice them- he would certainly deplete himself faster than they could now. But his arrow that carried ascension energy drove forward, aiming for one of the weapons. Upon impacting the barrier it slowed for a moment, the forces fighting against each other, then a small section of the barrier shattered. Anton's arrow went through the barrier, the ballista behind it and the armored hull, one of the individuals controlling it, and halfway through an inner wall before it petered out. His follow up shot made it through the barrier but only scraped against the next weapon emplacement, damaging but not completely ruining the weapon. It lodged in the hull but didn't penetrate the full way through. And his third shot, as quickly as he could reach peak power, barely managed to puncture a hole in the barrier. Each hole in the barrier quickly reformed.

That was when the ship retaliated. There was a clear target for it, because while Anton's arrows hadn't all taken a straight trajectory his location was fairly obvious. A larger forward weapon that Anton hadn't targeted because of the heavier plates shielding it gathered energy… and then a beam tore through the atmosphere above him.

Before Anton could respond, Ayotunde leapt into the air. "Let us deal with this. You focus on offense." The beam arrived in an instant, the moment of charging being the main indication of its arrival. Ayotunde's blade slashed towards it, slicing the beam in two and deflecting it to either side. The attack was continuous, but his blade swept up and down, extending far beyond its actual length.

The split beams fell on either side of Ayotunde and thus Anton beneath him, but Intan leapt up to intercept them regardless. They would only impact the ground around them, but his blade spun, chopping the energy into smaller pieces that scattered against Tola's barrier- or the defenses on the tower itself.

Other smaller attacks were fired towards the tower itself, the strongest of which Paula intercepted, leaping into the sky and kicking the projectiles from ballistae into the paths of others or to cut off beams. What got past her was sustained by the barriers on the tower itself.

Anton frowned. The Ruteran weapons didn't work. His natural energy didn't work. Ascension energy was barely enough to drain any of the ship's power, and not enough to cause damage. If his connection to the local sun had been complete perhaps he might have been able to overwhelm this vessel's defenses, but the speed at which it adapted was concerning. He had been peppering it from different angles just in case, but it seemed the barrier worked in all directions just as well.

He did have one sort of energy that was just perfect for this sort of thing. Anton thought about death and what lay beyond. Reincarnation for some- perhaps for all, given time. Yet something would be lost. Spectral energy formed into an arrow and simply refused to interact with the barrier or armor of the vessel. In the brief moments his first ascension arrow reached inside Anton had sensed some of the layout of the vessel, and did his best to target a few individuals he thought might be more important. The last of them would probably survive, but if the others did they would have to replace their hearts. Either way, they would be more focused on that for the moment.

Attacks continued to rain down on Anton and the tower, but he didn't concern himself with that. That was what his companions were for, though he could see Paula was eager to attempt to jump the remaining distance if the ship came even close to the edge of the atmosphere. Even if she couldn't do it in a single leap, there was some level where it was expected she could perform an action similar to flying for a short time.

Then the Ruteran fleet arrived- or perhaps a small portion of it, given the mention of other attackers. Either way, Anton felt them approaching, curving around outside the atmosphere. Their beam weapons struck against the enemy barriers and… actually penetrated through? That was odd, because Anton was almost certain that they were the same type of weapons, and that some of the orbital platforms had more powerful weapons.

Yet a moment later, the enemy vessel was clearly turning. Whether to get a better angle or retreat, Anton didn't care. He continued to fire, rains of his arrows laying into the ship to no visible effect while he alternated between ascension energy and the spectral energy he was not as familiar with as he would like to be. The latter ran into the same issue as the others, where the first shot was most effective. After that, somehow the barriers blocked it. The power it had was marginal if it could actually be intercepted, but Anton continued to use it nonetheless.

As the Ruteran ships made their attacks, Anton saw they were slowly reducing in effectiveness… but his own shots from his energy bows were beginning to actually penetrate the barrier. It seemed there was some limit to what the enemy could adapt to at once.

Unlike a proper sailing vessel, the approaching ship was quite maneuverable, flipping around and accelerating away quickly. Within a minute it was outpacing the smaller vessels chasing it and then… it disappeared. The opposite of when it first arrived, though a bit shakier in Anton's opinion.

Yet Anton didn't feel pleased. The reaction was too quick, as if the enemy had planned to do the same all along. When word came in from the other attack locations of similar results- though usually with less damage- it was confirmed.

Back inside the embassy tower, Aneirin Park was addressing the cultivators. "It is not our intention to draw you into a conflict… though we do appreciate your contributions. We have little information that you don't, except for one detail. Based on the enemy's trajectories, they should have come from and returned to Azoth, another promising system nearby. Our science vessel sent there was lost in what we had previously presumed to be an accident. Now…" he shook his head. "We can assume they shot it down. Just to make sure we're clear- General. Your presentation."

General Nicodemo stood with his back straight. Displayed behind him were remarkably clear images from the battle. "This is one of the enemy vessels. They varied in size, but their general design was similar. Initial bombardments had some slight effect, but the same weaponry became rapidly less effective, until it seemed to do nothing. You experienced the same did you not, Sect Head Anton?"

"That's right. My Spirit Arrows formed purely of natural energy were rapidly adapted to. Ascension energy and another sort I have learned to utilize were likewise quickly adapted to. I did not have time to test other elemental options."

"Your efforts resulted in the most important information we acquired. Other locations saw them adapt to more than a handful of different weapon designs with nearly perfect resistance, but here they didn't quite manage four, including our most common beam designs. Given that the one above this location was one of the more powerful ships, it is clear that some things are more difficult for them to adapt to. Does anyone have further insights to add?"

Anton did not- except for minor details. Those on the defensive added some of their own thoughts- the enemy's beams were powerful but not flexible, at least at a long range. They truly had little information about the vessels from Azoth, though small pieces of debris were currently being salvaged that would hopefully yield something usable.

After the official meeting was over- one of the most uncomfortably short ones possible- General Nicodemo waved Anton over as everyone else left the room. "Do you need something?"

"I want to apologize for my earlier words," General Nicodemo said. "Your weapons are clearly more effective than I anticipated. Please forgive me. In addition, though I know I am not in a position to be making any requests…" he dropped to his knees. "Please take me as a disciple. I don't have the talent to learn your method of cultivation on my own, but perhaps with the guidance of a master such as yourself…"

"You are forgiven," Anton said. "And of course I will teach you. Though our limited time here means much of my instruction will have to be remote, or on later visits. But I can at least give you sufficient guidance to last the next decade or so."

Nicodemo raised his head. "Really? If there's anything I can do to make up for the insult, I will gladly do so. Even if it's humiliation you desire."

"Well…" Anton grinned, "I suppose I could think of one thing." Anton grabbed something from his storage bag and tossed it in front of him. "You have to learn to use a bow!"

Chapter 461

The news on Rutera about the attacks framed it as a victory on the part of Rutera, and while Anton agreed in a certain manner… it also wasn't quite correct. The attackers from Azoth- if that designation was correct- had sustained minimal losses. No ships destroyed, though Anton had killed some individuals aboard one of the ships and perhaps a commander of some sort. It was a victory- but he had the feeling that the other side was satisfied with their results as well. It must have been a probing attack of some sort. They were prepared with targets, and while nothing major had been destroyed, it was clear that Rutera's defenses were not entirely sufficient.

Anton was impressed how quickly they scrambled their actual ships, though. They reached nearly arbitrary points around the planet within minutes, and multiple locations at once. Rutera wasn't weak, but they weren't prepared for something like this to happen.

The attack came with unfortunate casualties, but there was the possibility that Rutera could learn more from this than the attackers. The biggest issue was the adaptable barriers. Just seeing how they worked certainly would make combating them easier- defense stations were already being retrofitted with wider varieties of weapons- but the attacks from Azoth should know that was a possibility. Which meant they had either shown their hand and would be less of an issue, or there was more to it.

Soldiers on Rutera seemed to be fond of push-ups and other similar exercises. Training with weights and the like was also quite common. Anton deemed all of it to be… fine. It strengthened the body to some extent, and it provided a decent basis to work from. It was certainly better than attempting to begin Body Tempering without a strong physique.

The best part about push-ups in Anton's opinion was that they were a communal activity. Right now he had a whole field of soldiers in front of him straining their bodies, building up fatigue and sweat. Among them was Nicodemo. Though he was a general, he trained with the others. Having seen some of the other higher ranking military officers, Anton had been unimpressed by their training. Nicodemo had at least kept himself in shape fit for combat duty, though it seemed that Rutera hadn't been involved in any real conflicts for some time. Now they were recruiting. It seemed an awful lot of effort to have to train thousands of individuals from a sedentary state to fighting fit in only a short time, but Rutera was not a planet of cultivators.

There were other issues as well. Anton had hardly paid attention to it before the battle, but Rutera's natural energy levels were unimpressive. Lower than the general level of Ceretos when Anton had begun cultivating, even. Anton didn't have other lower realm worlds to compare to, but it would make cultivation harder. Perhaps that was why they had developed differently.

The energy swirling inside Anton was slowly building towards more comfortable levels, the heat of a star filling Anton's belly. He was not going to be apologetic for connecting himself to this star, because he might have reason to fight here once more. And in the grand scheme of things, he only caused unexpected fluctuations and not a fundamental change in the star.

At the moment, the majority of the energy he was drawing was being released back into the world for others to use. It wasn't a perfect system, but it provided sufficient energy for those around him to train more efficiently. Anton wished he'd brought a series of tomes on growing natural energy through everyday activities- both internal to a cultivator and for a world as a whole- but he hadn't expected to need them. They would have needed translating, of course, but that was a minor issue. Now he had to split his time between diplomacy and teaching. Though in truth, he would happily give up the former and spend all of his time on the latter. It would just be easier with proper materials and not just his memory. His memory was good, keeping key details, but minor things could slip through the cracks. And he could only answer so many questions at once.

"Enough," Anton declared to the group of soldiers. "Time for a break." Though he called it that, it was actually still work. There was a time for active fortification of muscles, and a time to let them rest while the body as a whole was slowly tempered. For those who weren't even in the first star, grasping the basics of meditation was an important practice.

After meditation was sparring. The Ruteran soldiers were reluctant to fight with seriousness and lethality, but they were getting used to it. Besides, they were learning how to not kill each other. To measure the right amount of energy to use offensively and defensively. Anton stopped a dagger that was about to go two centimeters into someone's shoulder. "Harrison. Careful with your levels."

"Yes, sir!"

Given they barely had any experience, Anton couldn't blame them for their inexperience. He was considering allowing them to make minor mistakes soon, just a little bit of damaged skin or the like. He wouldn't always be around to manage them.

Nicodemo's sparring partner was nervous- both because Nicodemo was higher ranking, and because he was good. That made Nicodemo's victory easier than it should have been, so when he swapped partners Anton pulled him aside for a moment. "Everyone's still learning, but it's clear you're still better than most of those here. I want you to limit your energy usage to half."

"Of course. But… I don't think I will be able to provide a proper defense and still pierce through theirs if that's the case."

"You can," Anton said. "You just have to know where to look. Openings aren't just in stances and movements, but the flow of energy. And you could probably get by without defenses… but I wouldn't get used to that." Anton swiveled. "Harrison! You're extending the point too much! It won't hold up!"

"Yes, sir!" Harrison always responded that way… and half of the time fixed the issue. But at least he was trying things. Everyone was still unfamiliar with cultivation, and some said it was pointless when their equipment was far superior, and there was no point learning something like this. Others had actually seen the videos. Anton was quite impressed with the information gathering techniques of this world.

After everything else settled down, Nicodemo was still ready to go. Anton was impressed, not because the man's stamina was anything special but because he also had to deal with real general stuff. Far too many tactical meetings and the like. Anton thought half of them were pointless, and another half of those that weren't entirely pointless were suboptimal. But then again, people were still coping with new fears.

Nicodemo went with Anton to a firing range. Anton himself couldn't make practical use of them, since completely annihilating the targets was bad form and he really needed the ones meant for snipers to even begin to matter, but he found time to practice away from everything else on his own. Nicodemo still used his guns, but at the moment he was practicing with the bow.

He had just managed to develop enough to actually draw the one Anton gave him. It was for beginners, but even though Nicodemo was fit it hadn't been the right muscles to fire a bow. Anton had to admit, the man's archery skills were… subpar. But he put in the effort, which was what Anton wanted.

"I'm still not used to it having drop," Nicodemo said.

"It's important to remember that everything is affected by gravity," Anton replied.

"Sure, but… your arrows aren't even made of physical stuff, right? Shooting them off into space, does it even matter?"

"Absolutely," Anton said. "If I had ignored the effects of gravity, my shots would have missed even the generously proportioned ship by a good margin. It was hundreds of kilometers away, after all."

"... I wish I could have seen the impact with my own eyes. The recordings from the ships don't do it justice." Nicodemo hadn't seen the far end, but he had been pressed up against a window watching Anton and the others.

"Maybe someday," Anton said. "I'll be needing to return home at some point. Your progress is reasonable, but a year or two won't get you any further than early Spirit Building, at best."

"It's a bit discouraging," Nicodemo said. "But… I can feel the flow of energy when I use any of our normal technology. I can't control it yet, but if you say it will help…"

"It will," Anton said. "I can guarantee it. I know someone who's further along."

"Matija, right?" Nicodemo declared. "I read about her in the report. The first to begin cultivating in earnest."

"Speaking of which," Anton said, "I still need to meet up with her. She mentioned trouble with advancing to Spirit Building." Anton looked at Nicodemo, "And yes, that means she's stronger than you. More than enough to make up for the fact you actually know how to fight. Though maybe not enough different if you use one of those suits."

"I understand," Nicodemo nodded. "I know I'm not good at cultivating anyway. As I said, I could barely manage it on my own."

"Not everyone does their best learning from books," Anton said. "I think you'll do fine."

Entering the Labyrinth was not terribly difficult. It was finding something in particular within it that would be complicated. But at least this time they were probably not paid attention to more than any other. Discussing their plans any further would be risky, but ultimately it was simple. Prospero would do his best to point out the dangers he was aware of, and to guide them to several points of interest which might or might not be what they were looking for. Hopefully, Catarina would be able to determine that upon arrival.

"... sub-runes are everywhere," Catarina said as she looked at the walls around them. "That's true throughout most of the Tomb, but it's more prominent here. Odd."

"Why?" Timothy asked.

"Because Everheart made all of it," Catarina said. "Why would it be different here?"

"There are still projections, right? They manage this place. They might have developed this place in a different direction."

"... the various projections do seem to be divergent in their own ways," Catarina agreed. "Perhaps that is the case." Discussing sub-runes in this place was not an issue. This was where she had learned about them- in an official capacity, even. The name wasn't quite right, but 'usually hidden smaller components of runes' didn't exactly roll off the tongue. Sub-runes was good enough. She was beginning to see through some of the complexities of the Labyrinth, but Catarina couldn't honestly say she understood the whole of what was being done. And things always changed, sometimes by walls physically moving and sometimes different spaces connected together. The most impressive part was not being able to pick out any seams where this happened.

. There were traps in the labyrinth of course, but they were all passable. It was impossible for even Everheart to keep up a huge array of traps over a wide area that could stop Integration cultivators- and a Life Transformation cultivator tagging along. Or if not impossible, prohibitively expensive in materials, energy, or both.

But with a bit of cleverness he could kill those who were unprepared. A scything blade that appeared to have no energy backing it up seemed completely ignorable, but Timothy focused on it over everything else, blocking it with his shield while doing his best to avoid the other incoming blades. He found himself justified when he only received small slashes from the other weapons… and a small scratch on his shield from the unadorned blade.

A scratch that completely ignored the energy he had used to block. Whether the blade was made out of void ant chitin or something else, it clearly had similar effects for negating energy. It was sharp enough and carried enough momentum to puncture most armor, and it wouldn't feel like much. It could have taken someone's head clean off if they were careless.

If it was only traps, perhaps they could take their time. Except those locations where every square centimeter of floor was deadly, spotting the signs of a trap ahead of time allowed it to be navigated around safely. The wandering beasts and other cultivators were an incentive to keep moving at a steady pace. Most beasts were not a challenge on their own, but they all contributed to a main feature of the Labyrinth, gradually wearing people down. One trap might do little but bounce off of someone's defensive energy, but even that would cost them something.

Over the course of a week they made their way deeper into the Labyrinth. It was intentionally disorienting, but there were always signs somewhere to go off of.

"Left here, I think," Catarina said. "I feel something…"

"Let's hope we're close," Prospero said. "I'd like to avoid running into more trouble."

Chapter 462

By Anton's best judgment, Matija was the premier cultivator on Rutera, with the training of a proper Spirit Building cultivator and the actual energy of someone more akin to Essence Collection. Most Ruterans developed their energy subconsciously through the use of their devices, many drawing upon their own energy in some part. They were aware of this, they just hadn't had the basis for consciously training natural energy. And because nobody knew where to start or had the combined inspiration, drive, and talent to succeed on their own it remained that way for a significant time.

There was also the matter of the lower levels of natural energy. In truth, the Ruterans had worked well with what they had, developing an effective system that overcame their natural limitations instead of being confined by it. It made Anton wonder what other lower realms had no cultivators to speak of, and no contact with the wider world. Perhaps most of them, at least in terms of contact. Even Ceretos had only rarely produced ascension cultivators for the majority of its history- with the probable exception of the Exalted Archipelago, intentionally kept separate.

Just like the other Ruterans, Anton was leading Matija through a modified version of the Hundred Stars. Not because he wanted to keep the main technique secret from them, but because they already had some level of natural energy and needed to focus on control more than growth, except in terms of their bodies. They weren't weak, exercise and health allowing them to go beyond the normal bodily limits of non-cultivators, but they hadn't undergone proper body tempering. The body was the basis of cultivation, and even Anton needed his body to hold together while he used energy. His meridians, at least, were continually tempered to support his cultivation. The rest he still trained, though not to the level of people like Ayotunde practicing the Western Steel Body, or Nthanda.

"I'm glad I finished Body Tempering," Matija commented. "I'm not built for that sort of then. Contemplative techniques like Spirit Building really suit me."

"Then you're going to love the latter half," Anton said. "You get to connect your body and spirit together."

"... what?" Matija asked.

Anton shrugged, "Sorry. It's impossible to get away from the body completely. That's why all cultivators eventually grow old and die."

"Even people like you?"

"Absolutely," Anton said, "Though I can't be certain of the time scale. Measured in centuries, to be sure, but will it be much greater than the peak of Life Transformation? That I cannot say." Anton shrugged, "And starting old did me no favors in that regard. At this point, I imagine each star I gradually approach my end."

"... is that okay?" Matija asked.

"Of course. As I said, everyone has to die. I've already accepted it a few times."

"What about the afterlife?"

"I'm not certain there is one," Anton said.

"...Reincarnation?"

"I won't remember it," Anton shrugged. "I might miss the next few cycles, or maybe I'll never reincarnate. But I already got two lives anyway."

"Wait, reincarnation is real?"

"I have a dear friend who has just recently found himself incarnated in a new body, in fact," Anton nodded. "And there's an entire extremely unpleasant sect founded upon the certainty of it, though they twist the system to suit their own needs. Otherwise, they could not guarantee any memories- at which point, they might not really be the same person."

"Okay but…" Matija seemed to be struggling with Anton's bluntness. "You're not joking, right?"

"I usually strive to make my joking clear," Anton said. "I am quite serious on this."

"This is… a serious revelation. Is it possible to meet this friend of yours?"

"I'm afraid not," Anton shook his head. "He's in the upper realms."

"... but isn't that just the afterlife, or whatever?"

"I wouldn't call it that," Anton said, "Since it does not require death to get there… and neither is coming from there akin to returning to life. It's simply difficult, constrained by the tides of the world… and other limitations." Anton shrugged, "If you're wondering, it's vaguely over there," he waved his arm.

"Over there like… how far?" Matija asked.

"Something like dozens or hundreds of systems separate," Anton said. "Could be thousands, but I'd imagine it's on the low end. I don't know if your instruments could be fine tuned enough to pick up 'upper energy' in that region but… actually… perhaps you could help with that."

"How so?" Matija asked.

Anton held out his hand, cupping a small amount of ascension energy in his palm. "You could scan this. I am able to… borrow the tiniest portion of energy from there. If you could learn about this form of energy, you might help me learn about its properties, specifically how it makes travel difficult. At least some part of it is the shift between the different energies- cultivators really only function well with a purity of one or the other it seems. But I'm certain there's more to it."

Matija looked at the energy in Anton's palm. "Can I touch it?"

"I wouldn't," Anton said. "I have control over it, but you won't be able to feel anything and it would simply get you in the bad habit of sticking your hand into furnaces."

"... I'll get one of the scanners," she said. "Actually, it would be better if you could come to our lab."

Alarms rang out, screeching sirens and warbling bells creating a cacophony of noise. "Someone turn those off!" Matija yelled. "Everything is fine!"

"... Sorry," Anton said. "I was simply curious and probing around. I didn't think every sensor in the building would pick up my energy."

"It's fine," Matija said. "It'll get sorted out."

During that process, a man came running into the room. "There you are!" he said to Matija. "I found it!"

"Found what, Fintan?" Matija asked.

"Those same fluctuations! The recent changes in the sun, matching the energy fluctuations in… uh… it's Ceretos now, I think. This energy signature that blanketed the lab is a perfect match!"

Matija squinted, "Well, yeah. It should be." She gestured, "This is Anton. You know, the one from Ceretos."

"Oh!" the scientist known as Fintan performed an awkward sort of bow. "Pleasure to meet you, sir. Would it interest you to know that our star produced fluctuations just like your own? Maybe it's some sort of resonance or-"

"It's just me," Anton said. "I connected to your star as well."

"Oh." Fintan paused. "I see."

"I must ask though, when did you notice the changes?"

"It must have been… a year or so ago?" Fintan pondered. "I can get you the exact date."

"Not necessary," Anton said. "I suppose you noticed a recent spike in activity?"

"Boy did we!" Fintan said excitedly. "It was right after the invasion began! Everyone thought it was a coincidence but I showed them! Though… I guess it was just you, huh?"

"Correct," Anton nodded. "Since I fought in the battle, I had to draw upon some of the star's power. And also deepen my connection." Anton looked to Matija. "Sorry, I might have neglected to mention this."

"I'm going to be honest," she said. "I've had my head so full of cultivation I can't say for sure. But I kind of figured."

"Please continue to monitor the situation," Anton said. "I didn't fully intentionally form the connection to your star, and while a cultivator's instincts are usually reliable- and mine are that no harm will come to your star or system from my connection- they are not perfect."

"Right," Fintan nodded, "Actually it's… pretty small, but distinct. Like someone threw a very thin screen over the sun. But the whole thing at once, so the finest sensors can pick it up. If they're lucky, or looking specifically for it."

"Good," Anton said. "I wouldn't want to cause trouble."

"Hey," Fintan shrugged, "If you have to do it to fight off space aliens, then it's what needs to be done. Though I don't actually have any authority to give you permission. Or deny it."

"I receive a sort of informal acceptance from the president," Anton shrugged. "I believe it is being kept secret from the public at large. Also… space aliens?"

"Well, obviously. What else could they be? Though I guess technically you'd be an alien as well, even though you look human."

"I'm sure you might be disappointed to learn this," Anton said, "But they will be very close to the same sort of human as you and I. Some prior event seems to have scattered humans throughout the galaxy and maintained certain features and connections. Though most seem to just accept it without knowing why."

"Did we already know this?" Fintan looked at Matija. "I feel like we have to have heard some of this and I just wasn't paying attention."

"Our lab was privy to some of this information," Matija said. "For the most part, information about cultivators and the upper realms is being verified and carefully distributed to the population. They deserve to know the truth, but that means not flooding them with half-baked or dangerous information."

"On the topic of dangerous information," Anton said to Fintan, "Why are you not cultivating?"

"Busy!" Fintan said.

"That might be one of the best and worst excuses I've ever heard," Anton replied.

The trouble that the group in the Labyrinth ran into- and there had to be some sort of trouble- came in the form of worms. They at first appeared to be rather easy to defeat, despite their uncomfortable size of approximately three meters long. They seemed to have the ability to devour natural energy, but they weren't swift enough to properly latch onto any of those present. Bisecting them resulted in a spray of acid that could be avoided, but their defenses were practically nonexistent so the task was easily manageable.

After they nearly finished defeating the wave of bodies it was noticed that some had snuck in behind the front lines somehow, and those were swiftly cut, stabbed, stomped and chomped. Unfortunately, the majority of those methods had the same result. Namely, the worms reforming into two or three new ones from the bodies. The main method that seemed to finish them off was the chomping- but that resulted in Fuzz and Spikes having acid dripping down their throats, so they weren't eager to continuously repeat the process.

Hoyt began to incinerate the creatures, and that worked- if he fully completed the process. If he left behind a shriveled husk, they seemed just as capable of reforming as those killed in other ways. Or perhaps it wasn't correct to say they were killed- because they could die, and just usually didn't.

Ultimately, there was no such thing as an immortal creature, though the worms did a good job of appearing so. Their ability to ingest energy seemed to be marginally effective with it scattered about them, but it was clear they needed it to reform- along with a substantial portion from their internal reserves. The only part of them that seemed to be durable in any way was a strange form of dantian that was happily reformed into multiple pieces with a split of the energy.

Once the group learned this information, they focused on more methodical destruction of the creatures, overwhelming them or simply destroying the same individuals over and over until they could no longer reform. When they finally all shriveled away to nothing… Catarina prepared a formation that would drain every last drop of energy from the area just to make sure those things couldn't come back.

They would have to be wary of more of that sort of creature deeper in… potentially stronger versions. Perhaps it would be a one time deal, but it was a significant expenditure of energy, and they didn't want to be whittled away to nothing.

Now they just had to find their way deeper in- at least they presumed it was deeper. It was possible they were actually heading towards one of the outside walls, but the only thing that was certain was their goal was becoming more apparent, and that it was intentionally difficult to reach.

Chapter 463

An exhaustive search revealed that their destination was impossible to reach- by traditional means at least. Distorted space led to unpredictable methods of reaching an area, in the Labyrinth. They were able to loop around a section and sense nothing conforming to an entrance anywhere within the area. Perhaps there was some secret method to get in… but at that point it could be anywhere within the Labyrinth. It could take years of searching if they were lucky and the entrance didn't change locations. And if it existed at all.

The primitive option was to just climb up the walls into the area, but it was well known that attempting to circumvent the Labyrinth in such a way resulted in intense retaliation. A wider area of power focused on such individuals, either forcing them back down if they were lucky or annihilating them if they were not. It was important to remember that the area was within Everheart's control, and he simply chose not to directly kill everyone.

"What do we do?" Hoyt asked. Unfortunately, having an in-depth discussion was risky. They couldn't be certain if they were being watched.

For matters such as this, they turned to Catarina. They were among a mess of formations looking for a specific one, and she would best be able to guide them on what was dangerous. She considered her words for a while, before eventually nodding. "I need you all to defend me for a while," she said.

"How long?" Timothy asked.

"Between one day and a month," Catarina replied.

That was a large difference, but it obviously was caused by significant uncertainty. The fact that the lower end was a day meant the project was quite complex. There was also the unusual circumstance that Catarina didn't directly start carving into things or throwing flags around. The Tomb allowed some such modifications, though nothing permanent. It was uncertain if she didn't want to begin too early, or actually didn't know how to start. She moved around slowly, taking mental notes and nothing else.

Fuzz was a scout. That was because he was fast and had a good nose. Alva was also a scout, but she was with the others. Fuzz wasn't supposed to engage if he found anything, though he made his own judgments. For example, there were more of those stupid energy-eating worms around. Stray individuals that he chose to eat first. They were tasteless and painful to eat, but if he formed fire inside of himself he could mitigate the latter somewhat. He didn't have all that much experience defending inside his own body, which made him wonder why not. It seemed perfectly logical. Lots of important things were there. Though, usually they had to get through the outside. Problem solved.

Others who passed through the labyrinth where Fuzz moved included unknown cultivators. Some of their cultivations were spicy, some sweet, and some sour. Then there were the rotten ones, like the Harmonious Citadel. They were like a perfectly normal looking carcass on the outside filled with rot grubs that didn't even taste good. Well, the bad ones anyway. Vari was nice, and there were others like her who simply had bad thoughts put in their head. Fuzz was guessing on some of that, of course, because he couldn't actually smell thoughts.

More of the scents were familiar- the most benign being those they had previously passed in the Labyrinth. Not everyone wanted to attack other cultivators all the time, though Fuzz presumed that some of it was because they didn't want to die. And that was what happened to anyone who attacked his pack. They were very strong, after all. Not the strongest- not yet- but they would be.

Some cultivators of the Exalted whatever had been through the area within the last few days. Some of the decent kind, and some of the worse kind. Soaring Air and Void Blades were not friends of the pack. Guessing their intent from scent alone was difficult, but they either hadn't picked up on signs of the pack or weren't looking for it.

Then there was one scent that was not only familiar through similarity, but someone he'd actually smelled before, with his own nose. He went back and forth over the trail a dozen times, but it was difficult to not arrive at the same conclusion. There weren't many people who were that strong. Fuzz hadn't met more than one, though he thought maybe he'd scented some in passing on the Tomb.

This cultivator was in the… that other stage. The next one. The one after those in the pack. Which was big and bad, because this was the lady that had been attacking their home. Fa… something. Fatty? Fajra? One of those was a name, and one was an important part of a good flavor profile. Maybe Fajra. Of the… Shiny Attractive Group. Or something. Personally Fuzz didn't see the appeal, though she had definitely been shiny, far away in the city.

A few more sniffs. Scent confirmed. Other members of her sect and… more factions of the invaders. Fresh. He had to get closer, but not too close. They might think he was some beast they were allowed to kill… or possibly recognize him, though he didn't think he'd stood out that much in the war. He could try to report back, but they were close enough that they might become a problem if he didn't head it off. And they were kind of in the way of his direct route.

Fuzz knew that cultivators did weird things by extending their senses outside of them, trying to replicate things like vision and touch. This place made that sort of thing bad, but scent and hearing were still good. He trotted after the trail, ears twitching. He could almost hear voices.

"... really think we'll find anything now? He died a century and a half ago. And this place has been around longer than that."

"The first time we killed him he showed up again a decade later," a voice that seemed like it was trying too hard to be enchanting replied. "His effects on the previous harvesting effort were far too broad. It is better we make sure that he cannot have any further interference for the next cycle. There are too few lower worlds of sufficient quality to lose access to one."

"I just don't see why we're here now."

"Because our allies lost some promising disciples in this Tomb, to a group from the lower realms. It's far too coincidental. They must be working with…"

"He's dead though, isn't he? It's been so long even Everheart-"

The sound was overly loud even from where Fuzz was, far back from the group. Some sort of impact, followed by another and the sound of cracking stones, echoing back and forth. Neither the floor nor the walls were easily breakable, which made it quite surprising. "Just because we are here does not give you leave to speak his name."

There was a groaning sound- it seemed the figure was still able to get up. "Just because he called you… because he insulted you one time? He taunted literally everyone, taking something so… obviously untrue so seriously won't be good for your complexion." The entire Labyrinth trembled briefly, and Fuzz was primed to run- but that very act might draw the attention of this angry lady. Fortunately, the feeling subsided in a few moments. "I'll refrain from even tangenting on the topic, then. Where to next?"

"I assumed this infernal place might be where he hid something of import, but our recent wanderings had me believe that perhaps that is incorrect. We'll do another sweep of the area before moving onto something more… prominent and ostentatious."

With that, they were far enough for Fuzz to slip towards the pack. It seemed this dangerous lady was going to be in the area for a while, and it was best to be aware of that.

"We appreciate the concern for the situation," General Nicodemo said, "But for the moment we need to handle this situation ourselves." Nicodemo was rarely formal with Anton nowadays- certainly not in the same way- but this was not a personal interaction between them. "Your contributions during the initial battle- and those of the others- were quite useful. But for the stability of Rutera we need to achieve a proper victory ourselves. I'm sure you understand."

Anton nodded. "Morale is certainly important. And there are the aforementioned logistical issues with more of us. Though hopefully your technological delegations will help with that. Moving among the stars on our own power would be an excellent step in our advancement." Anton imagined some very interesting materials could be found on the other planets in the system… though of course it would be missing the more interesting possibilities that required life. Unless there was something buried underground or in the gas giants. "Still, we would appreciate being kept abreast of the information regarding Azoth, in case they turn their sights on us. We're not much further, after all."

Nicodemo nodded, "We have military scouts in the area now. The first vessel was merely scientists interested in exploration, as we hadn't expected to run into anyone so… aggressive."

"They do seem quite confident," Anton said. "Surprisingly so. Usually cultivators are more cautious with unknown entities."

"It is likely they had scouted us some time previously," Nicodemo said. "Our ship might have been seen as a provocation of some sort, or it could have been coincidental timing."

Anton's eyes vaguely flicked towards Azoth. It seemed that he couldn't form another connection until he reached the hundred-and-second star, but that would only take a handful of years, maybe a decade. It was unclear whether that would be short or far too long. Cultivators could move like molasses in the winter and then suddenly take on great bursts of speed. Then again, if they sought trouble with Ceretos or Rutera asked for them to join the fight- and retaliatory attacks were required- it would likely be a longer process. If it came to that, Anton wouldn't be as gentle with their star. He didn't think he could actually cause any damage, but he wasn't going to give it any concern.

Maybe this would be a good thing. Ceretos had almost been at peace for too long. The unity against the invaders and then the parts of the Exalted Archipelago would be a strong memory for most, but in another few decades those feelings could fade. It was better to have an outlet for aggression, until they could solidify a longer-lasting unity.

Perhaps those from Azoth felt the same, but they seemed to be a fairly clear aggressor. Or everyone on Rutera was much better at hiding things than he thought. But given what he'd sensed, he was fairly certain they simply couldn't evade his insight. Plenty of the politician he'd interacted with had told lies or made insincere statements. None of them negated the overall potential for a beneficial relationship between the two systems, but there were some individuals he wouldn't trust with anything important.

The warning from Fuzz put everyone on edge, except for Catarina who was so focused on what she was doing it was unclear if she even got the message. An Augmentation cultivator. Fajra, of the Radiant Beauty Sect. Except for Vari- and Prospero- they had all seen her previously. In fact, Prospero was being caught up on quite a few details from Ceretos that he had missed. He wasn't even around for the actual invasion, having gone out in a blaze of glory when they drew in a large army from the Twin Soul Sect. He wasn't even familiar with Aicenith.

But some of those discussions had already taken place, and others would wait. They would almost certainly feel an Augmentation cultivator approaching- especially one of Fajra's sort- but they couldn't really shift their location. Catarina was only roaming within a small area, focused on her plan- if they had to break away and leave, it would disrupt her work, since the Labyrinth could undergo significant changes while they were not around. And fighting an Augmentation cultivator… was not something they wanted to attempt. In the confines of the lower realms Fajra had been someone they could combat to some degree with an army at their backs, but even with five people in Integration there was still a huge gap. More than the gulf between Life Transformation and Integration, they imagined. Obviously they hadn't felt the difference themselves yet, since Augmentation cultivators were rare even in the upper realms, and they hadn't gotten into trouble that deep. Yet. Then again, they were still new.

Chapter 464

Standing guard while not looking like she was standing guard was a difficult task for Alva, though there wasn't really much else she could do. Running immediately when someone approached was a good way to get them to react negatively, even if they didn't previously have any reason to pay attention. Being off by herself was a bit dangerous, but if they didn't have any warning they might all die.

At least if that Fajra came anywhere near them. It was possible that she wouldn't recognize them specifically, but the fact that they were part of the Order should be something she noticed. Counting on her to be sloppy with keeping track of enemies was a terrible idea.

Currently, Alva was standing in a field of traps and hoping they weren't the sort that moved about. So far they seemed static, based on what she could see- but keeping track of them just in case was important.

They were eventually going to have to combat cultivators in the Augmentation stage- and likely even this same Fajra- but this was not the time. A hundred and one stars was still very early in the Integration stage, far short of the… what would it be? Probably one hundred and sixty stars for the next stage. Alva didn't imagine another twenty-nine was going to be sufficient, so thirty-one beyond that would have to do it. All she needed was a couple hundred years and maybe it would work out.

She kept her senses open, ready to receive even a hint of cultivators approaching and react as appropriate.

Even just a short few years away made Everheart's Tomb feel quite different for Prospero- though he couldn't say if that was due to leaving and experiencing more of the world of recovering old memories. He had quite a solid picture of what his life had been like before, but unlocking hundreds of years of memories wasn't something that could be done in a few. Not if he wanted to keep up with his cultivation, at least.

On the planet commonly known as Ceretos, he had considered himself fairly talented- having the potential to ascend, and simply choosing not to. Then he lost his opportunity, but it had been worth it. Even more so now that he got an opportunity to hear about it. Anton was apparently doing an excellent job of heading the Order- and he'd managed his uncomfortably rapid pace of cultivation. Old men weren't supposed to reach the peak of cultivation in just a hundred years… though perhaps that was Anton's only option.

Sitting around waiting for others to do something was generally absent from his memories, and the latest and most prominent ones placed him as one of the strongest in the world. Now here he was, the weakest in their group. Even if he really stretched his own self image, the weaker wolf- Spikes- should still be stronger than him. Reaching Ascension- or the Integration stage, since he was already in the upper realms- was going to take decades. It took Hoyt and the others close to sixty years, and Prospero had taken somewhat longer the first time. Even if he could somehow manage to go twice as fast as the top level he knew, he was in for a long haul of being weaker than those around him.

Though growing up in a place like Everheart's Tomb hadn't allowed him to be weak, and he was certain he was stronger than the previous time. It was just that ultimately the gap of an entire cultivation stage left him somewhat lacking.

Catarina hoped she was ready. If she was wrong, she might bring down Everheart's wrath for nothing. The man could be surprisingly casual about certain things, but messing with one of his big formations seemed like the sort of thing to get her killed, despite him being somewhat positive about her talents previously. Or maybe because of it. He seemed like the sort of guy to snuff out talented enemies as quickly as possible.

If she was wrong about the strength of this formation, she would land them all in deep trouble. But she'd done what she could to attune herself to the older formations Everheart built on top of. This might be the moment where a once-genius cultivator met their end if she wasn't careful but all she had to do was-

A Spirit Arrow flew around a corner, nearly striking Fuzz in the side. Fuzz slapped it with a paw, batting it to the ground. That was the best non-obvious signal they could come up with. It might seem like fighting somewhere else in the Labyrinth, but launching some sort of attack was perfectly expected and likely to be glossed over. Anything else would be too… signally.

But since Alva had felt the need, that meant Catarina had to work quick. She hadn't even begun to work, but she'd studied what she needed to. She didn't even need to change much- the whole point was making use of the formations Everheart already had in place to transport them where she wanted instead of where he intended. There were things hidden all over this place, sub-runes she hadn't even known about before Everheart teleported her last time they were in the Labyrinth. She hoped he wasn't paying attention.

It was best that it had not been Hoyt's particular corridor that was closest to trouble, since his communication methods weren't as subtle and using their actual devices was spotty and unreliable within the Tomb itself. Plus there was no way of knowing if Everheart was listening somehow.

Hoyt quickly made his way towards the core of their little area. Battle hadn't broken out yet, but as the twists of the Labyrinth brought him closer he felt an uncomfortable source of power. He recognized it, which was unfortunate. Moving their way, not with great haste… but not slowly either. If they hadn't already been sensed, they would be soon.

He formed up with Timothy, Vari, and the wolves. Alva had yet to arrive, and Prospero, his grandfather, did better in the rear. Though he was also slightly hindered by the Labyrinth's structure. He couldn't just form Falling Stars wherever he pleased- reaching 'outside' of the Labyrinth, even vertically, was difficult.

Catarina was there throwing down formation flags and quite wantonly carving into the structure of the Labyrinth itself. He really hoped whatever she was doing wouldn't take long, but they were only a week into the potential one to thirty days, and she'd only just begun. How long could they hold back a battle? A few minutes? Certainly not much longer than that against worthy opponents. And likely less if Fajra was involved.

The sounds of hurried feet preceded Alva around the corner, moving in something that wasn't quite a run, but was also deceptively quick, her feet gliding over the ground. Her glances over her shoulder told Hoyt the same thing his senses were picking up- she was being followed.

Fortunately, only two individuals came around the corner. A man and a woman, striding slowly and confidently. They were in the Integration stage, but that meant they were outmatched. If only things would stay that way.

"No need to panic," the beautiful woman said, striding forward together with the equally enchanting man next to her. "We'd just like to talk. Come closer."

Oh good. They just wanted to talk. Stepping forward shouldn't be a problem. That was what Hoyt's body seemed to be listening to, at least. Deep down there was a tiny core that told him it was a bad idea, even if they outnumbered the enemy. There was also an instinct that made him not trust the way they held their hands casually at their waist and a little behind their back, but they hadn't really done anything yet. This was fine.

He wasn't even going alone. His eyes were focused on hers but he could feel his companions walked with him, avoiding the few traps they knew were in the area. Everything was fine.

"Good," the woman said, drawing out the word. "Just a little bit closer so we can talk. I'm sure you- Ghurk!"

Hoyt didn't know what she meant by 'Ghurk', but he recognized the sound of a bone snapping. Even though it was just the small ones around the nose, it was still a distinctive sound. With that his eyes were free to more properly take in the situation around him instead of focusing on the woman's eyes. That was why he clenched his legs together after Vari followed up with a kick to the man.

"Nobody." A fist struck the woman's jaw, "Is. allowed." hands grabbed the two individuals, keeping them from retreating. "In. My. Head." Vari's jaw was set, her voice adamant in her declaration… and Hoyt could see ten figures flickering behind her. Vague shadows of figures holding weapons. Bows, swords, spears, a little bit of everything between the ten indistinct images. They didn't do much but stand there… though Hoyt knew they didn't need to. That ceremony she'd done seemed to be working out for her.

Of course, this meant there was no possibility of avoiding combat. It wasn't Vari's fault- that had happened the moment the two individuals tried to control their movements. It was undoubtedly an attack, and Hoyt wouldn't stand for it. But still, he couldn't help but think about the others behind this pair. Caution might have been warranted.

Though the daggers the two had been holding behind their back meant Vari hadn't exactly been hasty with her actions either. Hoyt was only a couple steps back and quickly drew his own weapon while the pair tried to recover from their stunned state. They'd actually done a pretty good job of minimizing the damage Vari did in her initial combo. Otherwise her fist would have gone right through the woman's head, and the man would have to deal with more than just a broken pelvis and accompanying testicular pain.

Timothy yanked Alva back- she'd been one of the closest to begin with, but fortunately she'd walked slowly and Vari had stepped up her pace a step. Prospero was still a good dozen meters back, though he was now focusing on bombarding the area behind the duo. There wasn't really much of a target there, but he seemed to be aiming for traps around the corner where there appeared to be more enemies approaching.

For something called the Radiant Beauty Sect, Hoyt found the melee capabilities of the pair more than adequate. Though the control had been disrupted there was still an aura that made him hesitate his attacks… a practical effect, even if it kind of felt like a cheap trick. The two weren't going to fall quickly enough. The others were already coming around the corner, approaching quickly. Their auras were combining with the others, though Hoyt was more worried about the one behind them.

Their own group was already in a fighting retreat, Vari having had to give up her grip on the two for the sake of keeping her arms. Her barriers were stronger now, but she couldn't fully block the area between someone she was grabbing onto. She almost hadn't let go, but that had been a fleeting moment of unnecessary stubbornness she pushed past.

Hoyt felt like he was swinging his axe through molasses, fighting against himself, but with the benefit of understanding he was still at least able to control his own body. Besides Vari, the wolves were actually least affected, seeming as if they'd only gone along with the flow instead of actually being unable to attack.

Spikes' abilities actually did a decent job of keeping the incoming enemies back. Not only did she reform the ground into unpleasant terrain, she even crossed shards of stone across the width of the Labyrinth corridor. They only held for a few moments, some of their foes risking the damage to slip past them while the others destroyed them, but everything counted.

Hoyt's axe was coming down on the woman's head as she was briefly entangled with Vari. Then, he stopped. He couldn't move, nor could he stop himself from looking up, into a pair of piercing eyes. Damn. Perhaps they should have run. They might have made better use of the Labyrinth, harassing their foes as they pulled away before eventually losing them. They could have come back later for Catarina's work.

Fajra stared into his eyes. "Aha. It is some of you. Foolish of you to come out of hiding." Her eyes seemed to pull on him, drawing his consciousness away. Then-

Then she was gone. His axe swung down into nothing. The woman in front of him was gone. No, the entire corridor was gone, except for his companions… and a couple very confused individuals further on. Well. At least they hadn't had to step into a portal or anything. And Hoyt was pretty sure he wasn't in an illusion.

Chapter 465

Even after finding themselves transported, the oppressive aura of Fajra remained. Not just lingering traces, but diminished effects from it burrowing through the Labyrinth around them. Ultimately, they hadn't gone far- teleporting from right next to their destination to reach it.

There was a trembling as the Labyrinth walls shook, though they held their integrity. The handful of Radiant Beauty Sect disciples that had been transported along with them, however, seemed to intend to focus their attacks on the other side of the wall to try to break through.

The only thing that saved them from immediately perishing was the restrictive aura. The direct effects had frozen most of them in place, now they were merely slowed. Vari overcame that difficulty first by entangling herself around one of the Radiant Beauty Sect disciples. The man didn't quite avoid her grip, and though she couldn't strike with the amount of power she was used to, once she had a grip wrapping her arms around him wasn't difficult. Her energy was slightly suppressed, but slower movements were easier. She simply turned him to face away, her arm around his neck as she choked him out. It was a move much too slow for cultivator combat, but Vari protected her vitals with the man's own body, leaving less of herself exposed and forming barriers along her side to resist his flailing.

Timothy moved to protect the wall itself, ready to resist a barrage of attacks… and finding that his presence likely didn't matter. While the Radiant Beauty Sect might be able to bind cultivators and pierce their energy defenses, against structures… their stealthy dagger attacks were less than useless. Fajra was only having an effect because her cultivation was much higher, but the threshold of the rest was simply too minimal to support anything. Even so, they had to defeat them as quickly as possible- because actual cracks were forming on the wall.

While the others fought, Catarina remained focused on her goals. She trusted them to do what was necessary on her end. Here, she reached for a buried formation, but one that was not far. The formation plate in her hand glowed with resonant power, forming a connection almost without her will. A beam of energy shot into the center of the planet, joining with her first, more hesitant connection and strengthening it. Now there was no going back. Everyone should have felt that, let alone Everheart who was in control of everything. They were too far from the third point. They had to reach it somehow, but Catarina wasn't sure if they could return to the Great Hall. Forming a connection from here seemed impossible, as it merely strengthened the first connection that was already in place.

Then she felt him, and she knew it was too late. One of the projections appeared right outside their little cove.

"Excuse me ma'am. Please stop destroying my property."

Fajra's eyes turned to see one of Everheart's projections. There was no way to know if the image fit the true Everheart at all, but this one was a bit older… which was most likely accurate. "Or what, you'll kill me? You don't have the power for that." Fajra knew he didn't, or he wouldn't have asked politely. Everheart didn't act timidly.

The projection sighed, "You are right, of course. I might have enough power in the Great Hall, but here…" Everheart shook his head. "I have to make do." His body instantly moved to place a hand on her shoulder, his grip tightening. The strength of an Augmentation cultivator bearing down on him, especially one focused on such a deed, was actually quite restrictive. But this was his domain. One instant they were in the Labyrinth, the next they were over it… on the border of space. "Leave." With that, he kicked the woman- cheating more than a bit by using the power of the formations to push her away. "And don't come back!"

She probably would, of course, but it would take more than a few moments for her to reverse her momentum- and then she would have to fight her way back through the defenses. They'd have to be turned up to maximum. No doubt that would cause him to stir, but this was necessary.

"We need to leave!" Catarina was the one to call it out, but everyone else knew it. Everheart's projection had just arrived and removed Fajra. No doubt he would be coming back for them. Catarina just hoped he couldn't do anything to the underlying formation. If he destroyed part of it, their whole plan here might be ruined.

Thankfully, getting out of their little hole in the Labyrinth was easier than getting in. The Radiant Beauty cultivators were dragged out with them, since they couldn't risk leaving them, but they ended up in a completely different part of the Tomb. Catarina was glad that Everheart made even a random and hasty teleport not able to land them inside the planet… though that might have been safer.

None of them really needed to breathe, though it would be more difficult for Prospero and Spikes to replicate that ability. But they did need to not be where they were.

"The statue hall?" Vari asked.

"I didn't really have time to aim it!" Catarina said. "This is as close as I could get us to…"

At that moment, one of the Radiant Beauty disciples attempted to stab Vari in the back. They would have succeeded, too, with Vari distracted. However, one of the statues stepped in front of the blade- then pierced its spear through the offending cultivator.

Vari spun around, eyeing the statue. "... I may have been more effective than I had intended." This was the statue of one of the saints. The spear saint who had never existed. Or more likely, a previous one that had been expelled from the Harmonious Citadel for some reason. Vari didn't know why the statue would defend someone from the Harmonious Citadel after that- and especially not a fake.

But she could think about later, after they took out the last few individuals. They were not merciful. Vari only knew the bare bones of the conflict they had with the Order and the lower realm, but she could see why they would have animosity. Arrogant people who thought they deserved everything and could take what they wanted. Like devotion that they didn't deserve.

Vari looked at the devotion flowing into her. She didn't deserve it either, but she knew that so it wasn't hypocritical. It was at least one step better than the saints.

"The Great Hall is not too far from here," Alva said after they defeated the remaining enemies. "We have to hurry. I can feel Fajra still, getting closer."

"Is she heading for the Great Hall? How could she know?" Catarina asked.

Alva shrugged, "The ancient sects probably figured it out a long time ago."

As they ran, the conjecture proved correct. Fajra was heading in the same direction as them, simply far up above beyond where they could see. And then her presence not only became larger, but brighter.

"I'm pretty sure that's my move," Prospero commented as a burning ball of fire dropped out of the sky- though in a few short moments it resolved into a clearer image. "... Is that a palace?"

"... Where did she get a palace?" Hoyt asked. "Silly question. It should be an energy projection."

"No," Alva shook her head. "It's real. She pulled it out of a storage bag."

"That… doesn't make any sense," Hoyt commented.

"I guess hers is better than ours," Alva shrugged.

There wasn't much they could do but keep running. It didn't take the palace long at all to descend, right on top of the Great Hall. As it impacted, it stopped for a brief moment, the nearly mountain sized building trembling beneath another of slightly more modest size atop it. Then the Great Hall shattered, a shockwave blasting the walls and roof in all directions. Rubble flew past the group, forcing them to dodge building sized chunks of fortified stone.

Then the palace settled atop the statue of Everheart, pressing down on it. Fajra could be seen standing atop it. "Everheart you old bastard, this is what you get for calling me an old hag!" She probably hadn't intended to shout that with an intensity that everyone within a hundred kilometers could hear, but such were decisions made at the height of emotion. Cultivators fled the scene as the neutral zone of the Great Hall exploded, unwilling to get involved with whatever was happening.

The kilometer high statue of Everheart stood still with the palace atop its head… before slowly moving, placing its hands on the underside of the palace. Golden muscles strained, before tossing the palace into the distance. The statue then left its position, leaping after the structure… and away from the remains of the Great Hall.

Catarina immediately redoubled her pace, running towards the scene. The others followed without hesitation.

Deep beneath a mountain of no significance, an old man with a ring of hair that only touched the edges of his head suddenly sat up in bed. "What woke me?" he frowned. Briefly, he glanced over next to him and sighed. Old memories were still fresh in his thoughts.

Flickers of power came to him. So, that was what woke him. An old hag trying to look young. No, not just any old hag. A familiar one, though advanced to Augmentation. If she thought that was sufficient to mess with him, she was gravely mistaken.

Everheart stood up slowly. His wounds were… more or less healed. Perhaps it was time to return to the world once more. He took a step forward, and felt the power digging into the planet beneath him. He didn't believe it. Couldn't believe it.

"Watcher!" he called. A heavily muscled and much younger version of himself stepped into the room.

"You awaken, mighty Everheart."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." He said. "But why am I awake? Isn't it your job to deal with these sorts of things? Someone's trashing the Great Hall!"

"My apologies," the projection inclined his head. "Our response has been slower than usual."

"Well, I'm up now," Everheart complained. "I guess I'll deal with it myself. Could have used another decade but… another thing. The formations, uh… the originals."

"From when it was called Xankeshan?" the watcher asked.

"Yes! Exactly. Those aren't… activating, are they?"

"It appears they are."

"... So one of you figured it out?" Everheart looked downward. "Not bad, I suppose."

"I don't believe that to be the case."

"No, it has to be. The only other option would be, well… someone with the formation plate. And it doesn't exist. I scoured the upper realms looking for it!"

"We do not have a connection to the formation."

"You're right," Everheart said. "We don't." He swallowed. "Oh no. We don't. Dammit, this is bad. I have to take out the- but who else is here?" Everheart held his head in his hands. "Gather the rest! Tell me how it got to this!"

"Of course. I will summon them." The projection didn't move, but very quickly various individuals appeared. "Here they are."

"Explain," Everheart said.

"Of course," one of the leading projections said. "You see, Mighty Everheart…" All of them exchanged glances. "Perhaps it would be quicker to have you remember."

"I haven't forgotten anything," Everheart crossed his arms.

"Oh, but… there's so much more for you to remember," the projection grinned. "Get him!"

Simultaneously, dozens of figures charged Everheart, who was too astounded to react. When the first one touched him, the figure fused into him and Everheart was hit with a wave of memories. Centuries of sitting and waiting, defending the Tomb. But that was just one individual.

A rush of memories full of boredom bombarded Everheart, filling his head with curses from the projections he'd forced to carry out his will. And yet they were more than bitterness, they were ambition and determination. Each of them wished to prove they were superior.

For all his planning, being betrayed by himself was the one thing Everheart hadn't expected. And perhaps he should have.

When he finally picked himself up off the floor, his healing was set back several decades and most of his energy drained. He only managed to drag himself over to his emergency formation. He hadn't really tested it because it was never meant to be used, but according to the far too ambitious memories inside his head it hadn't been tampered with. As he activated it, he formed a connection with the Tomb. The traps? Garbage. Statues? He could get more. Though there were a couple memories- no, he didn't have the time. Someone might find him- either that Augmentation cultivator who he wasn't in the best state to fight suddenly, or whoever had that formation plate.

So he gathered the treasures. All of the ones stored away, those remaining in the Smithy and tucked away for 'prizes'. Treasures which had only increased in number since he formed the Tomb. Despite his 'generous' rewards, more died and left behind their valuables than came away with great wealth. Only a small percentage, but over the course of centuries that added up. All of it came with him in a great burst of energy. No way was he going to stay to see what else might be going on. There could be any number of people after him. He had to hide.

Chapter 466

Continuing to move towards the mountain sized palace-and-statue fight was rather uncomfortable, but at this point there was little way for those on the Tomb to retreat. They could perhaps attempt to flee, navigating the void of space without a ship but that would involve giving up on this opportunity. Hopefully, it would be sufficient to drive off Fajra.

Before they quite made it to where the Great Hall had once stood, something happened. Something that made the fluctuations of energy between the statue and Fajra feel small, except though the power was significant it was spread throughout everywhere they could feel. Likely the entire planet. A sort of swirling of energy, then in an instant it was gone. The most visible result was the statue disappearing.

Fortunately, either Fajra was stunned by the sudden disappearance or simply incautious. Before she expanded her senses to include the Great Hall again, the group of cultivators mostly from the Order of One Hundred Stars was there.

With the statue gone, very little time was required to fully connect with the third piece of the formation below. "I've attuned the formations to all of us," Catarina confirmed. The sudden change drew the attention of Fajra, but as her aura bore down on them it was suddenly stifled by a barrier. The ground trembled slightly, as the base of the Great Hall cracked apart. "I need your help activating all of the formations," Catarina said. "Just channel energy to me."

In general, formations were designed to power themselves, drawing from the energy in the atmosphere or from sources specifically dedicated to them. This was also the case with these formations, yet Catarina knew she didn't have sufficient power to simply activate them on her own. There were so many, most of which seemed as if they were meant to function continuously. She wasn't sure what all of them did, but if they were functioning properly they should not cause harm to those attuned to it. And they didn't really have time to think about much else. While they might be safe in their little bubble for the moment, if they didn't establish proper control over all of the Tomb now, perhaps Fajra could carve out a weak point to take further action from.

Barriers were the most directly obvious, forcing people out from inside them. Catarina couldn't comprehend so many different people at once, though the formations provided some feedback that would have let her be more selective if she could. First was the Great Hall. Then the Labyrinth, and finally the Library. But that was only the start of things, the staging points from which everything else grew. The Statue Hall, Gardens, all of the trapped corridors and external areas between them. The Smithy, the might of the volcano being repurposed back to its former use as a power source. Hundreds of little hidden alcoves that may have never been discovered. Then everywhere in between as the gaps filled in.

The formations pushed those inside them away, and upwards. It would be up to them to negotiate with any ships for passage off world, which was always the case. They weren't even fully separated from the atmosphere, so they should be fine. And if they weren't, it would take even the weaker cultivators willing to brave Everheart's Tomb at least a day to be in serious trouble. Maybe they'd look for them and make some sort of bargain.

Catarina breathed out heavily. "One more thing. We haven't quite removed Fajra from over there. Alva, if you could pick the best spot to target? I'll channel this attack via your control."

"Got it," Alva nodded. As Catarina nudged her towards the structure, the ground opening up to reveal something akin to a tower, Alva could feel the way it could direct power towards a target. It was quite significant, but even with her own understanding of formations she could tell it wasn't fully functional. If it was, it might have been able to wipe out Fajra's palace. Instead, she had to aim for what would hurt most. Which part most contributed to structural stability?

After a few moments, she found the best target. Fajra was inside the palace, having taken advantage of its defensive properties against Everheart's statue. They likely couldn't kill her here, but to drive her off…

A continuous beam of power drilled into the palace from below, aiming for one specific area. When the power pierced the defenses, water spilled out. And as Alva hoped, Fajra quickly directed the palace away. Well, Alva was hoping it would be less mobile. If Fajra put it back wherever it came from she would be vulnerable, but no such luck. Even so, as she fled the planet Catarina smoothed out the remainder of the barrier which now surrounded the entire thing.

"What was that?" Hoyt asked. "Some sort of healing spring? A secret font of power?"

Alva shook her head. "More important. I attacked directly into… the bathing area."

"Baths? But…"

"It's definitely the most important to someone like her," Alva said. "Power is only obtained for the purposes of control and luxury. Besides, all the really important stuff had better defenses, and we couldn't let her know she might be able to resist this thing." She looked to Catarina, "It's kind of broken, by the way."

"I'll look at it later," Catarina said, curling up into a ball on the floor. "Need to… rest…"

When Prospero Vandale was finally able to answer Anton's inquiries, there was quite a lot more to hear. So they finished taking control of the planet upon which Everheart's Tomb had rested… though it seemed Everheart had pulled away many of his resources in the moments leading up to that. That was what they had pieced together, anyway- though whether it was some automatic system or signs he really was still alive they weren't sure. Except, of course, that it was always appropriate to assume he was still alive.

As for the actual intention of Anton's messages, it had been to ask his old friend as politely as possible what he remembered about death. In that regard, the response was that he remembered basically nothing between his death and rebirth- perhaps there was little to experience, or he might simply not have those memories at the moment. Apparently he did remember the end, however.

Ultimately Vandale described things with one word. Peaceful. Despite dying a violent death, he had accepted that was how he would die, and even that it would be at that specific moment. He had been satisfied.

That was what Anton wanted, though he knew many people didn't achieve it. He thought he could, but he constantly felt there was more he had to do. The next invasion, for example. He thought if he could get to that, he would be content. But if he actually did, perhaps he would find something else he absolutely needed to do. Anton would have to think on that.

It wasn't strange for a few months to go by with nothing monumental happening, and that was the case once more. Anton was aware that work on ships to travel between the stars was progressing, and they were even planning simple tests soon- simply out into their own system to be certain the basic features of the vessels worked. After all, they had to adapt Ruteran technology and Catarina's explanations of how the ships using ascension energy functioned.

As he was thinking about that, Anton felt something in the sky. Though the tides of the world shouldn't allow for it at this time, it felt an awful lot like someone coming from the upper realms. They were moving too fast for him to intercept, but he began to move quickly towards where he traced their trajectory to.

Lately, Erin hadn't slept much. Powerful cultivators didn't really need to, and she'd somehow found herself in that category. Not just Life Transformation, but a step beyond- though it wasn't entirely something she could call her own. That power came from Paradise… and it seemed that he influenced her as well. Paradise was the sort who slept yearly, perhaps for a month at a time. Erin's stints with sleep were shorter and somewhat more frequent.

She was content with her current arrangement, as if she really wanted to she could still sleep. But having more hours in the day- or in this case night- meant more cultivation, tempering her own power and what she shared with Paradise.

Through the same connection with Paradise, she occasionally sensed what he did. His thoughts were not entirely compatible with her own, but she could sense hunger or fatigue or his usual pleasant companionship. It was good to know that those who lived on his back weren't just tolerated.

With those being the most common feelings, looking up at the stars and sensing a sharp anger concerned her. There had only been one time prior that she could assume Paradise had been angry- when the Ponderous Turtle Clan attempted to control him. Whatever he sensed up there had to be bad.

And it was rapidly approaching. Erin gathered some of her energy, intending to mimic Paradise and fire a powerful shot from the waves around them, but suddenly found her flow of energy cut off. Not violently, but like a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want my help?" Paradise didn't really speak, but she got a feeling of independence from him at the moment. "Then… I'll keep the rest of us safe." If Paradise was going to fight that, the surrounding area might not be safe.

A great power slammed into the sea, raising waves and clouds of steam as it vaporized a section of the ocean. A few moments later, the figure rose from the waves. "There you are!" a voice boomed out. "My pet turtle! Good to see you're still around."

Paradise's response was to fire a torrent of water that Erin had personally witnessed turning a battlefield into an inland sea… with those who had been fighting on the wrong side annihilated. She was quite surprised when the figure blocked it with one hand. If the figure had only torn a path through it that would be one thing- the power contained in only a small part of it was less significant- but the entire section of ocean broke into a spray of mist.

"Come on now, little buddy. Don't you recognize me?"

The way Paradise snorted angrily and her connection to him told Erin that he did indeed recognize… this strange figure. She thought she knew all of the Assimilation cultivators on Ceretos, but apparently she was wrong. No, perhaps not. An invader? But even the Augmentation cultivators hadn't been able to stand against Paradise directly.

Paradise usually didn't move quickly, but when he was motivated he could cut apart the sea like a knife. Now he did so, his mouth open wide. The figure floating over the sea stood calmly with his hands behind his back as Paradise approached. "Well then, it seems you need some time to cool off. I'll be back later."

Doing his best impression of someone striding away unconcerned, Everheart flew away from his turtle. He hadn't expected it to get so strong after just a few centuries. And bitter! What, was it bored or something? He hadn't done anything to it. Taking it away from where it was born was a favor, that Slow Turtle Gang or whatever was only interested in controlling it. Sure, that was the same with Everheart but it was supposed to be grateful!

There went his first plan. The moon would have been that, but as expected his whole thing there was already over and done with. And the world here honestly looked to be in a good state, so he supposed it worked. Everheart might have had conflicts with every major faction on Ceretos, but it was still his home.

At least nobody should remember him directly. Not that it would matter if they did. Life Transformation cultivators meant nothing to him. He had some sort of itch scratching in the flood of memories those stupid projections forced into his head, but it probably wasn't that important. If it was, he still needed a safe place to digest it. And deal with these damned reopened wounds.

Maybe he'd just pick a random island. Nobody would notice him there for a couple decades. Yes, that would be for the best. He could sense one right nearby. When he set foot on the island, something stabbed into the sand in front of his feet. It was only there for an instant- an arrow, if his eyes hadn't deceived him. His eyes followed its path to an old man standing nearby, who waved casually. Well, he supposed he would just have to take care of this guy first.

As Everheart prepared to launch a counterattack, he hesitated. Wait, what stage of cultivation was this guy even in? And why did it suddenly feel like he was standing next to the sun? At full power he shouldn't be a problem for Everheart, but that wasn't the case right now.

Then the old man spoke. "I don't think we've met… but then again, I feel like we have. Perhaps my memory is faulty. I don't suppose you could enlighten me?"

Everheart's mind raced. Who was this guy? More importantly, what would he have looked like when he was younger? He could have sworn he finished off all the potential threats who would have a serious grudge against him. But try as he might, Everheart couldn't place this man. Perhaps it was his head being shoved full of tons of repetitive days of nothing, but he had the feeling they really might never have met. He relaxed his stance slightly. Might as well answer the guy.

Chapter 467

On a small island of little relevance whatsoever, two old men were having a staredown. One's eyes burned like the fires of the sun, a bow dangling in front of him. The other stood with his back straight like a mountain, appearing unconcerned about the possibility of battle.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Anton asked the other man.

Everheart's eyes flicked over the man's bow. He didn't have an arrow to draw, but perhaps he didn't need one. Even so, it would take him a moment to draw. They were less than a hundred meters apart, so he could reach it and snatch it away in an instant. The only problem was the man's cultivation was not as expected, so he couldn't predict him as precisely. "I'm just a peaceful traveler. I saw no signs that this island was claimed and thought to rest here."

"You should know that's not what I meant. I don't care about something trivial like this island. Who are you, and why have you come to Ceretos?" Anton could tell the man was strong. He was not terribly familiar with the Augmentation stage, but the man had to have reached that point. There was a great power… but something else as well. He wasn't quite as solid as he made himself out to be.

How aggressive. Everheart wondered if that was out of fear or confidence. The first shot landing at his feet was clearly a warning, but did this man want to fight? Eveheart would gladly take him up on it any other day… or rather some day he was in his best condition. "I live here," Everheart replied. "Or I did, at least. I thought to come back to visit. As for my name… it's Everheart." He tensed his muscles, ready for any reaction. "Perhaps you've heard of me."

"It's a fairly safe assumption that most people have," Anton replied. "Word is the same even in the upper realms. But I'm curious as to why you would return here now. You may call me Anton. " Anton's eyes focused on the top of the man's head. "I must admit, I didn't know how I expected you to look, but I thought it would be… different."

Everheart felt his gaze. His initial reaction was instinct. "Yeah? Well maybe your hair would fall out too if you had the entire upper realms after you!" That was already too much. Everheart was supposed to be the one who provoked action from people. He was supposed to be in disguise, but the journey and then the whole thing with his turtle had kind of disrupted that. How to spin this… "Why don't you see how you are when you have to face off against a hundred angry sects by yourself, hmm?"

"It would never happen," Anton countered. "Because I have friends." Anton could see he was getting under the man's skin. In a way, he had the advantage from having met him before, but not the other way around. And much less refined stages of Everheart as well. "I have taken upon myself the task of protecting Ceretos from dangers. That could include you or those after you. So, explain your intentions."

The distance between the two closed in an instant. Everheart's hand was on the bow immediately, making the forming arrow of energy pointless. But instead of wrestling it away, he paused. Everheart told himself it had nothing to do with the several dozen additional bows that had appeared around him at every angle, but he did have to give them a slight consideration. Ugh, he hated revealing anything. "I'm not comfortable explaining with weapons drawn."

"And I'm not comfortable speaking with you hiding your own. So let's get started with the talking before I have to kill you."

"Even if you could," Everheart drew out the word. "Which you can't. I'd drag you down to hell with me."

"I might as well go doing something worthwhile." Anton's energy sharpened, twisting in strange patterns. "I imagine you're subject to the same restrictions on ascended individuals as everyone else."

"You punk! That's my own technique, you think you can use it against me?"

"You think I can't?" Anton asked. Normally, he didn't draw upon energies until he needed them, but he found there was something particularly effective about one sort. He should at least be able to greatly injure Everheart with the Spectral Energy. "I'm quite prepared to die. Whether I go with you or you with me matters not."

Everheart whistled as he saw a shimmering image behind Anton, a genuine enthusiasm creeping into his voice. "Oh damn, is that Fleeting Youth? How is it? It's good, right?" He almost wanted to reach out to touch the energy, but he had the feeling his old bones would disintegrate if he did so. "That explains why someone like you is here. You can't ascend. So what did you do instead?"

"We call it assimilation," Anton said. The name was minimal information… and the rest was a reminder he was not alone.

"There are more like you?" Everheart said. "Now I have to know." If he was correct, this Anton should only have recently left Life Transformation. In that case… his fingers tightened around the bow, snapping the shaft. It hadn't been a bluff that he knew how to deal with anti-ascension techniques… but neither was it entirely truthful. Dozens of arrows streaked through the air towards him at the same time, blocking him from chasing after the retreating archer.

This wouldn't be good for his internal injuries, but his curiosity was too much. He did slam a totem carved with complex formations down between them as he dodged the beginning of the hail of arrows. It drew in the spectral arrows that he really didn't want to have to deal with. Then he began to toss formation flags in all directions, while with another hand he twirled a staff around himself to deflect the incoming arrows. They came from pretty much every conceivable direction, but Everheart had fought more than this many archers at once.

Normally they stopped shooting though. Wasn't this the maximum burst Anton could sustain? He would tire himself out in a mere few minutes. All Everheart had to do was wait. And maybe he would have, if it wasn't getting hotter. Some arrows were made of fire, others moved unbearably fast. Sealing off the island wouldn't do much good if the archer didn't try to run and didn't need reinforcements. Everheart now recognized what his eyes really looked like. He'd seen stars, and those eyes weren't just representative of it.

How long had it been since he'd fought just one person? There was a significant difference between teamwork and a single individual probing for weaknesses. It seemed the man had already picked out he was a bit slow at maneuvering this staff towards his spine. Everheart twirled his body to make sure he didn't leave anything in place.

Unfortunately Everheart didn't have time to swap weapons, and he had to keep the totem between himself and the archer to catch the spectral energy. Even if they tried to go around, it was more than capable of pulling them in.

Maybe he should pull out the armor of the Dragon Prince, or the Chains of Harmony. The latter was from this world, so they should be effective even if he'd have to mix upper and lower energy. Then he remembered he'd taken the Midnight Mirror from that arrogant Void Scrying Sect. He pulled it out with one hand, pouring his power into it. All of the energy around him winked out and gave him a moment to breathe. He could swap for a spear, and use the mirror as a shield. But it would be hard to capture such an opponent.

Everheart hadn't noticed when, but Anton had pulled out another few bows. And physical arrows. He recognized the material for one of the arrowheads. Void ant chitin. Wasn't it a foul to use something he'd left for the good of the planet against him? Sure, it wasn't directly for the benefit of the people left behind, but anything that helped combat the invasion was good for them! Look at how things were, they had not only avoided being wiped out but were actually quite prosperous, from what he sensed from afar.

The spear stabbed next to Anton's torso repeatedly, but he twisted and turned and parried with his bow. The island they were nominally fighting on was being pulverized beneath them, sinking back into the sea. Anton knew he couldn't beat Everheart in a fair fight, but as it went on the man's injuries were more clear- and while it was not as much as Anton expected, he was certainly restricted in his use of energy for being in the lower realms. If nothing else, he could greatly worsen those injuries.

Just around the time that Anton was at his limits and ready to use Candle Wax, another man appeared. Anton wasn't sure how he got through the barrier around the island, and the way he resembled Everheart made him cautious… but the man wasn't on a trajectory towards him.

"Hey." A hand clasped Everheart's shoulder. "You're back."

Everheart turned. "Oh. Hello." He saw a face with large enough bags under his eyes to fill a palace. Sallow skin and a crazed look. "Could you hold on a moment? I'm kind of in a fight." The figure grinned, then sunk it's hand into his body. "Dammit! Not again! How do they keep figuring this out!?" Before he passed out, Everheart comforted himself. "Oh right, it's because I'm a genius."

Then the flood of memories hit him, centuries just from this projection that was tied to the moon. That wouldn't have been so bad if there weren't dozens of arrows flying for him. The first one went right through his spleen.

When Everheart awoke, he was surprised. Sure, he always lived, but usually he had a reason for it. At least two thirds of the time he'd made a plan that would ensure it. This time, he'd fully taken himself out. He felt his side. His spleen was still out for the count, and the way it hurt when he moved his arm revealed the holes throughout. But they were precision. Something he could recover from, perhaps. If he could reach his medicine. Which he couldn't because his bag was quite a distance away and his arms were bound with the Chains of Harmony. He began to wiggle out of them but then felt the eyes on him. "Oh, good morning. Good to see you again."

"Listen," Anton said. "We may have gotten off on the wrong foot. While it's true that the entire galaxy would agree you're an asshole, and maybe half of it actually wants to kill you, I'm not part of the latter group. Unless I need to. So I would like to talk."

"I'm going to be honest," Everheart rolled himself to a sitting position. "I don't think anyone's ever meant that in the last few centuries."

"Well, I mean it. Because there are things I want to know. Like why you came back here. Let's start with that, and if anyone's after you. And I'm going to point out I could tell you were injured before our whole scuffle."

"Nobody should be coming after me, at the moment. As long as nobody noticed… this whole thing." Everheart shrugged, "I'm honestly here for peaceful reasons."

"And what about Paradise?" Anton asked.

"What about Paradise?" Everheart asked honestly. "Where is that? The little island we destroyed? I thought we didn't care about that."

"The turtle."

"Oh! My pet turtle. We just got into a little disagreement. Nothing serious."

Anton was crouched some distance away, but kept close to eye level. "I'm going to say this now… Paradise isn't anyone's anything now."

"Are you sure?" Everheart asked. "What about that woman and little settlement on his back?"

"They're just companions," Anton said.

"... Weird." Why would they live on something they couldn't control? It didn't make any sense. "Anyway, I don't intend to cause further ruckus here. Honest."

"I believe you," Anton said. "Which is probably a mistake, given we know a good deal of your history here. But let me ask something else. Why did you make your Tombs?"

"Because it was fun," Everheart shrugged. "I love to mess with people."

"Obviously," Anton agreed. "But I'm surprised. There wasn't anything more than that?" It seemed like it would be simply for him to claim some sort of loftier objective, like Anton surmised. At least in part.

"What else would there be?"

"Tempering the next generation," Anton said.

"Well, sure," Everheart shrugged, "As much as all adversity. Seems you know something about it."

"Your Tombs were less lethal than they could have been."

"Well, yeah," Everheart said. "All of my actual enemies I tried to trash as thoroughly as possible before I left. Everyone else? Who cares."

"I was on the moon," Anton said. "One of your projections and I even had a fairly explicit conversation about the invasion. You were clearly concerned about it. Why?"

"Because this is my home!" Everheart said with more passion than intended. It was his home, and he'd certainly held onto that strongly for a while, but that had faded over the centuries he was away. So why? Oh right. The memories that were currently splitting apart his head. And this Anton was in… several of them. "Huh. We talked a few times already."

"How do you know that?" Anton asked suspiciously.

"Well, I chose to recover the memories of my projections."

"Ah," Anton said. "So that was what that one was. Forcing memories onto you."

Tch. If he wasn't so thrown off by all the memories and his injuries he would be much better at deception. "It's not really like that. I was just expecting it at a different moment."

"I absolutely believe you," Anton said in a way that Everheart couldn't have believed was sincere even if he was four years old. "Now then, we need to talk about how we're going to keep Ceretos safe."

Chapter 468

All of the various stories and legends about Everheart painted him in a terrible light, as if he were the worst person to ever exist. While Anton wasn't entirely prepared to rule that out, he understood that many of those stories were, if not exaggerated, at least skewed from the perspective of those involved. It was quite certain that he had caused great amounts of damage to many groups, but the thing was… maybe they kind of deserved it.

Not that Anton was going to support Everheart's actions as a whole. The thing was, from what Anton had seen the man did have a few redeeming qualities, and even he deserved a chance to live. The largest moment of temptation to end him and his troubles had already passed, after he woke up.

Perhaps Anton would end up another one of those fooled by the man and would inevitably end up cursing his name, but he felt they had a connection, if only through legacy. And more importantly, he had something he wanted from Everheart. He was still a powerful cultivator, even injured, and for what Anton really wanted he would have time to recover.

"Before we move on to other topics," Anton asked. "How did you get here? The tides of the world should not allow it."

Everheart shook his head. "That's because you have a limited perspective on the issue. You dealt with those invaders just recently, right? You think they all traveled through the void of space unaided? Of course not. They came on ships."

"I didn't sense any," Anton said. "And we could feel them from far distant."

"That's because they couldn't function in the system," Everheart pointed out. "Or even properly throughout most of the lower realms. They run on upper energy, so they kind of shut down here. Same with cultivators."

"You seem to be fine," Anton pointed out.

Everheart shrugged, "I'm native to the lower realms. That changes things. I can supplement my energy with natural energy without having to learn it for the first time. It's hard, for people spending a century or three functioning only on upper energy to adjust. Why do you think the Exalted Quadrant has people here? If they just cared about the resources they could harvest them every few centuries and be done with it."

Anton frowned, "Are you saying that the cultivators here are being raised to function in invasions of other lower realm worlds?"

"Eh, maybe. More like being mobilized wherever they need them. And I'm of the opinion that proper ascension makes you a more well rounded cultivator."

"My companions in the upper realms indicated something similar, though they had no way to confirm it."

"You have contact with the upper realms? How?" Suddenly Everheart's face twitched, "Oh those punks! I can't believe that stupid projections let them poke around so much. Though I have to admit that formation girl… Catarina. She's a smart one." Everheart pursed his lips, "Which is exactly why I shouldn't have taught her anything."

"A little late for that," Anton said. "Pretty sure you've taught half of the formation knowledge everyone on Ceretos has, if indirectly. Which I supposed makes many places much less secure suddenly."

Everheart waved his hand, "Oh relax. You think I'm going to rob petty goods from this world?" He grinned, "Only if someone specifically pisses me off. I don't need the crap you have here. Speaking of which… you seem pretty upset about that bow."

Anton hadn't said anything of the sort, but he had to admit it was hard not to look at the bow. "A friend helped me make it."

"Yeah?" Everheart's face softened slightly. "They dead?" Blunt, but slightly sympathetic.

"No."

"Then get over it!" Everheart pulled out a bow and tossed it to Anton. "Here, a good one. If we're going to be working together you need to be effective."

Anton held the bow in his hand. It was of a relatively simple design, though with tracery glowing a dull orange. Anton imagined they were practical enchantments, but it certainly counteracted the simple shape. The bow also felt warm in his hands… or rather, it was akin to the fires of a forge and Anton was simply highly tolerant to such things. "What is it?" he asked.

"That's made from a worldheart, strung with soulstrands of a dying world."

Anton tossed it back. "I would rather not wield a weapon that sounds so unethical."

"Why not?" Everheart said. "I didn't make it, and you didn't make it. But someone did, and it would be a shame for someone to destroy a world and never see that used."

"... were there people on that world?"

"Oh yeah," Everheart said, "Loads. You don't get soulstrands from breaking apart a big hunk of rock."

"You seem to know a lot about this bow," Anton challenged.

"I told you, I didn't make it. I have some morals, you know. I decided it would be most appropriate that the guy who made it never got to use it. So I snatched it." A slight smile drifted onto Everheart's face. "Got a wife too."

"Would destroying it free the souls?"

"There's no consciousness in there, if that's what you're asking. Either that, or there's nothing that can be done about it. It's either a combined mush of soulstrands, or individual floating specks. Anything that can feed into the cycle of reincarnation has done so."

"I'm not sure I accept your explanation. It could be cursed, meant to destroy me."

"Good instincts," Everheart said. "Trust no one."

"I trust many people," Anton said. "Just not you."

"Really?" Everheart said. "Huh. I'm surprised."

"Why? You're pretty well known for being untrustworthy."

"Oh, definitely," he nodded. "I meant the other thing. You look like you should have become fed up with the world by now."

"Sorry to tell you, but I have many loyal companions who I trust with anything."

"Sure," Everheart said, "Until you have a treasure they want, and they stab you in the back for it."

"Why would they have to do that?" Anton said. "I could just give it to them."

"... you're crazy," Everheart shook his head.

Anton did not trust Everheart, but he had to keep reminding himself of that because when he felt like it the man could be quite charming. Sure, it was rare… but Anton could see how many people would be fooled.

Telling people that Everheart had returned to Ceretos was going to be difficult. At least everyone who personally remembered him was already dead- or ascended. Hopefully any clans or sects with ancient grudges could be convinced to act rationally… if they had to be told. Because Anton certainly wasn't going to spread the word far and wide.

If it reached the Exalted Archipelago, Anton didn't see a good fate for the world. But without Everheart, he was dubious about surviving the next invasion. The Trigold Cluster could probably send thousands of Life Transformation or Ascension cultivators if they wanted to, and a lower realm successfully repelling them seemed like the perfect excuse to react that way. Them hearing of Everheart might also provoke that reaction, but even in that case having him around seemed like it would be a good thing. If he could trust him to stay and fight.

And if he didn't, at least they could get him to help enlighten the population. The man was a genius in many fields, a master of techniques and styles and formations. Or whatever the proper title for him would be related to formations. Grandmaster. Grandgrandmaster. Super-ultra-grandmaster. Everheart would probably like that last one. The man had an ego.

… Anton was going to keep his name as secret as possible. He was also going to ask Everheart about allies in the upper realms, because he had to have some. He was famous for acting alone, but there was no way that was fully true. At the very least, he had to have some leverage over people to control them. Anton would be cautious about asking for anything like that, but if he had to to keep Ceretos around, he might stir up some trouble.

On the world that no longer had more than memories of Everheart, much was being learned. The Library no longer had the vast majority of Everheart's collection- though it seemed some things had been left behind. It was uncertain if that was by intention or accident. Connected to the formation node deep within, however, was another library. The revealed section was relatively small in scope, and almost certainly unaccessed by Everheart. There were a few techniques and the like, but half of the volumes were history, especially related to the planet itself.

It had a name- maybe one that some people still remembered, but most would only know it as Everheart's Tomb. Before that, it had been known as Xankeshan. Some portion called themselves the Xankeshan Guardians- it was unclear if that was just a subset of the world spanning sect, but they styled themselves to be a righteous sect. They had a long history… but it had ended with involving themselves in a war between the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Quadrant. There was enough detail to presume this had something to do with the Bloodsoaked Nebula's name, but with a minimum of five centuries having passed, the time the members of the Order had been in the upper realms wasn't enough to delve into that part of history. And Vari didn't believe in the veracity of anything the Harmonious Citadel had told her.

After the formations had been activated, the main dangers remaining were in the Gardens, though even there all of their group was attuned to be able to draw upon the power of the area. At the moment, their main interest was stabilizing the place and making sure it wasn't going to suddenly stop working.

Catarina had started with repairing some of the attacking formations, and while there was still much work to go she was more confident in fighting off someone like Fajra if she returned- and potentially more. The rest of them were sent off to various locations to report the condition back to her.

With everyone forced off of the planet, there were ten thousand different rumors- and the Radiant Beauty Sect made no effort to contribute their somewhat more authoritative view on what happened. At least, from what information came through the Dark Ring.

Their group was still allied with the Dark Ring in various ways. Hoyt was at least an accessory member, and Matousek was more strongly tied to them. They wanted to keep that connection, but they weren't willing to let anyone onto Xankeshan for the moment. If it was able to sustain its position, having a defensive location such as that was perhaps the foothold they needed in the upper realms. They would still need more people, of course. Even if every single cultivator from Ceretos that ascended joined them- which they didn't necessarily want- they would only be a small faction. But with a safe place to go back to, even one that was in a well-known location, they had many more options. The Dark Ring had provided some safety, but they operated in the shadows. The Harmonious Citadel would be quite interested in taking them down if they could find them consistently.

That was assuming Xankeshan was secure… and didn't draw more trouble than it was worth. Its deeper formations had been defunct since well before Everheart set up, and he must have noticed them, building directly atop the nodes. Yet even he hadn't been able to control them without the formation plate… found on Ceretos. How and why it ended up there wasn't known, and the records hadn't provided any indication of that so far.

With all of that they had plenty to keep them occupied, but there were also complaints from Anton. Apparently, the whole incident had sent Everheart running back to Ceretos. Nobody was surprised he wasn't dead, nor that he had been secretly recovering somewhere on the planet. But if things had gone slightly differently, perhaps Everheart would be in control and they would be dead. Yet if they had refused to make big moves, they could spend centuries to just make a small step in establishing themselves, and while they might have one century, more than that wouldn't give them an opportunity to affect the next invasion of Ceretos.

Chapter 469

On some level, Nicodemo wished Anton was present on Rutera right now. On another, he was glad Anton and the others had returned to their home planet. Rutera could certainly benefit from the combat prowess of the cultivators from Ceretos, but that was not the best way to maintain a strong, independent Rutera.

Trusting the motives of six individuals he knew for a year was already difficult. A reasonable facade could be maintained for such a time. And even they had admitted that not all of Ceretos would share their same… helpfulness.

But damn if Nicodemo couldn't use that old archer to shoot down some ships right now. Anton was a thinking, mobile artillery station. Nicodemo didn't care if he drew power from their star if he could take out a few enemy ships. But General Nicodemo wasn't the only one making decisions. He had all of the war council to appease, as well as the president and other influential figures.

At least nobody was saying they should try to talk things out. The Azothian invaders hadn't exchanged a single word, nor remained still long enough for Rutera to make the attempt to communicate. And realistically, they couldn't afford to not immediately shoot the enemy ships out of the sky.

But here Nicodemo was, grounded. An arrow thunked into a target a hundred meters away. It wasn't a bullseye, but he was getting more used to archery. He had to admit the strain of drawing an arrow was much more cathartic than shooting a gun. In an actual combat situation he would opt for the latter- he wasn't skilled enough to use a bow in actual combat. But he was also never supposed to be in actual combat.

If he needed to give commands to the fleet, he could do so from any full communications station. Around the planet there wasn't even a concern about speed of light delay, and aside from a few scouting ships Rutera hadn't gotten much further than their immediate surroundings. It was difficult, commanding an army with no first-hand combat experience. Yet he didn't think anyone else was more qualified either.

After the initial attack training from the cultivators had opened up more options, but the skills were still being explored. They were effective man-to-man, but nobody was strong enough to do anything in ship combat. Though previously the very thought of it was preposterous, so it wasn't a terrible concern.

Upon exhausting his stores of natural energy, Nicodemo returned to his room to review recordings of battle. Rutera had achieved some success, and while the initial probing attack had taught them something about the invaders from Azoth, the enemy hadn't probed their defenses from nothing.

Nicodemo watched the video of a station and fighters against a small fleet of enemy ships- most were smaller than the first ones they had seen, but all shared a similar rotationally symmetric multi-sail design. He saw beam weaponry striking the smaller ships and eventually breaking through their defenses- but it took concerted effort. The larger ships, meanwhile, almost seemed to ignore their attacks. After the initial attack he had thought that simply diversifying their weapons would be sufficient, but that wasn't the case. When the enemy next showed up, their barriers resisted everything Rutera had already thrown at them- and they quickly adapted to anything new.

It wasn't perfect, though. Nicodemo watched swarming fighters rake a target with beams and pepper it with conventional ammunition. The latter wasn't something they preferred to use in space, but it was necessary. The enemy quickly adapted to a few different types of attacks at once… but the baseline against their weapons wasn't as good. Nothing would ever beat the initial volleys, but as far as anyone could tell the more permanent adaptation was a far cry from being invincible. But half invincible was still a problem.

They could of course specifically adapt to even things they'd experience previously, making them nearly ineffective- but that still counted against the small number of things they could attune to at once. If there were more types of consistent attacks they either didn't adapt or all forms of defense were weaker. Changing up the frequency of their beams and lasers helped very slightly, but Nicodemo was really waiting for the next wave of refitted ships. Even outdated technology that was half effective was still better than the most modern weapons that were completely resisted.

Nicodemo frowned at the recording. He wasn't sure what he wanted to find. Maybe some type of weaponry that the enemy was more vulnerable to, though he and others had already gone over their recordings dozens of times by now. He knew every kill shot by heart- there were unfortunately few of those, but it seemed the Azoth forces were limited, and incapable of completely overwhelming them. The planetary shields were an important part of that. Damned expensive to run, but they had to be kept semi-active so they could be switched on at a moment's notice.

Nicodemo really hoped the enemy's ships were monumentally costly. They had to be… or they were just toying with Rutera. Then Nicodemo saw something. One of their fighters took out an enemy ship, all on its own. Sure, it was one of the enemy's smallest ships… but why hadn't it been recorded? Ah, that was it. Technically, it wasn't an enemy casualty. At least, not a kill. Instead, the ship limped away with three sails, skirting past some of its larger cousins as the fighter focused on other active targets.

He reversed the recording, watching it again. Yes, there it was. Conventional ammunition splattering harmlessly against the ship's barriers. It adapted, yet the same fighter came back for another round and… neatly sliced off its sail. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. It kind of hacked it apart, but it still broke through the barrier. Then he saw that the sail wasn't completely dislocated until the fighter clipped it with a wing.

… What was this, a freaking rookie? There was no way anyone should get that close to an enemy ship, especially in space. There was plenty of room to maneuver even in the most packed fight.

He took some time to look up who was flying that fighter and found that it was a rookie. One Ty Quigley, fresh out of flight school. If they didn't need every pilot they could get, a kid like that would never have participated in a combat mission. Nothing stood out about the kid. Good enough to get into flight school, good enough to pass. Not marginal, not exceptional. The only thing on his record that was notable was the 'special training' listed.

One of those from Ceretos. Elder Intan. Wasn't that the guy from, what was it called again? Million Sword Vault, that was it. Nicodemo had seen Anton shoot into space with his bow, and he'd seen some of those individuals with swords chop apart enemy attacks- which was complete nonsense- so he respected their ability for that. But what would training with a sword fanatic do for a fighter pilot shooting conventional ammunition? Maybe it was a coincidence. Either way, he was considering chewing the kid out for nearly taking off his own wing. They might not be necessary in space, but they were required for atmospheric flight and if he impacted something both he and an expensive piece of equipment would be done for.

Curious, Nicodemo sent off a message to Anton. Maybe it was inappropriate to ignore proper communication channels, but hey, he was kind of the guy's apprentice. Or whatever. Either way, Anton had left a weird communication device with him. "Think any of those sword guys could cut a space ship in half? How practical is that?"

An idle question, one he didn't expect a response to. And he wouldn't get one for a while, because even with FTL comms, there was some delay between neighboring systems.

"Ayotunde or Intan? Not sure. But I do know two who definitely could, if they were around. Mostly requires getting to the ship."

Nicodemo imagined himself standing in space, a sword at his side. A ship would charge towards him, and he would draw it- severing the thing clean in two. Pfft. Ridiculous.

… he needed to train harder.

Wood split evenly from top to bottom and bottom to top. Direction was inconsequential and perhaps not even relevant. The sword swinging in one direction was not limited to cutting in the same. From prow to stern, evenly bisecting the masts, the ship split. Into quarters- for from the side another slash occurred simultaneously.

In what would have been a cosmic coincidence were it not a regular occurrence, Chikere watched the goods in the hold of the ship fall into the atmosphere. They would be fine- it was someone's job to catch those. Not hers, though. Nor Rahayu. Their job was to deal with the people, all of whom were lucky enough to not have been standing on either of the dividing lines.

Immediately, the guards were rushing into position. Then they let go of their weapons, finding at least one sword prodding their individual vitals, and sometimes more. The captain of the ship called out his surrender- cultivators could speak in the void of space by vibrating their energy properly. "Just don't hurt us! We're only traders!"

"And we're just bandits," Rahayu shrugged.

They quickly subdued everyone, and of course secured their weapons. "Seriously?" Chikere sighed. "These swords are all garbage!"

"I agree," Rahayu said. "I can't believe these are getting delivered to the Sword Saint. Maybe in those crates down there."

The ship that had moments before been one of the flagship vessels of Enterprise Starfield Shipping was now loosely fluttering towards the atmosphere below. The structure of the ship wasn't worth much, but some components were. Skyships needed special formations and crystals to fly, and space ships even more so. Traveling between systems wasn't cheap or easy.

Keeping the vessel intact would have been worth the most… if anyone had been inclined to have more vessels or attempt a sale. Individual parts were easier to transport.

"Please don't kill us!" the captain repeated. "We can pay you!"

Chikere shoved a gag in his mouth. "You can't pay us, but someone else can. Don't worry, you'll be properly ransomed." Unless they were used for an ambush, or a reverse ambush or whatever. The Harmonious Citadel was really trying to crack down on them hard. But at the moment, they were hopping between locations with some regularity. None of the actual saints were coming for them, but there were a couple annoyingly strong archers and spearmen and stuff. Nobody worth fighting though. If they sent some swordsmen… well, maybe there was a reason they weren't doing that.

Looking through the swords down below, there were a few that might be able to replace something. Number fifty, sixty-three, maybe one hundred and seventy-two- but really, the last one was a backup anyway. They were better used as bait or handed to one of the more deserving members of their gang.

"Oh, did you hear?" Chikere said to Rahayu. "Some of my friends took over an entire planet."

"So?" Rahayu shrugged, gesturing around them. "There are lots of planets."

"It's one of the good ones, though," Chikere said. "Used to be Everheart's Tomb."

"That guy? Remind me to go stab him later."

"Uh, sorry," Chikere shook her head. "Apparently he was there, recovering from wounds or whatever, but now he's retreated to the lower realms or something."

"Ah, whatever," Rahayu shrugged. "Think they'll let us use it as a base? Is it safe?"

"Brimming with formations," Chikere said. "Kind of out of the way for our current work, though. I'll ask if they need any guests. We could trade with the Dark Ring, maybe."

"Maybe. Hear anything from Ceretos?"

"Hmm, let's see. I remember them making contact with another system in the lower realms. Seemed like they were going to war or something?"

"Sounds great," Rahayu said. "Gotta keep sharp."

Chapter 470

Looking down at Ceretos, Matija knew she was lucky to have been on the ship that came to this system to check it out. She was still not fully clear on how personal power and leadership positions intertwined in Ceretos, but she supposed it was much like Rutera, except with political power and wealth leading to more of the same. Ceretos' people also just happened to have huge personal combat capability.

Even before they touched atmosphere, Matija knew that Anton had spotted them. She felt his energy tracking them, which was only natural when they came in over the Order of One Hundred Stars. In a way, Anton was their primary security system. Of course he was waiting when they landed.

Everyone was polite and formal with Anton. There was no way the others hadn't seen the video of the first attack by Azoth, and his involvement in it. But except for the crew that had been with her, none of them would get the proper experience of the first contact. It still seemed insane, to just find a guy standing outside their ship as they surveyed the sun.

Matija was also polite as she greeted Anton. Not because she was afraid of him- though it was hard to not be a little bit nervous as she grew ever more capable of sensing the energy he held- but because he deserved that respect for being a decent person.

She looked back at the ship, whose fuel stores would be replenished through unfamiliar methods. Not unknown or unexplained, exactly, but not something Rutera could replicate at the moment. Ceretos didn't exactly have any charging stations nor did they make use of the same sorts of things, but they could directly return power to their fuel rods. Even without technical explanations about how they worked.

Things like that were more or less the goal of missions like this- understanding the difference in thinking patterns between Ceretos and Rutera, and exchanging knowledge. As she'd begun to cultivate Matija came to understand the natural intuition and nearly unexplainable understanding cultivation could provide. Once she got how to do something, she just knew it, even if she couldn't explain the mechanics behind it besides using her natural energy to, for example, inject power into her datapad. She could even make it run faster and because of that she learned to help with overheating. Though none of that was relevant on large scales.

"So, anything exciting happening on Rutera?" Anton asked.

"There's the obvious, of course," Matija sighed. "The war. Official reports are on the way, and I really don't know much. Except we're not immediately losing, at least. We're studying the scrap of some of their ships, but they're definitely more formation based like your style rather than our sort of technology."

"We could send someone to assist," Anton said.

"I think there are formal requests involved for that," Matija shrugged. "You haven't heard anything?"

"Formations aren't my department," Anton said. "That's more my granddaughter."

"I'd like to meet her some day," Matija said.

"It's rather impossible at the moment," Anton shrugged. "She's in the upper realms."

"We've sent probes towards the upper realms," Matija said. "No manned vessels because it's more than a few systems away. Probably won't learn anything for years. We'll probably share information on what happens… eventually."

"The current rate of information exchange is acceptable," Anton said. "Though not preferable. But even I have some hesitation to share everything." Anton pulled out some books, "On that note, I read the previously provided books."

"Yeah, you mentioned that. Couldn't really have a conversation about it though. What did you think?"

"Hmm… radiation is an interesting topic," Anton began slowly. "Perhaps it is related to why cultivators inevitably age. We have some understanding of the practical effects of such things. For example, I was aware of different sorts of energy coming from the sun."

"I'm glad it didn't cook you alive," Matija said.

"Perhaps it would, if I were not connected to it. I'm fairly certain that I am… safer than I would otherwise be. Not quite immune, because cultivation can always harm its user if they are careless. As with anything of great power." Anton scratched his chin, "Your technical terms for the common forms of natural energy are quite extensive."

"Right," Matija nodded. "You generally refer to them more as elements… similar to an older understanding we've had."

"You can just say we're old fogies," Anton said. "I don't mind."

"I meant it, it's not really the same. Though I really wish you had better terms. Like, I have no idea what fire that doesn't burn people you don't want it to is. Are you shielding individuals from your energy?"

"That's not it," Anton said. "Look." Anton held out his hand, forming a ball of flame. "It's perfectly safe."

Matija could feel that, and it was weird to be able to. Even so, she was hesitant to reach towards it. It was warm, and when she actually reached inside hot. But not damaging. "It's weird," she said.

"My grandson-in-law can demonstrate better," Anton said.

"Let me guess, in the upper realms?"

"No, Anish is still here. You can visit the Fire and Ice Palace, or whatever they're calling it lately."

"I have so many questions," Matija nodded. "Like, does ice draw heat away from the surroundings? And then where does the heat go?"

"The answer is always going to be yes and no." Anton held out his hands. He formed two little orbs of ice. "Feel."

The area around one of them was cold. The other, only cold to the touch. "Wait, I thought the Hundred Stars only controlled Fire and Light?" Matija frowned. "Is this… a secret technique?"

"This," Anton said. "Is extremely elementary manipulation of elements. My cultivation technique does not have to have an affinity for something to make use of it. Just to do so quickly or efficiently. I understand how to do it, so I can. To some extent." Anton grinned, "It wouldn't be much good in a fight though."

"I don't fight much," Matija admitted. "Though uh… General Nicodemo invites me to spar sometimes."

"Oh?" Anton asked. "Does that bother you."

"I don't know. I'm not really any good at fighting. I just had a bit of a head start with cultivation. I feel like he'll surpass me soon and we'll probably never talk again. Though I guess having the general's number is probably useful for advancing my career."

"Number of… what?" Anton asked.

"Uh, his communicator," Matija said. "We don't do much point-to-point communication like you, but instead we have a network where you identify which thing you want to contact."

"Sounds insecure," Anton commented.

"There are ways to make it more secure. And there are separate military things." Matija smiled, "That guy carries a bow with him everywhere now, you know? Even when you're not around."

"Sounds like you're pretty familiar with… that guy."

"Eh," Matija shrugged. "It's hard to be formal when he's not, well, you. And not present. Like, Sect Head doesn't sound like an important title to me even though I know you're one of the most important people on this planet. And could probably take out our entire government on your own."

Anton pondered. "Your weapons are fairly decent," he said. "If you were prepared, I'm not sure if I could do that much."

"The fact that you had to seriously consider that question is what I mean," Matija said. "You didn't say it was ridiculous. And I bet you could surprise people, if you wanted to. It's a lot easier to mobilize yourself compared to… the entire military."

"That's true," Anton said. "A weakness that Rutera currently has, though not an issue if you don't let unfamiliar individuals near your planet. It is possible that someone from Azoth would try to land undetected, though."

"The subject already came up," Matija said. "We already had security scanners to begin with, and you cultivators light up sensors like… barely shielded power cores." Matija narrowed her eyes as she looked at Anton, "Except you. You're more like an extremely well shielded power core with a freaking star inside."

"That is effectively the case," Anton pointed out.

"I can't believe you connected to our star."

"Sorry," Anton said sincerely.

Matija laughed, "I don't know if anyone really understands. Most people don't believe it- the other scientists aren't good enough cultivators to get beyond the numbers."

"It's really only a small piece of a star," Anton pointed out.

"Could you blow up a planet?" After a couple seconds, Matija answered herself, "And you had to consider it again. So it's not that small."

"Do you want the answer?" Anton asked.

"...I guess."

"Only the really small ones. Or big asteroids," Anton said. "And it wouldn't be all at once. But I could dismantle one with enough time." Suddenly, his head swiveled around, and his eyes narrowed. "What is he doing here?"

"He who?" Matija frowned. She couldn't sense anyone in that direction, which really didn't say much except that they weren't right outside the building.

"I need to go." Anton disappeared from before her eyes, leaving behind only a gust of wind that Matija knew could have been a supersonic shockwave if he didn't cushion the world around him.

It had to be someone really important.

"I thought we agreed that you would stay… isolated," Anton frowned as he looked at Everheart.

"See anyone else around?" Everheart shrugged. He looked different, but Anton knew that was just a facade. "I'm isolated."

"Why are you in Graotan?"

"Why not? It's a nice place."

"I wasn't under the impression that you liked nice places."

"Then you're uninformed," Everheart smiled. "I do happen to like nature as much as anyone else. And these fields? I almost thought I was wandering past the hidden stores of a great sect. But people just eat this stuff, don't they? It's nice."

"We've developed a system to harmoniously enhance the land as well as the overall quantities of natural energy," Anton explained. "And I appreciate your approval. But you're not here for this. Just say it."

"... I heard you had scholars from Rutera visiting," Everheart said. "I want to meet them."

Anton closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His first instinct was to say no. His second instinct was also to say know. Thinking about it rationally, he should probably refuse. "Why?"

"Because they know things! I like to know things. And it could contribute to… planetary defense?"

"Could it?" Anton raised an eyebrow.

"It might!" Everheart shrugged, "Can't know until I learn it."

"... I should have killed you when you were unconscious," Anton said.

Everheart grinned widely, "Too late now!" Then his grin faded. "Oh crap." Everheart threw himself backwards as something tiny charged towards him. Instead of throwing together a barrier of energy, he pulled a boulder out of his bag and chucked it at the flying figure. That caused it to be slightly delayed at least.

"Please wait!" Anton called out, "We can talk about this."

The ant turned towards him. Her legs signed, "I thought you said you wanted to kill him?"

"That was… only half true," Anton explained. He hadn't realized the Great Queen latched on as he left the Order, but he should have expected it.

"Did you… just talk to a Void Ant?" Everheart said, peeking out from behind a tree some hundred meters different. "That's crazy!"

"Of course," Anton said. "They're quite intelligent once they've been alive for a while. You should know that. You left them to help fight the invaders, after all. They're on the same level as humans, even."

"That's the problem!" Everheart waved his arms. "What if they betray you?"

"What if you betray me?" Anton looked at Everheart.

"Well I- uh…" he clicked his tongue. "You got me there. So, is it just the one?"

"This is the Great Queen," Anton said, holding her aloft on his palm. "We worked together to develop a sign language to ease communication. There are a number of colonies throughout Brogora, and they work in harmony with the locals." He kept an eye on the Great Queen to see what she was saying. "Yes, it's him. I see." Anton nodded. "The Great Queen would like to thank you for saving the Void Ants from extermination. And she adds that if you attempt to blow up her new home she'll eat her way through your dantian."

"Wow, straight from compliments to threats," Everheart grinned. "I think I like her."

From the way the Great Queen turned away, Anton wasn't sure the feeling was mutual. But such was life.

"I can allow you to meet with the Ruterans," Anton said, "But… it must be in disguise."

"Done," Everheart said, gesturing to himself.

"I mean with a proper cover and… a little more subtlety."

"Hey! Most people can't detect me before I sense them, okay?" Everheart said. "I can conceal my enemy before anyone else notices. Except for psychos like you. How far can you sense things anyway?"

Anton raised both eyebrows, looking down his nose. No way was he going to reveal that information so easily.

"Tsk. Worth a try."

Killing Everheart was continuously shifting to outweigh the benefits Anton could think of. Yet he still felt deep down that he shouldn't. Hopefully it wasn't because of some sort of subtle manipulation.

Chapter 471

As much as he didn't trust Everheart, Anton had a greater distrust for the Exalted Archipelago as a whole. The actual actions of Everheart that had affected him had trended towards positive- and when the dangers of his Tombs were counted as training, Anton couldn't think of anything harmful Everheart had done to anyone living. Certainly, he was a terrible enemy to have and not the most pleasant of companions, but he was a single individual.

The Exalted Archipelago, meanwhile, had been around for generation after generation. Many cycles, though they would not say how many, as the Trigold Cluster's repeated invasions intentionally erased the history of the world's natives to keep them weakened. Though there was no evidence that they took active part in such activity, merely squatting upon their world was already too much. In fact, Anton might have preferred it if they had the guts to conquer everything, instead of being happy with their own portion of the world while the rest was allowed to be invaded and ravaged every cycle.

Anton understood that the ultimate decision makers were not present in Ceretos, but when the Trigold Cluster removed their restriction on interfering with the continents some of the sects pounced on that opportunity for personal gain instead of maintaining a status quo. What currently remained of the Exalted Archipelago was… tolerable. Some he might consider allies, some were neutral, and other factions were enemies until they could prove themselves otherwise. Anton continued his training in case his threats of violence should need to prove themselves again.

So far, nothing had come up after the incidents surrounding him reaching Assimilation, but cultivators weren't so quick as to manage everything in individual decades. Surely some were plotting. But overall, the Exalted Archipelago was… fine. Even if the Exalted Quadrant above them was festering garbage.

"Hey! Anton!" People ignoring his title and calling him directly by name never would have bothered Anton in the past, and it was likely because of the individual involved that it annoyed him… which was also definitely the reason it was being done. "I heard a fun story about you."

Anton turned his eyes to Everheart, helpfully disguised as someone much younger… and with a fuller head of hair. After previous complaints about roaming about freely Everheart had begun to stick close to Anton 'so you can see if I'm up to anything' which was perhaps worse than having him roam free. "What did you hear?" Anton asked.

"You wiped out a bunch of sects!" Everheart exclaimed. Explaining his presence wasn't easy, though Everheart did a good job of providing excuses for why such a powerful individual had not been previously noticed. At the moment, he was masquerading as an Assimilation cultivator- something that few individuals were qualified to disprove.

"I was involved with the war against the Twin Soul Sect, and those who welcomed them," Anton admitted. "Your formations also contributed to that greatly."

"Well, sure," Everheat said, inviting himself to sit next to Anton. "But I'm not talking about that little deal on the moon, or any of that other stuff. Let's face it, you only helped with that. I'm talking about wiping out those punks from the Exalted Archipelago. And don't say you were merely a part of that too. The way I heard it, everyone else was just for show."

Anton sighed, "I will admit that my growth in cultivation allowed me to have a more significant impact at that time."

"And it was your choice to go to war," Everheart nodded. "If you're going to do something stupid like fighting people head on, then even with power like yours bringing along other people as a backup is smart. Things like that almost make me wish I had friends."

"Almost, huh?" Anton asked.

"They're liabilities," Everheart explained. "They're just gonna get killed or used against you or betray you."

Even if Anton's Insight couldn't pick out anything particular in what Everheart said, he knew that Everheart's attitude had to be influenced by his previous life. He'd mentioned 'his woman' once or twice, and obliquely talked about some individuals that should have been friends. But they were no longer around for one reason or the other, and while Everheart's personality driving them off might have seemed like an easy explanation, Anton didn't think that was most likely. When he wanted to, the man could be downright decent.

"... you should be happier that you wiped out enemy sects, no matter how you accomplished it," Everheart said. "A timid attitude like yours will get you in trouble otherwise. Though it makes sense, I suppose. You're barely even two hundred! Can't believe you have a face like that already."

Anton's early cultivation career wasn't a secret, but he didn't like Everheart knowing things. Which was an issue, because Everheart clearly wanted to know everything. Some of it was curiosity, and some of it was for future blackmail. Or perhaps all of it was for the sake of both. "Well, that's how it turned out," Anton shrugged.

"We should see if we can do it again," Everheart said. "Grab a few old common folk and teach 'em to cultivate, see if they turn out like you."

"Most of them would die."

"So?" Everheart shrugged, "Bound to happen anyway."

"They would need proper motivation."

"So set up a dead family thing." Anton narrowed his eyes at Everheart. "Oh, I wouldn't kill them myself. Someone else would do it, obviously. But wait, if things go well then ultimately they'd eventually figure out my tangential involvement…" Everheart stroked his chin. "This is difficult. Sure, I could just wipe them out early, but then I wouldn't get to see all of their progress."

"Or," Anton said. "We could just find people who have run into trouble and help them out. I find there are many motivations for growing strong, and youth isn't necessary. Also, finding someone who actually doesn't cultivate at all…" Anton shook his head. "That's difficult."

"Fair point," Everheart said. "Can't believe you really tried to teach everyone. This is good stuff though," he gestured to some food pilfered from Anton's pantry. "If I had time to sit down, maybe I could have put together something like your long-term plan to empower the world."

"I can't believe nobody else did anything like this before," Anton frowned. "But it seems rare even in the upper realms."

"That's because people are inherently selfish," Everheart said.

"I'm significantly more wealthy and influential than I would have been if I tried to hoard resources all to myself," Anton pointed out.

"Well… that's because you're a mediocre wealth gatherer," Everheart said. "Though I must admit you've put the world in a much better state for any sort of resource snatching operation. It's a good thing you figured out that Assimilation gig or you'd run into the danger of a power imbalance taking you out."

"It still might," Anton said, unconcerned.

"Ugh, I can't believe you actually practiced Fleeting Youth. That was a stupid thought I had on the side."

"On that note," Anton drove the topic, "What do you know about reincarnation? Especially what the Twin Soul Sect was doing."

"Me? Oh, not much. That's all top secret crap," Everheart shrugged.

"... Why didn't anyone warn the upper realms of our development before the invasion?"

"Who knows?" Everheart looked away. "Maybe they were stupid. Or maybe someone trapped and annihilated their souls. Hey! Who said that?" Everheart's eyes dashed around, then he coughed. "Ugh, can't believe my stupid projections…" Everheart grumbled, but Anton knew the basic gist of it. He saw them shove their way into his head. Everheart might have become his own biggest enemy, though it was unclear if the mental damage was worse than that to his cultivation.

"Was that the one on the moon who got me out of that trap?"

Everheart laughed, "I hadn't thought my own technique would look like the Twin Soul Sect and their allies. And hey, I didn't have to get you out of there!" Everheart clapped his hand on the table, "Remember that you owe me your life!"

"In that case, we're more or less even," Anton said. "Though I didn't start the conflict with you, so you still owe me some." He wasn't going to push that, of course. If Everheart just stayed around to make things harder for the invaders and did nothing else, he would be satisfied. He wasn't sure if the man would actually stick around during the invasion, risking his own life. Maybe he could play up the potential wealth they would bring? They'd have to send people with better equipment than before, if they wanted to not get entirely annihilated. Ceretos had grown considerably.

"Even? After all the benefits you reaped from my Tombs?"

"I passed the challenges to get the rewards," Anton shrugged, "Unless there was something about those that was supposed to be a favor to people?" Anton still believed it was meant to build up the local inhabitants to be stronger- beyond just the moon thing explicitly calling out invaders. But Everheart didn't like to admit to doing anything 'helpful'.

"Yeah, whatever," Everheart crossed his arms in front of him. "Maybe I should have learned to channel stars like you. Imagine blowing up the star for an enemy's system!" Everheart laughed, "They'd never see it coming."

"That's not only excessive, but also would damage my own cultivation." Plus Anton doubted he could do that even if he wanted to. He didn't really control either star he was attuned to, just siphon a tiny fraction of its power.

"If you're not willing to rip out parts of your own cultivation to destroy a few planets, you'd never get anywhere in the upper realms!"

"Did a lot of planet destroying, did you?" Anton asked.

"Plenty," Everheart said. Anton was fairly certain it wasn't that much, though. Because even in the upper realms actually destroying a planet couldn't be something common. Besides the waste involved, it would also be excessively difficult. Though on the other hand, Anton did hold evidence of it occurring sometimes on his back. He did believe that Everheart wasn't actually involved with that one, though. He still wanted to replace the Grandfather Willow bow. Did Everheart think just throwing a powerful bow at him was a good apology? More likely, it was a trap, but Anton hadn't determined it to do anything besides function as an uncomfortably powerful bow.

On Xankeshan, the former location of Everheart's Tomb in the upper realms, the population was multiplying day by day. Which was to say, it had gone from five or seven to several hundreds. The Dark Ring and Chikere's group always had a ship or two full of people stopping by. Some took up more or less permanent residence, using it as a refuge as they tried to keep a low profile for whatever purpose.

People weren't allowed to just do whatever they wanted. Only those from the Order and Vari were attuned to the formations. The others were merely guests… and there were many jobs for them to take care of. Even with Xankeshan being a relatively small planet, there was no way for their group to manage everything about the planet. Even so, the thing easiest on a wide scale was setting up the ecosystems. Outside of the Gardens, plantlife was scarce. In the Gardens, it was generally hostile. Useful if they wanted the planet to be a deathtrap, less so if they wanted to live there. So with Hoyt's guidance, they began farming.

A Life Transformation cultivator or Integration cultivator could cover vast swaths of land on their own, though there were limitations due to not having suitable tools. A cultivator could use a standard iron hoe indefinitely if they properly protected it with energy, but it wasn't the same as having something custom made for greater jobs. On that note, scavenging the remnants of the Smithy was helpful. Most of the equipment and the great forge had been ripped away as Everheart fled the planet, but not everything. There were lesser forges that hadn't been brought along, and though none of the members of the Order present had the right smithing skills, they could hire out for that.

Hundreds of people still made the planet effectively bare, but trying to grow too fast would risk control of the planet slipping out of their hands- even if they retained control over the formations, if millions of others who did not care to listen to them were already inside the defensive barriers, it hardly mattered.

That was why they were trying to gather more they trusted from Ceretos, with the eventual idea to perhaps include others who ascended from the lower realms. Some people were from the Order, including Velvet who had yet to actually be present upon Xankeshan. She had ways to communicate with them, but the recent events had scared people away from the planet, at least for a few years. No doubt when they returned there would be conflicts to overcome, proving who was actually in control. Hopefully, they would be ready.

Chapter 472

Ultimately, asking Everheart to assist with formations upon Ceretos meant keying him on important information like the teleportation formations. "Why not key me in on this stuff earlier?" Everheart asked Anton. "I could have saved so much time walking."

Anton shook his head. "The point was to have you sit around for a few years so nobody would conflate your arrival with… well, your arrival. I'm not the only one who noticed a powerful individual suddenly reach our planet, and I don't just mean the Island Tenders."

"Well, I'm not infirm," Everheart said. "I can walk around and do light activities like formation work."

Most wouldn't consider formation work light activity unless they were really taking their time, though Anton supposed it didn't have to be done quickly. Though from what he saw, Everheart didn't take his time with anything. Except this teleportation formation.

"Hmm. This formation is specifically keyed to reach specific others?" Everheart asked. "How inefficient, though I suppose as a security measure…" he mumbled to himself, but any cultivator worth much of anything would still be able to understand him clearly. "No major flaws. Oh! Is this the work of that Catarina?"

"Among others, yes," Anton nodded.

"A smart one, that. Tricked me out of secret formation information. Or maybe I let her have it?" He frowned. "Hmm, obviously. Nobody could actually trick me." He clapped his hands together. "Well, let's go through!"

"Are you sure that's safe?" Anton asked. "It's not really meant for people with upper energy."

"It's fine, I've been converting back. And it shouldn't slow my recovery."

There was a certain minimum threshold of power required for a teleportation formation to work- and that was before taking into account the mass and personal energy of what was being transported. This is why there was a minimum number of individuals being transported at once, or a greater price for those in a rush, unable to wait. Travelers were always required to provide a portion of their energy- to reduce the effort of moving them if nothing else- but the requirements were harsher for small groups.

As the head of the Order Anton didn't have to personally pay for moving around through the teleportation formations. The Order still provided a nominal fee, but only enough to cover necessary costs.

Transporting just two cultivators would normally be quite expensive- because of the minimum energy required to power the formation. However, this time the two would be powering the formation with their own energy, no excess required to fill in for them.

As they powered the formation, the two old men kept careful track of each other's expenditure. Everheart was the sort to never trust anyone or lower his guard, and because of that Anton didn't trust him to ever be actually safe. Either way, both of them filled the formation, though the greater effort was providing the excess power to match what was required to move their remainder.

The world shifted, and then they arrived. Anton found it disconcerting mostly because his senses could not be spread out during transport- any excess energy outside the formation would simply be cut off. It took only a moment to return to his normal sensory distance, but it was still odd.

"I heard that the upper realms has more efficient teleportation formations…" Anton gave Everheart a side eye. "Know anything about that?"

"Well, I- of course I know all about that," Everheart couldn't admit to not knowing anything. And he liked to brag. "Had things set up all over my tomb. Unfortunately, it requires upper energy to function." There was more he wasn't saying, but Anton believed he was honest with what he had said. Maybe Everheart was that good of a liar, but if so Anton's frequent attempts to read him would eventually improve his own ability and he could catch him on something important. Though he wasn't sure what he would do about it. "Huh." Everheart looked at Anton. "It's always interesting to see that."

Presumably he was referring to the way Anton's energy was refilling. With a constant connection to a star, his rate of energy recovery was phenomenal. That part of him had improved more than anything else upon achieving Assimilation, though his maximum output was also significantly higher, allowing him to outpace the recovery rate by a significant margin if he needed to. At first he had restricted the flow around Everheart, but he eventually figured it out anyway.

Their current mission was to patrol around the edges of Brogora, so Everheart could create continent-wide defensive formations. He had to know the topography to achieve the best results, and that meant seeing things with his own eyes. Everheart wasn't going to be working on these things alone- not because Anton thought he couldn't achieve it, but because he didn't trust him anywhere close to as far as he could throw him. Everheart's ability to achieve what they needed and his actual willingness to do so- and without making it completely under his own control- were different things.

So he would be watched. Anton just hoped that the pieces of him that had been stuck on Ceretos for centuries liked the place and wanted to see it safe, instead of resenting it. Or at least didn't want all that work going to waste to have it inevitably destroyed less than two centuries hence, which might be close enough to caring about the world.

Everheart clicked his tongue, "Ugh, formations that use lower energy are so restrictive. There are so many things I can't do. Can I even set up a proper energy draining field? No wait… this is actually an advantage…" It wasn't clear to Anton if Everheart knew he was speaking aloud. Maybe he did, and didn't care- or maybe it was a deception. Anton hated having to think about that at every waking moment. But at least some of it was going to be his true thoughts. Everheart grinned. "I don't have to exclude anyone from a formation that only drains upper energy! That makes it a hundred times simpler! Yes, that should do it. As long as nobody notices before it hits critical capacity it can drain them dry."

Well, hopefully that thing worked as advertised. Anton would just have to make sure it wasn't ultimately affecting him or those like him.

Spikes was… strange. The other wolf always had thoughts that Fuzz didn't understand, but her method of using energy was weird. Right now, she was just sitting in place. She'd done that for the last week, but she wasn't doing nothing. Fuzz could feel the constant flow of energy, though he couldn't see any changes moment-to-moment. Over the course of a week, however, the wolf was sitting atop a small hill now.

Fuzz had half a mind to tell her that nobody was going to sit around for a week to have a hill grown over them, but he was pretty sure she already knew that. And also that she wasn't paying attention. He could walk right up to her and circle around her and she wouldn't even open her eyes. If she didn't seem safe and healthy he would try to drag her out of her thing, but this seemed like some sort of proper cultivation meditation thing. Everheart really had a lot of weird books in his collection, to even have things for beast cultivation. Fuzz wondered if he killed some great beast king for it. The other option was stealing from some clan that worked together with beast companions- Fuzz heard about those existing.

One week later, the hill Spikes was on was about twice as tall. The week after that, it doubled in height again. The week after that it was a mountain. Maybe a small mountain, but Fuzz wasn't going to belittle the effort that had gone into it. Fuzz imagined in a few more weeks the mountain would meet whatever standards Spikes had and she would be done. Except… the next week, the mountain was gone. It wasn't good enough, apparently. Or maybe Spikes wanted flat ground.

Ultimately, he had to conclude Spikes was indecisive. Because instead of making a new, better mountain she made a canyon. After a couple weeks Fuzz could barely even see her at the bottom of the canyon, and he was concerned about the bits of rock tumbling down from the sides. Though realistically none of it could hurt Spikes, he kept an eye out.

He also wondered if she was hungry. Usually she should have eaten a couple of those jungle elephants the Gardens here had. They were tough on the outside, but crunchy on the inside. And they had a lot of meat. Maybe he should go get her some? He didn't want it to go bad, but he could dry it or something. Humans had other preservation methods, but Fuzz knew how to do that one all on his own.

When Fuzz returned, everything was broken. The terrain was sticking up every which way, stone jutting wherever it pleased until it got too heavy to support its structure and collapsed. The field of stone was large enough that Fuzz couldn't even see Spikes from the edge, though he could still feel her energy, and her scent suffused the area. Picking his way through the toppled pillars of stone, Fuzz found his way closer to the center where Spikes was. He had to go around some things because the elephant wouldn't fit, but he got there soon enough.

Spikes still didn't react to him, even when he cooked tasty elephant in front of her. Fuzz was smart and already ate one out in the Garden so he wouldn't be tempted to chew on this one. It was going to be less tasty when dried out, but that was better than it going rotten. He left it in front of Spikes for whenever she woke up.

The next day he woke up to the ground trembling. An earthquake. He'd felt them before. When he was little he found them frightening, but as he grew older and bigger they didn't bother him so much. When they came naturally, he knew there could be damage to buildings and things like that, but he didn't care about those. Just the pack. When they weren't natural, however, they were the sign of a battle.

Fuzz didn't know who Spikes was fighting, but he sprinted from the temporary den he constructed nearby. There shouldn't be anything that could challenge them, but Spikes was actually one of the weakest. He could feel her energy, strong but not quite strong enough. Powerful, but flagging with fatigue.

Strangely, he couldn't find an opponent as the earthquakes grew in magnitude. Mountains of stone crashed around him as he charged towards her, some reaching sharp peaks while others were wide and hard to dodge. He was battered by stones in his haste, but he didn't care.

He felt Spikes atop a mountain, one that was growing rapidly- to the point that even as he began to climb it she was almost pulling away from him. Perhaps the mountain itself was the enemy? Some great beast of hidden power, dazing Spikes and now trying to swallow her up? Maybe Fuzz shouldn't have let his nose off her.

Yet when he reached the peak, he found Spikes sitting peacefully, certainly not being attacked or consumed. Then the earth trembled once more, in a final shiver… and he felt a pulse from within Spikes. A pulse of strength, like what Fuzz had. He crouched, ready to leap after her… but as the other pack members said, it wasn't really possible to ascend when people were in the upper realms already. As Spikes collapsed into the pile of elephant jerky, Fuzz felt the core of her power changing. She should be actually unconscious now, but she would recover soon. Until then, he would keep watch over her. And the jerky. Hopefully she didn't take long or there would be less waiting for her.

Chapter 473

Stopping to appreciate teleportation formations was almost a duty for Maxine, even though their actual construction had nothing to do with the originator of the technique. Well, it was nearly impossible to say if Everheart was the actual origin of anything, but certainly the one who was now most well known for it. The moon… alas, it had been so long. Since then, there had been no new Tombs.

There was one of course- which was extremely surprising. One Tomb in the entirety of the upper realms? Preposterous. But it did encompass an entire planet, so maybe it wasn't all that wild. But the Tombs themselves weren't the most important thing. What was more important was seeing any trace of Everheart, and his impact.

That was why she was visiting the Order. Though he was not a member of the Tomb Seeking Cult, Anton had been quite friendly to them in the past. His aid was critical in some important discoveries, and he was a practitioner of some of Everheart's arts. So it hardly mattered what his actual allegiance was. It wasn't like the Tomb Seeking Cult was organized or had real leadership anyway. Except maybe Agus, nowadays.

For the Sect Head of one of the most powerful sects in the world, having attained a new branch of cultivation unknown to previous generations, it was surprisingly easy to meet with him. Maybe nobody tried. Then again, maybe he was bombarded with requests and refused most of them. That showed he at least remembered Maxine a little. Or rather, that he cared. Cultivators usually didn't actually forget things.

His residence was… humble. That was probably the right word. Sturdy, definitely protected with formations and the like, but not overly large for one individual. The sitting room was the most important part, and it was very comfortable. When Maxine arrived, Anton was there… along with someone else. Perhaps he was busy, but she could at least properly make her request in person.

"Sect Head Anton," she inclined her head. "I was hoping to have the chance to discuss ascension with you."

"I don't mind doing so… but I can't say I will be of much help as I very specifically did not ascend," Anton replied.

"I understand, though that is actually why I sought you in particular. I am considering the benefits of Ascension and Assimilation, especially as it relates to my position within the realms." It was kind of awkward to not have said anything to Anton's guest. "Pardon me, I did not introduce myself. I am Maxine."

"This is Scholar Eulogius," Anton introduced his guest. Something about his attitude indicated to Maxine that he didn't like the man, which was odd. They didn't seem to be in an important meeting, and if it was not a diplomatic visit Anton could have easily dismissed anyone. So perhaps she misread the situation.

"I must admit, I have not heard of you… despite your prominent cultivation," Maxine inclined her head. "Are you from the Exalted Archipelago?"

"I spent some time there in the past," the man answered.

Maxine couldn't figure out his cultivation. Another Assimilation cultivator, perhaps? He felt… weird. But familiar. "Pardon me, sir. Do you practice any of Everheart's techniques?"

The man smiled, "In fact I do. More than a handful."

She didn't want to ignore Anton but… "In your time in the Exalted Archipelago, did you hear of Everheart leaving behind any Tombs there?"

"I believe there were some," Eulogius nodded, "Though it is my understanding they were systematically eradicated at great cost."

"Oh. I was afraid as much. We've been rather lacking in anything since the final tomb…" she turned back to Anton. "Speaking of which, you've been to the moon, right? I mean… after."

"I have," Anton nodded. Was he annoyed at her? She didn't take very long, and he had to know she was curious and couldn't help herself.

"Was there anything of note to study? If so, pursuing Assimilation might be a worthy goal. Otherwise, I plan to try to ascend so that I can study Everheart's Tomb in the upper realms."

"Ah," Anton frowned, "About that. Unfortunately, there has been significant change in the upper realms regarding that. It seems the features of the tomb… packed up and moved. The situation is still adapting so it's unclear exactly what became of it."

"What?" Maxine was surprised. "But wasn't it… like, a planet? Is the planet gone?"

"The planet remains."

"There has to be something left behind then. What about the moon?"

"Few remnants," Anton admitted. "They followed the traditional life cycle of elements preserved by hedging against their future. I don't believe there's much to see."

"Ah. I don't suppose you've heard anything about other Tombs in the upper realms?" Maxine asked.

"I'm afraid not. As far as I know, there was only the one."

"Actually…" Scholar Eulogius cleared his throat. "There are several others of varying sizes, though I was- it seems that Everheart was occupied with other things much of the time." The man grinned, "In fact, I know there's a rather interesting one that nobody's ever discovered."

"Wow, really? Wait but, if nobody ever discovered how would you know?"

"Nobody but myself, I mean."

"Oh, okay," Maxine nodded. "Could you tell me where it is? Wait- have you been to the upper realms?!"

"Well I- I didn't mean personally. I have contacts in the upper realms who told me about it." For some reason, the man was looking at Anton, as if they were sharing secret information. Maxine wanted to know it, but maybe she shouldn't know.

Then again, forbidden knowledge was for chumps. "Can you tell me where it is? Maybe I can ascend nearby somehow."

"That's not how it works," Anton said.

"Well…" Scholar Eulogius stroked his chin. "There are some techniques you can use to potentially target your arrival location."

"Did Everheart come up with one of those?" Maxine asked.

"Yes, actually," Eulogius nodded, "The best one, in my humble opinion. It requires some knowledge of celestial orbits and the tides of the worlds but I have that information as well. Here, let me see." He reached his hand into his storage bag. It took a strangely long time for him to withdraw it- maybe it was one of the bags that didn't bring what you wanted to you? Though it seemed odd for such a powerful senior to not have such things. Several seconds to retrieve something in battle was a lifetime. "Here they are," Everheart pulled out a huge bundle of scrolls and tomes. "Starcharts, and the technique manual of course."

Maxine took the pile of materials in her hands, setting most of them aside while she looked at the book itself. It wasn't particularly ornamented, but the handwriting was clear… and memorable. She almost sniffed it, but that sort of thing was embarrassing to do with others watching, even if it could tell her something about its age. The power flowing off of it was both familiar and unfamiliar. "Oh wow, is this the original? Everheart must have written this post-ascension! How did you even manage to get it here?" Her eyes landed on Anton. "Sorry, I do wish to discuss ascension still. This is just very exciting."

"Don't worry," Anton said. "I understand."

He said that, but he still looked kind of annoyed. It was a good thing he had an even temper, because some cultivators might just squash Maxine if she bothered them. Or they might try, anyway. She had ways to stay alive like any proper cultivator should.

"I'm going to rate your disguise as top notch," Anton said. "And your mannerisms as marginal. Unless you were trying to be found out. But I thought we both agreed that keeping your presence secret was best for everyone."

Everheart shrugged, still in his younger disguise as Scholar Eulogius, "I don't see the big deal. I left tons of stuff here before."

"You know too much about the upper realms."

"I'd say you know too much about the upper realms, having never been there."

"Knowledge of tombs that aren't public?" Anton raised an eyebrow. "Techniques you wrote post ascension? How would you explain that, huh?"

"Don't know," Everheart said. "She didn't ask."

"Surprisingly," Anton said. "She might still figure it out. I can't believe you did all that in front of Maxine."

"Whatever," Everheart said. "I don't recognize her sect though. It feels oddly familiar, but I just can't place it."

"It's the-" At this point Anton realized he'd already made several mistakes. He sighed, "The Tomb Seeking Cult."

"... So they dig up dead people?" Before Anton could come up with any sort of response, Everheart's eyes lit up. "Oh, wait. I have a cult?"

"I wouldn't say it's yours," Anton replied. "They're just fanatics of your work. I don't know if they actually like you."

"They shouldn't," Everheart said, grinning. "I wonder… say, Anton."

"What?" Anton asked, his expression flat.

"My tombs were pretty helpful for training, right? We've still got a couple full cultivator generations before the invasion. I'm sure people could make sure of more, right?"

"I suppose so," Anton admitted. "But we don't have the resources. Every sect already allocates their own things for training. If you wanted to work on some of those."

"Don't worry about that," Everheart said. "I've got a lot of crap in this bag. I could set up some nice Tombs."

"If it's anything like your last one, I don't think we'd want it. Fifty percent death rate?"

"Oh, no," Everheart shook his head. "That one wasn't for training. It was purely for profit and distraction. This will be just like the ones you remember, but a bit… more. Sure, a few people might die, but nobody's going to grow much without the threat of death! Ten percent, tops!"

That was still a pretty horrible death rate, though not that different from the worst of Everheart's other tombs. And people should know what they were getting into… "I need to know what you'll be doing."

"Ugh, fine. But no spoiling the surprises for anyone!"

"Fine."

With the continents having been scoured, the most logical place to put a Tomb would be somewhere out in the ocean. Thus, that wasn't what Everheart did. Instead, he tossed one in the Cragtooth Mountains between Facraona and Ofrurg. Down beneath the former location of the invader's base there. There was no way anyone should have missed it, and anyone passing through the area would doubtless notice it.

Anton was surprised at how quickly the man could throw something together. Yes, it took him months for one location, even with hundreds of projections working, but that was still… crazy. Anton wondered if the projections were combat capable. Most of the ones Anton had met should actually have been weaker than a Life Transformation cultivator by a good margin, except the one on the moon. Even that one should have mostly been relying on formations for what he did. Unfortunately, Anton had no way to know- but he would at least take into account the possibility that Everheart could fight in multiple bodies. Even if some were weaker, that could be a useful distraction.

After finishing a project, Everheart reabsorbed all of the projections. "Not this time, suckers! I'm onto you!" He didn't explain what that meant, but it didn't seem to be harmful to him. More importantly, Anton was surprised that he could work so fervently without slowing his own recovery. Perhaps it simply didn't count as strenuous activity… Everheart's wounds were mostly internal, tied to his deeper cultivation and not trivial physical injury.

Anton wished he could judge properly what Everheart was doing with his formations and tombs. He told Anton the details, and his training in formation was enough to believe him on the surface, but Everheart could be tricky. Then again, there wouldn't be anything immediately obviously going against what he said unless he wanted to clash with Anton again. Anton was pretty sure Everheart wouldn't do anything radical for at least a couple decades. Trusting him to follow through all the way until the invasion was laughable, but maybe Everheart did care about Ceretos, if not necessarily any of the individuals who lived there.

Chapter 474

Sleep only occupied a small portion of Anton's time. He didn't sleep all that much before becoming a cultivator, and significantly less now. He could sustain himself with occasional meditation, but he still set aside some time for actual sleep every once in a while.

Fluctuations from one of his communication devices woke him up. He actually kept relatively few direct contacts- Catarina in the upper realms, Lev, Matija, a few others, and of course Everheart. Sometimes Everheart's messages were meaningless wastes of time… but it was always worth checking them out at least.

"Something entered the system." That was the full message. Anton quickly whipped up a reply asking for details, but he didn't go find the man for a response. He couldn't constantly monitor the man himself, as he had things to do all around Ceretos. Setting up more Tombs or working on continental defensive formations or even his own personal projects which Anton hoped weren't going to lead to major problems later.

Anton's feet left the ground. Flying through the atmosphere under his own power was still not his preferred method of travel, but away from the planet there was nothing that could carry him… except a few experimental ships. However, they were unnecessary and would take too much time and effort to commandeer.

Once outside the atmosphere, Anton relished the way his senses expanded freely in all directions. From hundreds of kilometers in a single direction to the same all around him, and almost limitless if he reached out in a specific direction. At least… enough to get a vague sense of the moon. That distance was only relevant for large, stationary things… or anything radiating extreme power.

A response from Everheart. "No upper energy. Fast moving. Single individual or group. No further information available."

After hearing about the troubles between Rutera and Azoth, Everheart had set up some sort of formation around the system- very minimal, just tiny floating flags- but it could at least provide warnings like this.

If there were a ship from Azoth, Anton was prepared to begin with ascension energy, blasting right through its core. He wouldn't give them time to adapt to anything, though word from the Ruterans was that they had some permanent resistance to different things. There was likely a limit to that, though- and they might not know that Anton was from this system.

Or it could be someone else. Anton realized that perhaps he did not have to hurry so much. The system was large. Even the interplanetary vessels of the Ruterans took time to fly to the edge of the system, on the scale of hours and days.

Since he was already outside the atmosphere, Anton stretched his senses around the planet to pick up anything interesting, reaching down to feel certain points of interest. The Grandfather Willow, Paradise, and the Scorching Mirror Desert. The other Assimilation cultivators… and of course Everheart. He was standing in the middle of a formation, waiting patiently.

Several hours passed with nothing happening, then Anton felt something from inside him. Not affecting him, but rather that was his connection to the sun. The feeling only lasted a moment, but he had the sense that something had passed near the sun… in the grand scheme of things, of course. Stars were massive, so even being within a few thousand kilometers was almost skimming the surface. Twenty minutes later, he felt something approaching Ceretos.

He was barely able to track it as it moved through space, a tight ball of power moving at shocking speeds. If its trajectory had been slightly different, Anton was prepared to open fire with a volley of light arrows, the fastest attacks he could manage. At such a speed it shouldn't be able to dodge. But it wasn't aimed quite at Ceretos, and it wasn't slowing down. Then it suddenly turned, slipping around the backside of the planet and instantly changing direction, shooting towards the moon. As quickly as it entered his senses, it was gone.

Anton followed after it, following the trail it left. It was strange, how he hadn't quite been able to make out a shape. The only thing he was certain of was that it used natural energy and had a very distinctive feeling. Nothing like the ship from Azoth, though that wasn't necessarily comforting. He was quite certain they couldn't create something so different, so this should be a new group. Knowing if they were enemies was the first thing.

It took Anton nearly a week to follow the trail out of the system. After looping around Ceretos and its moon, it followed a path through the planets that brought it close to each of them, then ultimately back in the direction it came from. There was little else Anton learned except the strange feeling of the trail it left- a stretching, twisting, shrinking, and somehow heavy feeling.

It was clearly a scout of some sort. Likely a cultivator vessel, but something had kept the information he received limited. And it was very fast. Almost impossible so, but the speed it moved within the system was less than the speeds the Ruteran vessel managed between systems. More importantly, slower than the speed of light which was a limiting factor in ways that were not fully understood just yet. But going that fast just next to the atmosphere of a planet… that was something concerning, as well as the way it instantly changed directions.

Planetary pride was all well and good, but Nicodemo really would have been happy to have a few cultivators slicing apart enemy ships. Rutera was managing to hold on to its position, but it didn't have the manpower to launch a counterattack. Maybe once the researchers were done analyzing the enemy's defensive formations. They got some interesting boosts from a scholar on Ceretos who had great insight into formations. They also got a lot of condescending lecturing from the man, but it was still good information.

If the Ruterans could incorporate part of those defensive shields into their own technology- which they were already doing in experimental phases- then they would gain a significant step forward. Though Azoth had to have counters for their own techniques. So far they'd mainly used those beams, but they worked well enough they didn't really need to change offensive styles.

A few scouts had managed to report back from within Azoth, where it seemed that the people there had colonized more than just one of their planets despite only one being in a traditional habitable zone. Rutera could do that, but besides small science bases on their planets there wasn't really much point. Well, now they also had detection stations to try to pick up incoming enemy ships, but the point was that making them livable wasn't easy. For cultivators who could survive extreme variations without massive infrastructure, however, it made sense.

Rutera had picked out a few potential targets, but launching any attacks now would basically be a suicide mission. They didn't have the cloaking technology required to get close unnoticed, not on larger combat vessels, so even if they had the manpower it wouldn't be used efficiently. So at the moment it was a war of attrition and development… and perhaps of whether or not Rutera would be willing to call upon their new neighbors.

Even though Nicodemo wanted their help, he didn't exactly trust Ceretos. Anton? Sure. That guy felt like a tough-as-nails grandpa and was probably as trustworthy as they came. In relation to that, his Order of One Hundred Stars would be a good ally. But the question was whether they could afford their help. Even a fellow like that wouldn't help entirely for free, and it was more than just monetary prices but also technological and social. Nicodemo wasn't equipped to handle most of those.

But he sure would like to have that friendly mobile artillery station back in the system. It was tough to invite him for a visit in the middle of a war though. Sadly, Nicodemo wasn't the one calling all the shots, even in the military. He could only train and lead and hope people would be ready when Azoth came at them with something more.

Dodging lasers wasn't really something you could do visually. It required something of a sixth sense- or tenth or whatever. Another one, which was the point. And not just the ability to feel where everything was with energy. Ty Quigley wasn't quite sure how to explain it, but he just knew when someone was trying to gun him down, and where to be for that to not happen. Like when Elder Intan tried to cut him in half, but he actually had time to react.

To lasers. Not that guy's sword strike. That guy had cut him apart and sewn Ty back together more times than he could count in a single year. It was the sort of training that no sane person would participate in.

Before that, Ty had thought he was a pretty normal guy. He was fascinated with the military and weapons new and old. If he'd been asked if he liked swords the answer would have been yes… but not in preference to any other weapon. Now he was almost considering sneaking a sword into his flight suit somehow.

He twisted the controls, altering the momentum of his fighter. Managing a fighter's momentum was important, but the ship wasn't actually weightless at the moment. He was what, at least ninety percent of normal gravity out here? There just wasn't any real atmosphere to mess with him, and the basic momentum of the ship was vaguely in orbit. And if that momentum was messed up, there were hundreds of kilometers before he had to make a correction.

Turning his head, he attempted to get visual on the enemy ships. One good thing about fighting these weird sailing space ships was they weren't particularly mobile, not compared to an actual fighter. Still had to watch out for the individual cultivators ready to fling weird attacks from them, but strafing enemy ships was easy enough.

So far, Ty hadn't managed to convince anyone to give him flat bullets. He would have settled for cross shaped ones, but the barrels wouldn't handle anything but round. So he had to add the sharpness on his own. Using his energy to empower his shots only lasted an instant- both speed and distance quickly lost him control of his energy. Yet it didn't matter, because by the first fraction of a second he had already hit or missed.

He was glad nobody made him fly in formation. He was attached to a unit and had to respond to orders of his commanding officer, but the exact manner that he worked on a target was up to him. Which was good, because he would hardly be effective if he had to fight like everyone else. A few others were developing their own styles as well, but most people stuck to the basics. That was fine, but… their shots were more distraction than anything else.

Ty narrowed his eyes as he approached a ship from behind. There was no 'main' mast, the ships having radial symmetry in four directions, but even so the crews tended to favor one over the others. In relation to that, there was always one with a bit less care to protecting it. Their shields were generally even in every direction, but Ty could sense weak points. A flurry of conventional bullets were propelled forward from his fighter, inheriting his speed and accelerating. As they went, he added sharpness.

They cut through the shields, which rarely had time to get adapted to his tactics, but one fighter simply wasn't enough. He gouged the wood of one mast, but it wasn't enough to break it apart. When he came back for another pass, he'd barely cause any damage. But bullets weren't the only weapon Ty had… nor the most appropriate one.

At least he'd managed to convince the techies to reinforce his wings, and they were already 'sharp' to save on material. He twisted towards another mast, since he knew the adaptive shields took a second to adjust to the entire vessel. First his nose punched through the shield, then his wings cut into it. The ship spun away from him as he tried to slice through the mast, but he still sunk his wing into the hull, cutting a few meter long slice into it before pulling away. Maybe if he were Elder Intan he could slice a ship clean in half, but he'd have to settle for a deep gouge opening the ship up to space. Their fancy formations were all throughout the vessel anyway, so he probably got something important.

A burst of fire surrounded his fighter, but the standard shields handled it. Other counterattacks from the crew targeted him, but he kept insane speeds the other fighters couldn't handle without energy-improved reaction times, even with computer assistance. The only thing Ty was worried about was the main cannons of the ship, but he knew how to avoid those.

Behind him, the ship tore apart- not directly from his own attacks, but rather the bombardment of other attacks finding its way through their shields in the holes he punctured and instability he caused. And some good shots by others, of course, but Ty knew he played a major part. Now if only he could do that more than a couple times per day he might actually swing things in their favor.

Chapter 475

The basic rules of farming involved placing the fields where the soil and terrain matched what was intended to grow. Terrain and soil quality could be changed, but rearranging fields that were functioning perfectly well was a waste of time. There was a small suspicion in his mind that Everheart was calling for such changes exactly for that reason… but then again, maybe there were minute improvements in the flow of energy. Would that tiny amount matter, even with formations meant to cover a continent? That, Anton was unsure of.

But ultimately it only required a small amount of labor- Everheart didn't force replantings midseason or anything troublesome like that. He just redrew fields and windbreaks, how they would be rearranged between plantings of fields. It wasn't a small amount of work, but with cultivation being commonplace it was more possible. Even full trees could be uprooted and replanted if necessary.

When it came to proposals for rearranging void ant colonies, Everheart left such tasks to Anton. He wouldn't personally participate in mapping or persuading such places. And while there were only a relatively small number of sizable void ant colonies, Anton understood that they could have a large influence on the flow of energy. Yet rearranging was only a small part of things, and was much the same as Everheart's plans for human cities- to be implemented over the course of decades, or a century. Not everyone would agree to the plans, but if a few cities altered the path of their new constructions it might make a difference. If Anton had wanted to force the void ants down a path, bringing the Great Queen with him would help, but he stuck to more traditional persuasion. If Everheart had deemed it critical he might have done more, but it was just one of many moving pieces.

Some people had to suspect "Scholar Eulogius", but determining that he was a great cultivator in disguise would not necessarily reveal the truth. Even the Tomb Seeking Cult hadn't figured it out.. Yet. Maxine in particular was far too busy tracking down the new Tombs that had 'revealed themselves'.

Everheart had far too large a store of materials and completed components. Anton saw that he had to adjust them to function with the use of 'lower' energy, and was amazed he had managed to rip so much away from the upper realms with almost no notice. He had to have been prepared… paranoid, if it weren't true that everyone was out to get him. Though Anton suspected it was mostly Everheart's own fault. Not that he thought the upper realms were full of magnanimous or good individuals. If anything, they were just about the same as any other cultivators but more powerful. It was just that Everheart was quite likely to escalate things and engage in unnecessary provocations. But at least he was enthusiastic.

"I don't like unknown intruders entering my system," Everheart declared to Anton, his arms folded. "But I don't have the time or resources to make it impossible. How much control do you have over the sun?"

That was something Anton didn't really know. He took in a small flow of excess power that slightly altered the normal way of things, but he didn't really change anything. Though there was some idea that he could. "Why?" Anton asked.

"So you can whip out a solar flare and incinerate anything that tries to slip by," Everheart said.

"They moved incredibly fast," Anton pointed out, steering away from the topic of what he could accomplish. "I don't know if anything of the sort would be terribly quick."

"Okay so," Everheart frowned, "What about doing what that Rutera place does? We could make a big planetary defensive formation."

"Out of what?" Anton asked. "If you want to volunteer your materials, we could certainly try but… we don't exactly have satellites."

"We could drag in some rocks," Everheart said. "Wouldn't be too hard. Or cut chunks off the moon- no, nevermind. That would screw up too many things." He waved "Tons of rocks out there though."

"Great, I'll start carrying them one by one and we can be done in a century or two."

"Oh yeah?" Everheart set his jaw. "You got a better idea?"

"We could make a net," Anton said. "Or something to catch them."

"What, like a planet-sized net with a mesh small enough to catch a ship?" Everheart just looked at Anton.

"It was just a suggestion off the top of my head," Anton began to explain. "I'm sure there are other-"

"You think it would work better as a solo technique or a duo? Nah, you'd need at least three to form an even net." Everheart scratched his chin. "Solo it is. Come on, let's get started." He grabbed Anton by the upper arm and was yanking him up into the sky before Anton could react. If there had been some sort of hostility Anton's instinct would have taken over, but he was still a bit concerned about how much he had lowered his guard- even if harming him would be much more difficult than moving him around. "So I think it just starts like this," Everheart said, forming strands of energy into a square, then forming eight more around it and continuing to expand that pattern. Then he flicked his wrist and dissolved the whole thing. "No wait, squares aren't good enough. Triangles? Hexagons?"

"Rutera seems to prefer hexagons for defensive barriers," Anton commented.

"Hexagons it is! It grows and grows and-"

"Are you sure you want to do this right here?" Anton asked, gesturing down towards Ceretos. "Certainly, this is where we would want to implement it, but you'd get more than a few curious looks. Especially from the Exalted Archipelago."

"You're right," Everheart nodded. "If we're going to make this big enough, it will be quite obvious. Can't have people prying into our secrets. To the moon!"

Anton began to move himself before Everheart could drag him. Moving through the void of space, Anton was able to match Everheart's acceleration- and then deceleration, since they didn't want to crash into their target. Anton felt this was already going to be a lengthy, unscheduled project, but if anything really important came up there were ways to contact him.

As they moved Everheart was already practicing different iterations of the ability, growing the net in different ways and either creating larger strands or twisting them around each other. "What do you think would be the most effective?" he asked Anton as a pattern grew around him.

"Individual strands are easier, and if you create them flawlessly then there's no benefit to twisted strings. As long as they can withstand stresses in any direction." Strings were something Anton was familiar with, since he created bows all the time. He watched as Everheart's net spread out, covering a few meters across to a hundred within a few seconds, once the man decided what he wanted.

"What do you think?" Everheart asked. "Test it!"

Anton pulled out his blade-bow. With a swing, he sliced through part of the net. "Too weak," he noted. "Even if the enemy doesn't slice through, the strings aren't dense enough- either individually and with regards to the tightness of the mesh."

"Yeah, but sustaining something like this on a large scale is going to be a pain in the ass," Everheart said. "It only has to slow something down. Besides, if you think it's bad you give it a try."

He might as well. Anton wasn't sure if this would be a fruitful endeavor, but he could consider it training at the very minimum. One major flaw in Everheart's technique was that it took far too long to implement. Seconds, for cultivators at their level? That was only useful if the enemy couldn't anticipate the move in the slightest and had abysmal turning capabilities.

Anton's net didn't grow from him, but rather began everywhere and stitched together. It was the same as Falling Stars or his energy bows- diffuse aura formed into what he desired, where he desired.

Without warning, Everheart chopped through a section of it, but it held long enough to begin bunching together before Everheart changed his method to a pulling slice and cut apart a section. "Quickly deployed… and durable enough," Everheart nodded.

Anton wasn't going to tell him that the only durable portions were near the center where his energy was the strongest. Technically, that was probably the same for Everheart's thing and that was where he'd attacked.

The two landed on the rear side of the moon, where Everheart pulled out a small mountain of paper and ink bottles. There were no quills, but he directly pulled ink out of the bottles and pressed it into the paper. "First iterations!" Everheart said, gesturing to what he wrote. "Could use some improvement, of course, like defined circulation paths and energy affinities, but it's a start. Now all we have to do is make it, uh… a million times bigger."

That number wasn't an exaggeration. A hundred meters by a hundred was not a small net, but to reasonably affect something on a planetary scale, they'd need that to be closer to a hundred kilometers. A thousand times in two directions. Just thinking about the amount of energy required made Anton frown. But he couldn't resist Everheart's enthusiasm for the project, and at least it would keep him out of trouble for a while. Probably.

After a month passed, Everheart flopped over on the ground. "Okay, time for a break."

Though Anton found himself with a seemingly inexhaustible flow of energy from the sun, it wasn't his stores of energy that concerned him. It was mental and physical fatigue that built up. "I can't believe you'd let your energy stores get so low," Anton said as he did the same some distance away. The sound carried mainly through the energy suffusing the area between them.

"Why? Because you could kill me?" Everheart grinned. "You won't do that. I haven't done anything to make you change your mind, and you already didn't kill me. Besides, you need me."

"I want Ceretos to be safe," Anton said. "As long as you're contributing to that, it's good enough." Anton was fairly certain Everheart should have something else up his sleeve in case Anton did attack. Everfull Cup, for example. That energy replenishment technique allowed a user to refill their personal reserves of energy… at a cost in the future. Though if used carelessly in battle, the consequences might come immediately afterwards, draining someone of energy. Everheart could probably do it fast enough to not be disrupted. Or something else. Maybe he'd just throw a mountain at Anton. His storage bag certainly had more in it than even the very best should have been able to contain. A mountain wouldn't stop Anton, but it could certainly slow him a bit.

"Is this how you make all your techniques?" Anton asked.

"Nah, some of them I just toss onto paper," Everheart said. "Do a little thinking, refine them every once and a while. Like this one," Everheart pulled a scroll out of the pile, "Thought it up while we were working on this."

"... Venomous Energy?" Anton asked. As described, it involved infiltrating energy into an enemy's wounds and disabling them from the inside. If it worked, it would certainly be effective. "What made you think of this?"

"We're making big webs," Everheart said. "Webs have spiders. Spiders have venom. Therefore, we can make energy spiders bite people."

"Or you could use that same energy to just make the wound deeper."

Everheart shrugged, "Not everything's going to be a hit."

"You actually make a lot of techniques like this?" Anton asked. "I figured you had just reimagined some you stole. For most of them, anyway."

"Anything I put my name on I came up with… at least as much as anyone else. Obviously the details come from somewhere. Nothing's entirely new." Everheart shrugged, "Yeah, mostly I make them like this. Or while working on formations. Or think about them while I'm sorting through a pile. You don't?"

"I find that focusing on techniques I already have, pushing them to their maximum, is much more effective."

"Fair enough," Everheart said. "But I want to do everything, so I can't just limit myself like that."

"... Why?" Anton asked. He could understand wanting more and more power. That was a pretty common motivation for cultivators for any number of reasons. Having a wide skillset was also reasonable, but it didn't sound like that at all.

"Someone told me I couldn't," Everheart said. There had to be more than that. At least, Anton presumed so. Then again, besides 'everything', he wasn't sure if there was anything Everheart hadn't been able to do yet. He certainly seemed the type to rise to provocations. "Hey. Wanna go net a ship?"

"What, one of the skyships? Seems kind of petty."

"Ooh, I didn't think of that. I meant the one that just entered the system."

Anton sat up. "It's back?"

"Can't say," Everheart shrugged. "That, or something similar. Vaguely the same direction of origin, as well."

"Let's make haste," Anton said. Everheart was a moment behind as they swiftly pushed their way back towards Ceretos. The trip from the moon was not one easily traversed in a few hours, but if they didn't worry about decelerating the normal way they might be able to accomplish it.

Chapter 476

Even though they quickly hurried back towards Ceretos, Anton and Everheart were not in time to do anything more than observe a cluster of energy flutter past the planet. Anton could more or less shoot at anything he could detect with his senses, but he didn't want to break into open hostilities when this group had done nothing but observe… that he was aware of, at least.

Beyond that, he supposed it was important to train his fastest arrows. Every day, they grew closer to the actual speed of light while still retaining the more useful properties of arrows. Rutera had weapons that actually used light, but it was more of a sustained high power beam, quite different from anything he could shoot like an arrow. Drastically changing combat styles seemed like it would take a massive effort, which would be pointless for one specific advantage.

"It seems we've missed them," Anton said, beginning to slow himself. At the rate they were going they would shoot past Ceretos, but they'd had to accelerate to faster than proper speeds for the sake of traveling more quickly.

"I'll catch you in a moment then," Everheart said as they passed near the atmosphere of Ceretos. Then he just… stopped. By some measures the number of kilometers he passed through would not be considered an immediate stop or one requiring little distance, but at the speeds Anton was accustomed to moving through space it was a remarkable acceleration. Yet it also didn't seem like Everheart changed speeds at all.

There was something, like a field of hooks around the man as well as energy shoved ahead of him, but Anton couldn't quite grasp how any of it worked. One moment he was moving, and the next he was not- at least relative to Ceretos.

Meanwhile, Anton was keeping a constant acceleration to slow himself, passing by Ceretos dragging him slightly towards it but ultimately just deflecting his motion. It took a few minutes before he was moving back towards the planet, at which point it was far from filling up half of his vision like it had for a few brief moments.

Then he felt it. Or rather, he felt that he didn't feel anything in a rather large area. It was a new sensation, but not entirely unfamiliar. On one level, it felt like void ants. Obviously on an entirely different scale, but it was a reasonable comparison. He felt it reaching towards and then wrapping around Everheart, long, thin tendrils of something.

Before they connected, Anton was already firing his bow. His bow was heavy with more than just the weight of the draw, but also the mass of soulstuff connected to it. The arrow fired from Everheart's bow tore through space with a surprising energy to them, as uncomfortable in its origin as it was tempting in power. A weapon made from worldheart and soulstring wasn't something Anton relished possessing, but as far as he could tell there was no active wrongdoing in its use.

The arrows had the potential to be negated before they arrived, just in case Everheart didn't wish to engage the creature in combat. But as its tendrils reached for him, Anton felt an explosion of energy. Some tendrils were severed, assuring Anton of one feature the thing did not share with void ants. Though he didn't imagine it was as simple as Everheart made it look.

Everheart shot out of the grasping creature's reach, but the portions of it that hadn't been severed continued to grow out of… nowhere. They simply started, with empty space behind them. The aged cultivator flung a myriad of formation flags and totems all around him, providing him a moment to retreat further.

Anton's arrows then struck, sinking into the nothingness of what Anton supposed was the creature's flesh. As they burrowed into its vast form, they were eaten away… but before they fully dissolved at least they managed to cause what he presumed was some actual damage. He didn't know of any vital organs on such a creature- if it even had them- but he continued a constant barrage attempting to tear into the deeper parts of the tendrils. From a distance they seemed small, but in truth the thinner ones were wider than a man was tall.

By the time Anton got close enough to try another type of spirit arrow, other than his fastest light arrows, the creature was gone. At some point, the tendrils pulled back into nothing, fading out of existence… hopefully. At the very least, Everheart seemed to calm down after a good minute of observing the area.

"What was that?" Anton asked as he finally got close.

"A distortion beast," Everheart declared. "Nasty things, they like to live in the space between space feeding off of the energy around gravity wells. They don't much care if it inside of someone, either."

"Where did it come from?" Anton asked. "It hasn't attacked us before."

"It should have been drawn out by my technique," Everheart said. "Distorting space calls to them. But it's odd… that shouldn't have been enough." Everheart was sweeping the scattered formation flags back into his bag, except for some that seemed to have been drained dry not only of the energy within them but also the precious materials they were made of. "Perhaps our visitors dropped it here to test us. Yes, the way they move…" Everheart nodded. "No doubt they are distorting space to move so quickly. I should have thought of it sooner."

"Is that so easy to do?" Anton asked.

"Easier than teleportation in some ways," Everheart nodded. "And in certain fashions, quite simple. You don't think about storage bags much, do you? They do something similar. It's just more… constrained, and thus achievable with a static enchantment."

"Was that how you stopped?" Anton asked. "But distorting space shouldn't have been sufficient."

"Just a little bit of time manipulation," Everheart shrugged, "Doesn't work on much of anything but yourself, and not inside an atmosphere or a strong gravity well. Want to learn it?"

"It seems like it might be handy, as I imagine I will find myself fighting in conditions like this," Anton gestured at the space around them, "More common."

"Alright. Star Steps isn't something a normal Integration cultivator can pull off, but I think you have a good chance."

"Before that…" Anton said. "We might need to explain to people down below. I'm lighting up with messages."

"True," Everheart nodded. "Even I'm receiving some. Some people noticed our little friend, and probably the visitor before him."

What was Anton supposed to say? That they received visitors from another system and there just happened to be a monster following that? That he and Everheart had fought that monster? 'Scholar Eulogius' had a pretty shaky history to begin with, but that would have to do. Even for most of the Hundred Stars, that would have to be the story. Only the Grand Elders would hear otherwise.

But the Order wasn't what Anton was the most concerned about. Instead, it was the Exalted Archipelago. The Worthy Shore Society had been quite helpful to him in the past, and as open as they were able to be. They could get most of the story, which unfortunately wasn't that helpful. Everheart's name would stay out of things, but there had to be at least some people who had felt formations appearing in the sky above them. And unfortunately the people capable of sensing things at that distance were exactly the ones they had to worry about.

The other thing that bothered Anton was that the ship which absolutely contained cultivators had brought the monster. Had that been intentional? If so, it was an act of war. The first time there hadn't been any issues, but perhaps it simply wasn't consistent. That could be why they came back. Or maybe after their first scouting trip they decided to test Ceretos. Much like Azoth. Anton had to admit he'd been hoping for some sort of peaceful neighbors, but he honestly hadn't been expecting it. Cultivators would tend to be cultivators, and if Ceretos had taken a slightly different trajectory they might be doing the same. And in fact, perhaps they wouldn't be much different. If it came down to a war, Anton honestly couldn't say that they wouldn't act quite similarly in attacking the other system. He hoped it would be with a bit of restraint and righteousness, but only so much could be excused in the name of self defense.

Did they just have to wipe them out? Was it alright that completely exterminating a group of individuals was one of the first solutions Anton thought of? Perhaps he'd already gone with wiping out the Soaring Air Sect and Void Blades. The Twin Soul Sect absolutely deserved it, and all of those involved with slaving in Ofrurg. It was a question of where he would draw the line. For the moment, Anton had to suppose that the single ship or ships were not representative of the entire system and planet they came from, but they really needed more information.

"You want to recruit more?" the woman in front of General Nicodemo crossed her arms. "You've already doubled the proper draft limits. Do you want to push every man, woman, and child into the war?"

"Of course not, Minister Perko," Nicodemo said, keeping his face neutral. "But they're not exactly giving us much choice."

"What about those thousands of people you already have? If you take anyone else, the economy will be in shambles."

"We won't have an economy if Azoth wipes us out!" Nicodemo unintentionally raised his voice.

"Isn't it your job to prevent that?" the minister of finance said. "Besides, you seem to be holding up adequately as it is."

"You think that Azoth is going to be happy slowly bleeding through their own forces? If they were going to give up they would have already… they should be preparing to mount a larger offensive." Nicodemo slowly breathed out through his nose, his eyes passing over some of the other ministers. Nicodemo was as aware as anyone that Rutera hadn't experienced war in a good couple generations, and even he himself hadn't been personally involved… but that lack of experience was why he knew there was a problem. "We need to either accelerate militarization and training, or request aid from Ceretos. Before it becomes a problem. Just because none of you are fighting doesn't mean nobody else is risking their lives while you sit on your asses talking about financial statistics."

"I don't see you hopping into a fighter pilot," Minister Perko said with a smirk. Nicodemo's eyes locked on her, and she sank into her seat, trembling. She was not one of those who had begun proper cultivation, so she couldn't understand what was happening, but he could affect her nonetheless. Then he dropped the suppression.

"You're right. Why don't we both suit up and go fight some invaders?" Nicodemo's eyes were set as he suggested that.

"What- I'm the Minister of Finance, that's not my duty."

"And I'm a goddamn general," Nicodemo said. "There's an entire codex of military law for commanding officers who recklessly endanger themselves or others by performing things outside the proper scope of their position." And maybe it didn't matter. He wondered how long it would take to refamiliarize himself with a space fighter. He wasn't the only general they had, even if he was the highest ranking. Previously that hadn't meant much besides fancier paperwork, but now that they were in war… and he had some cultivation to back him… the others were quite a bit more deferential.

Wouldn't stop them from court-martialing him if he did something stupid. Then again, if it was truly stupid, he'd probably just die. It was probably a bit hasty to do anything like that just yet, though. He'd start with some flights in his 'free time'. Things weren't bad enough yet that he had to consider sacrificing himself. Just a bunch of young men and women who might have had boundless futures otherwise. He felt the bow on his back, wondering when he could finally reach space. Spirit Arrows were better at resisting gravity and atmospheric effects than some other things, though he was considering trying to modify the technique for proper guns. As if he knew what he was doing, or had time to waste on things like that.

Chapter 477

Silence. That was one advantage that the void of space provided for those who wished to move about unknown. Being able to easily approach from any direction was useful, but not necessary. The drawbacks far outweighed the advantages in Velvet's opinion. Silence she could manage on her own. Without gravity being a major factor, cultivators with any sense did not expect anyone to approach in a certain manner, and thus there was no chance to surprise them when something changed.

For the personal techniques of Velvet, making herself blend seamlessly into the surroundings was rather impossible when there were no surroundings. Even something like the void ants stood out, because a space of no energy when the only thing to sense was energy was the clearest change that could happen. In short, Velvet had only the background levels of upper energy to blend in with, and any activity on her part would disturb that fabric and potentially reveal her.

From afar, not many could pick her out regardless of those limitations. She hadn't devoted a century to stealth techniques for nothing- but there were always those who could counter any specific ability you had. Some honed their senses merely because they were part of them, while others focused on a specific purpose. The wide variety in exactly how much could be sensed in particular scenarios- where there weren't powerful cultivators advertising themselves for hundreds of kilometers or more- that caused uncertainty.

But Velvet knew one thing for sure. Others had perished around the rings of the gas giant below, the cover they provided insufficient even at great distances. Some had survived, speaking of the arrows that followed them wherever they went… which was exactly why Velvet was present now. And she was hiding because there was a reasonable chance it was a different archer than who she was seeking. Kseniya was supposed to have stayed in communication with the others, but for some reason or other after she ascended there was very little word from her. At the current moment it was only presumed she was alive, and in the general region they last knew her to be.

Velvet was not alone- but the others were quite some distance back. Tens of kilometers or more, though it would only take a short time to cover if combat started. Allies from the Dark Ring, interested in determining the allegiances of this particular individual as much as she was. If it turned out they were a danger, Velvet would have backup… if she survived long enough.

Dropping up and down and around the components of the ring was a million times better than being in completely empty space, but the small particles were hardly helpful, and even ten meter rocks only blocked the view of Velvet for an instant, and not from all angles. Larger pieces could cover her for a while, but they might also be more closely watched.

Velvet made her way around the rings, hoping that whoever the quarry turned out to be was not an expert at concealment. In some aspects searching through the rings of this planet would be a larger task than combing the entire surface of Ceretos for someone, with the one caveat that there was almost nowhere to hide. Technically someone could burrow into one of the larger floating pieces, but the signs of change would be obvious in a world untouched by human hands. In addition to that, there were no pesky things like plants or animals to distract her.

Not so far at least. Even if there were inhabitants of such a place, they would be few and far between. Then again, anything that survived in the rings of a planet like this would be a troublesome foe- either a powerful hunter, or a deadly ambush predator. So Velvet carefully crept her way through the area, just in case something tried to get the drop on her.

When the time came, she was prepared. The first arrow pierced straight through her chest, or at least that was what she hoped the archer felt. She sustained a dummy of energy for a few moments, letting it become a pincushion before it disintegrated. The arrows themselves seemed to indicate one step in the favor of it being Kseniya. They weren't exactly like she remembered, but they were formed of pure energy. The difference between upper and lower energy made it difficult to discern more with Velvet's lack of deep training in archery.

The first volley had come from so far off that Velvet hadn't sensed the attacker. As she pushed her sensory energy along the path the arrows had traveled, she found nothing. What that meant was unclear. Her target was too far, expertly hidden, or… the path was fake. It could be any of those, or more.

It seemed her decoy had been good enough to give her a moment of safety. Perhaps she'd managed to blend in with her surroundings again… or perhaps she was being watched. She didn't feel any signs of energy, but it could be a passive approach.

The next arrows came from behind her, exactly the opposite direction along the ring. They weren't hidden, but she was only barely able to prepare her response with their speed. One she shattered, the others she dodged in the same manner. Unfortunately, her decoy did no good the second time. The arrows pierced through it, then twisted to follow her. She had to attack them to disrupt their energy. Another point towards it being Kseniya. At this point, Velvet was almost willing to reveal herself. Even if Kseniya wanted to move on from the Order after ascending for some reason, they would have no reason to be enemies.

The next attacks came simultaneously from the inner and outer parts of the ring, instead of around the curve. Obviously the arrows were flying an indirect path towards her, but from where? She couldn't sense the origin within any reasonable distance. Even an unreasonable distance, but then again she understood that Anton's range had become rather unfathomable outside of a planet's atmosphere. Planetary rings weren't completely devoid of friction, but it was close.

One of the next volley found its way into her shoulder, and the next her hip. Her defenses were enough to keep them from being critical wounds, but she really hoped her allies were en route to assist. Or she could find the archer. Where? She scanned everywhere, but nothing should be able to hide the sort of power output she suspected.

Then she looked up- or down- away from the flat plane of the rings. No way. Just floating out in the open like that? Velvet hefted a dagger- one she didn't care if she retrieved- and threw it straight towards the tiny speck of energy she felt in the distance. It would be trivial to dodge, but she attempted to conceal it. However, as the distance grew her technique began to fade. Before it completely broke, the dagger itself was shot out of the sky… but Velvet felt the others moving in. Their aggressive energy indicated they intended to fight, which was correct… if it weren't Kseniya.

Velvet pushed herself off- either she was quite wrong, or she had to save whichever side was going to lose that fight. And while one individual would almost always lose to a handful of similar cultivation, the archer had enough range to maybe take them out before they got even close. There wasn't even a flash of light from the attacks, as if that too was being curved along whatever trajectory they wanted. Clever. Once Velvet was moving, she did her best to allow her passive motion to carry her closer… just in case she needed to be hidden still.

"Again?" Anton asked.

Everheart nodded.

"This will be the third time then. We can learn much of their intentions." And so, they stepped away from the planet for a moment, waiting. Hours passed. "They seem to not have passed by the sun this time," Anton commented.

"We will have to remain vigilant, then," Everheart said. Currently, he was floating in a web of formation components. Flags, pillars, little stone plates, and various power sources. There was some natural energy in free floating space, but not as much as around planets, especially one developed like Ceretos.

They waited. And waited. After a full day, Anton looked to Everheart. "Are you certain?"

He nodded. "Something crossed the threshold in the same manner. And it should not have crossed back… but I must admit, it's imperfect."

"Considering the vast distance it covers, I'm surprised it works at all."

"It relies on the concept of territory," Everheart said by way of explanation. "The arbitrary limits of the system become something real… and of course hundreds of tiny relays sensing for any sort of fluctuation."

They waited. Then… "I feel something," Anton said. "Near the sun. But it hasn't gone past yet. Are they waiting?" After a few moments, he answered his own question. "No. They're just… slower."

The two continued to wait, with Anton keeping others on the planet below appraised of nothing but the fact that they remained. Then the ship came within their senses- in a manner they could actually make out its form. A sphere- no, a disk with the wider side flat to them, a larger structure in the middle. No more than its form could be sensed at first, but it carried a weighty energy as it slowly approached. Both cultivators were ready to make a move at any moment.

The tip of the fighter plunged down, or at least away from its previous trajectory. Even so, the sensors read hits along both wings. If Nicodemo didn't know any better, he'd say that they were wrong. But he had sensed it, the tiny specks of energy raining down upon his vessel. Though the cockpit was safe for the moment, the engines were running below capacity, and he lost his ability to accelerate.

Unlike a purely atmospheric fighter, there weren't engines only pointed forward, but due to design and budget limitations they still had to deal with a front and rear, directions of simplest motion determined by the biggest engines and how they set up the cockpit. Nicodemo looked around, trying to see if he could salvage the situation. The sensors said he still had one gun on the left wing. He wasn't going to make it back anyway, so he might as well take someone out with him.

He flipped the ship, overshooting his position and having to more slowly pull back because of the missing thrusters. He lined up his shot, his energy senses stretching to their limit and beyond, locking onto the target in front of him. He drew himself back like an arrow, ready to fire from the ship's cannon. Then… he was cut in half down the middle.

The ship's autopilot took over, reorienting the vessel and routing it back to the station. Nicodemo sighed. This nonlethal piloting system certainly felt more realistic than pure simulations, but it still had some bugs to work out. It didn't change the fact that he'd lost to Quigley, in fact it might have even happened sooner if the vessels had a perfect read on the man's energy, but he could see why pilots were still hesitant to use it for training.

"What was that?" Nicodemo asked of his sparring partner. "... Hello? Quigley?"

A burst of static. "Sorry, what? I stepped out for a second."

"How the hell did you step out for a second? There's barely room to turn an ankle in these cockpits."

"Oh, I just popped out the top for a second. What was your question?"

"... I asked what the attack was that finished me off. I didn't notice it coming. And did you just say you stepped out of the cockpit?"

"Yes sir, General Nicodemo. I did say that. You've been so encouraging of experimenting with new methods I thought I'd try it. So I did. I pulled out my sword, and cut the fighter in two with aura. Could have been real, though."

"... Listen, I'm fine with you experimenting. But don't think I'm going to recommend anyone else try the same. And how'd you fit a sword into the cockpit with you?"

"Storage bag," Ty Quigley responded over the radio.

"Don't know why I asked," General Nicodemo muttered to himself. What he wouldn't give to be that guy instead of in his own position. Especially since he was now going to have to explain to people that it made sense for a dude to open his cockpit at supersonic speed. … He'd better not have lost the top. They weren't meant to do that, and military vehicles were expensive.

Chapter 478

The ring-ship stopped in front of Anton and Everheart, though the ring continued to spin. Around the edges, Anton could see a distorted view of the stars. It was a strange image, brought about by the twisting of natural energy… and maybe something more.

"Well," Anton said. "They haven't unleashed another monster on us yet. That's a good start."

"It's possible they don't have the capabilities to do that consistently," Everheart said. "So are we netting them now or…?"

"Not yet." Anton waited, though he was not sure for what. If he felt a gathering of natural energy he was ready to respond with violence. If it came down to something like that, making the first move would be optimal, but Anton rather preferred not to start a space war.

For the moment, he couldn't sense them doing anything. If he wasn't mistaken, there should be multiple individuals upon the vessel, though placing them in a specific point inside was difficult. The barriers restricted his sensing, but they felt much more like cultivators he was familiar with than the individuals from Rutera.

A thin veil of natural energy began to expand towards the two, but slowly. Was it attempting to be stealthy, or cautious? Anton chose to believe the latter. Then, finally, he heard something.

"Hello?" A woman's voice filtered into his ears the same way he was able to hear anything outside of atmosphere, through vibrations in natural energy instead of air particles. And… it was even in the common language. "Can you hear me?"

"I hear you," Anton responded.

A sigh of relief, perhaps. "Good. That works at least. My name is Anzela Ranik, exploration leader of Weos… and we come in peace."

"Oh yeah?" Everheart responded before Anton could. "What was with dropping that monster on us last time, then?"

There was a pause. No sound was transmitted- if there had been any at all, Anton could have heard breathing, the beating of hearts… the small movements of muscles even when still. Perhaps there was some discussion happening. Then, sound returned. "It was not our intent. We shifted our trajectory away from your planet upon discovery of the beast. We had not anticipated running into them in this place. It was our understanding that we minimized our fluctuations enough to not draw it out… were we incorrect?"

"It showed up right next to me," Everheart said.

Anton's eyes caught Everheart. By his own admission, the technique he'd used to stop had some possibility to attract those creatures.

"Then we are glad you have the strength and skill to defeat it unscathed."

"Unscathed, huh? I'll have you know I had to expend some life saving items to survive that creature's attack. How are you going to pay me back?"

Anton found it amazing that Everheart could both extort someone and make himself seem weaker in the same breath. One of those could be useful, but the other wasn't necessarily reasonable. Then again, it avoided them looking like pushovers. The woman inside the vessel certainly seemed friendly enough, but Anton knew it was easy for anyone to fake such a thing for a while. A few exchanges of words without even being able to see her face was nothing.

"We have no life saving objects to replace what you have lost," Anzela replied. "However, given your apparent interest in formations we can offer you a powerful formation manual, the techniques derived from the work of a genius in the upper realms."

Everheart did his best not to seem overly eager, but Anton could tell he was quite interested. "I suppose we can consider that sufficient repayment, given the circumstances of our meeting." And probably something to do with Anton looking over his shoulder. To provide a united front, Anton was going with Everheart so far… but he had to be reasonable.

"One moment please." After a few minutes of waiting, a door opened up on the outer edge of the ring, and Anton could sense someone inside, reaching their arm around the corner to shove something towards them. A book with only a few dozen pages formed from dense materials floated in their direction, taking its time to cross the several hundred meters between them. It was not a close, conversational distance… but it was well inside what Anton preferred as a combat range.

Everheart did something to allow the tome to pass through the barriers around him, then caught it. He flipped through it, grinning eagerly. Then he frowned. "Hey wait a minute. This is mostly just my methods!"

"They did call you a genius," Anton noted. Fortunately the other man had the presence of mind to not transmit those vibrations back to the ship. "We should move on."

"... Fine, whatever. Do your diplomacy thing I guess."

"I don't believe we have introduced ourselves yet," Anton said towards the ship. "I am Anton Krantz, Sect Head of the Order of One Hundred Stars, and a representative of Ceretos as a whole. This fellow with me is Scholar Eulogius. What brings visitors from Weos at this time?" It was entirely possible that they had been through the system before he could sense them, but someone should have noticed them.

"For various reasons, it has become easier for us to travel between worlds," Anzela's voice replied. "We thought it best to meet our neighbors."

"Neighbors, is it? Which star is Weos?" Given the direction they came from, Anton had a fairly good guess if they were one of the closer stars. It took a few exchanges for Anzela to find the right terminology to explain their origin, but eventually Anton confirmed it. Or at least, the system they claimed to be from. It was approximately twice the distance of Rutera from their own system. "I see. Have you encountered any other neighbors?"

There was a clear pause. "Yes," she replied eventually. "Our interactions were not so peaceful."

"Did you drop void monsters on them?" Everheart asked.

"We were not the ones who began the hostilities," Anzela said with a defensive tone in her voice.

Everheart grinned at Anton. "She didn't say no."

"If you're fighting anyway…" Anton shrugged. "Might as well make use of the available options." To Anzela and the ship, he replied, "Where were these others from? So that we might be cautious upon encountering them."

Knowing what terminology made sense to Anton, she was able to provide a quicker answer. In truth, star systems weren't so closely packed together that there could be many systems they meant, at least not that could be termed 'nearby'.

"Azoth."

"Is that what you call the system? We have a different name… and for themselves, they have a third."

Anton nodded, though he was unsure if that could be seen. "Yes, we have had some… brief encounters with them."

"What was the result?"

"Conflict." Anton didn't want to admit he was unable to take down one of their vessels, not because he was concerned about his own image but because Ceretos needed to seem strong. "They were forced to withdraw." At the very least, he had killed some crew members, so it wasn't as if there was no damage. And he might have injured or killed someone important, but it was hard to tell.

"Based on our interactions, I would not expect encounters with them to go any differently. Though the war is over now, we're not on good terms. Have you encountered anyone else?"

This would be the time for Anton to mention Rutera… if he trusted them. If Weos were actually enemies with Azoth, then Rutera would be interested in contacting them. But if they were some sort of allies probing for weaknesses, or even just a neutral party that might be interested in taking advantage of a system already embroiled in war, Anton didn't want to mention them specifically. "We have encountered others who were much friendlier."

"Wonderful. Where are they?" After Anton didn't respond for a moment, Anzela spoke again. "... You don't trust us. I understand completely."

"You did speed your way through our system the first time, and then you left a monster the second."

"It was unintentional. But for that reason we came more slowly this time to have no chance of that happening. Still," Anzela's voice was firm. "It is a reasonable caution for our first interactions. I doubt we will get much further in trusting each other at the moment. Can we meet again? Perhaps somewhere more comfortable?"

"If you show your face," Anton said.

Her delayed response made it clear she had to think hard about that. And she should, because unless Anton's judgment was quite mistaken any of the cultivators on the ship would be vulnerable outside. Especially with individuals like Anton or Everheart around.

"I will be willing to meet in person as long as you guarantee my safety. Perhaps somewhere… neutral?"

"Everything in the system is ours," Anton said. "But we could set up something comfortable on the moon. If none of your people attack us, then I can guarantee you will leave the meeting unscathed."

After that, there was some discussion about who should attend- and when they should meet again. Without Everheart's teleportation formations reaching the moon was outside of most individual's capacities, but Anton could bring people with him without too much issue. And he knew he should not be the only one to be involved in diplomatic relations with Weos. Everheart most certainly didn't count as a second there, because Everheart shouldn't be involved in any interactions with people of any kind whatsoever, for the good of everyone. Sadly, they probably needed him.

In the end, they arranged to have a formal meeting in two months- local months, of course. That would give Anzela time to return home and make whatever preparations she and her people had to do, and it would give Everheart time to plop down a building and fill it with too many formations. He had to have something comfortable, right? If not, Anton could arrange for something, and of course gather those who needed to go.

Given that he trusted Rutera, at least more than he trusted Weos, he also planned to contact them to inform them about the situation. They could make their own choices about what they wanted to do, or wait for results, but keeping their somewhat friendly neighbors in the loop seemed like the right call.

When arrows still kept flying through space towards them, Velvet was concerned that it was not Kseniya. But it was starting to be hard to deny the energy signatures and the style. But before Kseniya was threatened with counterattacks, she stopped and began to fly her way towards Velvet as the others from the Dark Ring began to converge. "Hey. Figured I'd get you some practical training."

"... usually it's better if people agree to such things first."

"Nah," Kseniya shook her head. "Then you would never take it seriously. No matter how much you wanted to."

That might be true, but it was still not a normal thing to do. But it was also very much like the woman herself. Seeing that there was no active combat, the members of the Dark Ring accompanying Velvet arranged themselves around the two, waiting.

"This is who I was looking for," Velvet said. "Grand Elder Kseniya, meet the Dark Ring."

"I heard Matousek joined them. You too?" Kseniya asked.

"We're just allies. Is this place yours, by the way?"

"What, you mean this gas giant? Or this empty point in space where I'm standing?"

"Either?" Velvet shrugged. "They want a location like this to use as a base."

Kseniya shrugged, "Fine with me. I'm done with it. As long as you lead me to somewhere else interesting. It's a pain to get between systems."

"You need a proper ship for that," Velvet explained.

"Need isn't the word I would use. But a good technique could definitely make it a shorter journey."

"Is that what you've been doing this whole time? Going between systems?"

"Just once," Kseniya nodded. "And then I spent some time practicing archery here with nobody to bother. Seems as I am now, it's impractical to shoot around a planet this size."

"I'm… honestly glad that's the case. Have you gotten the messages we sent, at least? Did you hear anything about Xankeshan?"

"I saw something about that, yeah," Kseniya nodded. "Wanna take me?"

"That was the plan." Not that Velvet had been there herself yet. As it turned out, the galaxy was big. Or even just the small sliver of it between the Exalted Quadrant and the Trigold Cluster.

Chapter 479

A mass of energy sufficient to level a mountain descended towards the planet surface, building up speed in a manner that made Prospero Vandale almost jealous. The defensive barrier bowed inward in an alarming manner that concerned him, because despite not needing any of their mountains and perhaps even being able to replace them the attack succeeding would merely encourage further action. Then the bundle of energy began to slow, then stop… before rapidly flinging back in the other direction. The vessel and all of those upon it who contributed to the attack were annihilated, which was a shame because Xankeshan could really use its own fleets. It seemed they would have to take a more active role defending their sovereign territory if they wanted to capture anything.

It had to be admitted that despite not being brought back to full functionality, Xankeshan's defensive formations were quite impressive. Prospero didn't understand them in great detail, because despite some training in formations in both his lives, it was not sufficient to tackle formations on the scale of a grandmaster or… whoever had to have constructed them in the first place. Perhaps an Augmentation or Domination level cultivator.

A fine rain of materials was drifting down towards the planet's surface, apparently not taken as a threat by the formations. They were rather efficient at that, not wasting energy where it didn't need to be spent… though Prospero was concerned about where the power it did use came from. He understood that it drew partially from the living ecosystem of the planet, but besides some megafauna in the Gardens there really wasn't much life. Catarina said something about the formations drawing upon something deeper, but all power sources had to be limited somehow. He couldn't help but worry about that, but the younger-and-stronger individuals that had once been juniors beneath him didn't seem particularly worried. Hopefully, they were right- and it wasn't as if they were sitting around idly.

The population of the little planet they'd somehow snagged the reins to was still small, considering they had to have some level of trust for anyone that was brought inside. The total fighting force was many times what the Order had once had under Prospero's leadership, but that was in the 'lower realms'. Here in the upper realms, the array of dozens of ascension level cultivators was just a start. And then there was Prospero himself…

What could he say? Even if he was managing more than a star per year it would still take him a few decades to reach the Integration stage. Having previously traversed the path made it smoother, while having to wrangle upper energy added speed bumps. Even so, he was confident he could manage it much more quickly than his previous life- and actually break through instead of hovering on the edge. Until that point, he was little better than a disciple with an overabundance of life experience. He wished he was back on Ceretos hanging out with Anton, even if he were at his current strength. It might be quite interesting… especially considering Everheart's presence there. That had to be interesting, though Anton might regret passing up the chance to kill him. Though he was able to make his own choices, even big ones that affected many people.

Just a handful of years prior, Nirmala's status as a diplomat was mostly ceremonial, and generally still only around because of her role in keeping the various regions of Rutera united. They'd had a unified world for a generation, but it wasn't so easy to keep it in place. Nirmala hadn't particularly expected to get involved in actual foreign relations. After all, what were the chances that adjacent systems had planets that could sustain similar life? Not that high. And it being human life?

Well, at that point it was no longer a coincidence of any sort. It seemed that Rutera was an oddity in that they didn't follow the 'traditional' cultivation paths. Perhaps whoever had settled the planet long in the past ran into some issues. Maybe something monumental change, but if so it was before their current records… which went back quite some time. Either way, traditional cultivation wouldn't have served them as well with the lower level of natural energy that Rutera had compared to Ceretos- or even what it was said that Ceretos had a century earlier.

The point of Nirmala's thoughts was that she now found her job to be more practical and her life to be much busier. Especially since she had to visit Ceretos and now was being taken to their moon. Without a ship. There was some risk to that. Not that she thought Anton would allow her to be harmed, but he had admitted there was the potential for everyone to die at the meeting. Then again, if that happened perhaps all of Ceretos would be wiped out so it would hardly matter. A reminder to Nirmala that she was dealing with individuals with power far beyond her comprehension- and she tried, but any time she sensed the natural energy any of them had it sent her head spinning. But perhaps she simply needed more training. Apparently it could extend her youth, which she was not opposed to in the slightest. And fitting in with the locals was an excellent excuse to train often.

It was actually quite beautiful, flying through the stars with no ship blocking her view in any direction. She could see Ceretos, its sun, and its moon. Clear stars in all directions- not a view she was used to on Rutera because of the light pollution. They managed to keep the planet environmentally stable, but light pollution was simply a byproduct of large cities and the ability to light up the night.

Nirmala returned her mind to the upcoming task, and to those around her. Along with Anton there were others embarking on the same journey. That included others of concerning strength. There was Scholar Eulogius, a brash but highly intelligent man. It was strangely hard to find any history on the man. Then there was Vasu, head of the Million Sword Vault. He had a few others with him, but the bigger thing that Nirmala noted was that he was also bringing a desert. Or at least a few dunes worth, though the mirrored texture of the sands provided a strange image, like a mirage.

The first positive sign was the ring ship from Weos arriving on schedule and landing. It was alone, which didn't mean it was no threat- but when the doors opened and cultivators began to descend down the exit ramp, Anton found himself relaxing. He recognized Anzela's aura close to the peak of Life Transformation, walking next to a man whose aura was entangled with hers in a complementary manner. He was somewhat weaker, but still around mid Life Transformation.

"Greetings," Anton said as the group approached the small compound that had been set up. Formations provided air, and Anton waved his hand to clear some of the dust on the path between them. "This is our first time to meet properly face to face." Anton began introductions, starting with himself. He wasn't sure if he actually considered himself most important, but he was the strongest- with the potential exception of Everheart, even injured. But he came after Sect Head Vasu, and before any of the Life Transformation individuals present. That included Treloar of the Worthy Shore Society, though the man was showing signs he might not remain as he was for long.

"As I'm sure you recall, I am Anzela Ranik, captain of the exploration vessel behind us. This is my husband, Rikuto, and a man more adept with his words than myself."

Rikuto bowed slightly. "I apologize for my unexplained presence, but this was a matter of concern for Weos as a whole. I am more familiar with what information we can offer, and what diplomatic promises we can make." He bowed more deeply, "I am honored to meet the prosperous sects and clans of Ceretos, and a representative of Rutera is a pleasant surprise." The man seemed inclined to ask something, but thought better of it.

Anzela stood next to him, cautiously surveying the gathered cultivators. She had a clear question in her eyes, and Anton was willing to provide the answer.

"We call this stage Assimilation," Anton provided. "We have found it to be an acceptable alternative to ascension." That answered the question, though doubtless raised many more. And just knowing an alternative existed wouldn't necessarily allow them to achieve it. Unless Anzela, her husband, and every member of the crew behind her were extremely adept at deception they had no understanding of such a stage… and thus were not a threat. Not as individual cultivators, at least. The ability to draw out void beasts- intentionally or not- was an area of concern for another time, and spoke of the power of Weos as a whole still being significant.

The rest of the day mainly involved getting settled in, with Everheart having provided luxurious 'backup palaces' for part of the compound. Nobody would recognize the origins of any of the goods since they had come from the upper realms, though because of his familiarity Anton could sense faint traces of ascension energy within some of the structures and furniture.

Anton much preferred the casual meeting he'd had with Rutera and Matija especially, but it wasn't always possible to have things his way. The group from Weos hadn't arrived somewhere where the only person associated was Anton. Technically all of Ceretos had significant business in whether or not anyone was prying about the sun or trying to destroy it- but Anton was the one who had been able to get there and do anything. And he wanted to knock on the door to say hello.

Here, likely due to some connection to the upper realms known or unknown, Weos already spoke their same language. They had shown up directly around Ceretos as well, so things sadly had to involve more people and maintain a level of formality. That even meant including the Exalted Archipelago… though not many of them.

It took many days and many more words to get to the things that Anton thought were important, but with so many people around to speak their minds he had to be patient. But finally, after assuring people that they were interested in at least being neutral if not immediately friendly, they got to the topic of Azoth.

"Anzela has a better head for history than I," Rikuto explained, "So I will defer to her for the explanation."

Anzela nodded, taking a moment to prepare her opening. "Approximately half a century ago, cultivators from Azoth entered our system. With little warning they began attacks on our outposts on or around the various planets. Fortunately, we were prepared for… another anticipated conflict and were able to quickly mobilize. Even so, the conflict dragged out for years before we finally managed to drive them off."

"What of this other conflict?" Anton asked. "How did their attacks impact it?"

"Actually…" Anzela frowned, "It… never happened. Which is odd, because we were momentarily weakened from the war." She turned towards Rikuto, who had elbowed her. "What? I'm not saying we're weakened now. We could take… Azoth at least."

"Interesting," Vasu was the one who spoke, "It was not long before that when we, too, were preparing for a conflict of our own." Some people liked to beat around the bush. The Million Sword Vault was not one of those sects. "But we kicked the ass of the invaders from the upper realms and sent them packing."

"That…" Anzela blinked. "... You've had trouble with the same as well?"

"Repeatedly," Anton said. "They attempted to scour our history so that we would not remember." For the moment, the Exalted Archipelago was being kept as a separate topic. At least most of them simply chose to dwell in the same world and weren't troublemakers. Most of those were dead, now.

"That was similar to what we experienced. We managed to keep some records from the last war." At this point it was obvious the cat was out of the bag, so Rikuto just shook his head as Anzela spoke. And ultimately it was information useful for them to trade.

"We had much trouble with the Twin Soul Sect beforehand…" Anton sighed. He noticed the slightest intake of breath from one individual. "I'm going to make some sudden movements now," he said calmly. "Do not be alarmed, and understand that it will be explained to your satisfaction."

The individual Anton had sensed almost turned to run, but not only was he too slow to do anything, there was nowhere for him to go unless he could operate the ring ship himself. Anton had a hand on him, suppressing his energy to nothing so that he could not move or do anything, including harm himself.

Anton tossed a technique manual he was lucky to still have on him towards Anzela. "You'll want to learn this before you go back. And let's talk about the Twin Soul Sect more as well." Anton could see Everheart's eye twitching, as if he had a compulsion to kill the man Anton was holding. And he very well might, if he'd given one to a projection and it had merged with him. Anton still didn't fully understand that situation.

"I know how to make a soul destroying formation," 'Scholar Eulogius' said unprompted. "For when you want it."

"I don't, uh…" Rikuto looked at Anzela, who was significantly stronger than him- but she shook her head. "I suppose we will listen to your explanation."

That was a good choice, because if they knowingly harbored the Twin Soul Sect Anton was going to have harsh words for them, and significantly more arrows. And if they didn't know about them, then they were going to need some assistance.

Chapter 480

"Tell us you're not a member of the Twin Soul Sect."

"I'm not!"

"Tell us that the cultivation technique you practice is the same as the one you display."

"It is!"

Anton looked down at the man in front of him. "Good. Now do it without lying and I'll let you go."

The man lowered his eyes. "I already did. But you've already decided to use me as some sort of display of power, so it won't change anything."

"I don't need to kill someone like you to display my power," Anton said. His direct questions should have been sufficient to give those with training in insight at least a feeling. People could lie directly to specific questions and have little reaction, but there was always something. Anton felt it clearly, though he didn't need anything more to convince him.

"You might as well kill me now," the man said. "I can't stomach more disrespect."

"We're not going to kill you," Anton said. "Because we know you're not afraid of that. But Scholar Eulogius can teach the others how to shatter your soul, which should concern you a little bit."

"You can't let them do that!" the man pleaded towards Anzela and Rikuto. "Death is inevitable for a cultivator, but something like that-"

"Is what you should expect people to do when they find out you're planning to betray your entire world." Anton turned towards the group from Weos. Everyone from Ceretos was already on his side- they mostly had practice with the techniques for detecting members of the Twin Soul Sect, and those who didn't trusted in the appraisal of the others. "You should get started practicing that technique," Anton said. "Though you're welcome to study it as long as you like."

"What if… we don't?" Anzela asked.

"Don't what? Learn the technique? Shatter this man's soul?"

"Either. Both."

"Then we'll send the rest of you on your way and you won't ever be welcome near our system again," Anton stated simply. "We can answer any questions you have about the Twin Soul Sect and their connection to your invaders. You can even message your homeworld, though I would advise against it. If they become aware of a consistent method of rooting them out they'll have an opportunity to adapt." There was actually one more person he needed to convince. Nirmala.

"... Why did you not mention this to us?" Nirmala asked.

"It came up," Anton said, "But perhaps only in passing. It seems your world has been isolated from the upper realms for whatever reason." Probably their minimal resources, by cultivator standards. "None of us who visited found any signs of the Twin Soul Sect upon Rutera. And I suppose we hoped that what happened in our world was more of an isolated incident. Rutera knows your history, stretching back thousands of years, correct?"

"More or less."

"We're at… seven hundred. More or less. Anything older than that was intentionally left behind to throw us off." Anton could tell that something about his words was familiar to those from Weos as well. Hopefully they would act rationally. One man, even if he'd endeared himself to some of those involved, was not worth their world. Besides, anything they liked about him would probably be fake.

The diplomatic meetings upon the moon were rather more subdued after the discovery. Much time was spent by those from Weos studying- and Anton hoped practicing- the techniques to sense the true nature of Twin Soul Sect cultivators. Once they actually practiced, they would sense what he intended- but whether they believed the truth was something else. Anton could have easily forced the man's cultivation to reveal itself, but that could easily be seen as if he were the cause. In a way, making them arrive at their conclusions the slow way was a test.

And also extremely annoying. Anton wanted to start cleansing Weos of the Twin Soul Sect himself, but that wouldn't be the correct solution. Avoiding them entirely would be better, as this wasn't a good time to get into a war. Not that there ever was one, but they were specifically aware of an upcoming invasion. The fact that it might still be a century or a century and a half away didn't mean they could afford to lose people. Weos might reject their theory, but for one individual they wouldn't start a war. Unless they were just looking for an excuse to begin with, in which case they might as well just get it over with. Though Anton didn't get that impression from either Anzela or Rikuto.

The only one who looked more impatient than Anton himself was Everheart. "It would be a shame to have to wipe out a whole system," Everheart said.

"I don't think you can," Anton replied. "Not as you are now."

"You'd be there too, obviously. And pretty much anyone else from Ceretos."

"Our interstellar ships are still… new. And definitely not as good as theirs. We couldn't bring a proper army there, and from what they were saying I think they're quite… populous."

"I suppose so," Everheart sighed. "Guess we'll have to wait until you can pierce through the heart of a world in one shot. That would help."

"How long would that take?" Anton asked. "I doubt it's simple."

"Who knows?" Everheart shrugged. "In the upper realms, it might take a Domination cultivator to do that simply. But the difference here is not just the energy. But give it a few centuries and I'm sure you could figure something out."

"A few centuries, huh? I hope I make it that far."

"Why wouldn't you?" Everheart asked.

"Because I'm not exactly young now," Anton pointed out. "As I cultivated, my lifespan didn't increase as much as others. And now…"

"Now what?" Everheart prompted. "Assimilation has to have added some years onto your life."

"Maybe," Anton shrugged.

"Look, if you're going to die of old age you don't have to hide it from me. It will let me plan a smoother transition to my control of the world. Less bloodshed. You'd prefer that, right?" Everheart grinned.

Anton wasn't sure how serious that was or not. Not because he didn't think Everheart could make those plans or achieve them, but because he didn't seem like the leader type. And he seemed far too attached to Ceretos to just plunder the entire world when he could get more in the upper realms. "I just don't know," Anton shrugged. "I should still be near the end of my lifespan. Fleeting Youth seems to be quite happily growing stronger. Though we should probably discuss what you know about reincarnation and all that. My understanding of this spectral energy is… less than optimal."

"Hell if I know," Everheart shrugged. "I'm not willing to give up reincarnating to try it out. But I did learn some secrets in the upper realms that might help. What will you pay me?"

"Not smothering you in your sleep."

"Hmm, tempting. But I don't have to sleep. How about you throw in eternal shelter in the lower realms? Just in case I get in trouble after this."

"What, you actually trust me to protect you from people?"

"The Trigold Cluster, at least. I just want you to promise not to turn me over to them."

"... I have the feeling that doing that would hurt them, though. You'd have to take down some with you, right?"

"Not as many as if I get to live longer."

"Fine. I'll offer you shelter here in the lower realms… as long as you don't harm anyone I care about."

"Can you give me a list?" Everheart frowned. "Wait, you're not one of those guys that cares about everyone, are you?"

"I have a lot of family," Anton said finally. "And sectmates and allies. We're even growing into the upper realms. But I could convince them to mutually stay out of your business if you promise the same."

Everheart sighed. "Can't believe I'm agreeing to this, but fine."

"I know that look," Anton narrowed his eyes. "If you break your promise and try to hide out in the upper realms, I swear I'll finD a way to shoot you from here."

Everheart shivered, though he tried to hide it. "That's not…"

"Possible?" Anton raised an eyebrow. "I believe you were one of the greatest proponents of anything being possible with cultivation. And if I only have to target you, I'm sure I can make it easier."

"Hah. Well, good luck with that. You'd have to be like, twice the genius I am and it'd still take you centuries to even get close."

Though he acted like… well, Everheart, Anton had the feeling that he really meant to keep that promise. At least at the moment, which was all Anton could really ask for.

Anzela crossed her arms in front of her chest. "This is not… something that is easy to accept."

Rikuto nodded. "With your… high cultivation perhaps it is trivial to set up something like this. But-" the man didn't let his point go unfinished, "If what you say is true, it should not be impossible to find more like him, correct?"

"They will be worming their way into upper society if at all possible, the best sects and clans and organizations of any kind," Anton assured the man. "Like an exploration vessel looking for other groups of cultivators."

"Could you relinquish him back to us?" Rikuto asked. "We could bring him to some who we…"

"Trust?" Anton asked.

"... have greater experience with," Rikuto said as diplomatically as possible. "Some with soul-reading capabilities."

Anton shook his head. "I'm afraid that's impossible. If he dies normally, the information he has now will be worth quite a bit to those in the upper realms. We can't risk that."

"What if we bring them here?" Anzela asked. Rikuto shot her a glare, but she brushed it off. "I don't want to believe you, but if your words are true we must confirm them and then act upon it."

"You can do that," Anton said. "But if any vessel returns without you, we'll assume the worst. And if you want to trust me, there should be more than a few people in your own system to check out… if you can manage to capture them without triggering a dangerous chain of events. At the very least, though, you can determine that this signature isn't just random."

Anzela grimaced. Anton couldn't tell exactly what she was thinking, but he knew how he would react if he learned there was someone on his crew that was planning to betray everything he knew. It happened with some of those infiltrating the Order, leading up to Vandale's death… which was strangely still a hole within him despite knowing the man lived once more. But if those you cared about didn't tear some of you away with them when they passed, then Anton doubted that it was much of anything to begin with.

"There's a slight problem with this," Anzela said.

"In what way?"

"We'll be returning one short. Any others who know about him will find that suspicious."

"Then," Anton suggested, "Leave some more with us. I swear we'll treat them well until your return."

"I can't make anyone do that," Anzela frowned.

"Ask for volunteers. Maybe someone who wants to learn the bow or the sword."

"Would you actually train them, though?"

"If we're not going to be enemies? Gladly." Anton smiled, "Once you are convinced of what we've said, we'll be able to consult about our mutual problems and be friendly neighbors."

"For someone who is so interested in being friendly, you're terrifying sometimes," Anzela said honestly.

"That's just the way things are in this world. It requires power. I'm sure you all know that, as fellow cultivators. And I'm quite certain you have more than a few tricks up your sleeves in case we were to come into conflict."

"Of course. I wouldn't risk my husband so easily." She said that, but Anton could tell she was understanding she underestimated Anton specifically- and she knew he wasn't the only one of similar power. He could do more than just move quickly to restrain a weaker cultivator. In general, it was easier to kill someone than capture them. Anton just hoped he didn't have to do too much of either in the near future… or if he did, he hoped it would be by the side of individuals from Weos instead of some sort of crusade to annihilate them. Though obviously not all of Weos was corrupted, or there wouldn't be the point of the Twin Soul Sect remaining hidden. They would just take everything.

Chapter 481

At his current cultivation level, Anton had presumed he was done learning movement techniques. He could move swiftly on land, through the water, or even fly if he wished to- and his range was exceptional enough he rarely needed such speed to begin with. He realized now how foolish that idea was. He hadn't given up on advancing his cultivation, but he'd narrowed his scope too much. The ships of Azoth made him realize he needed to advance his offensive ability- though some of his trouble had been an incomplete Assimilation with the local star- and how that he was moving around the system he realized he was rather slow compared to any decent interstellar ship.

The first thing he started with were the Soaring Air Sect's flying techniques. He didn't have the right cultivation base to perform them exactly as described, but he could certainly adapt them. Even if he could use them exactly as they were, they wouldn't work outside of the atmosphere. Shoving himself around with energy was doing well enough, but even if he got better at it the more he flew around, it wasn't graceful.

At some point, Everheart noticed what he was doing… and graciously offered to provide assistance. "Your technique is awful. You'll never survive a decent battle like that." Alright, nothing about Everheart was actually gracious at any point. But he was helpful. "See this?" Everheart moved around, making quick changes to his momentum- which was another thing Anton had to deal with, because a lack of friction really affected how movement in space worked. Anton paid close attention. He could certainly figure out why Everheart made the shapes he did with enough observation. "Moving like this forces the energy together behind you so it doesn't just scatter randomly. It builds on itself and is more efficient." Oh right. Everheart knew how to teach, unlike Kseniya.

"What about in atmosphere? Won't that cause problems?"

"Of course," Everheart shrugged. "Especially in a lower realm like this. You could break the world in half. Well, not literally. But nobody would have any nice glassware."

"... Can that stopping technique of yours work in reverse?" Anton asked. "Can I like… pull on the world to propel myself forward?"

"Sure," Everheart said. "All you have to do is learn how to manipulate space directly."

"Okay," Anton nodded.

There was silence for about a minute.

"Wait you're serious?" Everheart's eyes widened. "That crap takes like, centuries."

"Really?" Anton frowned. "I'm pretty sure Kunibert knew how to do it."

"Was he like the founder of your Order or something?" Everheart asked.

"He was one of the Grand Elders when I joined," Anton said.

"Great. Maybe ask him, then."

"He's dead," Anton said.

"How?" Everheart asked.

"Holding someone ascending in place so that he might be killed."

"Did it work?"

"... indirectly," Anton admitted.

"Stupid," Everheart said. "Should never have to think about sacrificing yourself if you have someone else who can do it." Everheart scratched his chin, "You sure he understood spatial manipulation? In Life Transformation?"

"I was unable to witness his final battle," Anton said, "But his abilities were known throughout the Order."

"Then just use his notes," Everheart said.

"Why? You think I can't understand your technique?"

"I stole these secrets fair and square!" Everheart said. "I don't have to share with anyone!" Then he shrugged, "Also you seem like the kind of pansy who doesn't want to drop void beasts on your planet so it's better not to learn my stuff. Anyway if you knew someone from your Order who had those abilities, why don't you know how to do it already?"

"I wasn't sure if it would be useful. It seemed as if it was strongly tied to his personal techniques, so I didn't try to learn it."

"You didn't… even try?" Everheart's face paled and he looked like he was going to throw up. "Don't tell me you haven't learned every technique everyone in the Order has ever created? You're the Sect Head!"

"I only have a finite amount of time," Anton pointed out. "It's not as if I have been slacking off. Even you can't add more hours into the day."

Everheart looked Anton dead in the eyes. "You'd never make it in the upper realms with that attitude."

"I don't know what that means," Anton said. "But I am physically incapable of existing in the upper realms."

"Here's what you're going to do," Everheart said, pulling out a scroll almost as big as himself. "You're going to read this, and then you're going to go learn every single technique anyone in your sect has ever put to paper. And then you're going to force them to write everything else they know down so you can also learn it."

"I suppose I can do that," Anton nodded.

"You're going to do it right now young man!" Everheart tossed the scroll at Anton's head. Anton caught the massive scroll in both hands. It was… heavy.

"I'm almost two hundred and twenty."

"Wow." Everheart said. "You're like a baby. Now start reading! Unless the little baby hasn't learned how to read yet?"

'Ten Thousand Scrolls'. Anton was honestly unsure if that was the name of a technique, or if it was just a descriptor of what he was holding. He was fairly certain he would have trouble holding it without making use of his natural energy to augment his muscles. It went on and on and on… seemingly forever. But of course it couldn't actually be forever. Perhaps if it looped back in on itself and simply randomized or repeated text, but… would that even count?

Anton shook his head. It was easy to get distracted. Reading this thing was… mind numbing. It just went on and on and on, and he didn't quite get what he was supposed to learn from it. It was a strange blend of different techniques. None of them seemed quite complete, though perhaps that was simply that they were not yet complete. They seemed to come in chunks, so they might complete later in this extremely oversized scroll.

It had been a long time since Anton felt so much mental strain simply from reading over a technique and imagining practicing it. He was slightly reluctant to actually follow through on anything since he didn't fully understand any of the techniques, and some involved manipulating his brain with energy. That seemed like a recipe for disaster. If Everheart wasn't so… weirdly obsessed with making sure he learned he might have thought it was a trap. Sure, that obsession made it feel like a trap, but Anton felt that he'd touched on some weird core of Everheart.

So he read and read and read, for a month. Then two months. Three. Six. One year. He didn't stop when he had to interact with others, simply focusing on it less. A proper cultivator could split their thought processes up between different things, and social interactions didn't take all that much of his brain power… even if he might have ended up seeming a bit distracted. He performed the duties required of him, but had no time to do things like worry about what was happening with Weos.

As he progressed further through the scroll, Anton's reading became faster… and yet it only seemed longer and longer. Yet he became ever more certain there was something of value contained within it, insights he couldn't quite grasp yet.

He didn't do it on purpose, but he subconsciously began circulating his energy as various techniques described, despite none being quite complete. It wasn't just mental techniques, though there were certainly plenty of them. There were a lot of other things that just seemed like unnecessary fluff, but Anton couldn't just ignore them. They might be part of something else, he just had to piece it together.

Then, one day, he reached the end of the scroll. The instant after that, it was snatched out of his hand. Anton turned to see Everheart stuffing it into his bag. "You could have asked for it back," Anton said.

"You might have given it to someone else."

"What's wrong with that?" Anton raised an eyebrow. "You share techniques all the time."

"No," Everheart said. "I let people learn techniques. I don't share anything."

"You realized I could just recreate that, right?"

"Not yet you can't," Everheart shook his head. "You're only just beginning. But if you can, it's not my issue. You'll be the one responsible for it not winding up in the wrong hands."

"So what do I do now?"

"You follow through with the rest of the plan!" Everheart said. "Get reading!"

"... You're surprisingly insistent about this."

"You're surprisingly… stupid!" Everheart wasn't necessarily a man known for his eloquence. "I can't believe you'd leave anything unlearned for so long!"

"I had other priorities to focus on, and it's not like I can use every technique all at once."

"Then you should get more of you!"

"Gonna teach me that?" Anton asked.

"... no." Everheart said. "I am not."

"Then I'll have to manage things my way." Now that he was no longer buried in that scroll, Anton's mind went to the matter of Everheart… and where he'd been over the last year. Strangely enough, Anton had managed to keep track of most of it. Everheart had dozens of projects to deal with on Ceretos, and those were all being overseen by various people. In fact, 'Scholar Eulogious' was more of a consultant than anything else on most projects, rather than directly overseeing them. Though he did have his ways of getting people to listen to him. "You aren't planning to get up to anything sinister while I'm occupied, are you?"

"Not any different than usual," Everheart said.

Anton believed him. But that didn't make him feel better. A year of his life, for what? Sure, he continued to passively cultivate and manage everything he needed to, but Anton could have focused on other tasks. He still wasn't sure what benefit Ten Thousand Scrolls had.

When he began reading through other things, starting with Kunibert's notes, he had the feeling he was reading faster… but was that all? He was still sorting together the pieces of the mental techniques, but they seemed safe enough. As he slowly circulated his energy, he found things falling in place, not just pieces from the Ten Thousand Scrolls, but also what he was currently focusing on.

It was immediately clear that Kunibert's method of spatial manipulation would not work for just anyone. He had a special genius for it and was unable to describe certain things… yet there was still a solid core for learning more about spatial manipulation, in a practical manner a cultivator could use. The most important part was sensing where space was distorted. That was something Anton could sense at the borders of a secret realm or within a storage bag, but he felt something more. Ceretos itself was distorting space to some extent, something Anton rapidly became more cognizant of.

But his mind quickly found itself diving inward, into the core of his cultivation… and through it. Passing by the 'stars' of his cultivation which were simply condensed structures of energy and to the actual stars he had a connection to via Assimilation. The mass of such things distorted space on a greater scale… though not in any way that Anton could make practical use of. Even if he could create a semblance of mass with natural energy, it wouldn't be enough to rival even a small planet, and not for long.

Even so, he gained some insights that set him down a path towards understanding spatial manipulation, and how he might manage it without himself being a planet or star. He could likely have been at the same point close to a year prior if Everheart had just tried to teach him… but the man had decided that Anton should learn everything instead. Or at least, everything he could get his hands on. Anton wasn't even sure if he would want to learn actually everything, and he likely couldn't given the number of people developing techniques at any moment.

Chapter 482

A group of six individuals carefully made their way through one of the recent Tombs to open up. There had been a dry spell of almost half a century, and now a new generation of cultivators was being introduced to the perils of such a place. Even if it was considered 'safe' in relative terms, injuries and death were still possible. Yet it was worth it, to be one of the groups that stumbled upon something amazing. There were tales of equipment packed into a room so deep one could not see it all, treasures unimaginable ready for claiming… if the trials could be overcome.

So far traps, tests, and puzzles had hindered the group's progress, but as they stepped into the next room they saw a projection of Everheart himself. Was he there to introduce a new trial, or was this actually the end?

Everheart looked at the bright eyed group before him. He liked to keep his trials fair, but the definition of fair could vary wildly. "Good, you've made it. Go ahead and show me what you can do." He settled into a stance, waiting for them to make a first move. Though if they didn't act within the next few seconds, he wouldn't mind being the one to start things.

The first to act was a spearman, brash and swift. He thrust towards Everheart, only to find another longer spear pointed at his chest. To his credit, he avoided impaling himself upon it, though his attack failed to reach Everheart.

Nearly but not quite simultaneous came an attack from a swordsman. He began with a textbook thrust, into a standard sweep. Nothing bad, but using those moves he'd never beat Everheart. He wrote that style, after all. And it was… fine. Everheart still used his own sword two disarm the man, an extra arm flickering into existence holding the weapon. He was comfortable using the best weapon for any situation, but in a situation like this… he could just use whatever was most humiliating for his opponents. Which was basically their own weapons.

Fire surrounded him, as two cultivators attacked simultaneously. Another one of his techniques- though he had to admit that the modifications he'd made to put his name on it had been minimal for this one. His fists stretched out, sending the flames back at the two individuals.

The fifth carried a hammer and shield, but didn't have the strength to keep himself from being knocked across the room to be buried a half meter into the wall. Perhaps the move was excessive, but Everheart was trying to limit himself to a reasonable power and the sixth enemy was actually smart. They came for his kidneys with a pair of twin daggers while he was occupied, or at least that was likely the plan. Those same daggers found themselves lodged in the attacker's gut, and it was their own fault if they didn't happen to have an antidote for the poison on them.

The remaining individuals were quickly defeated, but there really wasn't any other avenue for them. They were a group from the Tomb Seeking Sect, after all. They used Everheart's techniques and thought to even touch him? Not even with the vast amount he held himself back.

Of course, they might have done better if he was a projection, since their abilities were even more limited… but every once in a while Everheart had to really test the challengers who came to his tombs. Plus, he was slightly concerned about leaving projections around for a long time so he had to regularly replace them. At least the way they absorbed into him was a good way to get information about how things had been going.

Everheart left a pile of crap on top of the bodies of the group. He didn't say they had to win, and frankly the garbage was just taking up space in his bag. Sure, he had a lot of that but castoff weapons from his time in the Smithy were plentiful. He always thought to have that projection melt them down to make something new, but there had been much better materials he could practice with. So his old crap was getting left here. Someone might realize that most of the materials weren't from Ceretos, but what did he care? Everheart was always mysterious and unknowable to begin with. Let them think whatever they wanted.

Somehow, Anzela actually contacted Anton. Not that it was difficult, he just expected by this point they would have already given up. Either they had already been compromised by the Twin Soul Sect or they didn't care or trust what Ceretos had to say. But there was a single word. "Soon".

Unhelpful and mysterious. Were they going to attack Ceretos, and it was a warning? Anton considered it, but whatever preparations they would make for that were already underway or finished. It would be unfortunate to get into a war with their neighbors, but it would be a decent experience. Anton hoped it was something else, though. Perhaps they were unsure if the communications were secure. They should be, because the designs were made by Catarina and approved by Everheart, but perhaps they didn't believe it.

Either way, until he had more information he could not act upon it in any useful manner. Those who should have that very limited tidbit of information would get it, and the rest would continue on with their lives without being disrupted.

Anton looked at Nthanda, who looked back at him… and neither had anything to say for a time. The woman was one of Anton's best archery students, though her path had strongly diverged from his own. She continued to practice body strengthening techniques in priority to anything else, leaving her with energy that felt more akin to an Essence Collection cultivator than someone in late Life Transformation.

"Could you repeat your request?" Anton asked. "I don't believe I heard it correctly the first time."

"Throw me into the sun, please."

Anton nodded. Apparently he had heard it. "No. And if you try to do it yourself, I'll drag you back out. If you want to die, there are easier ways, and I couldn't really stop you."

"It's for training," Nthanda clarified.

Anton had assumed as much, but since she hadn't clarified… he wasn't quite sure. She was difficult to read, as she had more control over her body's autonomous functions than most cultivators. There were ways to override such things with energy, but that usually let on that something was happening if not what. Nthanda's body seemed to do nothing she didn't order it to.

Anton's eyes flared with fire, then he held out his hand. "If you are able to hold onto me for one minute, I will consider your request." Even as Nthanda stretched out her hand, Anton channeled fire through him. It was a strange thing, the power of a sun. Each small piece was quite powerful, yet also… insignificant? His hand lit with fire, powerful and lasting… but not directed like a proper attack would be. It would attack Nthanda without malice or purpose, but the danger was there.

As she grasped his hand, Nthanda immediately began sweating. That was the natural reaction, but it was too quick to be fully natural. That was just how her body would best be able to shed excess heat. Even as the droplets formed on her body, they began to evaporate- nearly evenly, despite some of them being further from the source of the flames.

Her face was determined as she held her grip on Anton's hand, and he wondered if he had been holding back too much. The actual sun would be much worse. But before thirty seconds elapsed, he saw the beads of sweat begin to form more slowly- and not because Nthanda was becoming used to the heat. Instead, her skin began to crack and dry. She managed to hold on until forty-five seconds, after her skin and hair caught on fire.

The instant she let go, Anton retracted his flames. Nthanda sighed, "I suppose I shall have to make do here."

"Good," Anton said. "Because even I can't pull you out of the sun. That would be… a serious issue, actually."

"I hadn't considered that," Nthanda admitted. "I was merely looking for a harsher environment to train in."

"Can't find anything good here? I'm sure someone can set up a formation or something…"

Nthanda shook her head. "It's not the same. I want to fight against a powerful natural environment with just my body. I have traveled around Ceretos, from volcanoes to the depths of the sea. Some provided sufficient challenge to help me advance to this point, but I am seeking something more."

"There are options better than the sun, you know," Anton said. "If you want pressure, a gas giant will do. Probably best to start with a smaller one. You also might want to have me stick around to make sure it's… viable? You have to consider your equipment as well. If that gets destroyed and you have no way to contact anyone, it will be trouble. You're not exactly capable of flight, and there's not much to eat there."

"... A problem I had not considered," Nthanda hung her head. "Could I ask your aid for this?"

"Absolutely," Anton said. "Just be clear on what you want. What you're trying to accomplish."

"I want to complete Life Transformation. And then…" Nthanda shook her head. "I have the feeling if I push my body far enough… something will happen. Ascension, perhaps, but not through the typical routes as I understand them."

Anton wondered if Everheart could help. He had techniques for everything, though of everything Everheart practiced body focused techniques was not one of them. Not beyond the normal level a cultivator trained to, where the body was strong enough to not hold them back and little more. Anton's recent learning after going through the Ten Thousand Scrolls also didn't tell him much. Then again, Nthanda already seemed to know what she needed.

"Very well, we'll try a few things in the near future." Anton had the feeling that Nthanda might throw herself in too deep if he let her. Not because she was particularly reckless, but because cultivators at the edge of Ascension were… determined. Even if not all of them were successful. The recent uptick in that was encouraging, though Anton also hoped enough remained around for the invasion. Though he wasn't going to ask anyone to hang around for a century or more if it was going to hold them back.

Nthanda was not the only archer Anton was helping. Well, he had dozens of individuals who learned from him personally and many others who learned from his current and previous students… but there were also a few that received personal attention.

Like another little granddaughter with some number of 'greats', Gudrun. Okay, so she wasn't exactly little anymore. But the frosty archer was still one of those individuals who had as much access to Anton as they wanted. As a cultivator she was in her prime though her actual age put her over fifty now, her cultivation in early Life Transformation.

She was the fourth child of Anish and Annelie, out of… well, almost a dozen now. For the first handful of decades they had been rather conservative in a way, averaging close to one per ten years. The last couple had gotten away from them, though, and they'd had one every five years with another on the way. They, at least, were quite set on staying- though they hadn't yet come up with a method of advancing their cultivations beyond the peak of Life Transformation.

Gudrun took after her mother, at least in her general cultivation. She practiced the Frostmirror Sect's techniques, including the ability to subdue her emotions… and she seemed quite content to do so most of the time.

There were only so many things a cultivator like Anton had been able to teach her. Ice was far from his area of expertise, though he wasn't incapable of using it. It just wouldn't be very effective in combat, since it both didn't match his cultivation technique and was relatedly short about a century of practice.

Gudrun took up a stance to demonstrate to Anton what she had learned in her own practice. Her hands moved with great speed, forming icy arrows and drawing back her bow to create a shower of arrows. Anton calculated their trajectories as they flew and the way they struck the ground in a pattern, blossoms of ice growing from them and directing an unseen enemy in a masterful display. The ice blossoms would be not only dangerous as they grew but remained as barriers that restricted movement.

Anton nodded. "Very good. I am proud of you." Arrows of ice were more difficult to fling over long distances- and perhaps Gudrun found herself less adept at Horizon Shot than some others- but she still had significant range and great potential inside shorter ranges.

She was one of many Anton would be fighting for, and no matter how many people ascended there would always be more- as long as Ceretos could weather the coming storms. He hoped they would, and that he would be around for at least one more. But he wasn't quite sure. Either way, he would do his best before that time came.

Chapter 483

Swirling gasses and ice became the world as even Anton's exceptional sending ability was diminished by the world around him. Even so, discerning up from down was still simple, and he kept track of the most important part, the individual he carried with him. Nthanda's bare arms and legs were battered by chunks of ice without even the token protection of natural energy, but she remained determined to ignore it.

Lower and lower they sank, into an ocean colder and denser than any upon Ceretos. Such intensity was difficult for Anton to comprehend outside the context of intense natural energy… but without life or heat there was only a dull background layer of sensation. The energy might be present, but it was merely entrapped by the planet around them rather than a true part of its might.

The pressure continued to grow exponentially, until the point that Nthanda found herself uncomfortable. Anton had an inner fire that kept him warm and his defenses sustained, but little more than that. After a short time they returned to the surface to converse.

"I don't think I could get out of there alone," Nthanda admitted. "It's a strange, soupy mass." She shook her head, "Yet, I feel like I didn't go deep enough."

"We can make more attempts," Anton said. "I just wanted to be certain it was helpful."

"I think… I would need to go deeper. That was too… reasonable."

"I can withstand more," Anton said. "But if we separate I doubt my ability to find you."

"You could," Nthanda said confidently. "I'm sure of it. But I'd rather not have to deal with that. Is this… helpful training for you?"

"It's a new experience, at least. It's likely not the best method for me personally, but it's not a waste of time either."

Nthanda nodded. "Good. Though… I really wish I was able to manage this independently."

"Perhaps you can figure something out. I wouldn't want to hinder you by being too helpful."

"What a strange path I've chosen to walk down. I made everything more difficult… training, finding equipment…"

"On the path of cultivation, you can only follow your heart," Anton said. "Besides, if you trained the normal path of energy, you would not find yourself this strong today."

"I suppose not," Nthanda admitted. "It's still difficult."

"I know you don't want to say it directly," Anton said. "But you need a new bow. I'll keep an eye out for something." The strange bone bow he gave her fit her well, but for a peak Life Transformation it was merely usable. Perhaps Everheart might have something. On the other hand, Rutera worked with combining material properties. If it were convenient to visit them, perhaps they could help. But there was a whole war going on still.

The return of Anzela and Rikuto from Weos was met with less fanfare and more somberness. They had returned with the same ship, and they were at least not directly a part of the Twin Soul Sect. Once they stepped out of their vessel they were just a collection of cultivators like any other, no threat to Assimilation cultivators or Everheart.

They didn't say anything at first, clearly reluctant to do what they were planning next. Finally, Rikuto spoke. "We need your help."

"With what?" Anton asked.

"Exterminating the Twin Soul Sect," Anzela replied.

"That would be… quite a large undertaking," Anton said. "Are they somehow a majority of your cultivators? We cannot risk anything if the rest of Weos will join with them."

"It's not…" Anzela exchanged a look with her husband. "The situation is not quite so dire. However, we have spent much time investigating the depth of the Twin Soul Sect's infiltration, and they are widespread. Swiftly exterminating them would be impossible. We have taught your methods to some of those we are able to trust. To get anything done we would have to make a wide scale announcement, which could easily devolve into chaos. If we are unable to build up momentum for our side, we might be wiped out without anyone fully discerning the truth."

"So what do you want? Bodyguards? Soldiers?" Anton asked.

"While a battalion of Life Transformation cultivators is an appealing thought," Rikuto began, "That would ultimately cause more trouble. If you could be present around the initial dissemination of the sensing techniques, perhaps…"

"How long from when people start learning the techniques and when they actually believe you?" Anton asked. "Because if you take too long, the Twin Soul Sect might just manage to go into hiding. Your people are spread throughout the planets, are they not?"

"That's correct," Rikuto confirmed. "We're planning to announce on all of them. Our connections will allow us to place temporary holds on travel, preventing anyone from fleeing the system without being obvious. Unfortunately, we don't have any specific lists of misdeeds we can attribute to any of these individuals. It might be difficult to convince everyone."

"We do happen to have plenty of copies of the technique itself, along with its associated promises of life beyond death for service. Those who have the greatest cultivation experience will be able to discern that both are genuine, I should hope."

"That…" Anzela nodded, "That would be very helpful. And though we are somewhat hesitant, we would ask for some of your strongest individuals supporting us during the first steps."

"I understand," Anton said. "You believe us here, but you don't fully trust us as cultivators. And perhaps you shouldn't. I can only say, one area we will always agree upon is removing those parasites from existence." 'Scholar Eulogius' nodded emphatically in agreement.

"You are not unwilling, then," Rikuto smiled mirthlessly. "What would you require in exchange?"

Of course, they could not offer help freely. Even for eradicating the Twin Soul Sect, they would be taking upon risk for themselves and potentially looking weak if they asked for nothing. They would only lose out.

"I cannot speak for everyone," Anton replied first, "But I can offer the aid of the Order of One Hundred Stars… in exchange for some of the power of your star." That clearly made them uncomfortable, and it made Anton similarly uncomfortable to ask. But he wouldn't be able to even participate without doing it, and going around snatching power from people's stars wasn't something he wanted to do without at least permission. Maybe if he determined it was harmless at some point- it was only a miniscule effect, but perhaps over longer time periods it would be dangerous. He couldn't quite be sure, but he couldn't learn without advancing his cultivation.

"We will… need to discuss specifics."

"I want one of your ships," Everheart said.

"That's…" Rikuto frowned. "For just you?"

Anton's eyes settled on Everheart. He definitely hated the Twin Soul Sect as much as anyone else on Ceretos, perhaps more than most. And having him along would mean not having to worry about him staying behind. "He'll be worth it," Anton said. Even recovering from injuries and restricted by the lower realms, Everheart was a force to be reckoned with.

Further arrangements would be made with the Exalted Archipelago for more traditional forms of payment. Because even though they had been in a pact with the Trigold Cluster for some time, the Exalted Quadrant was also frequent enemies. And with no specific arrangements with regards to the Weos system, they could obtain resources not easily available on Ceretos.

Other groups from Ceretos would pledge their aid for whatever fees they desired- payment and the promise of loot from the Twin Soul Sect. The offers varied in amount, and since the number of individuals going to Weos would be limited for various reasons Anton helped compare the prices to the strength of various groups. If they could bring whoever they wanted Anton would have suggested bringing everyone who would go, but not only did they not have that many ships… their arrival would be suddenly noticed and easily taken as an invasion by the uninformed.

At some point Anton and the others spoke of the possibility of the whole situation being a trap- even after Anzela dealt with her former crewmember- but ultimately they could find no deception in the group. If there was some deeper deception nobody knew it… and if it came down to it, they would likely have had to go to war with Weos anyway. Or perhaps Anton could determine if he was able to damage a star. That wasn't something he was eager to test, especially since there had to be many innocents in Weos even if those in control wanted a war… but it was an idea that still passed through his head.

Normally, going on a trip for a month didn't involve traveling that whole time, not with the options available to top tier cultivators in the lower realms. It wasn't just teleportation, but rather Anton could fly himself to the other side of Ceretos if he wanted to. He still wasn't as good as he would like to be with maneuvering for combat while flying, in or out of atmosphere, but he was focusing on it more seriously… and reading a plethora of techniques from the Soaring Air Sect as well as others. The more techniques he perused, the easier he felt it was to understand them at a glance. No wonder Everheart was so good at it.

In the case of this journey, one month of travel was actually optimal estimations for how long it would take them to reach Weos. It seemed that at least exploration ships like what Anzela came on were faster… but Ceretos was still on their first actual generation of even attempting interstellar travel.

It was an expensive endeavor that would use up a great amount of energy… especially if they didn't want the trip to take ten or twenty years. Everheart had helped provide more options, but it still took time for proper ships to be built. They couldn't just be thrown together haphazardly unless people wanted to risk getting stuck between systems. Few would survive that. Anton might, but he wasn't looking forward to finding out.

What he was looking forward to was connecting to a new star. His cultivation had reached the point where it was once more possible, but he hadn't wanted to rush into anything. His other potential option had been Azoth- so he hoped that before Ceretos was drawn into that conflict he could advance his cultivation once more. It took several years for each star now… but challenging himself might let him reach one hundred and three stars soon enough.

Connecting to the sun itself had been a serious investment, as it had also been Anton's breakthrough to Assimilation. Now it was simply forming the stars within himself that was difficult, and making the connection was almost… easy. Though Anton had to admit he was only interacting with stars that were very close in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps some would be more difficult as they grew larger or more distant. And he was okay with that, because his home would always be Ceretos. Touring nearby was certainly something he wanted to do, though.

If only they were heading to Weos in better circumstances. Still, if all went well Weos would be a much safer neighbor… and their previous conflicts with Azoth might then bring them closer to Rutera. If all went well, each neighbor could be friendly with each other. Or at least neutral. Though that would require Rutera to push through their war, which was not going entirely smoothly. It wasn't public knowledge, but being in contact with several individuals from there- including Nicodemo- let Anton obtain such information. Perhaps Rutera would be more open to aid if all went well with Weos.

First, Anton had to connect to their star. Visually, it wasn't terribly different. Colors changed between stars, and the sizes weren't quite the same… but when Anton actually went to connect to it he felt it was… heavier. Not quite in the same way as he expected a larger or denser star to be heavier but instead… well, he barely understood spatial techniques despite his recent years of study. But it was something like that, an unusual property of the star that caused it to influence space more than it ought to. Perhaps that was what inspired them to make ships that did something similar… in effect, if not in method.

Chapter 484

"Hmm," an old man disguised as someone else stroked his chin as he walked around the ship, taking in various pieces. "I see."

"What do you see?" Anzela asked.

"The answer to that depends upon whether or not you are here to helpfully answer my questions, or if you are here to keep me from finding out too much."

"You finding out 'too much' is kind of the price for your assistance, isn't it?"

"That doesn't mean I believe you won't hinder my efforts."

Anzela shrugged, "Look, I'm just here to make sure you don't take anything apart."

"Don't be silly. That's not required for me to obtain a sufficient understanding. Well then. I was led to believe that you were master spatial manipulators, but this…" Everheart waved an arm around them in a full circle, indicating the ring around the ship. "It only indirectly affects space itself."

"So?"

"So you lied to me."

"I'm pretty sure I didn't tell you anything about how it worked."

Everheart folded his arms in front of himself. "That… might be true." His fingers danced along his arm for a moment. "The cultivators of Rutera would be interested in this vessel."

"Unfortunately, we're not in official communication with them at the moment. So we can't really do much about that."

"Good. That will give me time to sell them the schematics first."

"Hey, we gave you permission to come on board and look around. We didn't promise schematics."

Everheart looked at her and raised an eyebrow, "Why would I need schematics when I can look at it myself?"

"I know you're an… esteemed scholar upon Ceretos, but you can't expect me to believe you can recreate this ship just from looking at it. I've lived on this thing for years by now and I still barely understand half of it."

"Yes, it would take someone of truly remarkable intellect to be able to pick apart each and every piece of this vessel, determining its materials and purpose."

"And that someone is you?" Anzela asked. "Actually, you know what… if you're that smart, I'm glad we have you. As long as you do what we need."

"Of course," Everheart said. "Which planet would you prefer I install the first soul-catching formation around?"

"What?" Anzela tilted her head.

Everheart smiled widely, "Surely you don't intend to destroy the souls of each and every member of the Twin Soul Sect on your own."

"Well I… I'm not the only one who learned that… technique…" Anzela frowned. "Who would even make something like that? It's completely unnecessary for… well, everything I guess."

"A genius scholar, of course," Everheart continued to grin to himself. "And it's quite necessary where this group is involved. I assumed you understood that when you chose to deal with the infiltrator yourself."

"I suppose but-"

"Each and every one of them is a spy that can carry unknown quantities of information with them through death." Everheart leaned closer, "And it's the only way to make them lose. So while I will agree it's completely unnecessary for literally any other situation, regarding the Twin Soul Sect… they must be erased completely from your world." Everheart shrugged, "Unless you like your world being torn apart regularly. But there are easier ways to get combat experience."

"Wow. You're really passionate about this. What did they do to you?"

Everheart's eyes flares. "They erased unknown millennia of history and cultivation techniques I will never get to see."

"Oh. From the way you were talking I assumed they killed your wife and family or something."

"... I don't have any of those," Everheart said. "Now then. Gravity. Your vessel seems to generate that to distort the space around it. I am impressed."

Being in the void between stars was an uncomfortable time for Anton, and he was glad to have arrived in Weos… or at least vaguely close to it. Enough that he felt the strength of the star inside him. This time he was certain the connection was complete, as he wasn't concerned about people specifically watching the star. Perhaps they would be and notice something odd, but that would provide a reasonable distraction.

From their direction of approach, it seemed that they were looking down- or up- on the plane of the orbiting planets. Anton and the others had received enough information on them to know where to look for them, though for the moment they would be waiting for local vessels to come pick them up. They might be able to blend in among the other cultivators, but their ships were different enough and unable to make proper communications as they approached.

So they would wait. At least, that was the plan- but Everheart grabbed Anton by the back of his collar and began to drag him away. "Should I be attempting to kill you?" Anton asked. "I won't let you dispose of my body in secret."

"Don't be stupid. If we fought here we'd ruin the whole surprise thing we have going on. They'd at least be able to feel something."

Anton nodded. Too many people had been able to feel the admittedly short battle on Ceretos. The atmosphere and planet was good at dampening the feeling, but a great distance of nothing was still not going to be that much more effective at hiding what happened. In short, since people had been able to feel the approaching invaders it wasn't weird that feeling two people beyond the level the lower realms were supposed to support fighting.

"Anyway I just need you to give me access to the sun real quick," Everheart said. "Setting up formations around each planet will be too slow so I'm just gonna do the whole system at once."

"You're not allowed to consume the sun. I need that. And so does everyone else."

"Relax," Everheart said. "I just need a little bit of energy. Nobody will notice if we take all of the light and heat perpendicular to the planes of planetary motion for just a few months."

"I feel like someone's bound to notice that. Also, that's not a little bit of energy."

"Yeah and it's feisty too," Everheart nodded. "So just help me get what I need without it trying to fight me so I can set up this thing."

"This thing being?"

"The same thing I had on Ceretos and stuff. An entrapment field for everyone from the Twin Soul Sect."

"I regret to inform you that a system is larger than a planet."

"I set that crap up centuries ago," Everheart said. "I can do way better now. Also, free souls are really easy to manipulate."

"I hate that you know that and I don't want to know how far it goes."

"I manipulate far fewer souls than the Exalted Quadrant, Trigold Cluster, or even the Harmonious Citadel."

"That doesn't make me feel better."

"Then do something useful," Everheart dragged Anton to a stop with him. "Just throw some energy at me so I can get things moving."

Anton took a few moments to take a look at what Everheart was pulling out, but ultimately he had to trust Everheart. But not too much. Using his energy to power this formation would give him at least a little bit more understanding and maybe a modicum of control as well.

"Why are we here in particular?" Anton asked. "Just to be away from the ships? Did you let anyone know we were going somewhere?"

"Nope. Guess you should do that. And we're here because I'm gonna need to commandeer some of the floating rocks around here."

"... Do you need glasses? There's nothing around here."

"I have frequently refined my eyes functionality to not need outside aid," Everheart said. "And there's a few good sized ones around here, in a general sense. Or there should be, at least, according to my calculations. Find some, would you?"

Anton spread out his senses, not expecting to find anything but stray particles and maybe space dust. At a certain distance he had to accept there was nothing… except he found slight trails of energy. He focused his senses to follow along those, and indeed was able to find some sizable objects, as well as a few smaller ones. "I found some things, but it could take days to get to them all."

"Then we'd better get started. Besides, weren't you working on your mobility? You should be faster than that."

In the end, Everheart's preparations only marginally delayed the plans… though it was really something that needed to be done in the first place. The two of them eventually made their way to Weos itself, the only planet that had been habitable by humans at first. The rest were still fairly inhospitable, but various outposts had been set up that would allow even non-cultivators to live in some of the locations. Others were more difficult, but cultivators were nothing if not adaptable… especially if that was required for having their own space and obtaining resources.

The largest population was still on the main world, of course, which was why both Anton and Everheart were going, even if they were the two most powerful on the excursion. Many other Life Transformation cultivators were going along as backup to the local forces Anzela, Rikuto, and their allies had put together… but no others in Assimilation or like Everheart. Speaking of which, Anton needed to wring more details about how difficult it was to travel back from the upper realms. He made it sound casual, but it most certainly would not be. Ceretos would need as many Integration cultivators as they could bring back, though. Unless the Trigold Cluster for some reason was uninterested in revenge. Though they already knew better, due to the 'minor' clashes in the upper realms.

Anton found himself with little to do but wait while Rikuto set up the whole big announcement reveal. It was almost guaranteed to turn into a battle, and if it didn't there would still be battles elsewhere. Anton was currently familiarizing himself with the density of the atmosphere and the terrain for as far as his senses could stretch- then reaching out of the atmosphere and around, dipping back in. He couldn't yet feasibly target the entire surface of a planet- and Weos was somewhat larger than Ceretos to begin with- but he could at least cover a few hundred kilometers from himself consistently and several times that through more circuitous and energy intensive methods.

Everheart was sneakily messing with formations, either because he was bored or they weren't up to standards or because he wanted to be in control of everything. But they would no doubt be necessary when things started going down, so that was how it was.

Anton could feel them. The Twin Soul Sect cultivators, of course. They didn't know they were being searched for, and Everheart had taught Anton even more effective methods for searching them out that were more difficult to detect. At best, they'd sense a powerful cultivator sweeping his senses across them, which nobody could really do much complaining about.

They weren't quite everywhere, but Anton was uncomfortable with how many people he sensed. Rooting them all out would be difficult, and more importantly dealing with their 'friends' or allies would be troublesome. If they could manage a direct battle between those who were part of the Twin Soul Sect and those who were not, they would be quickly annihilated- but things wouldn't be that easy. Anton had the urge to just start shooting them, but obviously that wouldn't work out well.

Or he could get Everheart to set him up with a formation off the surface and-

No. That was just stupid, unnecessary impatience. And his occasional unhealthy desire to deal with everything himself instead of letting people solve their own problems. Even if he could do it, it wouldn't be better for Weos, or an eventual peaceful coexistence with them. Doing something excessive would simply make him feared, and while that would provide some peace, it certainly wasn't the long-lasting kind. And Anton wouldn't be willing to do what was necessary to reinvigorate it.

Chapter 485

Weos was much more familiar than Rutera, with the standard trappings of a cultivator civilization. Formations were more familiar, though not like those of home. And of course, everyone exuded the power of natural energy. Well, not actually everyone. They were simply the most obvious. Various workers throughout the city showed no signs of cultivation. What Anton presumed to be the capital was densely populated and filled with great power, yet missing the touch of cultivation on the smaller aspects. Outside the city, cultivators still huddled together in their own little sects and clans, hoarding the denser natural energy for themselves. In that manner, it was behind Ceretos.

Yet it was not weak. Anton could sense many Life Transformation cultivators, including those who were on the threshold of Ascension. Most were older, though Anton wasn't certain if that was because they couldn't ascend or not. Even Ceretos had a glut of older cultivators, those who didn't have the ability to advance. Perhaps Weos had completed methods and those with talent to reach the peak while young ascended regularly. Anton would likely ask… but later.

For now, they were waiting inside a large defensive formation that had presumably been modified to reveal things people didn't want known at a key moment. There was no reason for Everheart to lie about that, so Anton accepted that it would work. Both of them were standing guard, mixed in among others, while Rikuto got up on stage for his announcement. He was a better speaker than his wife, and in a social position better suited to the task. Others they trusted were gathering together in different locations throughout the system, to make similar announcements. This was one place where Rutera definitely had the traditional cultivators beat, the dissemination of news. Sure, people would exchange messages immediately as the announcements happened, but they couldn't see what was happening in one place all together. Not yet, at least.

Eventually, Rikuto began his announcement. "I speak to you today on a matter of utmost importance. The security and stability of our very lives. I am sure many of you are aware we have recently made contact with other cultivators in a nearby system- a new one we had no previous contact or conflicts with. Unfortunately, we were met with disturbing news. Not something about our neighbors, but about ourselves. There are traitors among us. Hidden in secret for centuries, part of the very same invaders who come from the upper realms."

At this point, if the Twin Soul Sect was completely foolish and impulsive, Rikuto would have found himself attacked. Several members in the crowd were actually considering that, sacrificing themselves to conceal the information… but that would only result in their deaths, and provide greater validity to anything his living allies might say. Besides, they were confident in their concealment methods. That was quite reasonable, given how well they had worked so far.

"Take a look next to you, to your left and your right," Rikuto continued his prepared speech. "Does it trouble you, knowing that traitors might claim to be a brother from your sect, a friend? Who can you trust? Worry not… for there is a simple solution. We will just reveal the truth."

Out of tens of thousands in attendance, for less than one hundred to suddenly reveal different cultivations was still eye opening. Even at less than one percent, there were a great many cultivators who suddenly stuck out like sore thumbs… exactly as the formation intended them to.

"We have methods to find and reveal these cultivators, more than just these formations. Many copies are available for anyone to freely learn and study, verifying the results for themselves. As for those in the crowd… you will surrender yourselves for arrest, or face immediate execution."

Cultivators were known for making swift decisions. The Twin Soul Sect was always ready with an excuse for what might happen, but with so many people around them pressuring them in different ways, there were bound to be some who made the selfish decision. And it could easily have been the right one- who could recognize one individual out of so many if they managed to get away? But they only revealed their guilt as they impacted the formations surrounding them.

The last thing that Anton would claim was that the announcement went smoothly. In fact, there were instant outbreaks of battle- cultivators who didn't believe what had been said defending their friends… or possibly co-conspirators who knew all along. But even with the split, the vast majority of cultivators in any given sect joined together to suppress those among them who suddenly were revealed to be something foreign, no signs of the cultivation they had previously displayed. Many people died- not just Twin Soul Sect cultivators, but others caught in the crossfire.

Anton clenched his teeth, but he didn't know a way to have done things better. The formation did an excellent job of suppressing the Twin Soul Sect members as well, so those who weren't them or their allies were a smaller portion of the casualties. The chaos didn't last long, however. Most groups handled things 'internally', and those who tried to run were quickly caught against a barrier.

"Trust first those here today," Rikuto said slowly. "If we could have the leaders among you step forward for the distribution of the aforementioned techniques, you can return to your sects with your prisoners intact. Then you can verify the situation yourself… and that of those near you. As previously noted, the starports are closed. Work with us to resolve this matter quickly and we can all get back to our normal lives."

Anton thought things went rather well… which unfortunately meant that the results might not be as good in other places. The real issue would be any sects that were deeply entrenched with the traitors. There would be much bloodshed.

A hundred arrows pierced into a ship from all directions as it left atmosphere. Some of them impacted in places that they weren't aimed, while some were entirely deflected away from the ship itself. Those that did strike did so with little impact… but the following volley was more effective. And then, a single arrow pierced through the ring of the ship, tearing it apart and bringing the whole thing to a screeching halt. Or rather, it continued to drift forward at great speed… but without distorting the space around it to heighten that effect. Several authorized vessels swiftly caught up to it, dragging it back into the atmosphere to be dealt with. Afterwards, the other ships remained low- because aside from catching anyone trying to flee, nobody was authorized to leave atmosphere. Not until they were done.

Anton lowered his bow, letting the plethora of surrounding energy bows fade back into him. There would no doubt be many questions about a powerful archer who was previously unknown, but Anton could honestly say he came from a remote location. And if he needed to be completely honest, he would be able to point out that he hadn't killed anyone. He only stopped ships from leaving.

Everheart, on the other hand… he had kept himself occupied by moving around the city, taking down members of the Twin Soul Sect. Whether they lived or not didn't seem to concern him. Anyone who tried to defend a friend who was no doubt planning to use them as a sacrifice decades ago found themselves swiftly dealt with… though Everheart at least seemed to understand killing people not directly part of the Twin Soul Sect would be a bad look. And they probably wouldn't even be permanently crippled… though Anton wasn't sure about that with some of them. Either way, most wouldn't be able to do anything for a year, if they were lucky.

On Weos itself, everything was going well… but word and lack of word from some of the other planets indicated it wasn't the same everywhere. Unfortunately, reinforcements couldn't be sent anywhere because attempting an incomplete purge was pointless. Maybe after there was full agreement about what was actually happening, with people having learned to sense the hidden cultivations around them.

Meanwhile, on Rutera, the lines of combat were more cut-and-dry, but also uncomfortably shifting. The planet itself was still basically secure, though it suffered constant attacks. The shifting lines were more related to other planets where they had only a small presence, science outposts or smaller settlements. With enemies that seemed to be limitless in number and able to come from nowhere, tensions were high.

Since all of the initial attacks were focused on their homeworld, Matija had felt safe when she was transferred to an outpost on their innermost planet, Sizipra. Now that the attacks were spreading out… she didn't know if that was the case. She looked down at the military grade laser rifle at her side, the sort that a scientist was completely incapable of getting their hands on. Unless they had exactly the right connections, she supposed.

Matija picked it up, walking outside into the hot sun. It wasn't summer heat, either, but more like standing in a furnace. Being in a suit helped slightly, both with the heat and the minimal amounts of actual air. She was nowhere near strong enough to go out without it, and she could only dream of standing unprotected just some hundreds of kilometers from a star, tapping on the airlock of a ship.

Sometimes, she didn't even believe that had been something that actually happened, despite witnessing it herself and still being in contact with the very same individual who did that. It was… strange. Especially since she felt she was only at the beginning of the path of cultivation, despite having practiced seriously for over a decade now. She'd been cautious when she first learned, but after the attacks by Azoth began she just didn't feel safe without being stronger. She still didn't, but at least she could melt rocks that her laser rifle wasn't rated for.

There was just something to it, about feeling the flow of energy the device drew from within itself and from within her. That second power had been in there all along, but was only trained secondhand. Rutera had awareness of the fatigue brought on by activating their devices, and that people grew more accustomed to it over time… but they hadn't really been able to train directly. They hadn't known… and frankly, the world wasn't quite set up for it.

The military had energy gathering arrays now, to train their soldiers. Nice, consistent, and sufficient to have them grow to Spirit Building or maybe beyond, not that many people had reached that level. As Matija felt the unfiltered sun beating down upon her, even through her suit, she supposed that what she had might be better. Choosing to practice the One Hundred Stars was sort of the default, but it fit her quite well along with Anton being intimately familiar with it. She was still a very long distance from the actual sun, but the heat and light it battered Sizipra with came along with large amounts of natural energy. Rutera itself maintained a smaller amount than Ceretos, but out here was a paradise. A sweaty, uncomfortable one. But she was strong now. Kind of.

As she melted boulders that had only just solidified after her last assault, Matija wondered. She'd ended up sparring against military officers for a while, and she had learned that some of her basics had been lacking. Now, she had a decent cultivation… but she couldn't pilot a ship or otherwise contribute to the war. All her training only made her more personally secure… yet she still felt like a coward.

Then she saw it, a glint of something beyond the almost nonexistent atmosphere. Instinctively she reached out with her energy, the thin tendrils that Anton had taught her. There was nothing there to sense… but there had been something. A trail of energy that she felt herself being pulled along, but not quite fast enough to keep up with something. Then, something passed through her. Something there, yet not there. Invisible, but not because it should be. It was simply somewhere else.

Was that how they moved around? Yet what could she actually say about it, and how could she prove it? There were all sorts of theories, and Azoth moving through some sort of subspace had already been thrown around… but there hadn't been any data on it. And… Matija supposed there still wasn't- because as it turned out she wasn't a proper scanner nor did she record information that could be disseminated to others except by saying "I felt it". But maybe she could work with a scanner to make it sense what she did. If only she knew when something would be moving by.

Oh right, and if they were passing so close to Sizipra, was she even safe? That was another important question to ask.

Chapter 486

It was not terribly long before Weos, specifically the main planet, had calmed down. The various factions were at least loosely unified, enough to at least accept that some of them had to be restrained while they verified the results. In the end, even those who didn't necessarily believe the individuals were going to betray the whole planet were convinced by investigations revealing the siphoning of funds. Many of them were more clever than to do anything obvious, but it was difficult for those who had in mind to aid invaders and be rewards in a new life to not want to get something immediately.

For the last month, Everheart and Anton had mostly been traveling around between various cities verifying that there were no members of the Twin Soul Sect left. If there were any, there were now enough individuals able to detect them that they would be quickly rooted out, as the justified paranoia about their presence likely would keep people on edge for many years.

If Everheart were not present, Anton might have been concerned that some had managed to conceal themselves… but Everheart had plenty of experience with them, and adapting to their countermeasures. Or anyone's, really.

Of the seven planets in the system, four were now purged of the Twin Soul Sect… awaiting verification, of course. Even though they were smaller- or in the case of the larger gas giants, the actual inhabited areas took up less space- it was still taking time to confirm. Nobody wanted to rush too much, so everywhere was being double and triple checked. One more was still in conflict… while two were completely out of communication. That included the cultivators from Ceretos. The planets in question- the one third from the sun, slightly outside of Weos itself, and the one on the far outer end- were both presumed to have been taken over by the Twin Soul Sect, or at least allied forces. The actual numbers hadn't seemed to be high enough for that, since they weren't strong enough to fight against a hundred or more foes, so there had to be some working with them. And that made things difficult. Dealing with those planets was actually required, but those who didn't actually practice the Twin Soul Sect's techniques could claim innocence and it would be a great amount of work to prove otherwise.

Everheart went towards the one in the most conflict, while Anton was one of those who went towards the third planet. Aiding the ongoing conflict was important, but leaving an enemy foothold in their midst was also not something they could allow. The limiting factor was ships, so only the strongest were being transported. Life Transformation, late Life Transformation if at all possible, though there were some exceptions for those who were known to be more powerful.

Kuchion was covered in scraggly trees and only sparse vegetation, but for a planet that appeared to have no water whatsoever it was quite lively. That was just how the surface appeared- underground was where the actual action took place. Anton was informed about various relevant features like the extensive caverns and tunnels that went through the planet- some natural and some constructed.

Tunnels were a bit of an obstacle for Anton… but not as much as it might appear at first. If anything, they were a wash. He could still wind his senses through the tunnels to a similar distance he could over a straight distance, and that was the bigger limiting factor than his ability to maneuver his shots. It would limit the directions he could attack from, but he wasn't alone so it wasn't as big of an issue.

The bigger factor was determining who could be attacked. He wasn't able to sense who was part of the Twin Soul Sect from the same distance as just generally determining someone's position, but he could do it from a significant distance. The question was, was a group split between those who were and weren't members of the Twin Soul Sect entirely filled with traitors, or did some simply not know?

Along with Anton there were many others, but one of the most notable was Oluchi. She was a scout, advanced in years. She carried a spear at her side, gesturing with it as she spoke. "We must first find battlefields. Signs of who has done what… and starting with the location where the announcement was to be made."

"I agree," Anton said. If he had any problems he would certainly voice his complaints, despite being a foreigner to this system. If nothing else, he would be respected for his strength. Still, letting someone else take the lead if they were competent didn't bother him. "Should we anticipate trouble as we approach?"

"Of course," Oluchi said, her eyes finding a thick window out of their vessel- one of the local ring-style ships. "We should expect defensive formations as well. But unless they anticipate our precise movements, I doubt it will be easy for them to match our forces. Dozens of peak Life Transformation cultivators and…" she didn't linger long as she looked at Anton, but it was clear she meant him. "The most important thing is to keep our ships safe." Anton nodded. Even if he didn't need one, it was still faster… and of course it would be expensive to replace. Soon enough they were approaching their destination over the planet. "To defensive positions!" Oluchi declared.

Anton moved to his own spot, stepping through a door crossed by a formation that acted as an airlock. It wouldn't allow air past, but it would allow him- and what was in his lungs. The door itself was for both structural integrity and in case of the formation failing. Anton found himself standing on the outer ring, looking 'up' towards Kuchion. Even with the rotation of the ring he found his position felt relatively stable, courtesy of good construction and additional formations.

There was a small platform Anton was able to adjust so that his stance would be as he wished. He could fire directly up, but his muscles were used to shooting his bow within a certain arc in front of him. If necessary Anton could completely leave behind his attachment to the ship, but for the moment it was best to stay within the safety of its distorting features.

The attack came while they were still a great distance off. Anton was unable to anticipate the attack, given the thousands of square kilometers of ground his senses needed to scout, but once it was launched it was simple to locate. He intended to deal with it himself, but even as he began to gather energy he also felt Oluchi readying herself. Since it wouldn't hurt for him to wait for a moment, he let her take the initiative.

It was a strange feeling, the way she threw her spear. The space around her bent, much like that around the ship itself. Her spear left their little pocket of protection going at an angle that would never even approach the incoming attack or the emplacement that fired it, but somehow… it didn't matter. Anton watched carefully as, without feeling her alter its trajectory it pierced through the incoming attack. It wasn't just compensating for gravity, either- that would mostly pull it in the direction it should be going to begin with. Instead, it was another spatial technique… and the strange angle might have also been required for exiting their defensive pocket.

After piercing through what Anton was fairly certain was an oversized ballista bolt, the spear impacted something. That something turned out to be a defensive formation around the planet, still intact. Anton no longer held back, adding his own projectiles to the mix. They didn't go anywhere near where he wanted, indicating he needed more experience fighting around Weos' ships, but he was able to get them back on track to impact the barrier next to the spear, which was still pushing against it.

The barrier cracked for only a moment, but the spear found its way inside, suddenly back at the maximum velocity it had achieved earlier. Then, with a bright flash, it reached the ground. What had once been a weapon emplacement with dozens of cultivators became a crater, out of which flew a spear that somehow turned one-hundred and eighty degrees without ever being in any of the intermediate directions. At least it lost some momentum. No technique was perfect.

The spear was back in Oluchi's hands a matter of seconds after she threw it. Anton still thought it was a weakness to just have one, but it clearly wasn't that big of a deal if she could accomplish that consistently. It appeared she had no patience for anyone that attacked them, nor concerns about collateral damage. When the next attacks came, Anton responded in a similar manner… except his attacks remained more precise. Weapons and people were disabled- the people mainly staying alive not because Anton was afraid to kill, but because they might be useful sources of information. Oluchi took out another group before the planetary formation nearly repaired the hole. If her spear had been trapped inside, Anton wasn't sure if it would remain properly in her control.

Thus, Anton focused his energy on keeping the barrier filled with holes. It was made to withstand attacks by Life Transformation cultivators, maybe a group of them. With enough people they could sustain reasonably powerful attacks… but each of Anton's arrows were enough to slay a Life Transformation cultivator. Holes punctured through the barrier, destabilizing it and allowing for more to be formed. Perhaps if the formation could draw upon all of its energy at once it could resist him, but whatever powered it in the local area was limited in output. And with enemy cultivators falling, there were fewer distractions for Oluchi and the others. It wasn't just their ship, either, but a handful of others.

Soon enough they had dealt with all of the attackers in the area and were preparing to land, the formations held open by various people. The ships did something and Anton felt as if they skipped most of the descent, before they jerked to a stop at the end.

"Not bad," Oluchi said to Anton. "I saw a little bit of that back on Weos, but you're quite capable. How long can you keep that up? We might be swarmed here soon."

"Indefinitely," Anton said. "At least against difficulties of that level. If they have some exceptional cultivators or unknown formation abilities, I might have some issues… but we'll be able to deal with them from a great distance. Speaking of which, some people are approaching. Do you want me to deal with them or the planetary formations first?"

"I wasn't aware that you were a formation master, Senior Anton." Oluchi said, "But we need you here, so you'll have to deal with them later."

"I'm not a formation master… but I'm experienced enough to be able to disable formations like this. Especially from the inside. And I don't have to go anywhere." Even as he was talking, Anton began to fire off into the distance. Despite having attacked at a similar distance herself, Oluchi seemed impressed. Anton had to agree there was a big difference when one considered the amount of atmosphere in the way.

Anton wasn't carefully dismantling the formations… but even if things went very wrong, all of the damage would be local. He basically just battered his way through some of the local barriers protecting power sources and then shattered them. There were a lot of crystals- cultivators liked crystals, and natural energy generally stored within them efficiently- as well as jars that held swirling power. Some of the power was drawn in by secondary formations, but without anywhere to store it the local area couldn't sustain much of anything. So after he made sure they could safely retreat, Anton prepared to take on the approaching cultivators.

"It will only take a few minutes for the enemy cultivators to get here," Anton said. "Not all directly from the Twin Soul Sect. What should we do?"

"Just do your best to deter them while we search the area," Oluchi said. She was already working on that very thing, taking in the fine details of the ground and remaining traces of battle around them.

With his question not quite fully answered, Anton just began with the Twin Soul Sect members. He could attack with impunity since they weren't within range to counter yet, and arrows rained down on a few at a time. Any time groups joined together to defend, Anton changed his targets to someone else. One by one enemies fell, but they'd soon have to make a decision about staying in pitched battle or leaving.

Chapter 487

There was a certain manner in which Anton preferred to fight. As an archer, he of course preferred to keep as much distance between himself and his opponents as possible. And while that was generally true, he didn't usually attack at the very edge of his range. Not because he wouldn't be accurate or effective, but because keeping some secrets was worthwhile. Enemies who assumed they knew his maximum range might linger just outside it, or retreat to that distance… and if he needed to, he could then take advantage of it.

He didn't have to think about that much as they had landed in the middle of enemies- not directly, of course, but when Anton considered anything within a range of two hundred kilometers to be a viable distance it would be more strange for there to be nobody around. Few people were on the surface- Kuchion was cold and dry, with a thin atmosphere that left people preferring the indoors- or the more common underground.

Oluchi and some of the others were quickly documenting what information they could about the area the announcement had taken place. There were no bodies, but determining whether there were captives or those bodies had simply been cleaned up was relevant. Seeing the damage around the area- weapon marks, scars from heat and electricity or anything else that was from a recognizable technique would allow them to judge who they needed to fight. And if the entire place was under the influence of the Twin Soul Sect, they needed to know that as well.

"Ships incoming," Anton said as soon as he noticed them. "What's our response?"

There was a moment of consideration from Oluchi. "We can't afford to engage with our vessels stationary. Everyone, board up!"

It was unfortunate for the enemy's ground forces that they were just beginning to get within attacking range… but they should have thought of that before making their approach. Of course, what they had probably thought was that they'd be dealing with someone who attacked from a more reasonable distance. They'd just be wrong.

Even as he was moving towards one of the allied ships, Anton was testing shots at one of the approaching enemies' vessels. Actually managing to hit them with the way they distorted space was still a bother, and he had to continually make adjustments so he could be accurate. Focusing on the maximum number of shots for testing purposes meant that even when he actually hit his attacks were then absorbed by the actual defensive barriers, since they didn't rely just on the warping of space around them.

Once he was comfortable, Anton began to draw upon ascension energy. It came to him, stolen from a distant place, disregarding the normal process. It didn't live within him like any of his other energy, and was controlled only for the moments of his attack. Anton hadn't had many chances to maximize the damage of a single shot since his battle with Everheart, except perhaps sparring with Lev. Even then, he wasn't ever serious. Even if he could disperse his energy in a fraction of a second, if he was uncertain that Lev could defend he would have to cease his attack before it connected at all.

But these ships were a perfect target. He'd damaged some before, but mostly to weaken them. This time, he was going for something more… thorough. His arrow seemed as if it would simply fly off to the side of the vessel, but as it approached the ring its trajectory brought it straight into the side. Usually, Anton kept his arrows compressed into the finest point possible so that he could pierce through vital organs- this time, he needed to cause wider destruction.

Energy tore off of the arrow, ascension energy flung by the great power of a bow with an uncomfortable origin. A fist sized hole tore through one side the ring widthwise, continuing through the core of the ship and finally burrowed into the ring on the other side, not quite finishing its journey outward. But he'd done enough. Though the ring was much larger than the hole he had made in it, he'd studied the structural design… and the damage couldn't be called small. The strain of the ring spinning and the damage to the formations throughout it suddenly released in a burst, causing it to warp and twist. When it finally split apart, a section of it ended up in front of the main body of the vessel, the sudden change in acceleration crushing them together.

Anton knew he couldn't replicate that exact result every time, but he could at the very least expect them to lose functionality. Even with its smaller population Kuchion would have many starships, but the number of them suitable for war would be far less. Anton had to readjust his aim as the ship he was on left the atmosphere and activated its own distortion. In the time they had before they broke past the incoming ships away from the planet- where the enemy would be drawn away from potential reinforcements- he took down two more, while the combined efforts of Oluchi and the others managed a similar number. Their own vessels took only minimal damage, as they had enough powerful cultivators to put up an active defense as well.

As they positioned themselves away from Kuchion to go over what they had learned, Oluchi came to find Anton, just inside his emplacement. She just looked at him for a while, and he waited for what she wanted to say. "Have you… already ascended?"

"No," Anton said. "And I can't. But I have found a viable alternative."

"But that energy… I have felt it before."

"And who says I have to ascend to use ascension energy?" Anton grinned. "It's one of Everheart's techniques."

"... who?"

Anton was briefly shocked that someone hadn't heard of Everheart. But after thinking about it for a brief moment, it was perfectly logical. Everheart came from Ceretos, and then caused a ruckus in the upper realms. So while both places would know of him, it wasn't strange that another system in the lower realms didn't. Though that indicated any communications they had with the upper realms were limited… perhaps mostly to invaders.

"He's the one who produced the basis of our best techniques to root out the Twin Soul Sect. And… the anti-ascension techniques we should probably share with you before the tides of the world change again."

"He sounds like a great man."

Anton snorted. "That's… wow."

"Am I incorrect?" Oluchi tilted her head. "If he is the progenitor of many great techniques, he must be highly honored."

"Well, in a way he might be. He might also be the most hated person in the galaxy. Or at least our little slice of it."

"What did he do?" Oluchi asked.

"I'll greatly condense it to… intentionally angering pretty much every sect who ever came in contact with him."

"Perhaps his misdeeds are simply wrongful accusations," Oluchi said. "People tend to hate geniuses for their abilities."

Anton smiled slightly. There was certainly a grain of truth to that but… "Oh, trust me. He does it on purpose. I've seen enough of the deathtraps he left behind to tempt people seeking after his wealth." Anton nodded to himself with that same smile. Did Everheart deserve to be the most hated man on Certeos and elsewhere? Absolutely. He worked hard for it. But was he the worst man? Absolutely not. He was an asshole, but he wasn't evil. Or at least, not entirely evil. He was at least a step or two above anyone from the Trigold Cluster- or those like the Glorious Harmony Sect.

It was a relief that the ships from Azoth had passed by Sizipra the first time Matija had noticed them, but she couldn't expect it to happen every time. She'd been lucky to sense anything, but had been able to provide a warning to Rutera itself. That had allowed for one of the rare battles that they could actually call a victory. Even now, those who had the most understanding of formations were continuing their study on the enemy's adaptive barriers, with a few more samples to work with.

That was great, but Matija was worried about what might happen where she was… and why anyone had come from that direction. She was being bombarded with questions from the military, but she had no answers. Was it an unexpected approach vector? Sure, but why risk getting close to Sizipra? There had to be some reason for that. Did they come out of the sun?

Alright, that theory was probably a bit extreme and entirely unfounded. There were more logical reasons somewhere. Though she was tempted enough by the idea that she sent a message to Anton asking if that was possible. Who knew what kinds of things real cultivators could get up to?

Was it connected to the sun, though? Matija might simply be considering it because it was the main subject of her study. She was aware of what Anton had done and while she absolutely believed he both meant no harm and believed there would be no harm, people could be wrong. And even if he was right, they could doubtless learn something amazing.

Matija began to look at system charts. A few ships showing up was an oddity, but meant nothing. If there was any actual pattern… but why would space ships have sails? It made enough sense for the skyships on Ceretos, because they would still be affected by winds, and that was free power. But in space? Sure, solar sails existed, but they had to be gigantic in size and only provided slow acceleration. That wasn't it.

She began compiling records from battles, though not everything was public. She could ask for information, but she wasn't sure if it would lead to anything and she didn't want to state her theory and bias people towards the wrong thing if she was incorrect. It didn't look like it was amounting to anything anyway. Battles happened all around Rutera.

In the guise of Scholar Eulogius, Everheart was taking it easy. He was still supposed to be recovering from injuries, after all. It was just… a chance to deal with more of the Twin Soul Sect? They'd better keep their hands off his stuff! Not that this planet was actually something he had a claim to. This was just revenge for past misdeeds, and prevenge for future ones.

Everheart was delighted to see the interesting things the locals had done with the place. Floating cities bound to certain heights within a gas giant? That was exactly the sort of stupid crap he liked. Especially since it was also the sort of thing that could all fall apart with one bad day and a couple broken formations. But hey, anyone crazy enough to live in any of those cities wasn't normal to begin with.

Today, he'd been requested to break through a barrier on one of the floating cities. Towns? Nah, a few thousand people was enough to make it a city, especially in such an inhospitable environment.

"... Does the city need to keep floating?" Everheart asked the messenger.

"... What?"

"Is it entirely full of enemies, or are there innocent civilians or crap like that that someone cares about?"

"It seems to have been entirely taken into the control of enemy forces."

"Great, I'll go take care of it."

"The battalion is in the other direction, Scholar." The man shrunk back as Everheart's eyes landed on him. "I could… inform them you are leaving?"

"Nah, don't bother," Everheart waved the man off. "I'll deal with it."

"You will? How?"

Everheart vaguely heard the words, but he was already away from the ship, dropping into the gas giant Bavore below. Winds whipped, pulling him in any and every direction as dense gasses buffeted him. Shards of solid matter attempted to tear him apart, but it would take him bit more than that to make him think about protecting himself more than his casual amount.

Now let's see, this particular place mentioned. He could follow it around and catch up in a few days… or he could go to where it would show up. The paths the cities took weren't entirely predictable based on the winds and such, but that was from the perspective of the locals. Fluid motion in three dimensions wasn't that hard, as long as there were minimal gravity distortions and all that crap. Well, he'd be able to get within sensory distance at least. Nothing stood out in this swirling mass of uncontrolled power like something with actual structure to it. Even a small city was a burning bonfire in the night.

As for how he was going to deal with it, Everheart had a simple solution. There were many ways to make formations stop working, and most of them involved a lot of energy. Just punching a hole straight through would always work with enough force. And while Everheart didn't mind doing that, it was slightly easier to do it a different way. All he needed was a little bit of condensed energy. He pulled out a crystal that was about the right size. Probably a month worth, though it could have been more if it was back in the day. Yeah, that would do.

Chapter 488

If anyone asked, everything went exactly as Everheart predicted. He arrived at the exact intended place at the exact intended time to head off the city. He was perfect and could make no mistakes. Unrelatedly, Everheart was busy doing some calculations on whether he was early or late or too far in one direction when he sensed the city. Exactly on time and when he expected it. He hadn't been waiting an hour or anything.

He approached closer through the gales of the gas giant Bavore, dealing with occasional solids and wild swings in temperature. Lightning from such a massive storm had much more interesting places to go than through him, but he tried to avoid getting close regardless. There were limits to what it was reasonable to withstand, no matter one's cultivation. And Everheart was trying to limit himself to reasonable actions. Goodness knows he couldn't afford another struggle with a strange archer at the moment.

His first task was to get close enough to determine that the floating city was, in fact, the correct one. It would be an expensive move to knock the wrong city out of the sky, and wouldn't put him high on anybody's list for non-enemies. Or temporary allies, or whatever he might count as at the moment.

The structure was as described, and upon determining with certainty that there was a sizable population of Twin Soul Sect members present Everheart prepared the crystal in his hand, and tossed it.

Winds carried it forward, but on the local scale it was much easier for Everheart to predict than chasing a floating city around swirling, planet-sized storms. In fact, they took it right to where he wanted it to be. The crystal slammed into the barrier exactly where he intended it to- which was to say, anywhere at all. The fragile crystal shattered, releasing energy in a gentle puff.

It was entirely possible for the cultivators within the area to dismiss what had happened, though they should take note that there was a larger than normal amount of energy in the area. The city itself was quite happy do drag the puff of energy along, but it did nothing to shatter the barrier around the city. In fact, the formations happily drank in the calm energy, slurping it up like hot soup.

The process continued as more and more energy was drawn in, faster and faster. Everheart was filled with confidence, as his methods weren't known to fail. Yet for a good half of an hour nothing happened as he trailed along behind the city.

Then, with a pop that could be heard even through the gale force winds of an eternal storm, the formations gave out. Not just at one point, but many all together. Because of that instead of a gigantic explosion the energy just spewed out in all directions, blanketing the city. Then it began to feel the pull of gravity, falling away from Everheart into the core of the planet. If everyone worked together they might be able to hold it together, but with the formations providing the barrier gone their little atmosphere was ripped away and so were the weaker buildings and individuals who weren't prepared. Some would last better, but that wasn't Everheart's problem. Enough would perish, and enough of the rest would be caught away from safety and people from Weos could deal with them.

If anyone cared about whatever wealth was on that thing, they could salvage it from the depths of the planet. Or not, because Everheart really doubted anyone could deal with the pressure there. But that was their own problem, he didn't really care. Another good deed accomplished. Or whatever.

Too far away from Kuchion to technically be in an orbit, a small fleet of ships vaguely maintained their relative position from the planet and each other. Some were under repair, as much as could be done away from a proper dock and stockpiles of resources. At the very least, holes could be patched up and the weaknesses they caused hidden.

Discussions about the information that had been found were held. Oluchi was able to make some positive statements about which cultivation techniques had been involved in attacking some individuals they knew were against the Twin Soul Sect. It wasn't difficult to also include those they had fought against in their brief excursion, either. If anyone opposing the Twin Soul Sect had the energy to put up such a fight they would have already been well on their way to removing them from the planet- or at least keeping in communication with Weos itself.

Anton was confident in that assessment, as all of the small details fed into his Insight to keep him in agreement. Of course, he had believed that from the moment they were attacked. Otherwise, he would have found himself regretting his actions. It was far too late in his life for him to avoid killing, and the only way to do otherwise was to lay down and die. But if he was going to kill, he needed to make sure it was for the right reasons. They attacked ships that they should have believed were their companions… or at least… sector allies? They weren't even planetary siblings or anything, but it seemed that the whole system generally considered itself one thing, simply with sects and other factions looking for their position in it.

In an attempt to read Anton's mood, Oluchi attempted some sort of reassurance. "You did great," she said. "Far more than we could have expected of anyone else."

"I am aware that I was effective," Anton smiled. "But at my level, you get stuck in a strange place of having to react immediately while also carefully considering anything you do. I have great power to influence the course of things, and I would just like to not make them worse." Anton shrugged, "But I've been in wars before. And it would be a disservice to my allies to fight at less than maximum effectiveness."

"It was… quite impressive, Senior Anton. I know I'm not an archer like you, but I prefer to attack at range if possible. Can you teach me anything about that?"

"Of course," he nodded. "It's all about tracking or predicting your opponent. Horizon Shot begins with the methods for sensing opponents at such distances. If you'd like to practice, I can go hide out in the void around us. After we discuss my methods first. And yours." Despite what she implied, Oluchi was already quite capable of absurd ranges. It could merely be an issue of sensing that restricted her most of the time… in which case Anton was interested in how she controlled her spear at such distances. In the heat of battle, he hadn't much gotten to study her methods.

Plans for their next move on Kuchion revolved around gaining a foothold for reinforcements to be able to join them. Having a concrete location instead of 'somewhere in space vaguely near Kuchion' would benefit them greatly, though it might also give their opponents a distinct place to attack. If they could take over somewhere with defenses, however, it would be difficult for enemies to approach with someone like Anton available. Most people would prefer not to run hundreds of kilometers through a hail of arrows before getting a chance to attack- and even if it was guaranteed only a small portion of them would die, nobody wanted to risk being the one who did.

"With minimal surface cities," Oluchi said, pointing to a location on a globe. "This is our best location. Assuming it still exists."

"What is it?" Anton asked.

"An old military base. It was never dismantled, so its defensive formations should be something we can activate again. It's buried at the base of a mountain to protect from above, and didn't have any connections to the larger tunnel system. If it's not there…" she shrugged, "We can at least take shelter without the formations."

"What if it's compromised?" asked a captain of one of the other ships. "Attacking a fortified position…"

"Won't be much harder than anything else we've already done," Oluchi shrugged. "The problem would be not making it obvious we're approaching. Smashing through the atmospheric barriers would draw people in from around the area and make it difficult to set up there. They should know we're coming in some fashion, and I'd really rather not face more organized groups." She paused for a few moments, "Besides, if there's no resistance here, we'd do better to keep them contained than trying to wipe them out. At least until things settle elsewhere."

Anton nodded. "Blockading a planet would be difficult, but with enough resources it would be possible. The real problem is if they strike out before we can contain them. So far they're likely still on the back foot from being suddenly revealed, but…" Anton shrugged. He didn't really know what else to say on the subject. The Twin Soul Sect was ultimately outmatched here, but underestimating a cornered tiger was dangerous.

As it turned out, managing a planet wide formation wasn't easy. Somehow Xankeshan had enough power stored somewhere to keep going for as long as it had, but even as Catarina was repairing parts of it, it was growing unstable in others. Unfortunately she couldn't be in many places at once. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to try anything like Everheart's projections.

But Catarina, unlike Everheart, was not alone. Many of the others were taking care of the basic aspects of making Xankeshan functional as a planet- things like plant and animal life. No doubt they'd screw up some ecosystems on accident as they threw things all over, but the chaos of Everheart's Gardens was only technically self-sustaining to begin with. Some more care would probably make things better. It was just that it had already been years, and despite Xankeshan being on the smaller end of planets and Hoyt himself being able to sew a field in seconds… it was still a lot of ground to cover.

But their numbers continued to swell, from people fleeing the oppression of the Harmonious Citadel to many others from the region, generally coming through the Dark Ring. The biggest trouble was keeping control of things. Only a small number of people had actual access to control of the formations, and Catarina kept the plate on herself… but it was always possible for someone to attempt to seize power. Some of those from the Dark Ring were higher in cultivation, mid or late Integration. No doubt they felt uncomfortable with early Integration stage cultivators running things.

And despite them being allies, they were still cultivators. The Dark Ring had plenty of good things going for it, but surely some of them would be tempted to wrest control, one way or another. Not that they would have done so before, but none of their group neglected their training.

Catarina's training wasn't just her work on the formations, adding in subformation details that most wouldn't be able to perceive. Her own cultivation had to advance, more stars inside of her lighting up. Personal power was safety when all else failed. Timothy would of course protect her if anything happened, but he couldn't just always be by her side. Which was pretty unfortunate, because she loved her husband. Still, if they could gain long term security for a bit of discomfort now, it would be worth it. In a way, Catarina finally felt like an adult- her responsibilities on Ceretos had grown with her cultivation, but not to the same degree. She'd always managed to stay ahead of the curve.

Hoyt was training with his sort of younger grandfather. It was easy to see Falling Stars used by Prospero or Hoyt at any random time, as long as one was vaguely in the right geographical location. Prospero was certainly weaker due to his cultivation, but his experience with the technique showed a significant gap between the two still.

Then there were the two wolves, who were both at the Integration level… or some equivalent for beasts. Fuzz had of course reached that level through ascension, but Spikes managed an impressive transformation that seemed to overcome the slump those who didn't actually ascend sometimes dealt with. She was able to grow mountains almost at will, or at least it felt like it. Even if they were small mountains, she was excellent at shaping terrain.

Then there was Vari. Her own training was perhaps the most important not because they needed her individual power, but because it benefited all of them. No matter how much anyone said she should focus on herself, there would always be devotion flowing from her to the others. Nobody was quite sure how much of what she was stealing back from the Saints and others had been hers to begin with, but there was no doubt someone would notice eventually. It was merely a matter of them being ready for any of various enemies that might attempt a real attack on Xankeshan.

Chapter 489

The approach back to Kuchion was met with no resistance from enemy ships. Perhaps they figured they had driven off this group, or perhaps they simply didn't want to risk further losses. Either way, the planetary shield was still functioning at their intended destination. Breaking part of it would help destabilize it, but they'd only damaged a small section out of many.

The mountain they intended to claim had defensive emplacements atop it, but no others within any reasonable distance. These defenses were designed to fling bolts of natural energy, the emplacements powered by five cultivators together.

Anton's job was not to break through the barrier, but instead more defensive. Not every ship they had was as well defended as the one carrying Anton and Oluchi. Some simply didn't have the ability to respond quickly enough, while others were limited by their range.

As bolts of natural energy shot in a scattered pattern towards their ships, Anton responded to each of them, arrows piercing into them and destabilizing them, causing them to explode away from their small fleet. It didn't even take that much power, since the individuals working together only had a basic level of synergy now. Enough to not disrupt each other too much, but it was clear none of them were specialized with these weapons. Anton presumed it was likely they had simply been assigned to the duty.

When Oluchi and the others broke through the barrier, Anton returned fire upon the defenders. They had smaller barriers around them, but such things could only hold up to so much… especially since defensive fortifications like this were spotted around the world and could only be so expensive before it was a waste. He started with those who appeared to have the most control of the weapons, piercing into their hearts… but as high level cultivators, something like that on its own wasn't enough to kill them. He didn't detonate his energy inside them, but instead held back to the point that they simply had to withdraw. Those who didn't found the follow-up attacks would finish them off. It was likely all of the individuals below would end up dying anyway, but interrogating some about details of the situation might prove fruitful.

By the time the defenders were fully certain they were outmatched and intending to flee, melee combatants from the incoming ships were there to head them off, completing the job. Meanwhile, Oluchi and the others had spent much of their energy keeping the barrier open for their entry, since destroying the formations keeping it in place would be worse for them in the end. Some were sent to secure the local pieces of the formation with the intent to reattune them, while others were tasked with uncovering the base they were looking for.

That part wasn't terribly difficult, as Anton could feel something through the layers of rock. The only difficulty was finding a proper entrance. His senses circled the base of the mountain, pulling inward around the mountain to search every nook and cranny. He found it, but the entrance was a bit small to fit the modern ships. They would have to deal with that, if they wanted them to actually have shelter.

Hearing it directly from the mouths of those present pretty much confirmed the worst case scenario about Kuchion. The Twin Soul Sect had complete control of the area, having slowly infiltrated or allied with all of the local sects. The gradual process and conflicts involved with it hadn't drawn undue attention, and their dominant presence meant when the announcement of the Twin Soul Sect's presence happened they quickly took control of the situation. Most resistance had been quickly quashed, while an unknown quantity of resisting sects remained in conflict- though mostly hiding instead of fighting. At least according to the particular individuals that had just been snagged.

"What do you think?" Oluchi asked. "Should we seek out these remnants? And if we do, now or later?"

"We shouldn't wait," Anton said. "If we rely on reinforcements, even a few days or weeks could greatly worsen the situation here. And while we can't take on the entire planet with just us…" Anton trailed off because he wasn't quite sure what to say… and because he sort of could. Just not directly. Picking people off a few dozen at a time would be quite possible for him, though he supposed that was not swift enough. Then again, it would only take a few weeks of that for the local planet to run out of Life Transformation cultivators. There would have to be a remarkable number of Essence Collection cultivators gathered together to give Anton trouble even if he didn't move from a single position. "Well, I doubt that the Twin Soul Sect will just be sitting around waiting for us to make a move. Not when they know they've been uncovered."

Dealing with the Twin Soul Sect in this straightforward manner was like ripping a bandage off of a wound. Quick, but painful. Being less open about it would likely have resulted in a longer conflict and more deaths… specifically of anyone else. Anton couldn't bring himself to care about the lives of the Twin Soul Sect, with their main goals being what they were.

"What should we do then?" Oluchi asked. "Wander down random tunnels until we find someone?" She wasn't serious, of course, but…

"That's not unreasonable," Anton said. "Except I shouldn't need to enter the tunnels. If we just drop by the entrances, I can gain quite a bit of information. Unless the paths are so long and winding that they surpass the hundred kilometer mark."

"... It's hard to believe that you actually developed sensory techniques like that," Oluchi replied.

"It was only partly my own doing… and entirely necessary for Horizon Shot. Frankly, I think it's stranger that you didn't develop something like that."

"It was just easier to only attack things I could see," Oluchi shrugged. "And my spear throwing technique doesn't exactly make smooth turns."

Though Anton believed her when she said that, he had seen her spears turn a full one-hundred and eighty degrees instantly. But perhaps it was just that much more difficult to do anything in between.

"Well, I suppose it's a decent plan," Oluchi said. "Though most entrances will likely be sealed by formations."

"If they're weak enough I can just squeeze my way through or around. If we have to, I can just pop them open and take a quick peek."

"That sounds like it would be followed by quite a bit of trouble, and perhaps running."

Anton nodded, "Perhaps it would be better if you and the others kept some distance. I could avoid leading people back here easily enough. And I've learned more about the turning capabilities of your ships." The extremely quick turning he'd first seen was actually more of a product of the gravity of the planet instead of a feature of the ship, though the spatial distortion leaned into it. If any local ships came they couldn't quite do the same thing, since they would be in at least a little bit of atmosphere. And outside it, Anton could still change directions as he pleased. He'd even practiced some of that hooking technique Everheart had used… and their ship-catching net. At lower speeds, he could actually manage that… though he'd yet to use it in active combat. Perhaps it would be destroyed or muddle up the ring ships. Or maybe it would do nothing unless he pulled himself along with it, in which case he was effectively consigning himself to melee combat.

"Well, you can certainly handle a few ships on your own," Oluchi admitted. "How about three groups? Some of us following you at a distance in case you need reinforcements, one securing here, and another off scouting on their own?"

"Reasonable enough," Anton said. "We'll ask if anyone else has other plans as well."

Nothing the others said significantly changed the larger plan. Those who preferred waiting for reinforcements were in the minority, and they could remain behind to secure the base. If it was necessary Oluchi could have pulled some sort of rank, even if military matters were less straightforward for cultivators. And of course, Anton could always attempt to influence things with his cultivation, but he preferred to do so with his words. He didn't want people to go along with his ideas because he was strong, but because he was right.

As Anton crossed the landscape full of scraggly trees and thin, cold atmosphere he found that there were significantly more tunnel entrances than expected. He'd heard there were complex networks of tunnels, but experiencing it for himself was different.

His senses expanded to fill nearby areas, consolidating different branches into one cohesive picture- but that could only go so far. He had to snake his energy down different corridors beyond a certain distance, and it was harder to match up with other locations. Anton did find people, though. Civilians, even- those with low or no cultivation, basically ignored as part of the larger conflict. He also found many cultivators. Even if it was more secure, nobody wanted to live tens or more kilometers underground through winding paths, so he found many sealed entrances and a few with smaller groups uninvolved in the conflict, trying to keep their heads down. Though ultimately Anton thought that counted as leaning towards the Twin Soul Sect, if they didn't willingly support them he could let them off the hook.

The untapped resource of 'normal' people drew Anton closer, and it wasn't long before Anton found himself in an underground library. What were they going to do, refuse a powerful cultivator entrance? Their formations barely maintained the barrier keeping their denser internal atmosphere in place, they certainly couldn't resist Anton. And while he was being polite, nobody wanted to anger him. It probably helped that he wasn't asking for anything unreasonable, either.

"Where's your history section?" Anton asked of the nearby librarian. "And lists of local sects and the like. Anything like that."

"Over here, great senior," the younger man directed him. "Anything in particular you are looking for?"

Anton began pulling things off of shelves, flipping open books or rapidly rolling scrolls. "Not really. I just plan to read everything."

"I see. Then… should I bring them to the reading tables for you?"

"It's easier like this," Anton said, finishing the first row. "Otherwise you'd just have to keep flinging them over at me." Parsing simple information like names, dates, and numbers was a thousand times easier than learning the complexities of combat techniques. Ten Thousand Scrolls had made even the latter simple, so this was trivial. "Know anything about the Twin Soul Sect?"

"... Only what I have heard recently," the librarian said cautiously. Anton believed him, but could understand the hesitancy. He could easily be working for either side.

The information available wasn't as thorough- and likely not as accurate- as something compiled by a sect or a large clan would be, but it gave him a better understanding of what the locals perceived- and the locations of various things. Maps were rather complex when dealing with tunnel systems, but they had pretty decent methods of tracking those. There was plenty of information that hadn't been available on Weos, so it was worth Anton's time.

As for what he was going to do next… his usual meddling with things was the answer. "Do you have issues with low levels of natural energy here?" Anton asked.

The librarian shrugged. "It's no worse than anywhere else. Tolerable, except for those who strive to improve in cultivation. Some are fortunate enough to be picked up by the sects."

Anton didn't have a thorough understanding of the local ecosystem, but he could pick up on things easily. The sparse plants on the surface couldn't really be farmed, and with little atmosphere it would require people of sufficient cultivation to work them even if they could find something that would survive. But inside the tunnels, everything was consistent. "If you want a word of advice, I would suggest that people tend to some of the moss growing down below." He produced one of his farming guides. "This doesn't have information on those particular things, but it will explain how to grow the local natural energy. It's a pain to put in so much, but the eventual returns will be worth it." Anton looked at the librarian. "If you don't intend to do it yourself, find someone who will. Or any cultivator vaguely interested. You can lure them in with some new cultivation techniques."

"But we don't have-"

Anton dumped a small pile of books and scrolls on a nearby table. They were mostly things he had written himself that he didn't mind being widely known. Useful for growing, but not dangerous. Well, not more dangerous than anything cultivation related.

Chapter 490

Those who weren't cultivators were once again forgotten. Anton knew that from a military perspective they really didn't matter, but that was more than just a little bit lacking. His efforts on Ceretos to allow everyone to cultivate to some extent raised people's value in others' minds and gave them a chance to compete to some extent. No solution was perfect, but at least everyone had a chance- and cultivating while involved with their work meant those who didn't have free time could at least manage something.

Right now on Kuchion he was likely the only one considering those below a certain cultivation level, despite being a step ahead of everyone else. The good news was that the enemy likely felt the same. The Twin Soul Sect wouldn't think to try to take a settlement hostage because they would assume he didn't value it. And as long as he could keep them from thinking otherwise, he just had to be careful with what sorts of barriers he messed up. If a settlement began any significant distance under the surface they would have time to repair formations before much atmosphere was lost, if he had to do something like that. He just needed to keep that in mind and everything would… well, at least not get worse.

Now that he'd studied in the local library and learned details that weren't available elsewhere, he was able to contribute to the larger plan with more than just fighting. He also had some ideas where he might find groups that could work alongside them, if they still survived. While the Twin Soul Sect could manage some individuals infiltrating most sects, if they or anyone willing to ally with them were fully in control there were certain things they couldn't hide. Abuses of power that the common people would be aware of. Conversely, those who always treated them well would certainly not go along with the Twin Soul Sect.

Seeing so many tunnels was making them all blend together in Anton's head, yet at the same time he was finally beginning to better distinguish them. Some had smooth walls, or even constructed surfaces, while others were still rough. In general, at least the floors were even. People still had to walk on that, and not everything could be moved around on foot or in a storage bag. People still needed carts, wagons, or anything like it, pulled by animals or powered by energy. Rutera's 'cars' used different principles to generate motion but were quite widespread.

The easiest to recognize tunnels simply had markings indicating what they were, and who owned them. Any sect that wasn't secret didn't want people just traipsing onto their land, and this 'Earthshaker Sect' was no different. Anton approached from the only visible entrance. Meanwhile, others were stationed around every secret exit Anton had found. They went out to approximately a dozen kilometers, and he'd carefully checked twice that but found nothing connecting. So either there weren't connections, they were hidden by formations he couldn't sense, or the tunnels were hundreds of kilometers to finally get there. Any issues could be solved by Anton being efficient with his time so nobody was able to easily flee.

He would have liked to start with gathering allies, but this Earthshaker Sect dominated the region and dealing with them would provide more confidence to the rest. He had gotten in contact with some of the other groups, but only to instruct them to pay attention to what happened.

As Anton approached the entrance, he wondered if they knew he was coming. Or at least that someone would be coming for them. Unless they matched the current Order of One Hundred Stars in terms of Life Transformation cultivators or severely miscalculated the numbers that the reclaiming forces had brought along, they would have to work with someone else. And while Anton was sure that the outside records weren't entirely accurate, twenty-something Life Transformation cultivators couldn't turn into the fifty or one hundred they would need to make a good showing. And this is where their tunnels would become a problem. Because while the tight confines could stop an approaching army, one individual of sufficient power would only have to deal with a small number of those present at any time.

Anton was confident, but not careless. He made certain he wasn't passing any entrapment formations that would slow him in case he needed to retreat. He kept his defenses strong as he approached, and most importantly he wouldn't be getting too close. He just needed to be close enough to make a proper announcement.

That announcement started with shattering the outside barriers and the fortified doors behind them. It was the sort of thing that needed a coordinated attack from multiple Life Transformation cultivators, a large enough number to be spotted well in advance… but Anton was alone and moved a bit faster than they might have expected.

As everything fell apart, Anton took a deep breath. Then he projected his voice with enough force to cause the tunnels to tremble dangerously. "Earthshaker Sect. If you surrender now you will be given a fair chance to explain why you are working with those who would sacrifice your entire system for the sake of a personal benefits for a few. Some of you might survive that way. Otherwise… you can just die. Oh, and you can signal your surrender by dropping to your knees and holding your hands behind your heads. You have… three seconds to make your choice."

Anton seriously doubted that anyone in the presence of others would immediately surrender. They'd be seen as a traitor and all that. But he could make a good showing with the group of guards just behind the door that were already attempting to kill him.

"That counts you guys too," Anton said as he kicked someone waist deep into a wall. Two seconds."

Three Life Transformation cultivators worked together, sending their energy into the corridor all around him. The ceiling dropped out- no, it was flung towards him, filling the corridor. The section of ceiling filled the corridor over a dozen meters in length in any direction, but only after the rear section was closed off. That gave Anton nowhere to go, in theory.

In truth, he didn't have to go anywhere. Even with the additional force from several Life Transformation cultivators the ceiling simply couldn't crush him. But it would use up more energy than he wanted to on a stunt, and would also slow him down for a few moments as he dug his way out. So he moved the one direction he still could, the sword-bow from the Million Sword Vault entering his hands. He held it horizontally, touching the necks of two of the guards, a man and a woman.

"One," Anton's voice rang out. He'd been a bit generous with the timing, but then again he had to inform this group that they didn't have to die. And one of them accepted it- the woman. She dropped the heavy hammer she was carrying as her arms made their way up behind her head. Meanwhile, the man attempted to knock Anton's weapon up away from his throat and strike into Anton's ribcage.

Anton let his bow be tilted upward, but he stepped inwards, catching the man's wrists and stopping his swing. With his other hand, the bladed bow stabbed into the man's chest. The third guard that wasn't currently stuck headfirst into a wall was turning to run, but unfortunately for him that wasn't one of the acceptable options. A quick shot with the bow took him out. Anton looked at the woman who was still in the middle of dropping to the ground… then stepped past her. He would be keeping his senses on her, of course. If she chose to try to attack him from behind, that would be her problem.

Wide blades of energy came from Anton's bow, and while he could do the same with any bow due to his practice, he simply wanted to be more efficient in these tightly packed areas. Even where it opened up into larger rooms nobody was spread too far out.

"Just a reminder. You're out of time," Anton called down the corridor. Then he continued his assault, beginning with those brandishing weapons to charge towards him. He didn't like what he was doing at all, but there was sufficient evidence that this group worked with the Twin Soul Sect, both witnesses and remnants of battles. Those from Weos weren't keen on forgiving them either.

In a few moments, the guard stuck in the wall managed to wriggle her way out. Anton turned to look towards her for only a brief moment. Fortunately, cultivators could rely on good memories and their instincts to kick in during combat. She also had an example, dropping into the surrender position like the other. Of course, it wasn't only women who were surrendering- that just happened to be the split of the guards immediately at their entrance. Ultimately Anton thought he found more men making the right choice, but he wasn't sure if that was because of a disparity in numbers or if he just seemed untrustworthy.

Anton wasn't strict about the exact details either. Anyone who wasn't running or fighting was ignored for the moment. He had to deal with additional formations going up and doors slammed in his way, many of which set him back a handful of shots. Which wasn't very long, but enough for desperate cultivators to run towards various exits. Not that they'd do better there.

It wasn't long before everything was over. Anton was glad neither of the two behind him had tried anything stupid, because it sure wouldn't have taken him long to deal with them. "I just want to remind everyone I can tell where you are, in case you didn't already understand that. So if you could slowly and orderly make your way out the front to be taken in, you'll get your chance. I'd suggest thinking long and hard about which of your leaders to blame for this, and I promise to at least give you a fair chance." In a sect of any reasonable size, at least some people would have by default been forced to go along with things even if they didn't want to. Anyone else… well, the level of forgiveness would be up to the others. But those who were at least semi-innocent would have him fighting for them. "Also I thought I was quite clear with the surrender posture. Someone else might not have been as nice." An arrow burrowed into the wall right next to the face of someone cowering in a corner. "That counts you too."

The Earthshaker sect was unfortunate that they couldn't be maximally effective fighting inside their own base. The guards had reacted with necessary decisiveness collapsing the corridor around Anton, but despite that being one of their main fighting tactics the others simply hadn't been willing to do much of that. It would have prevented Anton from reaching some of them- though once more, there were others waiting outside to catch them regardless.

The next question was what to do with their treasury and their captives. The latter was actually quite easily- they would be questioned, but they would go free. As for the former…

"Are you sure you don't want any of the spoils?" Oluchi asked. "By contribution, you'd be entitled to much of it."

"I would not feel comfortable doing so. I am already feeling as if I were robbing another world."

"You haven't taken rewards from defeated sects before?" Oluchi frowned.

"I have. But this is more of a local problem that we're concerned might bleed over to us if not resolved. It wouldn't be right. However…" Anton was good enough at reading people to realize that it was better to give in to some extent. "If it would make you feel better, I will accept the same share as any other Life Transformation cultivator."

"You'll have to accept one of a leader, like myself," Oluchi said.

Anton nodded. If that would make people more comfortable, he would do it. And it wasn't as if he couldn't do something positive with what he gained. He didn't need cultivation resources for himself- few were terribly effective for him at this point- but maybe he could provide some basics to get this world moving in a direction he liked. The right direction. Anton was self aware enough to know that some people would not agree with his methods as being necessarily 'right', but he wouldn't act as he did if he didn't believe it. And if they wanted to just believe building a world up to be prosperous was roundabout selfishness, they could do so.

Chapter 491

Information gained from the Earthshaker Sect left Anton wondering how difficult it would be to destroy a planet… or a significant portion thereof. More reasonably, he was wondering if he could shoot through kilometers of earth and stone and still take out cultivators. Neither of those would actually achieve the results he desired, not in time at least.

Anton was actually quite glad that common folk had been ignored this time. Sure, it wasn't because of anything good… but the Twin Soul Sect needed decent cultivators for whatever they were doing. He hated the fact that they were so ready to set up some sort of massive sacrificial ritual, and though he didn't have the details it had to be something like that. Otherwise, it was a lot of work to capture so many people rather than killing them.

He tried to take a deep breath, but he was outside of the tunnels so only thin air found its way into his lungs. So he kicked apart a small hill to make himself feel better. It didn't, but thinking that it might was something.

This explained why there hadn't been an organized response to their arrival, though. Everyone important was probably involved with that, whatever it was. At least they had some idea of location, but they really needed the incoming reinforcements. More than what they'd already gotten.

Anton really wished Everheart was around. In a general sense he didn't trust the guy, but he really wanted someone strong and competent that would be willing to almost suicidally rush into danger with him. Not actually suicidally, of course. Anton knew if he didn't survive he also wouldn't succeed with doing what he wanted… though if he were able to trade his life to deal with Kuchion's problems? He probably would. There was a lot he could do with his life if it continued, but not as much as so many others could accomplish.

But things didn't work like that. Even if someone came up to him with an offer for the Twin Soul Sect to all commit suicide with him, he wouldn't believe it. Real solutions required fighting, and if possible living to fight again.

Oluchi was approaching. Anton wondered if he should let her, but decided there was really no point in avoiding it. One would imagine that a centuries old cultivator might be beyond emotions, but in truth they were just better at hiding it. And while Anton would properly deal with his thoughts eventually, it wasn't instantaneous.

"One would imagine, watching you, that you were concerned for the lives of your own people," Oluchi said. "Unless… you think this will somehow spread to your system?"

"I hadn't been thinking about that," Anton admitted. "But now I am." That meant he had to be even more careful, not because he needed to live but because he couldn't properly judge if trying extreme measures was correct until things had progressed further.

"What do you need?" Oluchi asked.

"The rest of our damned army," Anton said. "I know people were worried about defenses, and logistics suck but… Ugh."

"That's not what I meant," Oluchi shook her head. "What do you actually need. Like, additional ranged attackers, blockers, assassins, formation masters…"

"Formation masters and… blockers I guess? Anyone who can limit enemy mobility and slightly drag out the rate at which enemies pour onto us."

"Will that matter?" Oluchi questioned. "You'll still tire."

"If we can drag a battle on a few minutes longer, the amount of energy I'll have recovered will greatly increase."

"Is it really so fast?" she asked.

"That improved more than my maximum attacking power or anything like that, yes," Anton explained. "But if I ever did run out of energy, I'd be as defenseless as anyone else."

"Sounds like you would do well with hit-and-run tactics," Oluchi replied. "I can't imagine anyone would catch you unless you overdid it. Don't worry about settling a battle. Just do what you can, and leave."

"I'm worried that would cause them to accelerate their plans," Anton frowned.

"If they could safely do it, they would have days ago when we first attacked. Or weeks ago when this whole thing began. Perhaps you might precipitate some action on their part… or perhaps your attack will delay them as they turtle up… or chase after you. How long would it take you to travel around the planet?"

"Not long," Anton admitted. Getting up to extremely high speeds in thinner atmosphere was simple. "Except for the barrier."

"Then you might start with that. Consult with our formation experts on where to hit."

"I'm a bit concerned about your ships," Anton said. "I can't really outrun those."

"I believe you are overestimating them. Not all of them are so capable, and the speeds that threaten someone like you aren't possible in atmosphere. Besides, if you have to break into a fighting retreat and take out a ship or two on the way, that's also a victory for us. So… we'll set up assault plans for a few locations in case you draw away key forces. We'll be ready to move in whenever."

"That's… risky," Anton said.

"It's war," she pointed out. "We're not conscripts. We care about this too. Don't think that all solutions involve you alone."

He didn't but… Anton had to admit he'd encountered a pitfall any powerful cultivator did. Except instead of not caring about the lives of his allies, he'd perhaps cared too much and ignored their own power. "...Yes. I'll speak to the formation masters. If we can manage to deal with the planetary barrier to some extent, I'll feel much more comfortable moving as I please. And then we can coordinate further from there."

After speaking to the formation experts they had, Anton discovered it was actually quite easy to majorly disrupt the planetary barrier. All he had to do was carve out a ring around the planet, and either half would be barely functional. Of course, they didn't say it like that. Instead, they talked about theoretically accomplishing such a thing would provide the best results, then they began suggesting more long-term options for clearing things out.

But after confirming with them the effects it would have, Anton took off. Flying was much more energy intensive, only useful for long distances where he could go outside the atmosphere and really build up speed. Any techniques he had would function just as well as he ran along the ground, so it wasn't faster until the point he would be running into conflict with the barrier. The proximity around their base was under their control, but that was only a small portion.

So Anton ran, keeping himself at the most comfortable speed, well below the sound barrier. Pushing faster and faster would simply tire him out, and he should be able to circumnavigate the planet within a day if all went well. Which was why he had allowed three days for this particular excursion.

Arrows flew from his location, not en masse but precision and with concentrated power. He was aiming for formations and relays. If energy couldn't jump from point to point or coordinate with neighboring regions, the barriers could not hold stable. He didn't even need to break everything, just enough of what he passed. He no doubt missed some, concealed by the natural terrain or other formations… but it was enough.

He mostly ignored the enemy cultivators. Few were able to stage a counterattack of any sort, so only those who stubbornly attempted to defend something he wanted to destroy were worth expending energy on. Nobody could keep up with him, but they did coordinate to head him off. When they gathered together, even if they couldn't attack him, a large enough group of cultivators was able to hold together a barrier he couldn't penetrate. So… he wouldn't. Instead, when he sensed something like that he would make a sharp turn in another direction, zig zagging his way across Kuchion's barren surface.

At the end of the first day, he was beginning to feel his limits. Even if he could recover his energy continuously, it still wore down on his body. His energy channeled through him, from his dantians out through his meridians… and no amount of tempering could make up for the fact that his body was old. Not that he'd let that stop him before. He'd been out hunting in a blizzard when he was a hundred years old, now that he was a cultivator he wasn't going to let a little bit of fatigue hold him back. And… he happened to receive a message.

"Keep going." That was all it said, but it gave Anton a second wind. Had Oluchi somehow sensed his mental state? Unlikely. Her abilities were nothing like that, and they had no connection that should allow for that over any distance.

But as Anton was currently sheltered by some mountains around him, he could take a few moments to respond. "Of course. Why say that?"

"You're an excellent distraction, even if we can't tell for sure if you're having any success out there."

A fair point. With some people busy with whatever rituals they were planning, there really weren't that many people that could defend these all important nodes for their formations. And though Anton was no longer near the rest of his allies, he'd drawn many people away from the region they controlled. And… soon enough, he would be pulling people in the other direction. He mentioned that, then continued onward.

He did have a few encounters with enemy ships, but staying low to the ground even those that could briefly keep up with him could only harass him from above, their handful to several dozen active attackers trying to predict his movements. Bursts of energy to dodge attacks left him more fatigued, but inside of the atmosphere the ring-ships couldn't even do as much of their most desirable feature. Without the space being bent around them, piercing through important structures was easy.

It seemed the enemy recognized that, because it had been hours since he encountered any ships. Unless they were hanging out well above the atmosphere above, they weren't gathering together for some sort of surprise either. That was Anton's biggest advantage. The enemy could only guess where he would go, and if they got it right he could change his mind before he was even close.

As he reached the end of his circumnavigation, Anton began to sense significantly increased numbers of enemies. They were doing their best to conceal themselves, but stealthy groups were only as hidden as their least stealthy member. Natural energy always leaked out from people holding it in, and formations to hide it always left traces. They could even be more obvious from a distinct lack of energy, if they were set up wrong.

In front of Anton, a great half circle of cultivators stretched out across hundreds of kilometers. It wasn't densely packed, of course. That would take more than five thousand cultivators even if they had a hundred or more meters on each side of them. But it was still a good number, with dozens ready to head Anton off at any particular point. They might not be able to match him in speed, but if they could get close there would be a few moments of vulnerability.

No doubt there were more closing in from behind, moving to complete the encirclement. Upon taking the effort, Anton did notice them- further back, outside of where he had bothered sensing. Though to be fair, he kept track of a hundred kilometer arc behind himself so it wasn't as if he had been careless.

Then, above, a whole fleet of ships began gathering. They really had it out for him, huh? How unfortunate. There was nowhere for him to run.

If he was an idiot, anyway. Kuchion was choc full of tunnels. He could just go down. And if his thoughts stopped there, he probably would have fallen into the actual trap. No doubt a sufficient number of them were trapped.

But he didn't need to do that. All he needed to do was dig down. Even if he were generous with their speeds the closest cultivators wouldn't reach him for fifteen minutes. Anton didn't have anything remotely resembling a burrowing technique, but he did have a shovel. By the time he was a single body lengths deep it would have seemed like he shouldn't be able to move his arms, but all he had to do was shift around a few tons of dirt with every motion. No problem.

He wasn't leaving a tunnel behind him, so it wouldn't be easy to follow him. Anton had no doubt that some of the locals had burrowing techniques that would be able to surpass his speed- and when they caught up to him, he would deal with them and take it from them.

Anton stopped for a moment. Not because he felt something was wrong, exactly. Except… that this situation probably shouldn't feel good. But it did. No wonder Everheart was the way he was. At least, he'd figured out part of it.

Chapter 492

Down, down, down Anton dug, moving dirt and stone from below him to on top of him. It took some serious effort to loosen things up, enough that he was barely recovering any energy after his wild run around Kuchion. He could feel pursuers even through the ground. He intentionally avoided approaching any tunnels that they could find an easier path to him, but some cultivators had burrowing techniques. As predicted, they were catching up.

The surface of Kuchion was terribly cold, but as Anton burrowed kilometers deeper it began to warm up. Whatever heat was inside of it found few routes out. So far Anton hadn't found anything exceptionally hot- no pockets of magma or anything like that. But things were moving in the right direction.

Judging his speed with those of his pursuers, Anton didn't have long before they caught up. But he kept moving, not because he was actually trying to get away but to draw them ever further from the rest of their allies. Even if they could bring some people with them, it was nowhere near the hordes of cultivators that had sought him out on the surface.

When they were about a minute behind, Anton found a nice pocket of stone and began his next step of the plan. He stopped in place, reaching deep inside of himself and drawing upon it. He opened himself up to the power of the sun as it coursed through him and out. When he'd first connected to Ceretos' sun, the power within him had gone wild, almost consuming his body. Fortunately, he had recovered. His control was much better now, especially with connecting to more stars. The energy he had now was a little bit heavy as Weos' star had slightly different properties, but producing extreme heat was still simple.

The world began to melt and burn around Anton. Molten rock dripped around him, the space around him full except for tiny pockets that gave little room to maneuver. However, the heat of molten rock was nothing to Anton- and the fact that it was done by his own power made it barely unpleasant. The greater concern was the pressure of the earth around him, but as an Assimilation cultivator he could handle it.

By the time his pursuers caught up to him an area a hundred meters in diameter was molten. Even so, none of them hesitated to dive into the heat after him. Anton couldn't even blame them, because while the One Hundred Stars allowed cultivators to practice fire techniques with proficiency, Anton wasn't proficient in what he was doing. It was just improvised, and not terribly dangerous to Life Transformation cultivators.

But he didn't do it to kill people. Instead, he did it to alter everyone's mobility. Burrowing through solid rock and moving through molten rock were quite different, and while one seemed like it should be easier, the change in nature would alter the efficiency of techniques. For Anton's sake, it provided just a bit more mobility than he would have had.

Firing a bow underground was just as difficult as Anton had imagined. Forcing apart an area around his bow so that he could draw it back and let the string snap forward was difficult, reducing his power by at least half with standard Spirit Arrows. He wasn't able to instantly kill his target, taking a whole handful of shots before his first opponent was incapacitated. By that point the gap between him and the first wave of a dozen was halved.

He changed up his tactics. Ascension energy might push through the earth with greater power, but spectral energy shouldn't care about it at all. His next arrow ignored the material, finding its way into the careless belly of an earth cultivator. The results were decent enough for the moment, though Anton knew he needed to increase his proficiency in that area.

Three opponents were down swiftly, but the remaining ones had the opportunity to encircle him, all around including above and below. He could feel their energy reaching towards him, attempting to infiltrate his mind. It wasn't quite like the illusion techniques he recalled from before, but either way they were insufficient to affect him. This was his domain, and nobody could wrest control of it from him.

Everyone was quite surprised when bows appeared behind them, firing shots inward. The earth greatly hindered Anton's distance, but twenty or thirty meters was easy enough. Using purely energy bows weakened his attacks once more, but he was still able to desynchronize the enemy attacks. Only two at a time reached him, the first being spear and hammer wielders. The molten earth practically swam along with the hammer, augmenting its motion. The spear slipped through it like water, striking for Anton's heart.

He caught them both, and there was where ascension energy came into play. His legs kicked out, augmented with the heat of the sun- or at least a portion of it. Defenses and armor were shattered, then the two were tossed aside to make way for the next enemies.

In the end, Anton found he'd gone a bit overboard with the heat. He avoided harming himself, but when the cultivators had no more energy their bodies were instantly consumed- and their weapons and armor began to melt. More importantly, their storage bags were more vulnerable than the rest and several were lost in gouts of flame, broken formations spilling valuable scrolls into the world. They burst into flame before Anton could do much more, and he wished he'd thought to control what it burned besides himself. Anish had taught him the techniques, but he didn't do such things without thinking.

He was ultimately able to save more than half of what he wanted, and that included burrowing techniques which he greedily read through. It only took a few moments each, and his mind was already processing them. By the time the following group was getting close, Anton slowly began to practice them. The One Hundred Stars wasn't particularly affiliated with earth, but it didn't make the practice more difficult either. Over a hundred years of experience coupled with a significant advantage in power allowed Anton to begin a pace that kept the others from catching up.

After twenty minutes, he found himself proficient enough that he could pull ahead if he wanted to. Instead, he continued to draw the group along with him, staying tantalizingly close. His energy senses dug into storage bags, reading through other techniques and finding information that would improve his ability to fight underground, if only marginally at first.

The second group fared worse than the first, but after Anton defeated them he was really beginning to feel the fatigue from the last days catching up to him. He increased his speed, pulling away from his pursuers and only returning to the surface once he was sure he was out of their encirclement. He looked up at the sky, feeling the way the barrier above trembled. So, he had been successful. Now all he had to do was return to the others.

While Anton provided a distraction, Oluchi and the others had made significant gains with their positioning. More reinforcements had shown up as well, to help secure their greater area of influence. They'd driven back some enemy sects, and even made contact with some of their potential allies. Anton was impressed, because even he'd had trouble finding the latter. Then again, some of them had been emboldened by what they saw happening and were the ones to make first contact. That made Anton more confident about what they were doing… but they were still on a time limit.

"... you look like you could use some rest," Oluchi said. "Were you really fighting for two whole days?"

"More or less," Anton shrugged. "Sometimes I was just moving and shooting barely protected targets, but there were pockets of greater resistance. And I do need some rest. On the other hand, we need to capitalize on our gains so… if you could be ready in four hours, I'd appreciate it."

"Four hours?" Oluchi raised an eyebrow.

"I know you all have been active as well, but we need to make a move on one of the larger gatherings. Who knows how many people are dying every moment we wait."

"We'll be fine, Senior Anton. But you have to take care of yourself. Four hours is…"

"More than enough," Anton said. He meant it too… though his habit of taking four hours to rest at night usually didn't involve such extreme exertion as fighting his way around the planet. Then again, he didn't even really need sleep anymore.

The fires inside Anton settled into a comfortable rhythm as he allowed himself some time to rest. Though he'd promised four hours, by the end of three he was getting antsy. He didn't want to wait longer if he didn't have to. His body would certainly complain, but it would have all the time in the world to do so, next week or the following month or year. Right now, he would prop it up, giving it a good pat on the back and letting the comfortable circulation of energy slowly replenish it.

He studied what information they had on the nearest proper base, an underground tunnel system loaded with crystals that resonated with natural energy. This was the sort of place any large sect would be envious of, and the Twin Soul Sect had gained control of it through the means of one of their cover sects. If only people had looked deeper than their surface hatred and jealousy they might have noticed the deeper scheming beneath and learned about the Twin Soul Sect earlier. But there was no time to argue about what might have been. Now was the time for action.

Anton moved with the rest of the army- those who weren't staying to maintain defensive positions, of course. He had over a hundred Life Transformation cultivators with him, and while Kuchion had many more than that, not all of them were fully in the loop on what the Twin Soul Sect was up to, allies or not. Otherwise, they would have likely required more up front.

It wasn't quite clear if they were planning something like Black Soul Valley, another ascension or even a few… but at the very least, they would be using people as sacrifices to boost their cultivation and fighting strength. It was unclear if that was already ongoing or if they were in the middle of preparations still, but either way Anton and the others had to act.

With the barrier destabilized, it would be easier for them to retreat if necessary, and for additional forces to join them. For the moment, the ships were staying out of things- but there were people ready in case they were required.

The first obstacle was, of course, a barrier formation protecting the entrance. Anton looked between Oluchi and the barrier. "Are we ready?"

"As much as we'll ever get. We'll charge the barrier to break through as quickly as possible."

"I admire your courage," he said. "But I feel like this is the sort that explodes when destroyed."

"How would you know?"

"Just a hunch. And I can sense a massive pressure of natural energy behind it."

Having picked up a couple new techniques, Anton almost thought about breaking into the tunnels from the side… but he could feel the barrier stretching deep into the area. It wouldn't be weaker anywhere else, only his attacks would be affected.

"I'd like to request your help along with my third volley," Anton said. "Unless I manage to break through before then, of course."

"Gladly," Oluchi nodded, clutching her spear tightly.

The first volley of arrows was just a little test. He wanted to see if anywhere was particularly weaker than anywhere else. Sometimes the edges were worse, corners… and sometimes, a formation had glaring holes in its midsection away from the formation runes surrounding it. Whatever formations masters set up this one in particular managed to minimize flaws, so Anton found little with his probing attacks.

Then he got more serious, focusing his attacks together. The barrier trembled, but held. For the third volley, he drew upon ascension energy, the dense power that didn't fit into the lower realms screaming forward, tearing through the world while at the same time Oluchi's spear flew forward with ever-increasing momentum.

Anton's arrow struck first, piercing a hole in the barrier- but Oluchi's spear widened it, and punctured through a few guards sheltering behind it and attempting to bolster it with their own energy. The rest of the army was already charging forward, anticipating the barrier's opening.

The resulting explosion of energy sent Oluchi's spear flying back at her in a manner that was almost too quick for her to catch- though she still had the control to direct it, so at worst she could have flung it over her.

The sudden release of pressure and the barrier allowed Anton to feel deep inside the tunnels, where he saw not only many members of the Twin Soul Sect, but hundreds of people in cages- and many more currently being distributed around various formations, slaughtered in whatever manner the Twin Soul Sect found most efficient.

Anton's next shot would be finding its way deep inside, reminding them that they were not safe anymore. Hopefully, it would throw off their ritual as well.

Chapter 493

Being able to target multiple spots at once was an ability Anton was glad he had developed. Firing arrows sequentially could produce similar effects, but rapidly firing from multiple bows at once simply couldn't be matched. Anton was still limited in how much energy he could draw upon and later control at once, and thus his lethality was limited to below his maximum number of shots… but he didn't always need to be lethal.

Simply forcing people to make a choice was good enough, and if he set things up correctly both choices were good for him. For example, he had dozens of arrows flying towards restraints keeping cultivators bound. There were many members of the Twin Soul Sect around that could easily step in the way and take the hit. They likely wouldn't get hurt, and deflecting the attack achieved the same results- restricting their movements to a particular location.

Most of them didn't even consider the option, and instead chose to look out for their own safety. That was logical to some extent… but also flawed in its own manner. For when the cultivators were set free, they were no longer helpless.

That was the curse brought upon by their very intent to sacrifice the cultivators to obtain their power- they couldn't be drained of their energy. Instead, they simply had restraints that kept them from being able to draw upon their energy. Those restraints were simple to break, at least for someone of Anton's power. Making those same restraints able to take something equivalent to a Life Transformation cultivator's serious attack would require significantly more resources for every set, and though Anton could sense a few finer quality restraints, most were simply intended to do exactly what was required of them… assuming things were going well.

But now they weren't because even cultivators without weapons and armor were a serious threat when they suddenly appeared among distracted individuals while there was already a frontal assault happening. Anton knew that many of those he 'saved' would die fighting, but simply having the option to do so instead of dying helpless was the most he could give them.

Oluchi and the others were more focused on attacking the Twin Soul Sect, and the others who were working with them. A wide variety of attacks filled the corridors and chambers beneath Kuchion, threatening to collapse everything… but things were durable enough that only small portions collapsed unless there was specific intention to do otherwise.

Among his myriad of other arrows, Anton slipped a few more powerful ones, displaying on the surface nothing different than any other. These he reserved for attacking what seemed to be key opponents, or for breaking the better restraints. Anton couldn't do a thorough analysis of those involved, but he figured that if the Twin Soul Sect went to extra expense to restrain someone, then it was worth setting them free.

Anton pushed himself to his limits as soon as the battle began, because he could sense they were already late. There was no luxury of time to wonder where they could have or should have been faster, instead he simply had to deal with the swirling energy being pulled towards several individuals at the center of the formations. From what Anton had heard, there was significantly less blood here than at Black Soul Valley- but of course there was no Flying Blood Cult here so being especially bloody was unnecessary.

It wasn't long before Anton had freed enough individuals that they could go about helping others, and the main waves of their own forces were clashing with the enemy. There was still some manner of numerical advantage among the Twin Soul Sect and their allies, but the forces from Weos were all in Life Transformation, while the locals had about half their forces from lower stages.

The main concern was still the three leaders. They were behind a barrier that Anton found was sturdier than the one protecting the outside. That likely had to do with selfishness and the excess energy in the area. The trio were a slight woman, a sturdier man, and a second man both older and larger than either of the other two. All were at the threshold of Ascension, and pushing through that barrier.

Anton had to prioritize. The oldest of the three seemed to be the biggest threat, since he wasn't forcing himself as much as the others. A shot of spectral energy barely snuck through the barrier, but it provided a moment of distraction as he moved to deflect Anton's shot. A moment later, what Anton had perceived as a massive staff was bent and strung with energy, forming into a bow at least three meters tall.

The man's senses focused on Anton. There was a moment where two archers squared up… but as much as Anton loved fair duels, he wasn't willing to let an enemy advance to such a point when they had already made it quite clear they weren't interested in any such thing. Even as the man was drawing back his bow, powerful muscles and spiking energy working together in symphony, Anton already had more than a handful of his own shots on the way. And one of them was very special.

There were some significant advantages to having allies with excessive wealth. Anton used an arrow that Everheart said would break through any formation and therefore absolutely wouldn't break through anything Everheart intended to use against Anton. But Anton trusted that the strange arrow covered in layers and layers of formation markings would make it through something so simple as what anyone in the lower realms could create. Anton's arrows struck the barrier, while that final arrow didn't even slow for the barrier. Instead, threads of the barrier were pulled along with it, perhaps even enhancing its power as it was torn apart.

The moment after the man's arrow left his bow, Anton's shot pierced through his left wrist on its way to his heart. To his credit, the man didn't die immediately. His arrow wound its way through the twisting tunnels of the battlefield towards Anton, who gave it exactly the same sort of respect he would give to one of Kseniya's arrows… that is to say, stepping just enough to the side for it to barely miss him at the last moment. There was nobody behind Anton for him to concern himself with, and his follow up attacks were already going for the archer's head. Once his brain was destroyed, his control over natural energy was nonexistent.

With no time to waste, Anton moved on towards the slight woman. There was something dangerous about her, and Anton didn't want to have to find out what. It was unfortunate for her that she was restricted to a small area of movement, because while she managed to claw a good dozen of Anton's arrows out of the sky with her fist weapons, she was still just one Life Transformation cultivators with the full attention of an Assimilation cultivator upon her.

In killing her, Anton had made a choice subconsciously. The third of them, the less remarkable man, was the only one of them remaining in the formation. And because of that, he had huge masses of now uncontrolled energy and lifeforce to draw upon. Even as Anton's Spirit Arrows were on their way to kill him, some part of the world tore apart and he stepped through to ascension.

Common sense told Anton he was gone, unreachable. But that was little good for cultivators. Instead, Anton's thoughts drifted to something else. Nothing was impossible with cultivation. At least, nobody had achieved a point where they could conclusively prove such.

Instincts guided Anton to do the most sensible thing. If this man was to go to the upper realms and join with ascension energy, then it must be able to reach him. It was a thin thread of logic, but Anton took the shot regardless. The man was already fading from his perception into the world beyond when Anton's arrow struck, the ascension energy stabbing into the man's spine and spreading… but unfortunately, it did not wholly annihilate him.

The thrill of advancement was offset by the pain of injury tearing at the man from the inside. Even so, he knew he would recover- and upon reaching the upper realms, he would be rewarded both for his advancement and the information he brought. He felt himself propelled forward at great speed, time and space slipping away. It was a wonderful feeling.

Then it stopped as he impacted a great barrier. It was thin. Diffuse. Not meant to stop a living soul… yet it grasped at him regardless. He struggled against it, but he found his body and energy were not up to the task. Breaking through to Ascension was fulfilling… but exhausting.

The elation of his senses suddenly turned to terror as he felt the small distance between himself and what he desired most, yet was unable to reach it. More than that, he felt power burrowing into him… and he knew it would do more than just kill him. The Twin Soul Sect's main draw was immortality of a sort, promises of life after death along with other rewards… but it was to be taken away from him. The one thing he feared most he brought upon himself with his own actions.

Even as they finished up with one lair, enemy reinforcements were coming outside. Yet Anton wouldn't let them approach so easily. With the planetary barrier torn apart at the seams, disconnected, it did little to stop him from choosing his targets as he pleased. He called upon ascension energy to make certain his task was accomplished swiftly, shooting enemies out of the sky.

As the last fell, he breathed out heavily. He would need to take a short break, before moving on to the next location. If this location was able to have someone ascend today, the others might as well. He did not intend to allow any to slip away.

"I did ask, you know," Scholar Eulogius said. "I thought you understood the implications of not needing the city. Besides, it was completely overrun with scum. If you want their crap, you can dig it out of the depths of Bavore after we finish off the rest of them."

Honestly, people were too picky. It's not like he'd destroyed a city with allies in it or anything like that. And he'd opened up an avenue for them to put together more counteroffensives like they planned. Now they could coordinate with the stronger factions living on the gas giant while the enemy was down significant numbers.

Was it because he made it look too easy? Were they jealous? Everheart supposed that might be it. If that was the case, he really didn't care. And if they were hurt about the stuff that city had, they were just money grubbing cowards. Everheart didn't get to take any of that junk either, and he'd paid a significant price to bring the place down. It was hard to condense so much energy that was readily absorbed into one place. Expensive, too. Sure, it was a tool he could make more of given time, but they should appreciate his contributions.

Allies were such a pain. Everyone said good things about Anton, because he did things like 'teamwork' and 'supporting his allies' and 'not being an arrogant asshole'. Everheart just wasn't cut out for that stuff. Well, whatever. At least they were accomplishing what they needed to. He didn't need people to thank him. He just wanted to eradicate the Twin Soul Sect. Backstabbing people was fine, when it was on a personal level. Living your whole life with the intent to betray friends and family was something else entirely. Sure, Everheart didn't ever have many friends, but he'd had family and family-like things at some points.

Also the worst part was that the whole thing was because some pricks in the upper realms thought they were better than anyone else. Everheart had already proven many times that wasn't true, but he hadn't finished that vendetta yet. He was going to use his backwater lower realm ass to kick their haughty upper realms asses. When he recovered from his various setbacks, of course.

Chapter 494

Wars between cultivators could vary greatly in time. With the ability for them to mobilize quickly it was more about who was willing to launch offensives rather than anything else. A length of weeks or months for a war between two factions was not uncommon, but neither were conflicts spanning decades- though obviously the former had more action.

In the Weos system, the war against the Twin Soul Sect was quick and bloody. Upon Kuchion, Anton and the others continued to press onward. To the best of their knowledge, they prevented any actual ascensions on the part of the Twin Soul Sect. Upon Bavore, the momentum also swung in the favor of the same side. Despite the prevalence of the Twin Soul Sect, they never intended to stand against the world alone. They were meant to be traitors on the inside, though their last opportunity had slipped away with the lack of the expected invasion.

Once they were discovered, the results were inevitable. Nobody would choose to stand for their goal, and those who might have entertained the thought certainly weren't going to do so after they had been revealed. Even so, many people lost their lives- cultivators weak and strong, as well as others caught in the crossfire. In a way, everything was Anton's fault… though of course something like this had to happen inevitably. If they had waited, it would have only been worse. Anzela, Rikuto, and all the allies they had been able to prepare had done what they could- anything more would have given a chance for the Twin Soul Sect to plan their response instead of having to spontaneously act.

"You look awfully grim for having just won a war," Everheart declared. "And don't say something stupid like it was all the people of Weos and you didn't do anything or humble crap like that. We both know that's not true. Without me, this would have all been pointless as the Twin Soul Sect members would be more or less alive still. At least the talented ones. Without you, a bunch more locals would have died. You care about things like that, right?"

"I just wish it didn't have to result in so much death. If there was another way-"

"Then someone would have found it out long ago. But do you really think that there could have been a peaceful resolution? Don't tell me you would have let the Twin Soul Sect live to save others."

"Well… no…" Anton shook his head. "What do you want me to say, that I want to become some sort of supreme god that can control every little aspect of the world to be the way I want it?"

"Yes," Everheart nodded. "Say it again and again and again until it becomes true. Though it's gonna take you at least another millenium."

"I doubt that's what you really want. Wouldn't that make us… competition? That seems more like your kind of goal."

"Of course we're competition," Everheart declared. "We're cultivators. And all of us, know it or not, wish to reach a level of unlimited power to do whatever we wish."

"Nah," Anton said. "I mean, more power would be fine. But I really just want to defend my home."

"And what is your home?" Everheart asked. "Ceretos? The whole system? What about Rutera? What about here? When will it end?"

Anton pondered on that for a few moments. "You know, you make a good point. It would be easy to slip into the desire of controlling everything at that rate. I should restrain myself."

"But… why?" Everheart said. "You could do whatever you want. Well, not quite whatever- because I'm sure at some point we'll come into conflict and I'll inevitably win that. But you could do whatever you wanted that fit with whatever I want."

"... That's a lot of words repeated over and over. I don't know what to say except… I've accepted that my time will come. And I will be ready to embrace death when it happens. That's what Fleeting Youth is all about, isn't it."

"Maybe. I just made it," Everheart pointed out. "I didn't practice it. You think I'm the kind of guy who could accept not ascending, not reincarnating if I die?"

"... I just realized we won't be done with you when you die."

"Eh, depends on if you do it right," Everheart pointed out. "Just gotta tear up the soul."

"Are you sure you should be telling me this?" Anton asked.

"Absolutely. If I have to go out, I'd prefer it to be at the hands of someone I respect. And that's a short list."

"I'd be interested in hearing who's on it."

"Well, it's me- about a thousand times. Then you." Everheart shrugged, "And almost everyone else is dead."

"So there is someone, then," Anton smiled.

"Maybe," Everheart shrugged, "Unless they died too. Haven't really been able to keep track."

"I can't believe you're not swamped with messages from the upper realms," Anton said. "You have to have tons of schemes there."

"Yeah, but for me to be swamped… people would have to know I'm alive."

"Only lunatics would believe you're dead," Anton pointed out.

"There's a big difference between people knowing I'm alive and people assuming I'm alive," Everheart said. "Nobody's going to put together an army to hunt me down just because they don't know where my body is. I mean, not another one. They already did that."

"... Do you feel empathy for anyone who died?" Anton asked.

"No." Everheart said bluntly. "Nor for those they left behind. Everyone dies, everyone loses people. That's just how things work. And I certainly don't regret what happened to everyone in the Twin Soul Sect. Everyone else?" Everheart shrugged, "Their souls probably still exist. Maybe they'll remember a previous life, maybe it will be scoured completely blank. Doesn't matter to me."

"... You need to get friends," Anton said.

Everheart made a face. "Eeeugh. Don't say things like that."

With the civil war in Weos over, Anton was able to get some rest. He hadn't quite realized just how far he'd pushed himself while fighting on Kuchion. If he'd gone a little too far- and there had been any enemies nearby- he would have been vulnerable. Once he was out of energy, he could just… be killed. Like anyone else. Since natural energy was required for both offense and defense, pushing his offensive capabilities to their limits had been risky. Sure, he had the advantage of attacking from far beyond the range of most people, but if even one assassin had been concealed among allies and he'd burned himself just a bit harder? That would have been the end. It would have been a waste.

Then again, every person Anton was just in time to save could easily be someone amazing in the future, someone priceless the world couldn't afford to lose. Anton didn't believe that most or even necessarily any of those he had saved would be like that… but just thinking about how he'd affected things on Ceretos told him that amazing people could come from anywhere.

Take Lev, for example. He had been at best a slightly above average disciple in the Grasping Willows, good enough that a Spirit Building elder had taken him under his tutelage. Not that Spirit Building was anything impressive by Anton's current standards. Regardless, Lev had been nearly dead when they first found him. He hadn't seemed like anything impressive for a while, eventually joining the ranks of those with great talent. Then… he was the second person on Ceretos to achieve Assimilation. And for such a thing, second wasn't bad. In fact, perhaps it was even more impressive than being the first in some ways. He hadn't tried to force Anton's methods into his cultivation style, but came up with his own path once he simply knew it could be done.

Anton sighed. This was perhaps the curse of being a cultivator, his brain being able to think more swiftly also found itself going down rabbit holes more often. His mind would resolve itself… but he wondered if old cultivators ever got over this. He didn't have many examples, but it seemed that people tended to become entrenched in one manner of acting and stick with that. That wasn't necessarily bad, but he needed to be certain that his was the right one.

With Weos' matters settled, Anton would have liked to get them and Rutera back in the same room talking about what they would do with Azoth- or whatever Weos called them. Who wouldn't like to add some old enemies of enemies onto their team?

Unfortunately, while it was likely they would be entering into some talks, Weos probably wasn't eager to jump into a war. Revenge on Azoth might be enticing, but would it be worth it? Could they trust Rutera, or Ceretos for that matter? Anton would answer those as yes, probably, and definitely if he had anything to say about it. But convincing people of that was another matter.

Anton realized he also didn't know much of anything about Azoth. They attacked Rutera and Weos, which he had positive opinions of. Did that immediately make them bad people? Yes. Anton could say that with full confidence. Unless both systems were lying through their teeth about what had happened, in which case they'd done an exceptional job of convincing everyone Anton had talked about that Azoth had begun hostilities without any attempts at communication. Even starting off with some sort of demand for people to hand over a planet or resources would have been something.

Still, he should look into it. He was friendly with enough people from Rutera that he could get information that way, but he also thought to look into things for himself. Though he wasn't sure if going in person was a sensible idea, he could still list that as a potential option. If he could even travel between systems on his own, which he still hadn't attempted. He needed to do that. Even if he failed, he should only waste a few months at most.

It really didn't make much difference to Anton how many planets Azoth had- or how many non-planetary orbiting bodies they had outposts on. Ultimately that was important to know for military matters, but the thing that stood out to him the most was the top of the report. Azoth: Single star system. By itself, it wasn't that interesting. In fact, it was kind of disappointing. But the fact that it came up in a report reminded Anton that there were other options.

Binary star systems existed. That was something that had been confirmed by his own eyes (and telescopes) before Prospero Vandale died. There were even systems with more stars. While this was interesting from an astrological perspective, it wasn't exactly new. It was just suddenly more relevant to Anton in the past couple decades.

What would such a system mean for his power? Unfortunately, he couldn't know quite yet. There was a binary star system nearby- uninhabited, as far as Anton was aware. But for Anton to truly know anything, he needed to wait at least until he reached his next star, perhaps two if he were going to travel to Azoth. At the current moment, he had one available star he could Assimilate with. He might be able to bond with both stars of a binary star system at once, or he might need two available. If he didn't have two available, it might kill him. Rather, it was more likely to kill him than trying something new was anyway, and Anton had to admit since nobody else had traversed this same road he was relying on some intuition. Cultivator's intuition was amazing, but not always correct.

Anton grumbled to himself. Why couldn't Azoth have been a binary star system? Then he could have gone through some training and experimented there. If he collapsed their stars in a horrible accident, it wouldn't be too bad. At least it would deal with a problem.

Anton frowned. He was going to have to go back to Rutera. He didn't want to shove his way into a conflict… but he also didn't want to just leave it alone. He'd have to find the right people to talk about for that- both on Rutera and back home, since it also affected Ceretos to have him gone.

Chapter 495

Drifting into the void of space between stars was… unpleasant. Those were the basic feelings Anton had on the matter, though it was of course more than just a vague feeling. He felt weak. Helpless. His instincts told him to immediately turn around, but he knew he had enough internal energy to reverse his direction completely if he needed to. Technically, even if he did nothing at all he would eventually arrive at Rutera. It would be a matter of years, probably decades unless he accelerated to a much higher speed, but he would get there.

He would probably survive it too, but the journey wouldn't be pleasant. Being alone for so long with little to do would be draining. He couldn't even cultivate, as between systems the natural energy was extremely thin. Then there was the matter of his connection to the stars.

Anton could always feel the three stars he had bound himself to- his home of Ceretos, then Rutera and Weos- but feeling them and being able to draw upon their power was different. As he found himself leaving the system, even though he was many times closer to Ceretos' star than the others, it felt almost as faint.

But Anton wasn't here just to re-confirm something he knew would happen. He was here to grow. He wouldn't be attempting any special movement techniques to speed his travel between systems, not yet. Otherwise, he might run low on energy partway and be stuck merely sustaining himself until he arrived.

His connection to the sun was tenuous and weak, and he could barely draw any power from it. It was further weakening with every moment. But… just because that was the way it was didn't mean it was the way it had to be.

From within himself, Anton reached out for his home sun, and for those of the others. With his intent to strengthen the connection, he felt three flickers, vibrations inside of him. Two faded, but as his will held onto it the third remained- the closest star, and his first Assimilation target.

Anton allowed himself to release some energy, expending it for meaningless efforts such as shooting Spirit Arrows in random directions where they quickly faded away, leaving behind small pockets of energy drifting through space. He didn't need that expenditure to do anything. Instead, what he needed was the empty space it provided. Anton drew upon the power of the star to fill himself, and he felt his energy restoring. It wasn't as quick as usual, but it was certainly more than the tenuous connection he naturally had.

After a few moments, he let his grip fade. Was there some remnant strength he felt, or was that merely a wish on his part? Regardless, if there had been a longer lasting change it was greatly insignificant compared to active control. Anton reached out once more, taking active control of the connection. In normal circumstances, he didn't draw upon the power of the sun so much as he opened a floodgate and allowed it to pour in. Now, he was forced to actively hold open the connection to allow a smaller pressure through. But it worked.

For a week, Anton drifted further, feeling the connection wax and wane as his proficiency wrestled with the increasing distance from his font of power. Finally, when he could no longer feel any significant draw, he began to expend his energy to slow and reverse his trajectory, sending himself back home. As he returned closer to home and the bond strengthened he allowed himself to go faster and faster, expending energy he conserved in the other direction. He had no fears about being unable to stop himself as he moved through his system, as the power only grew stronger and stronger.

Soon enough, Anton found himself back inside the borders of the system, where his recovery quickly returned to normal levels, and then surpassed it. However, once he let go of his active efforts it once again resembled what he was used to, at least within a small margin. Holding open the channel was not simple. When he had nothing else to do but that, drifting through the void of space, Anton could likely keep it up more or less continuously. However, if he were to be in active combat, the concentration required would likely have a large effect.

After some experimentation, Anton found that maintaining more than just a few energy bows, along with firing one of his physical bows, was somewhere close to his limit. It was a far cry from the dozens of energy bows he could throw about if he were free. Still, it would be a great benefit for combat against singular powerful foes, or anything along the same vein. Right now there were few individuals who could be a problem- Everheart was always there in the back of Anton's mind, but he doubted that the man would do anything soon- but the coming invasion would no doubt have many Integration level ascended individuals. Even if they were somewhat restricted in power, he couldn't exactly hope to take them down en masse.

Anton took a few days to rest up fully, then went out again- this time, he lasted two weeks from his somewhat arbitrary cutoff for the edge of the system. The last few days his connection had been quite tenuous and thin, but he still had a consistent flow of energy if absolutely necessary.

He repeated the process at slightly greater velocities, since he was more confident in being able to return himself back to where he belonged. Only by pushing his limits would he be able to expand them.

For the sake of thoroughness, he tried different directions. Whenever he was not between systems he had assimilated stars within, he felt slightly empty. It was difficult to say whether it meant anything, but he was more conservative with his experiments anywhere not directed at Rutera or Weos.

Drawing upon the distant stars still received little more than tiny pulses of energy for great effort, ephemeral even as he attempted to keep the connections open. Yet, Anton imagined that this would not necessarily be the case forever. Increasing his proficiency in this technique and his overall cultivation would certainly help. Perhaps he would need to reach the next step of his journey. If he was in the 'early' Assimilation phase, then perhaps the 'mid'. Anton wasn't really sure what would be beyond, the equivalent of Augmentation or Domination. Maybe Assimilation was all there would be.

In that case, Anton wondered how many stars he might need before reaching such a level. If he followed the current patterns, two more prime temperings would put him at one hundred and sixty. Two more, and he would be at two hundred and thirty eight. Just thinking about his current rate of advancement made him understand it would be an extraordinarily long process, no matter what.

Having not experienced any Integration cultivators since his advancement, and only having Everheart to compare to for Augmentation, Anton couldn't say for sure, but he felt that perhaps two prime temperings would secure him a position akin to the peak of Integration. Then again, it might require three. There was only one level that had three prime temperings- Body Tempering- but post Ascension or Assimilation it seemed reasonable that the pattern would repeat itself. In that case, one hundred and ninety-seven stars would be the threshold for an Augmentation equivalent. There was only one way to find out, and Anton either had the time to put in… or he did not. Either way, he'd walk the path until he came to its end, or his own. Or fly, because he really didn't seem to be doing much walking lately.

General Nicodemo was quite fond of Anton. A man with great power, but also empathy and the willingness to use it for others. There were many things about him to like, but Nicodemo had some categories he wished the man performed in. Like… specificity of time.

Knowing that Anton intended to come to Rutera was a relief, but hearing he would show up 'in a few months' was really not a good estimate. If he wasn't sure when he was going to leave it would be one thing, but estimating a ship's arrival time was one of the key features of a pilot. Being off by an hour between systems was already a pretty significant deviation. Anton was usually quite communicative, so the fact that he couldn't specify a time of arrival meant there was uncertainty, and that bothered Nicodemo.

What was more annoying was that another group from Ceretos was on the way, with a clearly stated arrival time. Anton didn't have to be with them… but what could he be doing that things were so uncertain? An experimental ship, perhaps? In that case, it might not be as fast as expected, or perhaps even slower. It must be something like that.

An alarm woke Matija from her slumber. She sprang to her feet, grabbing her weapon from next to her bed before realizing it wasn't that alarm. They weren't under attack, at least. No, this was one of the research station's alarms set up to alert the scientists if anything odd happened with their target.

That was… actually much more worrying than them being under attack. Because her subject of study was just the same as it had always been- the sun. As giant flaming balls of plasma went, stars were extremely consistent and anything that made them act otherwise was worrying.

Matija skidded to a halt in front of the monitors. "Is it recording?" she asked one of the others.

"Always, but I checked just to make sure," said her male colleague. "You'll want to see this."

At first, the images didn't look like much of anything. The changes they were expecting from the sun were very minute indeed, at least in comparison to its size. Solar flares and hotspots and other things were all constant things to account for. All Matija could see were snapshots of solar flares, which wasn't anything particularly odd at this time of the solar cycle. They were pretty constant, though many were on the far side of the sun or otherwise difficult to monitor from their station on Sizipra. They had communications with some satellites orbiting the sun, but because of the war they couldn't risk being out there in person.

"I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be seeing," Matija admitted as she looked at several pictures. "A small solar flare. Anything else?"

"That's just the thing," her colleague said. "Look at the timestamps- and the intermediate images."

So she looked. The first several images showed a flare growing and shrinking… and the same with the next, and the next. "This is… a sequence of solar flares from the same location?"

"Exactly!" her colleague said excitedly. "The system picked it up after it kept repeating for the last few days, short ones hours apart."

"Damn," Matija said. "I wish we could study it up close. Our instruments just aren't sensitive enough to give us good data from here. What have we learned?"

"Well, besides the regularity, there are some familiar fluctuations. It-"

At that point, another alarm sounded- one much louder and more widespread than the ones routed to the comms of Matija and a few of the others. Fully awake, Matija still took a moment to recognize it. "That's… the new one, isn't it?"

"It… could be a glitch," the man said unconvincingly. However, one of the monitors quickly pulled up what had been noticed.

"It works!" Matija clenched her fist in excitement. "Yes!" A moment later, she saw a flash outside one of the windows. Her eyes flicked across the monitors. "We just lost contact with one of the satellites."

"Enemy ships confirmed," a younger female colleague said. "The good news is the scanner found them before they dropped out of cloaking. I'm sending the message now." She sighed. "It's done."

At the same time, Matija was connecting her comms to the station as a whole. "Enemy attack. Everyone evacuate to the underground shelters! This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill."

As soon as she set the message to repeat, Matija was running with the others. She could have easily outpaced them- not only was she in better physical shape than a typical scientist, she was also seriously training in cultivation. However, she couldn't just leave her people.

As they ran for the nearest bunker, the corridor in front of them exploded, a beam of energy cutting through it- disintegrating a few individuals who came too close. They were perhaps the lucky ones, as one person slightly further caught on fire. That part didn't last long as the pressurized atmosphere quickly burst out of the area, but fortunately spread out enough to not drag anyone out with it.

The sound of the ceiling beam cracking came half a moment after Matija was already moving, grabbing her two colleagues around their waists. She leapt forward, away from the falling beam and the collapsing ceiling it could no longer hold. The gravity wasn't high on Sizipra, but that was what had allowed them to construct durable enough structures cheaply. Unless there was massive trauma, they were actually rated safer than anything back on Rutera itself. And in situations like this, well, it might still be safer.

"Grab onto him!" Matija ordered the two in her arms as she landed next to the badly burned individual. It wouldn't be pleasant, but it was better to be in pain than to be left behind. A loop of Matija's energy dragged the figure closer, and soon they were in a strange lump of four people. The important part was that Matija's feet were free to move.

She didn't really know anything else to do but to run- but that she did. Low gravity and a near vacuum would have made her job easy, except for the fact that she had to avoid further bits of collapsing structure. Anticipating an incoming attack just in time, Matija ground to a halt just a dozen meters from their entrance. This time, the incoming beam didn't collapse any of the structure- but it did melt the thick trapdoor leading down below.

Once the attack passed, Matija carried her companions over, setting them down as gently as she could do swiftly. Then she reached for the trapdoor. It was hot- still molten in parts, even after only brief contact with the attacking beam. The One Hundred Stars that Anton had instructed her in was somewhat attuned to fire, but that didn't make her task easy. She gathered as much energy around her as possible, but she still scorched her hands as she tore the trapdoor away and provided access to the stairs below. Then she had to grab her companions again before anything else could reach them.

At the bottom of the stairs was another door, but they were deep enough that the tremors of the attacks above were faint. The air was still thin, but as they passed through the sealed doors she was able to take a deep breath.

Her legs gave out on the other side of the door. It wasn't as if she hadn't run further or in more difficult conditions, but they simply wouldn't listen to her. The relief at being safe- even if that was probably only temporary- was enough to drain the adrenaline from her system.

"You saved us!" "That was amazing!" Her colleagues both spoke at the same time.

"... Thanks. You need to… get him to a medic," Matija said, gesturing to the burned man. She could feel life still in him, if not much.

A few minutes later, Matija somehow managed to get her senses back. Even if she hadn't done it consciously, she'd carried her weapon with her from her room. Normally she wouldn't have brought it with her, but she had just subconsciously slung it on her back. Had she sensed something… or was this one of those paranoid reminders that Anton liked to say during training? Or in this case, practical. Though Matija wasn't sure how much she could do if anyone bothered to land and attack them inside the bunkers.

Chapter 496

More people approached the doors of the underground bunker as Matija sat in silence, attempting some level of recovery. She still had over half of her energy remaining, but expending it so desperately had thrown her off. Unfortunately, Sizipra was not exactly teeming with natural energy- most of the system wasn't, but with little life most of the natural energy was entrapped from space. Perhaps from the sun directly.

Those who trickled through the door, their security details providing access, were in a worse state than most. Those who had arrived before Matija and her colleagues had been close by, but anyone after her was having to pick through the rubble in the area while also dealing with the thin atmosphere- and rapidly building heat as the facility opened to the outside. Even the few security officers were tattered- though their effective cultivations were lower than Matija. She was fairly certain they didn't actually cultivate, but use of Rutera's technology developed cultivation regardless.

It wasn't clear how long it took- a minute, ten, an hour- but Matija felt cultivators approaching. Proper cultivators, from Azoth. She would have recognized any from their outpost, few as they were- and she also knew the cultivation styles the military of Rutera practiced.

"Lock down the doors. No one else comes in."

"But what if someone else-"

"No more of us will be coming," Matija stated clearly. She clutched her rifle tightly, unconsciously suppressing the surrounding security.

One of the female guards responded. "Yes ma'am. We understand." A few button presses, and the lock would only open from the inside- with proper authorization.

The number of security personnel in their facility was likely higher than necessary for what actually happened. Drunk or belligerent scientists, maybe petty theft. They were only a few hundred in total through various departments, so even having a dozen security guards was excessive in some manners. Even so, despite their weakness, Matija wished they had all of them in their current bunker instead of less than half. But perhaps that was selfish.

"They're coming," Matija said. "They just reached the top of the stairs."

The Azoth intruders weren't hiding their energy, not that they needed to. She could feel them take every step, unhurried. They were strong, at least by Matija's standards. A handful of Spirit Building cultivators and an equal number of Essence Collection. She and the others couldn't hold them off for long, even if they were lucky. Even so, they took positions, gaining what cover they could in the lobby of the bunker that was only meant for natural disasters and not war.

When the enemy reached the door, it shuddered under their attacks. Yet it held firm… once, twice. The third time it buckled, leaving a slight gap. Matija shot her rifle through, the beam of energy guided by her will to be focused, precise. One of the attackers fell back, merely injured. As it happened, she wondered why she was fighting. She wasn't a soldier… but if she didn't fight, she would just die- and everyone in the bunker behind her as well.

Four arms wrenched open the durable doors, meant to withstand small arms at best, and not cultivators. Battle broke out swiftly- the enemy favoring melee weapons that were not as outdated as they might seem. Two guards were cut down immediately. Should Matija have been closer, as the strongest?

She managed a couple more shots, piercing through the energy defenses of her targets but not dropping them. Instead, she merely drew their ire. A spear stabbed at her- through her. No, she managed to duck out of the way, her training paying off somehow. Her beam rifle took the opponent directly in the chest, a sustained burst that bore a hole through his chest. The rifles didn't do that… but she made it happen anyway. Like instinct.

A sword cut into her side as she focused on the other opponent. Fortunately, Anton's insistence that she keep her energy defenses active in all situations, covering every part of her no matter how much it might seem a burden, just barely saved her life. At least, for that moment. Another enemy down, but most remained- and her allies had fallen. Her biggest regret… was not knowing what the weird thing with the solar flares was. Did that make her a bad person, not caring about the lives of those around her, or her own life? Except she did… just not as much as that.

A woman carrying a sword that had to be nearly as heavy as Matija came for her next. As Matija discovered, her armor was exceptional- though the rifle could pierce her defensive energy, the gleaming metal resisted her attack. Matija thought to close her eyes as she accepted her death, but her training had also drilled into her to never close her eyes in combat. She might as well listen to it for the last few milliseconds she lived.

Even with her eyes open, she barely saw it. A blade of energy, as tall as she was. It cut through the woman wielding it as well as bisecting the weapon, the two halves flying around Matija. She barely saw the blade of energy… but she certainly felt it. Just like she felt the following arrows. Dozens, no- hundreds, if she was right about the faint impacts she felt off in the distance. She'd felt that energy before, and it was hard to forget.

The intruders were dead. Matija only managed to stagger forward, activating the panel by the doors. Obviously, closing them was impossible- but activating some barrier to keep what air they had left would be… best. It was already hard to think.

Air rushed in around her, but she hadn't managed anything yet. Then, Anton stood in front of her. "Good thing I booked it on the second half, huh?" He smiled widely. It was comforting, seeing this old fellow arrive as if he were taking a stroll around the neighborhood. "Gotta say, it's pretty unpleasant being between systems alone." He looked around. "It's a good thing my route took me close to here."

"I didn't die… right?" Matija tilted her head. Her brain was tumbling end over end, the adrenaline from battle not knowing what to do and the air in her lungs somehow messing her up even more.

"Sure doesn't look like it. Though let me help you out with your side there. Sit down, please."

She did, managing to stagger into an actual chair instead of plopping onto the ground. Then, her side hurt for a moment. She looked down at it to see stitches. "You're… a medic?"

"Oh please," Anton shook his head. "Don't say that. It's rude to people who spent a lot of time learning that profession. I'm barely an apprentice." He pulled out a salve, "Stitches are nothing. This salve should help make up for how bad they are."

"They look… pretty even to me," Matija said, wincing as she moved her side. As Anton dipped his finger into the salve, she waved him off. "I'm fine. Check on… the others."

Anton sighed. "Those who can are receiving medical attention."

Matija realized that Anton's energy was constantly working around them, not just in the room but elsewhere. Inside the room, she could see some of the security being seated in chairs and some laid on couches. "... Why are some of them still on the floor?" Matija asked.

Anton just shook his head. "They won't get more comfortable," Anton said, as the bodies were lined up next to each other- with the enemies being ousted up the stairs to be tossed in a pile. Moving things with just his energy was quite inefficient, but something as simple as that was doable. He'd already taken a few moments to lift hunks of the buildings up above off of those who had still been alive, even if some had died moments later.

"Is this… what war is like?" Matija asked. She knew the pains of the war so far, of course. Even if she wasn't close with any of those who had died by sheer coincidence, it was impossible to not have friends and family affected somehow.

"Usually it's worse," Anton said, keeping the details out of it. "I'll stay here until someone can come pick you guys up. Unless you want me to try to fly some of the Azoth ships."

"I don't… could you?"

Anton shrugged. "Maybe. It's more familiar to me than any of your technology."

"We should wait," Matija said.

"Fair enough. I'll message the general."

"Shouldn't you… be contacting someone else?"

"Why?" Anton raised an eyebrow. "It's easiest to contact the people on top. I don't really know anyone else, and the military is going to come here anyway."

"Ugh. Good point."

As it turned out, the military was quite interested in getting a handful of completely undamaged Azoth vessels. Enough to send General Nicodemo himself… though that was partly an excuse on the man's part. "Where's your ship?" Nicodemo asked by way of introduction once he found his way to Anton. "Sensors didn't pick one up."

"Didn't bring one," Anton said.

"You didn't-" Nicodemo took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. "I will ask for clarification on that later. We're at war, so there's no real time for a fancy welcome party except," he gestured to the soldiers around him, going over the damage and casualties. "I can only say that in both personal and professional capacity, I am glad to see you back."

"Glad to be back. I find Azoth's actions even more disfavorable by the moment."

"They're crazy," Nicodemo said. "Sure, they win as many engagements as they lose… but they're not so overwhelming that the war's going well for them. Though perhaps if they'd managed to pull all of these troops together into one large offensive…" Nicodemo shook his head. "We really need the help. Speaking of which, where's Matija?"

"Don't make her fight," Anton said bluntly.

"What? I-" Nicodemo held up his hands, "I wasn't planning on it. I heard she took down a few herself, but she's much more useful in her current role. She put together scanners that can detect these ships when cloaked! That's what we need more of."

"Hmm. Good," Anton nodded. "Because if you try to make her fight I'll withdraw my personal support. You can go ahead and put that on the record in case anyone tries to do otherwise."

"... it was that bad, huh?" Nicodemo asked.

"This was her first real battle. She's not a warrior, and I don't want to see her become one."

"Don't worry, we just need her for something she's already done happily. And I'll keep your warning in mind." Nicodemo frowned, "Most people would use a crazy bargaining chip like that to get secret tech or piles of wealth."

"Why?" Anton asked. "I have those. And I gladly trade them away for more happy friends."

"I guess that makes sense. Personally I could do with a larger salary. Or maybe some days off."

"I'm sure I can manage a few of the latter for you," Anton said.

"Sure, but I'll still be constantly worried about what attacks might happen."

"How unfortunate," Anton said. "I am unable to protect all of Rutera at the same time. But I could cover a sector and let the forces there reinforce others."

"That's… an interesting thought. We'll talk about it as we mobilize the others from Ceretos. I suppose you might as well tell me how you got here as well. Unless that's a secret?"

"It's not," Anton smiled. "I just came on my own."

"That… sounds like it's leaving out some details."

"I used advanced movement techniques to accelerate myself close to the limit and then distort space around myself relying on techniques from Weos and Scholar Eulogius."

"I'm still not a master of this whole cultivation deal, but are you saying that you're effectively your own warp drive?"

Anton took a few moments to think about that. He was quite familiar with the local language, but technical terms still required some thought. "Close enough, at least. I'll need a lot more practice before it's better than a good ship, though."

"... Damn. We should have had you around for the whole war instead of being stubborn about it."

"Perhaps this time was for the best," Anton said. "At least we've established greater trust between our systems. I would rather be seen as allies than pushy defenders."

Chapter 497

The sun was bright. Matija was starkly aware of this, of course. While the instruments on Sizipra hadn't been sensitive enough to get the detail of readings they wanted, they were dealing with the opposite problem now. Shielding the most sensitive instruments was extremely important, but they had to be close enough to their target to cover all their bases.

It took a lot of persuasion to manage to monopolize Anton's time, but Matija wasn't just sating her own curiosity. Anton's effect on the sun had grown, or at least developed… and they needed to make sure it was safe. In addition to that, he could escort them for the sake of other studies, and provide protection for their scanners. The ones that were looking for invaders, specifically. It wasn't yet clear if they would work better or worse closer to the sun, looking for pockets of missing power left behind. It was also a matter of their concealment- the previous ones had been on Sizipra's surface, and floating in orbit around the sun could be more or less conspicuous depending on the enemy's detection abilities. These things were in short supply and expensive, without a proper production line yet, so they had to be cautious with them.

"Alright Anton, let's begin the tests."

As conscious as Matija was of the sun being bright, it made her even more conscious of Anton just being… out there. Getting enough radiation in his system to kill someone instantly, let alone the heat or… well, anything, really. And no comms could survive that, so she just… spoke. And Anton's connection of natural energy to the ship let him listen, and respond. "Understood. I'll start with my usual draw."

Familiar patterns began to appear, small but distinctly unnatural. "Seems the same," Matija said after a few minutes of that. "Try that… new thing."

The 'new thing' was Anton amplifying his connection to this particular star. As Anton made use of his practice, he could feel and even see a very real movement from the star. If he hadn't been looking or had a connection he might not have noticed, but he saw the small rising 'solar flare', and noted that it trailed off into a point. But the energy wasn't just wildly being released, instead it disappeared… and presumably, ended up inside him. Anton mentioned that.

"Ah, you're right," Matija concurred. "It disappears instead of just becoming diffuse." They began to test out a few other things, but Matija got an alarm. "Incoming ships detected! They're um…" Matija didn't know how to quickly relay the information to Anton without a computer, so she just pointed, with her finger and her natural energy. "They're circling around so they're probably still a million kilometers out. Unless… it's a glitch."

"I'll go take a look," Anton said.

With that, he was off. He wouldn't be able to maintain easy communication, as even Ceretos' methods were ineffective around such power, despite their tolerance for interference.

In truth, Anton had a vast amount of space he had to search through, and within that space he had to pick out something insignificant compared to the sun. He wasn't sure if that would be possible, though he'd been able to try sensing some of the ships they captured. It was something, but obviously those tests had meant little. The ships had been on a predictable trajectory he already knew, and not going terribly fast either.

Now he had to pick out something among- actually, in the few minutes of him flying and probing he did sense something. He'd been able to accelerate quickly enough to match a reasonable ship's speed, and something made the sensing easier. Even with vast distances between, it was simple to pick out the points that didn't belong. It wasn't just one thing. Anton's connection to the sun was certainly empowering him, but the ships were also drawing in power from around them. If he hadn't been specifically looking then perhaps he might have missed it, since it didn't create an obvious vortex- but he could feel the light being pulled away and used for something. Power.

Anton could shoot down the ships. He certainly wasn't lacking for power at the moment, and if they didn't see him coming… what could they do? However, he had something he wanted to try. If it failed, as it likely would, he could deal with it then.

He stretched out his hand, calling upon the power of the nearby star. A massive amount of natural energy- from Anton's perspective if not the star- formed in front of him as he attempted to form a Star Catching Net. Everheart had named it, pointing out that just because they weren't going to catch stars didn't mean it wasn't kind of catchy.

Previously, the two of them working together as they developed the technique had covered an area a kilometer square, sometimes a bit more. That was pretty good for a dense lattice of energy that had to be able to react to something reaching through any point, but it wasn't much good for catching ships they couldn't just punch. In space, it was hardly a wide area. Their initial projections had been for a net a hundred kilometers on a side, to be something useful.

Anton wasn't quite sure how big he made his net… but it wasn't far off from their plan. It might be a little smaller… or a little larger. Anton learned a few things in the next minutes. First, though he was commanding a vast amount of energy from the sun, he wasn't really controlling it. He certainly hadn't formed each crossing section of the net, but it flowed into place naturally. Second and quite related was that his powers were more than just a little bit augmented when he was only a few hundreds of kilometers from a star and drawing directly upon it, something he hadn't really had to test yet. Third was that while he could handle the might of a star he was assimilated to, it seemed that Azoth ships could not. Instead of the net collapsing around them as it was intended to, the ships collided with it, unable to change their trajectories, and were separated into dozens of smaller slices. Anton planned to go capture the few lucky or clever cultivators who had squeezed between the meter-ish gaps in the net, only to find they were dead by the time he got to them.

The net had lowered the momentum of the ships and everything on them as it cut them up, and now the power of the sun was reclaiming them. Anton wasn't inclined to let that happen, sweeping as much as he could into his storage bag while also claiming any that had not spontaneously combusted. The materials were already well known, but Anton was interested in getting his hands on any techniques these cultivators might have carried. He'd look through what he obtained later, when he wouldn't have to shield things from the might of Rutera's star. He didn't find that terribly difficult, but it wasn't a great environment for reading, either. Too bright.

"Your sensors were correct," Anton reported as he returned to the ship. "There were a handful of battleships, now extinguished." The response from the ship was mostly the confused garble of a dozen scientists shouting theories at each other. "... I suppose you scanned my use of the Star Catching Net?"

"Half of our instruments broke!" Matija shouted.

"... Sorry."

"Sorry? That was amazing!" Matija said. "Do it again! No, wait. Uh… was that difficult?"

Was it? Anton shook his head, not that she could see it. "I did put forth my full effort but… compared to the magnitude of what happened, it was not particularly difficult."

"Then do it again! Actually, wait like… a few hours while we fix stuff. And then give us warning. And then do it again, but only once because we probably shouldn't mess around with that level of power. Though it might still take centuries to notice any lasting change in the star so maybe we should have you-"

Eventually, Anton and the others involved decided on the more cautious approach. Anton didn't mind showing them the technique again because even if he for some reason had to catch Ruteran ships… either it was going to act like normal, or he would be next to the sun and able to completely obliterate things, apparently.

Over the next week, there were several more groups of ships from Azoth, which Anton swiftly dealt with. He also experimented with directly drawing upon the sun's power to do things. Aside from forming such a net, drawing a simple strand of plasma that he could whip around was even simpler, even if that 'strand' was a dozen meters thick and a hundred kilometers long.

When channeling power through himself, there was also a difference- though not nearly so stark as directly forming the star's power into something. Anton had kind of done it by instinct, as he was used to controlling some of the natural energy around him during combat. It had simply been more responsive than he anticipated. Drawing directly upon that energy was affected by his distance from it, though it was mostly similar for the first few hundred kilometers before sharply falling away. He could still call upon that power at thousands of kilometers away, but there was a noticeable time delay and it wasn't so astonishingly more than what he'd done before.

His personal power seemed to be close to double near the surface of the star- he actually got within fifty kilometers to find it was a few percent different from his more comfortable several hundred. It wasn't just recovery, closer to the sun- but his power output was more efficient. The discovery was interesting, though he doubted he could convince enemies to just fight him by a star. Even Azoth had stopped sending ships on that route after one week, after which they hadn't seen any more for the rest of the month. Even that had a good side, because they seemed to arrive more slowly, giving more time between assaults.

General Nicodemo could hardly believe he was watching two men face off with swords in their military training grounds. He had long gotten past his prejudices against using them as weapons, when he'd been shown it was actually viable for cultivators… but just because he understood didn't mean he believed it. That was decades of common sense and training he had to fight against.

But he didn't need to believe anything to watch the fight. It was short and bloody, with Elder Intan being the clear victor. Ty Quigley was good, but he wasn't a peak Life Transformation cultivator. Both contestants drew their swords and waited for an opening, then their swords clashed and blood sprayed. But at least nobody was seriously injured.

Then Ty Quigley's arms fell apart, one cut off at the shoulder and one at the elbow. Nicodemo's jaw dropped. That was their best pilot- Nicodemo was well beyond the point where he was going to say one of their best pilots when the man was such a standout. Now, he was crippled and… still smiling?

"Good job kid," Elder Intan of the Million Sword Vault said. "I've got a little reward for your advancement, after we patch you up."

It was difficult for Nicodemo to say he'd never seen anyone move so fast, with the way the man picked up Ty's limbs and stitched them back on… but he was beginning to come to terms with the fact that he wouldn't always be able to see what happened in front of him… like the battle. He had seen it, but he hadn't seen it. But instead of discouraging him, that just made him grin too. He'd just have to reach the point where he could do something like that. He couldn't let this Ty kid pass him up! Though it wasn't like he'd done anything but make a tiny nick on Elder Intan. Nicodemo really hoped that the guy's arms would be alright. There was no way they could just be stitched on without problems, was there? Though the fact that the thread was so fine as to be practically invisible, and the confidence with which Elder Intan worked gave him hope. Then he poured a few bottles of something Nicodemo was pretty sure could sell as a miracle cure-all and not be branded for false advertising.

… Some day, he'd be there. A decade? Two? Heck, even if it took ten that was apparently decent. And the slight relief in pressure that Ceretos was providing was absolutely what Rutera needed at the moment.

Chapter 498

An arrow quivered in its target, eventually finding its stability right in the center. General Nicodemo looked at it… and found it barely adequate. "It seems to be quite difficult to replicate any of the materials you provided," Nicodemo shook his head. "They require significant amounts of time and natural energy to develop."

"That's why Ceretos usually sits around and waits centuries, forgetting about things, as more materials form. Actively making some of these things is impressive. Though," Anton shook his head. "It's still hard to justify most arrows."

"I know you mentioned some plants that provided reasonable arrowheads and the like," Nicodemo said. "But Rutera isn't able to sustain many of your plants, outside of greenhouses."

"Your world's natural energy isn't something that can be built up in a handful of years, unfortunately," Anton admitted.

"What properties do you think would be effective against Azoth?" Nicodemo asked, continuing to shoot from his quiver. It seemed he was getting used to particular sorts of arrows, though he was quite capable of using Spirit Arrows as well. But if he was able to manage sufficient quantities of ammunition, it might be worthwhile. He was closer to Kseniya's type- except likely even slower and more deliberate.

"A difficult question. Light might actually be good for you."

"Didn't we determine that their vessels absorb light?"

"Exactly," Anton nodded. "Which might do a decent job of tricking your way through their barriers. If they're unprepared, anyway."

"Speaking of which, the vessels you destroyed recently… did you not have trouble with them?"

"I'm not certain if they still have any anti-me barrier patterns installed," Anton shrugged. "Because the ones next to the sun went out in an entirely different manner. And on Sizipra, I didn't have a chance to shoot them down. They had landed and disembarked. Sneaking a few arrows up a ramp doesn't exactly tell me if they can still adapt." Anton too was practicing with his bow, but his arrows simply flew up into the atmosphere, only to unravel themselves at arbitrary targets before they could cause any concern to the sensory satellites above the planet.

"Some of the men want to test our battle suits against your cultivators," Nicodemo said. "Especially that Elder Intan."

"What about you?" Anton asked.

"I didn't want to have to replace them. They're expensive as hell. Maybe once we work out some flaws and get people better trained but… our ships are just better."

"About that… I heard you hadn't made any serious assaults on Azoth yet. Why?"

He shook his head. "Not all of our ships have interstellar capability. We're working on some options, though."

"Right," Anton nodded. "And you need your individual ships and weaponry, just bringing more people doesn't help."

"If only we had something like Weos. Contact with them has been properly established, at least." Nicodemo turned to Anton with a frown. "Did you really win a whole war in their system in a few months?"

"Me? Only in part. Even Ceretos was unnecessary. Weos did what had to be done."

"That Twin Soul Sect… these invasions, you experienced them?"

"One," Anton replied. "They seem to come with the cycles related to the tides of the world. I don't believe the upper realms can intrude outside of those times. As for the Twin Soul Sect… don't worry about them. Though do practice that technique."

"I can't even tell if it works," Nicodemo grimaced.

"Trust me, you're doing it right. And you're quite fortunate here, having no trace of them. If there are any, they're deeply buried."

"Fortunate?" Nicodemo nodded. "Perhaps. But do you not consider our world poor in resources?"

"A fine tradeoff, when the alternative is being plundered. I worry…" Anton shook his head. "Developing your world might draw attention. But the tides… there's another century, at least. If you are not noticed before that time, you will have a great opportunity to flourish."

"Are the tides of the world… different throughout the lower realms? I can't feel anything like what you speak of."

"You have to be stronger. And experiencing it helped vastly. As for different… I believe that our adjacent systems are a close match, but not identical in time. A small handful of years off, perhaps."

Nicodemo split another arrow already impaled in his target. He knew it was a waste of a good arrow- perhaps two- but it was satisfying. "I wish we could launch a proper counteroffensive. Just waiting is… unpleasant. But wait we must until…"

"You don't have to tell me," Anton said. "My clearance level here is sort of… vague."

"I don't want to keep things secret from you," Nicodemo admitted, "But I'd rather save you the troubles of curiosity should you go looking."

"That almost makes it worse," Anton said. "But I know there's not anything around the sun or Sizipra. And no, I'm not trying to press for information here." Anton waved his hand, "I'm just some old guy who taught you how to use a bow. You don't really know me yet."

"I feel like I do," Nicodemo said. "But…"

"You'd feel better with more developed insight," Anton grinned. "And that's alright. Oh, and about your plan… some people from Ceretos jumped on it."

"Which one?" Nicodemo asked.

"The counteroffensive. Just because you aren't ready doesn't mean we aren't. All the information you've gotten from the captured cultivators indicates they're just after conquest. Yet… it seems incomplete," Anton shook his head.

"We won't torture them. And our… other extraction methods are limited."

"I'm not saying you should," Anton replied. "It's quite nice, that Rutera is following such a code."

"It's not really about morality, I imagine. Such information is unreliable."

"Practical," Anton admitted. "I might be able to learn something from interrogation, though. Deeper motives."

"You would have to be monitored. You couldn't do much."

"I almost found out the location of your secret thing and I wasn't even trying," Anton said, intentionally not looking at or sensing Nicodemo. My Insight is pretty good."

"I-"

"It's a ship carrier," Anton said. "So you only have to have one interstellar drive to bring a large number of people at once."

"I didn't think I'd said so much," Nicodemo sighed.

"Trust me," Anton said. "If I can get them to throw a few insults at me and brag about some accomplishments, I'm sure I can learn something. Or maybe I waste time, but it won't be any worse from your side."

"I trust you. And so long as you wouldn't object to being recorded, I'm sure others won't be terribly concerned."

"Great. Let's talk about what I'm allowed to say… or offer."

"You don't have to die, you know," Anton said. "Must be boring, staying here for years, unable to cultivate, yet not being killed." This was not the first person he talked to from Azoth, and he found them rather difficult so far. But he had a good feeling about this one.

"I've experienced worse," said the particular young woman restrained in front of Anton. Young for her cultivation, at least. Likely no more than a hundred, and late Life Transformation. She was one of the most talkative. "So what are you here for, old man?"

"To talk," Anton said. "Answer nicely and I can get you better meals, a more comfortable cell…"

"I want to be released," the woman said. "But that'll never happen."

"Not if we don't have some way to contact anyone from Azoth, no."

"I'm not from Azoth," she said.

"Whatever you call it, then," Anton shrugged. "You could tell us that. No, wait," Anton narrowed his eyes. "That's not what you meant. You could tell me the name of where you're from."

"I want freedom."

"I could bring you there and chuck you at whichever planet you prefer."

"What?" she tilted her head, unkempt dark hair dangling in front of her face.

Anton mimed a throwing motion. "I don't think they'd let me land, so I'd have to toss you. You could survive in space for a few minutes, right?" Anton grinned. "Merve, was it?"

"Can't believe someone told you my name…" she frowned.

"I can't believe you're being so stubborn about basic information. I'm not asking where all your military bases are located. Do you not want to live?"

"I told you what I want."

"Sure, but you didn't mean it," Anton said. "Did something happen to you, here?"

"Literally nothing happens here," Merve replied. She was truthful about that, as far as she was concerned. At least it seemed nobody had taken it upon themselves to lower the official standards of care. It was so easy for prisoners to be outlets for humanity's negative qualities, but at least this facility was kept well controlled.

"There are other planets I could toss you at, if you don't want any of yours. I could even set you down gently, somewhere with air and water."

"You'll just kill me after I tell you what you want to know," Merve insisted.

"That's not true," Anton shook his head. "Why do you think that?"

"... That's just the way of things," she said. "I can't kill myself, so maybe I should just let you do it for me."

"You don't really want that, either. But I can say, you already told me something I wanted to know. If you are more specific, I can offer you almost anything you could want."

"I know you can't," Merve said. "I'm going to die here."

"Wanna go outside?" Anton asked. "It's nice today."

"I'm sure," she said, holding up her manacled hands and feet- bound with formations that restricted her energy usage and minimized her mobility so that whatever physical strength she had was pointless.

"I'll give you an easy one," Anton said. "A question I already know the answer to. You're not from Azoth, and you know what we mean by Azoth."

"That… wasn't a question," she replied.

"I made it a statement because I already know the answer. So… answer and I'll let you go outside."

"Yeah, fine. You're right about that stuff you said."

A key flashed in Anton's hands and Merve stumbled forward, suddenly standing under her own power. "What the hell?"

"Come on," Anton said. "We're walking."

She stepped out after him, eyes darting around. Cautious of where he was bringing her.

"They do have mobile restraints, you know. I could just drag you along in them if I wanted to force you anywhere."

"I know," she said. "They do let us clean ourselves."

"What's wrong then?"

"Why aren't you worried about your safety?"

"Why should I be?" Anton asked.

"Because if I kill you you'll be dead, even if they kill me after."

"And why would you try to kill me?" Anton said, continuing to walk along. "You don't want to die."

"Yeah, well maybe I'd prefer to do something before I go out."

Anton stepped into an elevator, and she followed after him. Guards flanking either side kept a close eye on them, but they'd been instructed to allow Anton to do what he needed to. Once the elevator stopped, they stepped out into a lobby. "I'd wait, if I were you," Anton said to Merve. "Outside is just there."

She didn't respond, instead keeping an eye on the surrounding guards, checking their numbers- and strength. The way her energy swept over them was quite obvious, even if she was trying to be subtle.

"Gotta admit, these plants aren't great," Anton said as they walked out through two sliding glass doors. "But at least you get to see the sun. Personally, I like it. What about you?"

Merve shuffled after him along the path he chose. "It's fine."

"I see. Where do you want to go?" Anton asked.

"Through that checkpoint," Merve said.

"Okay." Anton turned and began walking towards it at a faster gait, forcing Merve to take a few quick steps to keep up. "I'm taking this prisoner on a walk," Anton said at the heavy gates set into walls a dozen meters tall, and half as thick. There were a large number of guards- and though none were in Life Transformation, Ruteran technology meant many were more powerful than they at first seemed.

The gate guards exchanged looks, but the operator did his job. "One moment sir." He blinked. "You've been given clearance to leave with the prisoner."

Then they were outside the compound's walls, and it was soon clear they were on an island. "Which way now?" Anton asked of Merve. She was frantically looking about, waiting for something.

"... I don't know. Is there a park or something?"

"Not particularly. There's a decent vista over this way, by the cliff."

Concrete led them part of the way, then packed dirt. Merve took in the compound behind them, and everything along their way.

"Different, isn't it?"

"Than what?" Merve asked.

"Your home. I admit, it's quite new."

"You say that like you're not from here."

"You aren't," Anton pointed out. She didn't say much as they made their way towards the promised cliff. Oceans were much the same. Anton appreciated that. "Where next?"

"Home," Merve said, striking Anton in the neck as she leapt into the water.

Anton let her get a good several kilometers before pulling up next to her, "This is the wrong way," he said. "There aren't any interstellar ships available in that direction for more than two hundred kilometers."

Even though he spoke, Merve didn't register his presence for a moment. Then she suddenly stopped, looking at him. "What? Is this… a dream?"

"It's not," Anton said. "Also, I will have to bring you back if you don't help more. Let's start with the number of systems controlled by… whatever power structure you're a part of. I can offer you freedom."

"What… here?"

"I don't think they'd allow that," Anton shook his head. "But my home or yours… though I don't think you want the latter."

"You're persistent," Merve said. "It doesn't make much difference anyway. I'm done, right?"

"You don't have to be," Anton said. "If you're particularly helpful, I can offer you ascension."

Merve sighed. "And here I was, hoping this might be real."

"Who says it isn't?"

"You do. Just by being here."

"Oh, really?" Anton smiled, removing the limitations on his apparent cultivation. "Are you sure about that?" She just stared at him. "You aren't worried about anyone back home, are you? No, it seems not. So what's the problem?"

When Anton felt her energy preparing to go haywire, he didn't hold back. As she tried to kill herself, he wouldn't let her. His intrusion of energy certainly wasn't comfortable, but she could survive with a little bit of internal bleeding and damaged meridians. She did cry, though.

"I don't think I was that terrible."

"Of course you are! Offering something you know I want, that I can't have!"

"Man. Your home system must be pretty terrible. Look, even I won't say I'm doing this just out of the good of my heart. I want information, remember?" Anton said. "But surely someone must follow through on their promises where you're from."

"... nobody as strong as you."

"Then why not make a bet on it? If I ultimately kill you or whatever, might as well get it over with sooner rather than later, right? Or are you hoping that you'll be rescued? Because-" Anton held up a finger, "One second." Anton pulled out his bow, shooting a volley of his most powerful arrows into the lead ship of an incoming assault squadron. He was pleased to find that at least with ascension energy he could overwhelm one ship before they adapted… though they did still have at least a small passive improvement in their defense against it.

Merve sighed and let herself begin to sink, but that only lasted for half a second before she was forced back to the surface.

Anton had to interpret her thoughts from her lack of speech. "They wouldn't even rescue you, huh? Your place is really messed up. Listen, I can chuck you back in that cell if you want and never visit again, or you might as well take the chance."

He really hoped she'd say yes, because the others were probably worse. Was there some sort of brainwashing, or was it just that they only saw the ones with no hope? Actually, that made sense for a steady stream of attackers. It was just strange that some who were relatively strong weren't able to obtain better positions.

Chapter 499

There was something to be said about cultivator's thirst for power. It could be considered the root of many of their problems… but sometimes it was useful and power wasn't always destructive or corrupt. Anton liked to think that Ceretos was doing… alright. At least it enticed people to officially become allies with Rutera in the middle of a war, whether they worked in the capacity of a mercenary or something else. There was a general agreement that cultivators from Ceretos could keep all or most of the loot from ships they brought down- the vessels themselves were of value, even when broken. The equipment of those on board came in various qualities as well. As for the people… most of them died. There was little likelihood of anything else when cultivators wound up in space over an enemy planet.

If what Merve said was true- and Anton believed she was honest to her knowledge- despite the trouble the invaders were able to cause they weren't important. They were mainly castoffs and extras, which made Anton wonder what Azoth- and the other systems connected to them, apparently calling themselves the Sylanis Cluster- considered exceptional. Did they truly have so many people and such wealth that they could afford to throw away Life Transformation cultivators? Even if most of the invaders weren't at that level, Merve was. There had been many more through the time of the war, some captured and some killed.

Combining Merve's helpful knowledge with what tidbits they had extracted from others, they were able to confirm some of their theories. The multiple systems thing was new information, however. Only three, as far as Merve knew- but it seemed they were heavily populated. That was concerning, not just to Anton, but to everyone who heard it- in Rutera, Ceretos, or Weos. Just because Ceretos hadn't been a direct target didn't mean it wouldn't happen. Their other neighbors had been so it was just a matter of time- so they preferred to join this war before they were forced into it.

As for Merve herself, she still seemed to be of the opinion that Anton would betray her eventually. That was the vibe Anton got from her, but she also clearly preferred the tiny sliver of possibility over rotting in prison. Though she looked as if she was ready to get her hopes dashed at any point, Anton was fulfilling his end of the bargain. At this exact moment he couldn't take her to Ceretos- and he was personally responsible for her actions- so he was working on the other part of his promise.

"I'm going to be honest," Anton said. "Your cultivation method is ghastly."

"Wha- is it?" Merve frowned. "Angelic Providence is one of the least invasive methods I had to choose between. I know it feeds off emotions but that's better than like, souls or blood, right?"

"That part is fine," Anton said. "Probably. But taking a look at it, I thought at first it was an incomplete technique."

"Do you expect me to have the ability to acquire a better one?" She shook her head. "That's for people from a clan or large sect."

"Even the One Hundred Stars remained incomplete for centuries. I didn't expect yours to be complete either. But it's not incomplete, despite appearing so."

"Then you mean…" Merve looked down at herself. "My talent really isn't sufficient? Is that why I can't even reach the peak of Life Transformation?"

"You're not old enough to worry about things like lack of talent, yet. If you were truly lacking, you would not have reached where you are. No, it is the fault of the technique. It's not incomplete. Instead, it's tainted. Sabotaged. As are many of the others The only question is, how many people must you have to produce high tier cultivators like yourself with such methods."

"I'm not… high tier," Merve disagreed. "Any clan disciple could crush me in battle."

"And how much of that would be reliant on their equipment?" Anton asked. "The rest would be their presumably non-tainted methods and access to special training that doesn't directly improve cultivation. Besides, late Life Transformation is close enough to the peak."

"Yeah… but then there's still Worldbinding or Ascension beyond that," Merve sighed.

"Worldbinding?" Anton frowned.

"Isn't that… what you are?" Merve questioned. "I assumed…"

"It might be, by another name," Anton replied. "I termed it Assimilation. As the first of us from my system… there was no naming precedent."

"Oh, that's…" Merve's eyes were filled with awe, and fear. "Wow."

"Someone must be the first for everything, and it appears it simply happened to be myself in my particular locale. Do you know how many… Worldbinding cultivators Azoth has?"

"Azoth?" Merve shook her head. "I don't know. They're like… one in a billion. I don't know about 'Azoth' but the Sylanis Cluster has around… a hundred billion people? I think. So probably around that many. Maybe three or four per planet on average."

"This is… very bad news," Anton said. "And extremely important. If they attack here, we must be ready." Anton stood, "Come." Merve was his responsibility now, so she had to remain with him… or at least within a 'reasonable' distance where he could watch her.

"Okay," Merve said, rapidly reaching her feet. "I don't think you need to hurry though. It's not easy to accomplish Worldbinding to begin with, so I doubt they could sneak one here onto Ceretos."

"We're not on Ceretos," Anton pointed out. "We're on Rutera. And they wouldn't have to sneak onto the planet if they wanted to cause wanton destruction." He paused, looked at her. "I feel like we've had some sort of miscommunication."

Even though his frown was only of concentration, Merve staggered back from Anton. "I wasn't trying to lie! I'm sorry! I'll make up for whatever I did wrong!"

"Calm down," Anton said, controlling himself to be as calming and peaceful as possible. "I did not say you lied. But… not everything everyone says communicates exactly what they want." Anton wished it could be so, but even with his Insight things were lost. "Why did you think we were on Ceretos? Or did you simply misspeak."

"I- we're not? You said you would bring me to Ceretos."

"And I will," Anton said, "I just haven't yet."

"But… you're a Worldbinder. And you're… still overflowing with power here. I haven't met any others, but I saw them- and you're supposed to be weaker when you're away from your world. Or did you break through while here?"

Merve was clearly quite confused, and her previous reticence had turned into an overflow of words as she tried to explain herself. "Neither," Anton said. "So… I take it to mean that Worldbinders you know of are bound to a single planet?"

"Not just that… one region. Some large, some small. "

"Just one? Never more?"

"I'm sorry," Merve looked as if she would cry. "I don't know."

Anton's grandfatherly instincts wanted to hug away her tears, but they were not yet so close. Instead, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder- hoping that it would be taken well. "It's okay to not know things. Especially if you're honest about it. Everything anyone knows had to be learned at some point, so not having done so yet isn't a reason for you to be punished. I would prefer to reserve that for actions you have taken, such as… attempting to kill me. But worry not," Anton followed up swiftly, "I have already forgiven you for that." Almost before she did it, because he more or less tempted her to try something. It wouldn't be fair to judge someone desperate for life when they'd done little else. Joining a war against Rutera was something different, but it seemed she and many others had little real choice to do otherwise.

The dark haired 'young' woman reached for his hand, perhaps to pull it away or to grip it for comfort, but in the end she did neither, and let her hand fall to her side. At least she seemed somewhat… recovered. "You mean that?"

"Of course," Anton said. "I understand your interaction with those who don't wish you harm has been limited, but I have no reason to lie to you about this. If I was angry with you, you would know. And it wouldn't serve me to pretend otherwise." A pause, "Now then, back to the topic at hand. You don't know, but have you heard of Worldbinders binding multiple locations, on the same or different planets?"

A few moments of thinking allowed Merve to respond with a clear, "No. But… I haven't heard it's impossible, either. I just assumed that."

"I shall assume, then, that it is not extremely common. And it is a good reminder that Worldbinders will not be joining any offensives," Anton gestured as he turned. "Still, I should speak to someone about this." He'd sent a message- but only that he needed a meeting with Nicodemo. His communications should be secure, but he wanted the man to be ready for the information to be dumped on him.

"What about-" Merve hesitated. "Is it alright to ask… about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't answer… how you're strong here. Have you reached an advanced Worldbinding stage?"

"Has anyone from the Sylanis Cluster?"

"Not… to public knowledge. It's theoretical."

"Good. And, no. I'm still relatively new to this stage." Anton smiled as he looked back at his ward. "I have quite some way to go before I advance to another true level. As for the answer you seek…" Anton thought for a few moments. If he had any sense she had the inclination or even the ability to report back, he wouldn't share the information he had. But he sensed no such intent from her- and no control of other energies that could influence her otherwise. "I Assimilate with stars."

"Stars… p-plural?" Merve stuttered.

"Only the one in my current system is relevant, though."

"What about…" Merve hesitated, "Binary star systems?"

"A good question I have not yet found the answer to," Anton said.

"...Okloi has two stars," Merve said, speaking of her home system.

"Really?" Anton asked. He had, of course, relayed information from Merve as it came. She'd found it difficult to provide coordinate information on where the other systems besides Azoth were, since she was not a navigator, astronomer, or even enthusiastic stargazer. She only knew they were neighbors. "This seems like relevant information, but I guess I didn't ask."

"Sorry. I was underground until recently so I didn't even think that places might have just one star. It seemed normal, so I didn't mention it. And I don't really know about the other systems."

"The education system in the Sylanis Cluster is very lacking," Anton grumbled.

"S-sorry," Merve hung her head.

"It is still not your fault," Anton reminded her. "Especially if you are intentionally sabotaged."

For the moment, Anton had a lot to digest. Three systems had been trouble enough, but potentially a full hundred Assimilation cultivators? Or some close equivalent. They needed to step up the mutual defense negotiations with Weos- grouping them with Rutera and Ceretos. They certainly didn't have a good opinion of Azoth which was apparently just part of the Sylanis Cluster, but they were hesitant to immediately involve themselves with a war after their own civil war. Anton could understand that, but this was a matter of survival.

And there was what, a hundred years- certainly less than a hundred and fifty- before the tides of the world might allow another invasion from the upper realms. If they were lucky, the Trigold Cluster would choose to go after the Sylanis Cluster before Ceretos or Weos. If they were unlucky… they might find themselves invaded while the others didn't. Certainly, Merve didn't have any knowledge of Okloi being invaded- and she would have been alive for the last one. Anton had no belief that the Trigold Cluster wouldn't send people for revenge on their little lower realm world, but he could hope they- or anyone else in the upper realms- would spread out a bit and perhaps take notice of the Sylanis Cluster. Or that they could manage to suppress the Sylanis cluster before then. There was no thought in Anton's mind of actually overcoming so many cultivators, but then again… who could say what the next century would bring.

Chapter 500

As the counterattack plans were currently on hold as the existence of Worldbinding cultivators was made known, Anton was working on alternate options with Everheart.

"It is possible to set up a formation around the system…?" Anton asked.

"Anything is possible," Everheart said. "But we'd need to dismantle a few of our planets, or perhaps those of Weos. Plus rip a reasonable chunk off of that star of theirs to keep it running. If you want it to do anything, anyway."

"Didn't you make an intrusion detection formation around Ceretos?"

"Sure," Everheart nodded. "And I just recently updated it to pick up on this thing that the Sylanis Cluster is doing, tests pending. Speaking of which, snag me a few of those ships will ya?"

"... I'm sure we can find some excuse for the esteemed Scholar Eulogius to get some time with some vessels."

"Yeah, anyway… without me in a system to keep track of things a sensory thing like that won't do much but let people know that something showed up. Doesn't help track them further or pick out the target, so it's just barely relevant with what they already have." Everheart stroked his chin. "I need to get more of their technical manuals. Moving more of the burden to the construction techniques instead of expensive materials or quantity of natural energy is intriguing."

"You don't seem particularly concerned about anything that's happened."

"What's there to get in a fuss about? The Twin Soul Sect got all chopped up in Weos. These Worldbinding cultivators can't do crap to me if I don't go to them first." Everheart cleared his throat, "I mean, I'd still kick their asses, obviously, but that's such a pain."

"Right."

"What, you wanna go again?" Everheart gripped his hands into fists. "Come on then, you young punk!"

"It seems inevitable that this group will come for Ceretos. They'll weaken us…"

"You mean they'll kill people," Everheart countered. "You guys have gone decades without much actual war. People could use the experience. Overall, you might come out ahead."

"Or we might not," Anto said.

"Bah, Ceretos already has a continental defense formation, and those Archipelago guys can handle their own crap. What are you worried about?"

As always, Everheart was basically right, and annoyingly so. But 'basically' was not 'completely'. "Our allies need to cause enough damage that the scenario goes in our favor. If they're just sending what they can spare now, perhaps there will be an endless tide."

"They've already got planetary defenses on Rutera itself. Nobody will let me work on it though so they'll have to handle it how it is. If they want me to toss up another formation, I need time and materials. They're handling everything great as it is."

"Unless the enemy gets serious."

"Yeah, well," Everheart shrugged, "What are you gonna do about that? Defending for so long might make them amp up their attacks… or maybe they'll just keep a nice steady stream of combat experience coming in. Maybe they'll stop if a counterattack happens… or maybe you'll have poked the hornet's nest."

Anton continued to hate it when Everheart was right. "What are we supposed to do then?"

"Personally I prefer setting the hornet's nest on fire," Everheart replied. "I just assumed you didn't want to rile them up."

"Maybe you could-"

"I'm not being part of any sort of assault unless you offer me an entire planet. And not one of the crappy ones."

Anton would be keeping that idea for later. They really didn't need to start some sort of crusade… but just sitting around waiting for the enemy to come to them was a potential sign of weakness as well.

Outside the meeting room Anton found Merve right where he'd left her. Of course, he'd kept his senses trained on her just in case… but he couldn't leave her alone, nor did he trust her with knowledge about Everheart. He was almost certain that the man had no enmity with this Sylanis cluster… but if they had ties to the upper realms and the information somehow got to them? That would be a problem. Anton didn't believe Merve would betray him intentionally, but it was possible to be wrong. If she never had a chance, then it wouldn't matter.

"... Why are your private meetings with Scholar Eulogius more secured than with the general and president?"

"If I told you, that would undermine the whole point," Anton answered. Merve might have been defeated in battle by Rutera and confused about her own place in the world, but she certainly could ask questions that got straight to the heart of things. A spy? But she hadn't been particularly cooperative, and there was no way they would have known she would survive and Anton would single her out. There was no way they could train enough people to make a random sampling probable without giving something away, either. So… wasted potential.

"Thank you for answering," Merve said. "Instead of… yelling at me."

"That doesn't provide solutions," Anton said. Sure, Everheart yelled at and derided people- but whenever he did so he included pertinent information why. Not that he was a good leader, but he could at least coordinate people how he wanted.

"It… didn't," Merve agreed. "I'm still working through your alterations to my cultivation method. They're… good."

"But not flawless," Anton extrapolated. "I haven't ever practiced it, you know? Want to explain what I got wrong?"

"Well it's, uh…"

"I can't fix anything unless I know. I think I likely did well enough for you to reach the peak, maybe Ascension, but if you found flaws one of us has to fix it." Anton shrugged, "Could be you, if you'd prefer."

"There's not much I have to compare to…" Merve admitted. "And maybe I'm the one who's wrong. You're a Worldbinding cultivator, after all."

"And if that made me perfect, we'd all be exactly the same strength," Anton said. "I can throw some reference material at you." He had complete techniques for more than just the Hundred Stars. Even if he didn't provide those of allies, there was everything from the Exalted Archipelago- those given by the Worthy Shore Society and those taken during the conflict. The rest of the Exalted Archipelago had already moved into the locations the expunged sects occupied, and had at least crowded those of sects merely weakened.

There was something that should be interestingly compatible, at least for reference. It was rather difficult to transmit anything so complicated as a cultivation method to or from the upper realms- words weren't enough, the inspired writing required more behind it to truly work. And based on what he had heard Anton wouldn't recommend the practice of either the Holy or Glorious Harmony Techniques, but they could provide some insights.

Everheart was aware of the group that had somehow managed to trigger the old formations on Xankeshan. He should have seen it coming, injured or not. His projections… had. And if he had done his due diligence converting everything to his whims in secret, he might have had reasonable sway over the planet even now.

Instead, he'd chosen to rest… and to draw people in to provide him with more materials and a steady flow of whatever he might need. Captured miracle pills had helped multiply his recovery speed, and the thought of hiding in plain sight tickled him… but maybe it had been the wrong thing to do.

Then again, either option could have been correct- his failure was he had not done either well enough. He was most upset with this formation master he had in mind, furious at what she'd learned from him. If he weren't leery of going back to the upper realms at the moment he might seek to kill her. Though she also happened to be his favorite not-apprentice, because damn had she pulled off some good tricks. Pretending to take rewards for herself given his rules and then just distributing things as she pleased? Weirdly unselfish, but defiant. He liked it.

In a few centuries, when he was all healed up and she'd had proper time to develop into some sort of monster, they'd duke it out on a battlefield of formations. But for now… they were working together to improve messaging between the lower and upper realms. This was a unique situation, with Everheart being so familiar with how the upper realms worked. He was impressed at how she'd managed simple, textual communications at all- even through interference of upper energy and other distortions. Even his own formations hadn't been enough, though to be fair Everheart had never meant to make them entirely insurmountable. It was more fun that way.

The current talks about spatial distortion and ascension as well as returning were quite interesting. There were even talks of sending material goods… but that was not something simple. Everheart of course carried things with him from the upper realms, but travel was not as easy as he made it seem- and his connection to the lower realms had been required. Perhaps if they had anything valuable enough to exchange that it would warrant an individual spending years traversing the vast distance between them it might be looked into, but otherwise that method was out.

But sending messages with sensory information wouldn't be impossible. Images of a person, perhaps even seeing them stand in a room. Would that provide anything useful? Did Everheart care if it had utility? These were all important questions. There would still be no method to have instantaneous communications. Everheart doubted there would be a way to break space apart thoroughly enough to allow for such- certainly not at a price people would be willing to pay. Still, a few weeks- double that round trip- was of little consequence to the man. Even the younger Catarina was old enough to not concern herself with such delays.

Stars filled Anton's eyes. One, then another- flipping between the two as he wished. Rutera's telescopes were immensely impressive, and with just a little bit of tweaking and enhancing his own eyes, Anton could see Okloi- and its stars. The planets were admittedly lacking pertinent details, though there were occasional blurry blobs that could have been lights from cities. Perhaps a small increase in clarity would allow them to spy on their neighbors… albeit with years old data. Anton wondered if they might do the same in reverse. Certainly, there should be visible signs of human habitation on Rutera.

Through Matija and others she knew, Anton was able to get access to all of the information on Okloi that they had. There was another name, of course, but Anton preferred not to mix too many at once. Knowing what the people inside it called it was best, and Azoth retained its name out of habit.

The fascinating thing about the binary star system of Okloi was the orbit of the planets. Depending on the threshold for what one considered a planet, there were between three and five in each possible orbit- directly around either star, or in a larger path around both of them.

Anton watched with anticipation. It would be a short time before he could Assimilate with two additional stars, and while the versatility of two systems seemed like a reasonable option, the potential power of one system was far too tempting. And if he were to be fighting older, more established 'Worldbinding' cultivators? Anton was going to need as much power as he could get.

Until that time, he would familiarize himself with the system. Perhaps knowing the stars better would ease his transition. Besides his first Assimilation it hadn't been particularly difficult to connect himself, but he thought he might need to attempt to connect to both at the same time. That was a cultivator hunch. Perhaps it would be wrong… but if he missed an opportunity to achieve a preferred outcome because he wasn't willing to spend some time, Anton couldn't forgive himself. Anton really didn't want to risk dying, now that he was aware of the increasing magnitude of local threats, but he couldn't exactly choose to remain stagnant in cultivation. Sometimes, risks had to be taken to learn and grow.

Chapter 501

In the upper realms, much of the group occupying Xankeshan had gathered together for a mission. With the exception of Catarina and Timothy, the rest of the group was off-world, along with some of their allies. In the place of the married pair, their smaller group had a frankly unsettling amount of swords, and one person to wield them. Hoyt, Alva, Velvet, and Fuzz were quite familiar with Chikere, but she was relatively new to Vari and Spikes. Not that being familiar with her was important- at the very least she wouldn't get in their way, and her combat capabilities were highly rated by the others.

Velvet had made her way to them along with Kseniya some time before- and the older archer was quite happy to take up a defensive position on their little planet, at least for a time. So far they had mostly been managing relations with other factions, but the current mission involved a nearly inevitable conflict.

The Harmonious Citadel continued to expand, taking over planets and systems as the years slipped by. In the upper realms, vast distances could be traveled easily, so the inevitable progress of the burgeoning faction was not particularly strange. Many planets were only occupied by small populations, and only planet-spanning sects or clans had any chance to resist the Harmonious Citadel's advance. Even then, only controlling a single planet or system was insufficient to face against them- but it seemed like they judged hostile takeovers of such places to be not worth their time, at least for the moment.

Seven individuals, even at the Integration stage, were not a match for such a faction. Even if they counted the dozens of members of the Dark Ring they were bringing along, they couldn't sustain a frontal confrontation with the Harmonious Citadel. Even so, they had information about some potential targets- small, less guarded, and out of the way- that nonetheless should have valuable information.

The Harmonious Citadel was already hostile to Xankeshan- having launched several assaults for their known and suspected losses. Only the recently revitalized barriers and formations held them off, despite the distance and thus relatively weaker presence of the Harmonious Citadel. It was enough for the Harmonious Citadel to turn away from them for the moment… but with the aid of the Dark Ring they were planning to make it more difficult for further attempts to be made.

Oter was a gas giant with dozens of moons orbiting it, located in the large zone between Xankeshan and the core of the Harmonious Citadel's power. Just one of those moons was their target, and old training facility of some sort that was important enough for them to keep occupied.

Despite Velvet's best efforts, concealing a full ship was not her area of expertise. If they were lucky, she had done well enough to conceal their landing on the far side of the small moon. Otherwise, they would likely have a more difficult time, dealing with enemies prepared to face them. Regardless, there was no room for hesitation.

If Catarina had been with them, a mobile formation might have hidden their group's energy somewhat longer. Instead, Vari took a position out front, hoping to throw off the enemy with her familiar cultivation. Anyone who thought about it for a moment would realize that a member of the Harmonious Citadel shouldn't be consorting with so many uninitiated individuals, but perhaps that second would matter.

"Yeeeeeeessss~!" Chikere grinned as they drew closer to their target. "Swords! I'm taking the top floors."

The enemy facility was a small tower, at least by cultivator standards. It was made to resemble one of those upon Rouhiri itself, but even Vari who's fanaticism had flipped on its head found this replica unimpressive. It could only support a few hundred individuals at best.

As they approached, archers fired from the midsection of the tower, through arrow slits that no doubt were also backed up with formations that would empower their own attacks while blocking those coming at them.

The tower had defensive formations at the base, of course- but the Dark Ring had lent some formation specialists to the mission. They couldn't immediately dismantle the formations, but they could guide the others on where to strike to maximize their effectiveness. Hoyt and Chikere were some of the first to act, striking the barriers around the tower and provoking the responses, bursts of energy they avoided or broke through. Alva worked with more precision, targeting precise points to punch through and disrupt the formation, while Fuzz supported her. Velvet found herself in the same boat as Vari, their daggers and bare fists respectively not being suited for battering things with pure force.

The most interesting result among their companions was Spikes, who charged forward, slamming her paws into the ground next to the tower and… doing nothing. Or at least, it appeared like nothing at first. Yet as the trembling formations broke, the tower sunk below its doorway… and then with a further howl from Spikes, it was buried nearly to its peak. Fortifications tended to protect the area around them to prevent such a result, but Spike's advancement had left her with powerful control over the ground, and if she could not touch the earth a hundred meters below the tower, she would instead dig out an area two hundred beneath it, and let the natural results follow through. The formations had held it into place even as caverns opened beneath it, but the actual attacks worked with the strain on the structure that provided.

There was the slight issue that the tower wasn't meant to be entered from the top- though it did have an entrance, it was nearly as fortified as the lower formations they had just spent their effort on. It seemed like sinking the tower had been a mistake… until Chikere's enthusiasm found her way to what she sought. A few meters of stone and barriers were all that separated her from dozens of sword cultivators and their weapons, and they only held for three slashes, the final of which gouged open a meter wide gap in the walls that Chikere was instantly through.

The others poured in after her, some of them widening the gap with the intent to increase their flow and provide needed backup… but as many swords as Chikere faced at once, she had more than the same number of her own to counter with. The sheer difference in power between a single cultivator's power and that of many should have made up the difference, but her skill and madness allowed her to ignore or disregard most of the attacks- the latter meaning she allowed cuts and stabs through areas she considered non-vital.

Soon enough, with the main attention of the sword cultivators occupied by Chikere, the rest of the group broke through to where archers waited, having been bombarding the group for the short time it took things to reach the current state. Cultivators from lower floors had rushed up to support them, but the sheer surprise of their tower sinking into the ground meant that many of the backline archers were immediately vulnerable. Along with the attacks from the Dark Ring, the daggers of Velvet found many vulnerable necks, and the wolves took advantage of the close quarters to tear apart archers.

Hoyt and Vari were among those who went for the supporting cultivators coming from below. They fought for a position at the top of the stairs, the layout of which should have been supporting the defenders but instead worked against them.

Vari caught spears under each armpit, twisting and yanking them away from Harmonious Citadel cultivators. Those who practiced the Holy Harmony Technique were weak- intentionally so, to some extent. She was easily able to overcome them, even if their cultivation had matched hers. On the other hand, those 'elite' individuals who practiced the dominant Glorious Harmony technique should have had an advantage over her… but her cultivation no longer worked the same way. Instead of giving her devotion to the saints and practitioners of the Glorious Harmony technique, she drew from them. She used the promises that people believed in to twist their own power back on them… and took their weapons so they were easy to defeat without.

Hoyt's flames filled the stairs, comfortably wide enough for several individuals to walk or even fight, but not enough for the dozens of individuals below to break through the bottleneck. By the time the defenders who had been intended to face the enemy first arrived, the archers were wiped out and so were most of the spearmen. Meanwhile, the sword cultivators who were intended to come in as backup or leap from the peak to flank the enemy were mostly defeated, Chikere and a handful of others having taken them out while the others passed.

"I can't believe you guys don't even have anything ranking higher than seventy-two! No wonder you're on this tiny moon!" Apparently complaining about people's swords, even as she stole them, was common for the woman.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the tower was cleared of Harmonious Citadel cultivators, most of which had been below the Integration stage- though the dozen who had been stronger would be sorely missed. Even with the massive numbers the Harmonious Citadel had, consistently losing cultivators on that level would eat away at them.

But that wasn't the purpose of their assault, nor the vault of valuables or the equipment the cultivators were wielding. Instead, they came for the knowledge- a moderately sized library, with techniques and more mundane records.

There was also something else that made the place special, though only Vari could feel it. It wasn't something she could quite explain with words, but it seemed to be a beacon of some sort. It called to her cultivation, though she didn't actually want anything to do with it.

Impressively, the tower still maintained its rigid structure despite being sunken. That included the basement where some of the treasury was stored. In that corner was a statue of an oddly familiar woman… not quite the same level of depth as the one on Xankeshan, but once again Vari put her eyes on a Spear Saint… who was not the current Spear Saint. She wondered who the woman was, perhaps one of many- the ranks of the Saints might be more mutable than she imagined, with only the public appearances being kept up. Yet Vari felt there was something more to her interest. She just couldn't quite place her finger on what.

Twin telescopes flanked Anton, each pointed at ever so slightly divergent viewpoints. He had some reservations about what he was going to attempt. Not because he was concerned for the claim others had on the twin stars in his vision. No, Anton would feel little guilt if he only knew half as much of the actions of this group. They were at war, whether the Sylanis Cluster comprehended Anton's existence or not. He was simply concerned there might be some way to reverse the process without his presence… or that he might inspire enemies.

Yet the benefits in his mind outweighed the risks. He was not afraid of retaliation- provoking someone to seek him out would mean them fighting on his territory. Simply because he was not limited to one space shouldn't be too much of a problem, though Anton had felt the difference with Lev. The thing he was more concerned about was simply the time, additional centuries that these Worldbinding cultivators might have. So he didn't intend to enter their domains… unless, perhaps, it was also his own- if the binary stars provided anything close to the promise he thought they held.

Anton had readied himself to the best of his ability, familiarizing himself with both the stars he sought as well as those he was bound to. His ability to draw upon the power of other stars had improved, and so too should he be able to connect to these distant-yet-near twins. The question was if he could manage both at once… and there was only one way to find out. For the purposes of avoiding problems around him, Anton was close to Rutera's sun- he couldn't imagine that even if he killed himself there would be any direct effect on it- so that he could draw as much power as he needed to strengthen the connection to other stars. His small setup of floating telescopes was just barely able to withstand his current distance and remain whole, and he set both eyes on two points of light, flickering balls of light that promised power.

Chapter 502

From tiny points of light a barely fathomable distance away, the twin stars drew close until they were pulsing embers of warmth that Anton could almost reach out and touch. Even so, it took more effort just to reach that point than when he bound to Rutera's star mostly by accident. Part of it had to be the distance- even from Rutera, Okloi was still several times further than the other systems had been. On the other hand, Anton felt the stars tugging against him alternately, as if either one might slip away.

His grip tightened on them, attempting to pull their power into him. Yet as one drew closer, the other pulled away, as if he were trying to pull together a pair of magnets. The closer they drew to him and each other, the more repulsion there was against all. Was it impossible, then, to Assimilate two stars at once? Perhaps he might still do them in sequence, but if they still rejected each other… then his activities in the Okloi system would actually be limited instead of empowered. In the worst case, he might simply require two of his stars to function in a single system for no benefit.

That would be… a disappointment. One that he was unwilling to accept, unless he was certain that it had to be that way. As of now, he was barely persuaded. So there had been a little snag. What was that compared to nearly incinerating himself for his first Assimilation? He didn't intend to push himself to such lengths at this moment, as a disappointing failure would be better than wasting everything he'd worked for, but nobody said cultivation was supposed to be easy.

He wrapped his hands around the two stars, pulling them closer. As they approached, they strained against him and each other, their power flaring in his palms, the heat scorching him. Yet the flames could not harm him, not at such a magnitude. Only if he let them run uncontrolled inside of him would he find himself concerned, especially with the backing of Rutera's star right next to him. The heat on his actual body was massive, though something he felt naturally adapted to with little need for natural energy to shield himself.

He continued to draw the twin stars close to himself. They had to at least exist together within his dantian, but he didn't need to force them to hug each other. He allowed them to retain some distance, but it was clear they were still far closer than they would like.

As he pulled them closer, feeling them wrestle against him, Anton worried briefly that he was making a mistake. The resistance was unlike anything he'd encountered before- was there a Worldbinding cultivator working against him? If someone already had a prior attachment, advancing further would be a danger.

He paused, feeling the pull as the stars kept their energy from him. No, this wasn't an active resistance, no conscious control of a cultivator. This was simple natural resistance that Anton imagined would go away completely if he chose to focus on just one target. But he found the struggle enjoyable. It was more pure than a life or death battle, the strain of exercise and the fatigue of a good day's work.

Inside of his dantian, two orbs of fire pulled apart, straining at the limits of the space available to him… but settling into place, orbiting around the edges of the space, a warmth of power flowing through them. Anton smiled to himself. Though his cultivation would advance naturally with training, it seemed the main benefits came upon securing more stars for himself, the hundredth star and beyond replacing the weaker motes of power he created for himself as he connected to actual stars.

Inside of his dantian, it took time for things to settle down. Anton continued to meditate where he was for a day or two, perhaps longer, just to make certain everything was stable. It certainly wouldn't do to allow the power to explode inside him once more.

Eventually, he nodded to himself. He had succeeded. He couldn't be quite sure what the effects would be until he experienced them from a closer distance, but Anton was certain that the effect would be better than simply latching onto a single star. The test of his abilities was also beneficial, and Anton could feel the distance between himself and the stars he drew upon lessen slightly.

During his short time away, Anton had left Merve in the care of a few individuals from Ceretos. He was still responsible for her actions, and keeping watch on her was best for both her sake as well as others. Many citizens of Rutera would like an opportunity to seek revenge on one of their enemies for those who had died- children, siblings, spouses, friends. It didn't matter that Merve hadn't killed anyone. Anton wasn't even going to argue that she was innocent- because while she hadn't been successful, she still came with the intent of war. Likewise, simply because circumstances forced her into the position didn't stop her from being responsible for her actions. Anton was well aware that she would have killed, just like she had to survive to her current cultivation level.

She wasn't being forgiven for nothing. Anton was taking some of the price upon himself, but her cooperation was also important to Rutera, and the rest of their alliance. The Sylanis Cluster was a greater danger than previously perceived, and Merve had many other answers as well. Obtaining such information sooner would have been beneficial, but the prisoners had been surprisingly difficult. Not because of specific conditioning, but simply an aspect of despair the Sylanis Cluster developed in those they considered lower. Anton had suggested some methods for Rutera to connect with further prisoners, but Anton didn't have the time to actively engage in such things on his own. Besides, even if they were official allies now Rutera needed to handle as much of its own affairs as it could.

Merve still took a bit of work, but even though she didn't entirely believe Anton, she still allowed herself to indulge in her moments of freedom, and to dream. "What do you think? Should I aim for Ascension, or Worldbinding?"

Anton took the question seriously, of course. Her talent was sufficient that with his help she could manage either, even if she still wasn't certain of it- or that he would keep his promises. "That would depend… on what you want. Do you want to see the mightiest splendors in the universe, to struggle for the best there is to offer? Or can you remain content with the appearance of the mundane?"

"I… don't really know how to answer those questions," Merve admitted.

"I will give you another perspective, then. Would you accept moving from a position at the head of the pack to the middle of a greater power? Or would you prefer to find yourself a king among those you knew?"

"I want… to be strong. As strong as possible…" Merve frowned. "I don't feel like you chose either of those options, though."

"You are correct," Anton said. "My reasons for my choice were quite different… but given your admission that you have none you care to return to, my personal choice of protecting my world and the majority of my family and allies will not appeal to you. In truth, I made that choice long before I realized what it meant. I gave up the path to the peak of power for it… at least to my knowledge. Perhaps Assimilation might match the likes of Augmentation and Domination eventually, but none on Ceretos have had the time to find out."

"I don't know much about Worldbinding besides its existence," Merve admitted. "Or how strong those other stages are. But I think… none of those I've heard of are that much stronger than any other Worldbinding cultivator. And if they were, they would have made it widely known."

Anton nodded, "Good. Then we can hope they are still in the same range of power… though I and the others are still novices regardless." He'd only been an Assimilation cultivator for a bit more than two decades- compared to what he could only assume was centuries for some individuals. The main hope was to draw any Worldbinding cultivators away from their domains, should they need to combat them. Or, maybe, Anton himself could do something in Okloi. "Back to your question, if you were particularly fond of some people, some place here, then I might suggest Assimilation. You seem to have had the misfortune to be treated as one of the 'lessers' where you came from, so it could suit you. Or… if you choose to ascend, I can at least guarantee you would have access to proper allies and companions, not just competitors."

She had no immediate response to that- Anton could see thoughts churning in her head. It was unlikely she would trust the promise of companions- but once she truly ascended, she would know Anton's promises weren't just empty. And of course, she would be free to follow whatever path she wanted… though without any backing, the upper realms would be difficult.

"Attacks have begun to decrease in frequency and intensity," Nicodemo shook his head. "I'm sure you've noticed as well."

"That's right," Anton nodded. "You are concerned about what it means?"

"If we're lucky, it means that the presence of strong defenders here has caused enough damage to deter them, and they're now hesitant to continue. Perhaps they might even end the war."

"And you believe that?" Anton raised an eyebrow.

"You know better than that," Nicodemo sighed. "Based on what we've learned recently, I have doubts that they would stop with just this. Weos' tales indicate they could send more. So… they should be preparing for more concerted attacks."

"I would assume that as well," Anton admitted. "I've grown more adept at dealing with them, and at this point I do believe I outmatch their barriers' adaptation, but I can only cover so much area." His range was slowly increasing with his cultivation, but it could take centuries before he could cover even a moderately sized planet. He wasn't ashamed of needing others, though. Besides, if an attack was powerful enough he could simply move to meet it… as long as the area he left behind had its own defenders.

Nicodemo sighed, "I remember just before we came into contact with Ceretos, how we were so excited to explore the galaxy and find other life. Then it turns out three systems want to kill us for no good reason. I'd rather my position be obsolete."

"Hey, don't forget that the first system you came in contact with was reasonable," Anton smiled. "And it just turns out those guys that want to kill you got a head start. I'm still hopeful that the galaxy is worth that exploration. Even the upper realms… it certainly has some powerful, troublesome groups. But it's not all bad."

"Yeah, well…" Nicodemo shook his head. "We were kind of expecting something… different. Not more humans."

"It's not a coincidence. Clearly, someone settled your world. But in a way, you should be glad. At least you're free from the influences of the upper realms."

"For the moment," Nicodemo agreed. "But perhaps because we weren't 'good enough'."

"I imagine they'd be quite surprised with what you have developed. Rutera will be strong, it just requires some work with your cultivator foundations. With your technology to support you, you'll be difficult to counteract."

"If we don't get wiped out first."

"That's an eternal problem cultivators must deal with, it seems," Anton shrugged. "Though perhaps we can change that, in our little local region. We merely have to overcome a single significant foe, with three of us in the alliance." Anton grinned, intentionally leaving out the part that each of the Sylanis Cluster's systems had more population than Ceretos, Rutera, or Weos. No need to bring down the mood. And… once he got a chance, he was going to try a little excursion into Okloi. Just to test things out, though he intended to remain far from actual populated areas. He didn't want to provoke stronger conflict, not when they weren't ready.

Chapter 503

A warning came to Ceretos of a possible intrusion. Not to the population as a whole, but simply those who needed to be made aware… those who were important or powerful enough to do something. Since that time, Erin watched the sky. There was little she could do about her position. While she was fortunate among Assimilation cultivators to have a mobile source, she didn't exactly control it. She could, if it were necessary- but Paradise's normal patrol through the oceans was sufficient for most circumstances. They never really needed to be somewhere specific.

If Erin had actual knowledge of some actual attack, a time, location, or anything of the sort she might have some control. As it was, she just had to wait. It was insufferable. Then, something unusual happened with Paradise. He usually just drifted with the currents, only minimally controlling his movement- but occasionally he propelled himself forward. This was one of those times, which meant he sensed something. The question was, what? Something tasty like a kraken… or some dangerous enemy?

It only took an hour for her to find out which, as Paradise suddenly ceased his movement, dipping his head into the water- but not diving. Instead, the turtle only lowered his head to surround it in water, raising up great waves as he pulled his head up- and keeping the water with him. The energy flow around Paradise told Erin what he planned- the same energy flowed through her, with Paradise's permission. They did not share personal energy, only the flow from the ecosystem around the turtle, but that was sufficient to determine a target.

Not that Erin could make it out, but she had at least a direction- high into the sky, where there appeared to be nothing. Instead of waiting around for Paradise's attack, she began to move, flying outside of the arc of the building attack. It wouldn't do to get in the way.

As was the norm, Paradise shot a single giant orb of water, barely held together by energy, but full of might. Except for the strange balding man who had challenged the creature, such an attack never targeted an individual- it had previously only been aimed at armies, and created some sizable salt lakes. One of those lakes flew towards its target in the sky, the pull of gravity fighting it and losing. Though the water did not go nearly so far as to actually escape Ceretos' pull. Not before it hit something.

The impact allowed Erin to sense whatever had been hidden. It was only a few small points of power within the great sphere of Paradise's might, but she felt them. She was already on her way, and was able to intercept… what was left of them, at least.

Nothing whole remained, but as Erin watched the falling debris she could pick out at least what it had once been. Ships- several of them, and of vaguely familiar design. Though she had only seen one in person, as an example. Azoth- or the Sylanis Cluster. Or, since they didn't seem to communicate at all, 'those bastards' was a reasonable name as well. Regardless, Erin gathered what she could- valuable pieces, anything that might contain information. The people… while protected by the hull of the ship, it was insufficient. They were dead, and perhaps they deserved it.

Erin briefly wondered how Paradise knew. There had been others, both from Weos and Rutera, passing by without incident. She could understand attacking anyone that radiated ascension energy- they clearly did not belong. There was no way for Paradise to have known… except, of course, the same way as herself. Just because the great turtle didn't communicate didn't mean he couldn't understand. Or perhaps he simply sensed hostility- it wouldn't be so odd for such an ancient creature to have those abilities. Either way, as Erin continued collecting she was sending out messages as swiftly as possible. Whether this was part of an assault or merely a few scouts, people needed to know.

Word reached Lev shortly before he felt disturbances in the upper atmosphere- and interactions with the continental barrier. The attack was a little more central- the Grasping Willows were a bit north and east of the core of Brogora- but it wasn't so distant that he couldn't sense and even respond. Upon Anton's advice he had worked to expand his effective radius, and while his power still rapidly dropped off compared to remaining with the Grandfather Willow itself, he could range a few hundred kilometers and still retain power greater than Life Transformation.

His movement was half flight and half leaping from place to place. Actual flight was not energy efficient, especially for those whose cultivation styles didn't allow for it. His bounding leaps carried him quickly towards his destination, undoubtedly alarming anyone he passed over- though the closer he got to the disturbance, the more likely they were already concerned.

Standing below the continued assault, he looked up. It wouldn't be quite as powerful as he'd like, but spectral vines rose from him, reaching towards the sky, stretching into thin, almost invisible tendrils- at least from his perspective on the ground. They wrapped around the ships, squeezing, crushing… but as soon as he thought he might break the defensive formations on the ships, a more solid barrier snapped into place. It resisted him, and not merely by accident. He'd heard of the adaptive barriers, he just hadn't expected it to work within that few seconds. Unfortunately this meant he'd missed his window of opportunity to slip spores through the barriers, though he considered trying.

Then again, just because he couldn't crush the ships didn't mean they could move. He still had a grip on them, and the harder barriers actually helped with that, as his energy tendrils wrapped around the vessels that strained and pulled to get away, at best lifting him off the ground a short way.

Alright then. Lev could work with that. Instead of crushing them directly, he twisted them, their four directional sails sticking out beyond his grip. The barrier protected them too, but as the sails crashed against the continental defense formation, it was clear which was superior. Normally a wider scale formation would lose out at individual points, but then again- the ships had no hope to break through it to begin with. No doubt they would have finished their probing assault soon enough and reported back.

As sails snapped and cracked, the shifting edges of the barriers clashed with the continental formation, warping and stretching and finally snapping. Actually, Lev imagined he could have done that on his own- though the barrier hardened, resisting his energy… it still had to withstand his force. He'd merely let the continental formation provide a different force as he pulled and bashed the ships against it.

All around Ceretos, similar assaults had happened. Even the Exalted Archipelago reported some intrusions- which they had dealt with to similar results. An attack hadn't been exactly expected, but it had been theorized. The assumption had been that it would have come after Rutera was conquered or managed to drive off the enemy- and only if they were aware of Ceretos' location. Obviously they did, though whether they had just discovered it or had simply been waiting was unclear… for the moment.

Word of the assault on Ceretos would take time to reach Rutera and Weos, so when the significantly more powerful attack came to Rutera, they had little warning. Little… but not none. Matija's devices were scattered throughout the system, sensing approaching ships from both the direction of the sun and elsewhere. They did not, however, pick up anything coming perpendicular to the system's primary orbital axis.

Orbital stations were hit, suffering severe damage before they even realized an attack was happening- but improvements during the war allowed them to hold together and provide an armed response.

Ships were scrambled, along with cultivators from Ceretos- Rutera's cultivators were better as part of the fighters, even the standout Ty. Anton was of course among those cultivators, quickly bringing himself beyond the atmosphere to widen his possible array of targets. Each kilometer of atmosphere was much more significant than beyond it.

Though he was aware of the other responses, Anton focused primarily on his own efforts. Arrows pierced into ships, changing targets as enemy ships adapted not just between shots but while attacks were en route. It seemed they expected him in particular, instead of letting their barriers adapt after he struck them. But their system had a weakness. If they adapted to Anton in particular, they were less fit to deal with anyone else. He had no trouble redirecting his arrows the instant before they struck something that would resist him, targeting any who were foolish enough to not see him as a primary threat.

There was no winning scenario for them. Anton's increasing combat prowess and cultivation were such that he couldn't possibly be ignored, even as a single individual. Anton was participating in no fewer than three separate battles centered around some of Rutera's primary orbital defense stations, so they couldn't exactly just leave. If they did, he'd be at another battlefield within the minute, and that was if they could even get away cleanly. A weakness that had been discovered with the Sylanis Cluster's ships was that they had to balance stealth, speed, and defensive power. It was logical- there was only so much energy to be split among what they needed- but the speeds that were appropriate in pitched combat and the speeds required for proper interstellar travel were significantly different, and the latter were nearly impossible close to a planet due to the interference of gravity wells.

Rutera had no other Assimilation or Worldbinding cultivators to provide the same effect as Anton, but their own forces and the Life Transformation cultivators fought tooth and nail, buying time for those not on active duty to join the battle. It was hours before the skies cleared, during which Anton burned through nearly his entire reserve of energy despite his mighty recovery. That meant he was using even more energy than his wild rush around the belt of Kuchion breaking apart the defensive barrier.

But the battle wasn't over once the skies were clear. Enemy forces had landed- given the orbital defense platforms and Rutera's own barriers, they hadn't broken into any population centers… but for the first time in the war a significant number of civilian casualties occurred. Not that they could have been avoided… but it was a blow to the local morale. Even as they reported record numbers of enemy ships downed, people couldn't celebrate.

Ceretos' cultivators were a significant factor in clearing the landed enemy forces. Mobilizing Rutera's forces took time, and while their fighters could and did arrive to gun down the landed ships, they couldn't do much to individual cultivators on the ground, not without risking significant collateral damage.

Anton flew over a battlefield where he sensed Elder Intan, and no surviving enemies. Up ahead he sensed more enemies, but arrows were already on the way, targeting Essence Collection and Life Transformation cultivators. The faster they died, the fewer innocents would suffer.

The fact that Weos was not attacked was encouraging. At the very least, it indicated a limit to the Sylanis Cluster's forces, and likely a lack of information. While Weos had previously driven them off in another war, the recent civil war with significant casualties among the elite was a perfect opportunity to capitalize.

For a brief moment, Anton wished they had been attacked as well- but only so that they would be drawn more strongly into the war. His selfish desires proved unnecessary, as Weos didn't hesitate to begin discussions of how they could aid an allied counterassault- clearly their enemies weren't going to pull any punches, and Weos wasn't so foolish as to think that they wouldn't be next on the list if the enemy expanded and grew stronger.

It seemed that Anton would have to make that trip sooner than he thought… if only to test the feasibility of being a scout.

Chapter 504

It was impossible to say that the trifold alliance had good intel on the Sylanis Cluster with just what surviving scouts had reported, Merve's information, and the thoughts and memories gleaned from people's heads after the attack on Ceretos, but they were at least aware of some things.

Enough that Anton was planning an excursion of his own, with the intent to take out key targets. Shipyards, refineries, and anything else that fed into the constant stream of people that seemed to pour out from the system. Being part of the first real attacks was a risk, but it was also an opportunity. Up until now the Sylanis cluster hadn't really suffered the consequences of their actions. Anton couldn't say that he would actually manage to make them reconsider, but if he could harm any of their leadership or even just anything profitable… it might be worth it.

So far, the Sylanis cluster had been throwing away resources for little to no gain. Even drawing upon the wealth of three systems, occasional ships successfully raiding Rutera and returning wasn't of more value than what had been destroyed- and all the salvage from the battles ended up in Ruteran hands. The recent, more serious attack had resulted in more enemies successfully withdrawing with some manner of prize, but it should still be a net loss. Yet according to Weos' experience, that would only encourage them to strike back harder.

Anton and the others were well aware that the response to them actually initiating any attack on the systems of the Sylanis Cluster couldn't be fully predicted, but sitting passively wasn't much good for anything. They were aware that overcoming them and their hundred or so Worldbinding cultivators was impossible… but if they could strike and retreat, causing more efficient damage… then they might make them more interested in defending then attacking, and at some point the war might be called off. Or they would get wiped out by mobile Worldbinding cultivators, but if that was possible it was likely inevitable.

A small fleet of ships from their alliance were heading towards the system they knew as Azoth, mainly from Rutera and Ceretos. Weos' ships were faster, and would be more effective on their own. They went towards the third system- Aphuna- which was slightly more distant, but most accessible for Weos. As for Okloi, it was the furthest, which was why Anton had set out first.

Before his practice expanding the range of his power, Anton might not have been able to manage the journey. Even flying directly between two systems he was connected to, there was a large void of nothing where he had only the slightest power to draw upon. His training had increased that minimum enough for him to feel comfortable accelerating to high enough speeds- and altering the world around him to go beyond the normal limits- to achieve the journey in a reasonable time.

Somewhere upwards of a month, compared to years. As he drew close to Okloi and was able to draw upon his power, he was ready to decelerate himself- and even turn to flee, at the first signs of trouble. In the worst case, within his storage bags he had crystals filled with energy he could draw upon.

Anton could have brought others, but not to disparage any who could come with him… they would have held him back. If there was trouble, he would be able to retreat faster than any of the ships, and keep himself safer. Bringing along others would only spell their doom if they could not handle themselves- and frankly, Anton wouldn't have been willing to sacrifice allies, harming himself as well.

His journey was also an experiment. Would Okloi's twin stars provide him a greater power, or would he simply have a wider area to roam? Experimenting with such things when there were others along with him only increased their chances of being spotted too early. Once he was cognizant of what to expect, he might bring along others… but until then, they would be focusing on the other systems.

As he felt the power of Okloi's stars, Anton was initially cautiously optimistic. Certainly, he felt no trouble drawing from both stars together, though he was still at the far edge of what he could consider the system, where his actual draw was barely more than the void between systems.

He entered the system at an angle from the orbital plane, not by intention but simply because that was how it had to be. Okloi was tilted with respect to Rutera, bringing him in at an angle from the top… or perhaps the bottom. He was unsure what the local perspective on that was, though it hardly mattered.

Anton adjusted his angle of approach to bring him between the two stars, where there should be no enemy presence. If they had a sensory formation around their system Anton had either not noticed or not yet encountered it- but since even Everheart hadn't been able to track the ships from Weos their whole journey, Anton was unconcerned if they were aware he had touched their system.

The twin stars orbited quite some distance from each other- both had planetary bodies orbiting them individually, and there was a significant distance between the outermost of such. The distance between them was more than twice those orbits, but that was still less than what Anton would consider 'out of the system'. As he placed himself between them, he took some time to familiarize himself with the power flowing from them.

Even with the distance from both, Anton found himself in a similar state he would expect on Ceretos. Perhaps marginally weaker, but that was of little concern. If the two stars actually transferred energy between each other he would be in the optimal position, but he was actually in one of the weakest positions he could be within their influence. Drawing closer to either star empowered him more than what he lost from further distance from the other.

With some foreknowledge of their orbits, and a keen eye, Anton could pick out the orbiting planets, around the individual stars and even the few that took the longer path around both. Though he couldn't clearly make out the smallest planets or some of the moons, even a normal human could make out the larger planets with the naked eye- he didn't need telescopes to do any differently. But he had some just in case… though without a proper location to attach them, they were more like powerful spyglasses.

Anton avoided approaching anywhere near the planets, rotating 'up and over' Okloi's first star. Indeed, his draw grew until he reached the far side, after which point the effect decreased. That was all he could expect, as he drew further from both stars at once. In short, his power would be greatest if he were between the two stars… but he could function more or less as he would expect on the far side of either- and maybe he was a bit more powerful. If he could manage to reduce the dropoff with distance, however, or when actively pushing his limits… he should be more powerful in this system. That was something nice to confirm for certain, instead of just assuming. It was also comforting that he had not 'wasted' one of his potential connections.

Even if he was at one of the strongest points, however, Anton had no intention of fighting a Worldbinding cultivator. Even in the optimal situation where he managed to win against presumably stronger and more experienced cultivators, the battle would drain him and perhaps delay him long enough for another to come. He wasn't going to assume they were limited to small enough areas on one planet or even single planets, because if he did and learned differently, it would lead to his death. And he still had all sorts of stuff to do… like this whole war.

Checking his communications, his week or so of puttering around testing his limits within the Okloi system was coming to an end. The ships were approaching their targets, or more properly had already reached them given the communication delay. That meant he had to hurry, because if the enemy's communication speed managed to surpass theirs he didn't have long.

All he had to do was pick a target.

The shipyards of Cubimia took advantage of the planet's small gravity and relative lack of anything else interesting going for it besides it being the central planet that orbited their star. That meant materials could come from either direction without much difficulty, depending on orbital positions, and outgoing ships could do the same. Mainly what they had was the low gravity, land, and people who had no other options but to work for them.

It was a cushy job, if lacking in advancement opportunities. But what was Baltasar going to do? He had no hope of Ascension or Worldbinding. Not at his age, with his talent- no matter the resources that came to him. So he managed some shipyards, though all of the work fell to his subordinates. At most, he had to hassle people who were late with shipments of materials, threaten them with offending whichever sect wanted something this time.

There were ships of all sizes, from the smallest craft that could barely carry anyone between planets to the interstellar capable battleships to the luxury battle-yachts meant for large sects and clans. There weren't many of the latter, and they took years to construct even with low gravity and many workers, but they were profitable. Most of those profits didn't go to Baltasar, but he had enough to maintain his level of comfort. Food, drink, and women were all plentiful enough even on Cubimia.

Baltasar shot bolt upright in his chair when he felt a disturbance on the planetary barrier. What kind of idiot forgot their pass tokens and ran into the barrier? Honestly, what a pain. Somehow they would be blaming him for this, even though they were the ones who forgot. But even if it was some rich young master, with the power of the Goldenglade Merchant Company behind Baltasar he could manage.

Then it happened again. He rushed outside to see what exactly was going on. There wasn't supposed to be a meteor shower for another week. Some debris of a battle?

Motes of light struck the barrier, one after another- sharp points that he could only make out from their power and not any visual indication. He couldn't even suss out an origin, but they certainly didn't seem to be any sort of accident.

Something in Baltasar's pocket grabbed his attention. Of course, some idiot who thought he didn't notice the freaking barrier being messed with. He looked at the message regardless- it could be just some client wanted to check on progress. Oddly enough, despite it not making any difference if he replied the same minute or the same week, some would be offended.

"Let's see here… the barriers are broken above sectors 3 and 17. Damage to construction facilities, ships, the Ultimate Phoenix Sect's newest vessel…" Baltasar grumbled to himself. "What kind of prank is this?"

The barrier above him cracked, and so did the fog over his mind. Who… who would attack this place? So many factions worked with the Goldenglade Merchant Company, nobody would stand for this. Baltasar was going to give this stupid rogue sect or whatever it was a piece of his mind!

The building behind him caught on fire, as well as a ship made out of Eternal Heartwood not a hundred paces in front of him. It caught on fire, as if it weren't more durable than steel. That was impossible, it had to simply be a blanket of fire that would soon burn out the oxygen supplies and leave the ship undamaged. The atmosphere was thin enough the only thing that could sustain such a reaction was if… if the Eternal Heartwood actually caught on fire and began off gassing its internally contained stores.

Flaming arrows struck the ship, piercing through layers and catching even more of it on fire. Then it exploded, a situation that should absolutely never come to pass under circumstances that Baltasar could foresee.

He had to do something. There were more messages coming in, but he ignored them. He drew the sword from his back, looking at it, and then up into the sky through the barrier. The Defender would be dealing with that already… which meant Baltasar was unoccupied. He looked back down at the sword, and plunged it into his own guts. No way in all the hells would he be explaining what happened. He just wanted a comfortable life, and he preferred a swift death to what he expected would happen.

Chapter 505

During his attack, Anton had many things to process- where his attacks were going, what appeared to be tempting and expensive targets, positioning of enemies- but he noticed much more than he could act on immediately. The planet he had targeted hadn't been defenseless, but piercing through the barrier even in a few small locations had been reasonable enough.

Anton had not been able to stay long because a powerful cultivator had been approaching- he didn't yet want to test the might of a Worldbinding cultivator only a short distance away from a planet they protected. He did learn some valuable information. First, that particular opponent hadn't possessed attacks with sufficient range to target him from his high position above and around the planet, and they also hadn't felt his approach, at least not early enough to respond before his attack began. The latter could have been carelessness from lack of actual dangers, and he might be picked out if he made another attempt, but it was good to have at least some assurance that he could move stealthily against these cultivators.

Though the Worldbinding cultivator was certainly of note, as were the unfinished vessels that would doubtless be several times as powerful as the best vessel the alliance had gone up against before, Anton wasn't focused on that. Instead, he focused on the people… specifically, the weaker ones. Those hard at work, not simply 'supervising'. Anton couldn't feel any enchantments binding them, but such was hardly a necessity when society accepted and enforced the role of slaves. And that was what they were, though it was unclear if they were officially called that.

It wasn't really surprising. Such power structures were extremely common among cultivators- though it was more difficult to control other cultivators, they were also more valuable, and Ceretos had only managed to do away with the practice within Anton's lifetime. Kohar was still fighting against the responses meant to provide the same effect by a different name. Ceretos was by no means perfect yet… but it was better than this.

The question in Anton's mind was how to use this to their advantage. An organized slave uprising would be an excellent disruption to their enemy, but if it just resulted in oppressed people dying it would hardly be worthwhile. Anton was honest enough to admit that he would prefer the deaths of unknowns from the Sylanis Cluster to those of those in his alliance, but if anyone had to die he would prefer it to be those instigating all of the trouble- those in power.

If only it were so easy. If he could simply slay everyone in power, then they would win the war automatically. He hadn't directly tested the might of the Worldbinding cultivator, but he had at least enough exposure to know the power was genuine… and that there were many more. Averaging somewhere around two per planet, if Merve's information was correct.

The trifold alliance's attacks on the other system did their best to avoid encountering Worldbinding cultivators, focusing on outlying outposts and occupied moons. As the news came to Anton, it appeared that not all of their attacks were successful… but also that not all of them were failures. That was good news, proving that the defenses of the Sylanis Cluster were fallible- though the population was still intimidating in its vastness.

Of the attacks that failed, some simply found barriers too difficult to penetrate through, while others were driven off. Of those that were exterminated, it was of slight encouragement that the one wiped out by an unfortunately present Worldbinding cultivator was able to pass along information. It showed that the enemy's power was not unlimited in scope and unable to wipe out everyone at once. The minimal information only gave limited information on the martial prowess, but the presence on one of the moons meant either that was their binding location, or they could roam a significant distance while still maintaining enough power to slaughter Life Transformation cultivators.

It wasn't ever pleasant to hear about losses, but Anton knew that was simply how war went. They merely needed the enemy to suffer proportionately more than they did and they could manage… a ceasefire, or something to that effect. Aiming for anything less than absolute victory was frustrating, but it was only sensible. Ceretos had, what, a dozen Worldbinding equivalents compared to over a hundred- and neither of their allied systems had any. If Everheart were at full power it might have been another matter, as he could easily count for more than five or ten or… Anton didn't really know how strong an Augmentation cultivator was, but the point remained that Everheart probably couldn't take on a hundred. Unless they came to him, but they'd have to be pretty easily provoked for that.

… That was a good plan. If Everheart was good at anything, it was provoking people. They could just lead them all into a giant trap formation and kill them all away from their seats of power. There was no way it would actually work, not on every single enemy at once, but maybe they could get a handful. That kind of loss might be sufficient for their enemy to think about negotiating. But that would be Everheart's job, since he was the specialist.

Their raids provided much information. Anton hadn't exactly gotten close enough to retrieve any materials, but some of the others had managed to walk away with interesting materials and enchanted items. They weren't entirely unfamiliar, as the style of the Sylanis Cluster matched that of typical cultivators- and must have been influenced by the upper realms, though it was unclear to what extent. Along with materials, mundane records were retrieved, and while that seemed unimportant… simple things like warehouse manifestos or maps or historical information of any kind would fill in gaps in their knowledge, potentially opening up many new opportunities.

Though the other groups had retreated after successful or unsuccessful attacks, Anton wasn't done yet. Okloi was now on high alert, but that was exactly the reason he needed to test them further. Would their planetary barriers work like their ships? He'd given little chance for anything to react to his previous attack. More importantly, he was interested in how Worldbinding cultivators might respond. Would they follow him into space? Would they fly on their own, or use ships? Just because Anton didn't have any that were worthy of carrying him didn't mean those didn't exist- some under construction at that shipyard might have reached that point, when complete.

His current route was taking him towards the other star, and another planet currently on the inside orbit. It was a large gas giant with at least a dozen moons. His trajectory took him to one of them, only for him to barely even slow down as he whipped past it. He still peppered it with hundreds of arrows as he passed, but he didn't try to cause any significant destruction. Instead, he simply watched as people scrambled to respond- but he was already on his way somewhere else.

He swung around to another moon, then another- doing no damage to anything important as he went. On the surface it might have seemed as if his attacks were pointless, but not only was he observing what he could as he passed by… attacks that didn't cause any damage were necessarily worthless. Defensive barriers were forced to activate, and on a planetary scale they burned through natural energy like miniature suns. That was the plan, at least. Everheart had studied the enemy ships and determined that while active their barriers used up energy whether or not they were being damaged, and quite a significant amount. Everheart had then gone on to brag about how his formations were more efficient and only had a marginal flat cost for being active, but Anton already had the information he needed. Now that he got to test it out, he could feel the significant flow of energy. If he was lucky, he would permanently drain a few decent crystals, or at least cause some wear and tear on the whole system. He also learned that these barriers hadn't adapted to his energy, at least not yet. Would they? That, he was unsure of.

Another very useful thing Anton learned was that he could feel angry Worldbinding cultivators from a very large distance. Despite having a hundredish of them between the three systems, there were nowhere near enough to have them on every moon- but Anton did sense a couple down in the gas giant, and now approaching rapidly.

But Anton was already on his way out, having flung himself around and now past the gas giant. He did allow himself one small indulgence. Concentration on drawing ascension energy, Anton utilized his prototype technique that may or may not eventually fire all the way into the upper realms. It was kind of a stupid idea, but it was a simple expansion on Horizon Shot… though significantly less flexible. If he wanted to hit the 'nearby' gas giant, he had no hope of doing anything but firing a straight shot with all his might. It was a more significant distance than between Ceretos and its moon, so that was really all that he could manage.

As two angry figures came towards Anton, he was already accelerating away from them before he let the force of his shot push him even further. Usually, he stabilized himself so that the power of his projectiles wouldn't move him where he didn't intend. Now, he was perfectly happy to have his arrow go one direction while it pushed him further in the other.

The arrow itself, despite moving at nearly the speed of light, took nearly five seconds to reach the planet- flying past the two approaching cultivators as it did so. Anton wasn't sure what he hit, but either it was important or the two seemed to think it was important. Or perhaps it was merely slipping an attack past them. Either way, the aura from them increased as Anton continued to accelerate towards the second sun.

He didn't force his trajectory to bring him straight to his destination- while that might indeed be the shortest and quickest route, pulling himself up and over intervening planets and testing his opponent's mobility was also his intention. He was concerned to find that they had been gaining on him, and they continued to do so even as he shifted his trajectory- but even with that, he revealed important information. The pair were bound together, most likely making use of the same vessel. Otherwise, if they had any sense they would slightly adjust their individual trajectories to try to cut him off or flank him.

The chase was not a sprint, but a marathon. Anton's earlier advantage in speed meant even surpassing him his opponents were taking hours to catch up to him, and as Anton drew closer to his target star they maintained the same acceleration and turning ability, while his own was increased.

Anton cut close to the star, making use of his domain to keep track of his opponents as he pulled away, around the far side. He considered trying to fight- but even if he was able to kill this pair, letting on the true core of his abilities so early in the war seemed like a mistake. Instead, he looped around the sun several times- tracking their movement until he was quite certain they had lost him. After all, the star was nearly the same size as the distance from the gas giant upon which they dwelled to some of its moons- more than some, even. And while Anton could make use of it to track them, its vast power did an excellent job of masking anything else around it. Perhaps they might pick up inklings of how it matched him… but they wouldn't know his true control of it unless he displayed it openly.

After another loop, he propelled himself out of the system, wishing he could do more but knowing he had already endangered himself enough. He could accept dying if it wouldn't hurt those he cared about, but beyond the merely emotional his combat ability was necessary. He wasn't going to do anything too foolish- and what risks he had taken were deemed worthwhile.

Chapter 506

It seemed almost a waste to travel all the way to Okloi only to leave after less than a day of actual activity, but Anton wasn't in the mood to find out if they had some way to track him down and take him out. Even a couple Worldbinging cultivators away from their positions and a decent number of Life Transformation cultivators put together would be a threat- and hanging around their stars would give away too much information and initiative. No doubt they could gather sufficient forces to kill him if he simply stayed in place.

Thus, he was on his way back to Rutera- if they could track him, they would have to go far outside of their system, and the chances of them exactly coming across his path between systems was… extremely small. Everheart indicated their ships wouldn't be able to make any significant adjustments during their interstellar travel methods, whereas Anton had enough leeway to aim himself at any part of Rutera's system, and even a near miss would allow him the energy to pull himself back where he needed to be.

If he had a way to recover a significant amount of energy between systems, he could be much more flexible- but for the moment he still needed to conserve himself. Nothing that a few years of traipsing around the void wouldn't fix. Anton had full confidence that practice would do him wonders.

He had just enough leeway to use his communication devices, assuring everyone that he was alright and that his personal missions had been successful to at least some extent. With nothing better to do, Anton repeated everything that happened in his head. Could he have been a little faster here or there? More precise, more powerful with his shots?

He also reviewed what he remembered of the Worldbinding cultivators, though he had little to go off of except their auras. He had the feeling they had been prepared to launch attacks at a few thousand kilometers, a fairly significant distance though perhaps only appropriate in space. Still, he far outranged them. He wasn't going to count shooting a few hundred thousand kilometers when he only needed to hit a planet, but his reasonable attacks were sufficient to show he'd kept the advantage… against those two. Surely the Sylanis cluster had to have some long ranged cultivators in Worldbinding, and Anton wasn't looking forward to running into them any time soon. Though at least he could be fairly certain he could match them one-on-one away from their domains.

Anton was quite certain that if he stayed to fight the two that came from the gas giant, even with the power of one and a bit stars under his belt, he would not have fared well. Their power… it was certainly less than Everheart, even in his current injured state, but it was far from Anton's early Assimilation stage. By quantity of natural energy they could have been anywhere between fifty percent stronger or even double his own, and Anton wasn't quite sure how far that would carry them. Certainly they'd had no concerns chasing after him.

To learn more, Anton would have to compare notes with Lev and the others. Granted, they all had the same couple decades of experience or less that he did with Assimilation, but they might be able to learn some sort of general pattern.

"You actually did all that?" Merve said incredulously. "W- you can't just go off and die! You still have to fulfill your promise!"

"Already done," Anton said. "Our rework of Angelic Providence is sufficient for it to be complete, and with your talent… I know you can Ascend, whether it takes you two decades or ten. And if I died, you would be safely transferred to Ceretos to complete that training." Anton shrugged, "Actually, it would be faster if we sent you there. The natural energy is much more abundant."

"I don't wanna go!" Merve said angrily. "I don't trust anyone else! I barely even trust you."

Anton nodded, taking her shouting in stride. "Fair enough. Since I'll be fighting out of Rutera for the moment, we'll have to hold off on that. I do have another option for you, though."

"I don't know anyone in Weos, either," Merve said.

"That wasn't it. If you would like to obtain some manner of revenge and contribute to the war efforts on this side, having you work towards a rebellion in Okloi would be advantageous. I won't make you, of course."

"Why not just send someone else?"

"Because you're a native. Your cultivation method will fit in, you won't have any slight aberrations in your speech from being native to a different system, and because I could trust you."

"Uh… thanks? But I really don't want to go back there."

"A shame," Anton sighed. "I could really use an insider. Too bad they stomped out all sense of companionship in the place."

"Nobody ever helped me. Don't know why I'd help them."

"See?" Anton shrugged. "I'm sure someone must have helped you, at least in small ways."

"No way, I had to fight for everything. Even a basic cultivation technique, then resources, a place to train… everything. I'm not going to be grateful to people I had to beat down, or to those who arranged all of that."

"Well there you go, practically a glowing review of the common man. You had proper resentment towards those in control all along." Anton saw the look in her eyes. "You're thinking that I am like them, aren't you?"

"No," she lied. "Of course not."

"I'm not going to renege on our deal just because you express your opinions," Anton said. "And eventually, you might believe that. I wish you would go to Ceretos… it really would be a great boon to your cultivation, and you could practice anywhere. You don't need much else than time and natural energy, now."

"... I still trust you a little bit more than anyone else as strong as you," Merve said finally. "And maybe your Order has a few decent people in it."

"I'd certainly hope so," Anton nodded. "It's a lot of work weeding through people for moral fiber."

"Not just cultivation talent?" Merve asked.

"I'd rather have one trustworthy Body Tempering cultivator than a dozen Spirit Building cultivators I can't count on. Frankly, stronger people who might work against you are a net negative." Anton shook his head, "I'm not saying Ceretos is all sunshine and rainbows, or even the Order of One Hundred Stars… but it's not bad."

"Maybe, but I'm still not going without you."

"That's fine," Anton said. "You're young enough that a little bit of delay in your cultivation shouldn't hold you back too much. I'm not sure how long this war will be, but… I can't imagine it at less than a few years." Unlike previous conflicts, traveling between systems had a serious delay associated with it- people could be moved anywhere on Ceretos in a matter of a day, if there were no expenses spared. Rearranging an army across a continent would be much swifter than sending even a few ships to another system.

Coordinating multiple systems to work together was difficult, even if messages were transmitted faster than people. The delay could have been so much worse- weeks or months instead of days- but the lack of simultaneous communication was obvious.

General Nicodemo interpreted the results from the various groups, and their following actions as the intent to wait upon the response from the Sylanis cluster. There was little way for them to get information of enemy movements before they arrived, because even if they left scouts all along the enemy 'border' they would barely be able to detect anything, and that was assuming they took the most direct routes between systems. General Nicodemo had studied for such warfare, of course, but it didn't make it any more comfortable that they basically had to rely on a large formation they didn't understand and their sensors around Rutera and their outlying bases.

Even though the results had been decent- at least they showed they could manage attacks into enemy territory and avoid a complete wipeout- the president wasn't happy. And frankly, Nicodemo couldn't blame him. Who would be happy during a war with only a slight success? At least the people were somewhat encouraged by the results. Finally being able to declare anything but a defensive victory was rather nice, and morale was important.

Other than that, of course, materials were key. Ceretos and Weos were providing some materials, but even if they could afford to give up everything there was a limit to how fast Rutera could produce ships… and upgrade them to keep ahead of those stupid barriers.

Nicodemo watched a short clip that had returned from the war. It was video taken from the inside of a certain pilot's fighter, and while the whole scene was rather chaotic it showed a series of buildings collapsing as the closest one's main supports were sheared in two. This was the sort of success that Nicodemo was supposed to praise in his interactions with his soldiers, and he did. The part of the video not shown to the public also made him want to strangle Ty Quigley.

That part showed a first person view of a space fighter flying directly into the walls of several structures, slicing through the barriers and bursting out the other side before once more breaking through a wall. Along the way several of the weird sailing ships were run through. Then it showed the fighter popping open his ship to cut apart an incoming beam of energy. That last part didn't seem like it should have been possible, and couldn't have been necessary. The ship had shields for a reason! But the following view of collapsing buildings was pretty good.

Somehow during that whole escapade Ty Quigley got his hands on a pile of enchanted metal and was asking for his ship to be refitted with that. Nicodemo wanted to shout at him that that wasn't how war worked and resources went where they were needed. Then the cultivators from Ceretos had decided it was a good idea and somehow thrown together upgrades for the guy's fighter.

Cultivators were crazy, and Nicodemo said that knowing full well he was becoming one of them. The worst part was that Nicodemo had to figure out how to convince everyone that was the best use of resources… because while it might have been, counting on a small portion of their soldiers and turning them into battle icons was… ridiculous.

Nicodemo was also going to have to explain that Ty Quigley was not his friend, just a valuable soldier and a sparring partner. Though he supposed showing that whole video would do a pretty good job of making people shut up, once they realized how much property damage the man caused in their short raid. Though he couldn't say quite what it equated to in local currency, ships didn't come from nowhere. And if they could count how many cultivators they killed, they could mark them off of the estimated tens of thousands of high cultivation enemies.

Anton had expected a serious response from the Sylanis Cluster. That was the risk they had taken, but everyone was ready. And when ships started lighting up Rutera's sensors, Anton knew the response was not just halfhearted. And yet… he hadn't thought it would come with such impulsive behavior. Anton felt not one, but two Worldbinding cultivators, even as they were nowhere close to their approach to Rutera itself.

He wondered if the response was the same in the other systems. Ceretos… well, it was actually probably the safest of the three. Even without Anton, they had the only Assimilation cultivators in the alliance, and they'd been preparing for an invasion already. They had just been expecting it to come in a century instead of right away. Weos… had withstood the attacks before. They'd have to manage this time.

For the moment, Anton had to focus on where he was. First on the agenda was determining whether the Worldbinding cultivators he was detecting would be able to fight at full power, or if it was diminished. He hoped everything else could be handled by Rutera and the allied cultivators diversifying their forces.

Chapter 507

The two Worldbinding cultivators were a concern for Anton, and though he would have liked to fly out and meet the incoming fleet he had no guarantee that he would not be tied down by the two cultivators long enough for the rest of the fleet to harm him. Instead, he would have to wait until there were other targets- Rutera's other defenders. As the enemy approached, Anton was glad he hadn't been foolish.

It was difficult to pin down exactly how powerful the two were, even as they approached, but Anton's estimation was that the weaker of the two should be a close match for him, even away from their home. The other was definitely stronger, perhaps retaining a better connection than the other. It was difficult to say if it was something inherent to their methods or experience- or some combination.

Anton was not shy about launching his attacks once the enemy was vaguely in range- a few thousand kilometers and still rapidly approaching. If he didn't have such powerful targets to lock onto it might have been more difficult, but without the atmosphere to interfere it was reasonable enough. Anton was concerned that he might have trouble striking any other ships in the fleet, but it turned out to not be an issue… though not in the manner he would have liked.

As his arrows reached their target, they were absorbed by a barrier around the flagship carrying the two Worldbinders. That had been more or less expected- it was a larger ship, not a kind that had been seen in Rutera. It was close in size to the mightiest in the shipyard… or at least the one that would have eventually been comparable, when finished.

The issue came when he diverted his target to the other ships… and encountered the same barrier. Not a similar one, but instead he was able to determine that the flagship was sharing a barrier with the whole fleet… and if he was not incorrect the more powerful Worldbinding cultivator was augmenting the whole thing. He had just enough time to report that to the local military and consider his options before the enemy ships came to a sudden change in speed and visibility- they were still moving fast, but their trajectory wasn't straight towards Rutera, instead taking a strafing path.

It would have been convenient if they had been foolish enough to directly impact the barriers, but if anyone so high ranking in the Sylanis Cluster was that foolish, they'd no doubt have died long ago. As ships engaged, Anton tested the limits of the enemy barrier. It was most powerful on the 'front' side, but it certainly wasn't trivial in other directions. One thing he swiftly noted was that it didn't seem to physically stop allied ships near the edges, though a few pilots who didn't get or perhaps believe the information Anton gave tested the center and found it quite unyielding. It was likely the last mistake they could ever make, as their ships turned into little more than bricks of metal and components.

If the defense was not enough, Anton felt the aura of the 'weaker' Worldbinding cultivator weaving through both the enemy fleet and beyond. The attacks that came from the invading cultivators were all tinged with the same energy, no doubt enhanced in some way. A deadly combination with the enhanced barrier, and that wasn't the end of it. Though Anton couldn't quite determine what without subjecting himself to it, the aura seemed to have a detrimental effect on local cultivators. It was quite clear why those two cultivators in particular had been chosen for the assault- they were both functional in general, and a valuable asset to the fleet as a whole.

Rutera had their own defenses- orbital stations coordinating with fighters to bombard the enemy barriers with as many different attacks as possible- but it wasn't sufficient. Unlike the previous experience with the barriers, the enhanced power either allowed it to respond to a wider variety of attacks or simply bolstered the minimal effectiveness to nearly invincible levels.

Even if none of Anton's attacks pierced through, he didn't let up. There was no way the enemy was actually invincible. At the very least, the barrier had to be draining energy every time it was struck. The only question was the efficiency- would their side or the enemy run out first? The initial moments of battle weren't looking good for Rutera, but they had been anticipating attacks on multiple locations. Now that it was determined that the enemy was remaining in one group, fighters from around the globe would be scrambling towards their locations.

Instead of simply attacking with little to gain, Anton devoted a portion of his arrows to defense- while he had difficulty stopping a continuous beam, cultivators from the enemy ships attacked with bows, projections of their melee weapons, and various forms of elemental energy, striking against the barriers that the Ruteran fighters bolstered with their pilots personal natural energy. Anton focused on shooting as many of those attacks out of the air as possible, saving the lives of many or at least the structural integrity of their vehicles so they could continue the fight.

Anton himself did not go unnoticed by the Worldbinding cultivators. For the sake of being able to react swiftly, Anton was on the battlefield instead of pushing the limit of his range- and that meant he was within range of the enemy effects, even a few kilometers distant from the main body of the fleet.

From the weaker, Anton felt that aura reach out for him. Instead of what he might have expected- fear, confusion, or pain- he only felt a sense of peace. Why did he need to fight? It was pointless. He certainly shouldn't attack someone who could produce such a pleasant feeling. No doubt if they all laid down their weapons, everything would turn out for the best.

That was what it wanted him to feel, at least. And for a brief moment, Anton did feel that. But at the same time, that very same cultivator was launching nearly invisible attacks into the local ranks. Anton rejected the feeling, and pulled upon his energy reserves to override it with his own aura, using his connection to the local people to ignite a fire inside of them. It wasn't a practiced technique so he couldn't completely dispel the effect, but he at least was able to lessen the fog over people's minds.

Perhaps after this battle was over he could develop more along those lines. Unless he was very mistaken they would be facing more from the Radiant Beauty Sect the next time the upper realms invaded, and even if it did not involve the Augmentation Fajra herself, there would be similar opponents. The cultivation methods did not match with this Worldbinding cultivator, but it was the same category of abilities.

The other cultivator continued to be the most straightforward. The stronger enemy's attacks were little more than balls of pure natural energy, akin to fists flung through the void of space above Rutera. They targeted Anton, spreading out to assault him from every angle. Sensing no natural trajectory that they were following, Anton simply had to predict how he thought they would move and avoid the area. Predictably, they followed him- giving up control of such attacks halfway through their flight would be a complete waste of the technique.

Anton found he was able to match pace with the attacks, more or less. A few managed to impact him, striking his thighs and shoulders. They didn't fully break through his defensive energy, but they still left bruises beneath. Those were hardly serious injuries at the current moment… but there were more than just a handful of attacks he had to deal with. As Anton flew about, glad he had trained his maneuverability instead of just relying on greater power, he dealt with the incoming projectiles in a manner he was quite accustomed to- by piercing them with his own. Though they were quite durable, once their core was shattered they unraveled, though Anton was unsure if it was by their creator's will or an inevitable consequence of their structure.

It seemed the stronger cultivator was able to keep up the attacks on Anton while at the same time maintaining the barrier to full capacity, or at least as much as it had ever been. Still, they were limited to between a handful and a couple dozen attacks at once, whereas Anton could control far more Energy Bows than that if he needed to- or a greater number of concurrent arrows. When it seemed to be determined that Anton would not fall easily and the attacks shifted towards other targets, Anton continued to blast them apart. If any of those struck one of the local fighters or an orbital defense platform carrying Ceretos' cultivators, it would cause more damage than anything else the enemy was doing.

Upon returning from his adventures in Azoth, Ty Quigley had taken his mandatory days off… and then gone right back to training. Missing a week or two of training might not seem like much, but he was decades behind some of these cultivators. Centuries, on the extreme end. He couldn't afford to just sit on his ass doing nothing. Instead, he had to sit on his ass in his fighter and make himself better. After some people threw stuff on his ship that had a natural purple-black sheen without paint. He wasn't quite sure what it was, he'd forgotten the names of the crap he brought back, but Intan said it was good material so he didn't argue.

The enemy fleet flew together in formation, the defensive barrier making them nearly invincible. Ty certainly couldn't find any way to sneak through the barrier, and he scraped his wings on it trying more than a couple times. He was glad for whatever upgrade he got because with the harsh impact they could have been torn off.

The formation was a pain… but their biggest strength was also a weakness. Individual ships were not able to break off to more efficiently attack the local defenders, and the maneuverability of the fleet as a whole was minimal. They were sweeping through a wide area causing as much destruction as they could, but not every ship and the cultivators upon them were able to act effectively. Ty had literally been following the fleet around for the past five minutes shooting at their rear, and only a few people even managed to lob attacks in his direction. Sure, ninety-nine percent of his shots hadn't made it through the barrier, but he managed a few gashes on some sails.

And then one ship drifted slightly out of formation to try to get to Ty. With them dropping back towards him, it was simple for him to put on a burst of acceleration and approach them just as they drifted out of the barrier's optimal range. For some reason they didn't immediately pull away- maybe they thought he was going to crash into the barrier or something, but he instead pulled an impossible ninety degree turn and sliced them in half with his wing. Intan was very adamant that any sword cultivator worth their chops should be able to change the trajectory of their blade instantly- and what was a fighter but a very big sword? Or maybe three swords or something like that, if the nose and wings were counted differently.

A few smaller ships being taken out was hardly a decisive blow, but Anton felt something odd as the first few fell. Fluctuations in the flow of natural energy that he felt obligated to trace. They of course led back to the Worldbinding cultivators. They were the only ones who could cause a disturbance on that scale, and the overall coordination of the rest of the attackers simply wasn't sufficient to have that sort of feeling.

Tracing it wasn't difficult, it was determining what it meant that was important. A couple ships gone, and there was a ripple effect. Were the Worldbinding cultivators bound to the fleet? Anton wouldn't say it was impossible… but it wasn't quite right, either. The flows and connections weren't the same for the two individuals. One seemed connected to the cultivators- no, only some of the cultivators. The stronger one was connected to the ships themselves, though not in their entirety.

Anton wasn't quite certain how he could make use of this information, but he knew it would be important. It was simple to say that he should destroy the ships and everyone on them, but they were already trying that. It was a battle, after all. But maybe, if they picked things apart piece by piece they might manage something more.

Chapter 508

Relying on Merve's admittedly limited knowledge of Worldbinding cultivators had given Anton a false impression- one that was easy to come to, given the name. He had believed that they should only have connected to a location. Part of a planet- Anton had been willing to accept it could be the entirety of one. Given his own experience, the thought of them doing the same with multiple planets had crossed his mind, but he'd failed to recognize that they could be as diverse as the Assimilation cultivators from Ceretos.

While it was true that Lev and Vasu were bound to locations, even that was a bit shaky. Lev was bound to the Grandfather Willow- and it merely happened to remain in a single location, since trees weren't generally mobile. Anton was quite aware of his own circumstances, and that of Erin who was connected to Paradise and his ecosystem.

The two cultivators from the Sylanis Cluster being connected to something different was perfectly reasonable, now that he considered it. If he was reading the situation right, the one with the manipulative aura empowering allies and trying to lull enemies into a haze was bound to her companions… a specific group of individuals that had come with them. Anton felt that that one was not quite in top form, so he presumed there were either more people they were bound to, or there was also some connection to a location. If it was the former, they had not expected to need more power, which up to the current point in the combat was justified. And if it was the latter… this was the best they could do on the offensive.

The larger concern was the other. The one fortifying the barrier around the fleet as a whole, greater in power and more whole. That one was connected to, what… the ships? That was certainly close, but Anton sensed that it was perhaps tied to the formations more deeply. Either way, that cultivator was also not at peak capacity, though either much more powerful to begin with or they maintained a better connection. Though there was another connection he sensed faintly and couldn't quite place at the moment.

Anton was doing his best to counter both of them, weaving his own aura between his allies to protect them from the former while countering the latter's projectiles of nearly pure natural energy, without an element. Instead of merely orbs of force meant to chase and batter Anton, the shape had changed to more like needles or spears. If he snapped them in half then each part continued independently instead of unraveling which meant he not only had to be more precise- striking each projectile head on- but he also had to accept that his own attacks would leave some power behind. He simply wasn't strong enough to deal with all of them, even with that cultivator also maintaining the stronger barrier.

This wasn't sustainable. Anton could continue to hold his own against their efforts for some time, but even with his current recovery he knew he would likely be drained long before them- and that was if he was only trying to maintain his current effects on the battlefield.

He needed to weaken them, to cut off their connections… but how could he do that if no attacks could get through the barrier? Surely there wouldn't be others so foolish as to slip outside to get themselves destroyed. Anton didn't think much of his chances of piercing the barrier even with ascension energy, not with someone actively empowering it… and presumably aware of what he might do.

He continued to search for options as he dodged around incoming projectiles long enough to erase them, occasionally accepting that he had to let some hit him when they would cause minimal damage beyond lowering his energy reserves. Sometimes beams or attacks from weaker cultivators would also target him, but those were more of an annoyance comparatively.

His mind settled on two factors he could pursue- perhaps at the same time. First was something about the ships themselves- though they had internal power stores, the sails that provided them cloaking and interstellar travel capabilities drew power from sunlight. He wasn't aware of how much, especially not what would happen in battle. That was still being studied… but perhaps he could cut them off from even the slightest source of regeneration. With a thought Anton reached out towards Rutera's star, trying to will it to bend to his desires. He thought he was successful, but nothing seemed to happen. Even so, he kept his mental grip, hoping that he might be able to do something with power that was allowed through the barrier.

Then there was the matter of the aura, and what was powering that Worldbinding cultivator. It was really only a small number of individuals throughout the fleet, all protected behind the barrier of course. But… while Anton had discounted his spectral energy for being too weak- it was the power from beyond death and reincarnation, and significantly less potent than Ascension energy- that was only the case if he was targeting the Worldbinding cultivators. He could certainly slay others with it… and it might pass through the barrier.

He didn't like it, but Anton had to give up on defending some of his allies to focus on several shots with spectral energy. Hopefully they could hold their own for a few moments.

His bow trembled as he drew back the string, spectral energy forming an arrow almost invisible and less physical than even natural energy normally was. He hadn't frequently had occasion to use this power since Everheart 'gifted' him a new bow, but the way it resonated with the Worldheart limbs and the Soulstring was particularly potent. Anton still wasn't completely comfortable with the bow's origins, but it didn't feel malevolent at least.

He willed himself to be one with the arrow as it flew, circling around towards the rear of the barrier where it was at least marginally weaker. His target was the best he could pick out. The helmsman of one of the enemy ships, from what he could pick out through the barrier, and also one connected to the aura based Worldbinding cultivator. He slipped through the barrier, though some of his power was torn away by it regardless. He expected to encounter further resistance as he approached the ship itself… but it seemed the wider barrier overrode that of the individual ships. Inside of it, they were basically unprotected. He stored that information away as he twisted around to pierce through the head of his target, top down, willing himself and the spectral energy to react as strongly as possible. His target was the brain and spine, though he wouldn't care if he was slightly off on the latter.

He received only minimal feedback, jerking into his own body as the spectral energy dissipated. He watched the ship with his eyes, seeing it jerk to the side in a pleasing manner. The connection to the Worldbinding cultivator seemed to be severed as well. Anton grinned, feeling that perhaps his fifth prime tempering was paying great dividends. That was far back in Spirit Building, but Earthly Connection and how he related to people seemed to be valuable in sensing these Worldbinding connections.

Anton quickly relayed the information about the inside of the barrier to General Nicodemo. He could distribute that information as he thought prudent, though Anton also contacted a few specific people from Ceretos. Elder Intan of the Million Sword Vault was one of them. If that man could manage to slip through the barrier… he could cause untold damage to nearly unprotected ships. No doubt at great risk to his personal safety, and the cultivators on them would certainly do something to protect their vessels… but the Million Sword Vault wasn't the sort to back down over silly things like risk of death. Anton didn't intend to get the man killed… but he did consider it was a possibility. Anyone could die on the battlefield, including Anton himself.

The ship Anton killed the helmsman on unfortunately righted itself before it could leave the bubble of protection. Anton hoped to break another piece of the fleet and perhaps reduce the barrier's power that way, but he'd definitely caused some damage. And by the way more of the enemy cultivators were focusing on him, Anton thought they noticed his efforts.

Because he had to avoid the attacks, he wasn't always able to perfectly deal with the barrier empowering cultivator. From the early bruises that were of little note, Anton was now picking up more serious injuries, punctures and slashes that Anton did his best to confine to his legs. He rather liked legs, but as he wasn't using them at the moment it was preferred to something that would inhibit his combat capabilities- anything on his torso or arms.

Upon receiving information from the head of the Order of One Hundred Stars, Intan looked for his apprentice. It wasn't hard to find him- he was the most prominent sword presence on this side of the massive barrier. The issue was getting to him and quickly communicating. Elder Intan looked down at the station below him- it wasn't meant to have people standing on the outside, but he wasn't much good if he couldn't swing his sword. So far he'd mostly been consigned to cutting up incoming attacks, after trying his hand at the barrier for a while with no luck. Even now with it potentially weakened slightly, he was hesitant to give it his all.

His legs bent, then straightened- shooting him in a straight line towards where his apprentice was heading. Instead of getting impaled or cut in half, he used two fingers to catch himself on the sharp wings of the vessel, letting it redirect his momentum. Ty's fighter currently lacked some of the features a purely atmospheric craft would have, but the wings were still present as a connection to these 'guns' it had and because battles still took place in partial atmosphere. Rutera was apparently developing different models for pure space combat that would never enter atmosphere, but Ty's fighter would always be similar to what it was. Unless they could let him fly an actual sword, but Intan presumed there was some reason that shape wouldn't work with the engines and lateral thrusters.

Inside the ship, Ty gave little more than bare acknowledgement of Intan's presence. Intan simply held his blade at the ready, and they had a mutual understanding that they were looking for an opening. They did take a few swipes at the barrier, focusing on the rear where it was slightly weaker and when that was fortified shifting to different locations.

The opening that came was unexpected to all, as the sun disappeared. No, it hadn't gone complete- simply dimmed suddenly. Two seconds later the moon's reflection also faded, leaving the other stars as the main sources of light. That was still enough for two cultivators, since navigating towards a massive barrier was rather simple.

As expected of someone Elder Intan trained, the small opening and fluctuations in power was sufficient for Ty Quigley to commit. Instead of scraping along the edge of the barrier, he charged straight for it. As they approached, Elder Intan stepped onto the nose of the vessel, his blade ready. The two of them cut through the barrier, creating an opening long enough to find themselves inside.

Elder Intan leapt in a seemingly random direction once inside, but it was actually calculated to have him reach a certain ship. Specifically, the one with the sword user carrying the best blade. His opponent was waiting on the far side of the vessel, but instead of bothering to go around he cut his way through, letting his momentum carry him even as artificial gravity tried to change his trajectory.

Swords clashed, and Elder Intan passed by his opponent, a thin trail of blood on his neck… the enemy's hands still gripping the sword he stole away. His opponent had managed a decent counter move, but he hadn't committed hard enough. If he was going to get his hands chopped off anyway, he should have forced his attack deeper into Intan's throat. But that was about what could be expected from a half assed sword cultivator.

Chapter 509

Choosing to ignore that Elder Intan had instantly gotten within a few millimeters of death or at least deadly injury, Anton instead focused on the chaos and disruption inside the barrier. It only took a few moments before everything shifted, collapsing around individual enemy ships instead of being one large bubble around them. That meant that fighter pilot Ty and Elder Intan only managed to cause moderate damage in the few moments they had. Several more ships were destroyed in those moments, and with the larger barrier suddenly unavailable… suddenly the orbital defenses and waiting fighters were effective.

It seemed that with the Worldbinding cultivator focusing on them each ship's barriers were slightly stronger than they should normally be, but it was nothing compared to the near-invulnerability they had just lost.

With the focus shifted away from Anton he had a few moments to reorient himself, picking out critical targets. The strongest of those who had a connection to the aura user, and any ships he felt he could bring down. Anton considered attacking the Worldbinding cultivators directly, but wasn't confident he could seriously affect them yet. Better to whittle away at their source of power while he had the chance.

Rutera's fleet reacted quickly, weaving themselves among the enemy ships and making it impossible to simply take out the hindrances within the formation and reestablish the barrier. Anton was impressed at the speed with which the opening was exploited.

The maneuver didn't come without cost. With the Ruteran ships inside their formation, the full power of the invaders was brought to bear, including the Worldbinding cultivators. That aura was a problem, weakening the moderate strength cultivators on Rutera's side greatly.

Spectral energy was still the solution, Anton pulling upon as much of it as he could to pierce through the now weakened barriers, targeting any he felt had a connection to the woman. With the larger barrier collapsed he could feel she was a woman now- both Worldbinding cultivators were, though the barrier augmentor was significantly older.

Whenever Anton targeted someone with his spectral arrows, the barrier augmentor focused her efforts on those ships… but there was only so much she could adjust such things on the fly. Anton settled for a half dozen weaker arrows at once, some only appearing as spectral energy because his stores were limited. Some managed to still pierce the barriers, their specific qualities making them difficult to stop, while others were completely negated. Even if they had all been stopped, however, Anton felt his efforts were worthwhile. While the second woman focused on stopping his attacks, the rest of the fleet was facing slightly diminished enemy defenses that they were happy to continue to exploit.

Along with Rutera's fighters, there was now a hefty mix of Ceretos' cultivators moving between the ships. Not all of them could completely control their movement in space, but they were able to jump between both enemy and allied ships, using them as platforms. The combat continued to rotate around the planet, not quite matching that of the orbital platforms and thus allowing fresh arsenals to open fire. Anton could only imagine how costly this battle would be for Rutera- ammunition meant to fight cultivators was not cheap- but no costs could compare to what would happen if they allowed themselves to be conquered.

As each ship fell, Anton felt both Worldbinding cultivators weaken. He knew that even without any support at all they would still be worth more than a dozen Life Transformation cultivators each- the stronger one perhaps several times that- but compared to what they had been doing… Anton was little concerned about their individual combat capabilities. Soon enough the enemy fleet had been cut by a quarter… and then they began to pull away from Rutera.

Anton heard communications in his ear, something that hadn't been necessary for most of the battle as he was the one relaying information. It was a simple bit of Ruteran technology that vibrated sound directly into him instead of those 'speakers' they preferred to use. It was a simple order, one he didn't technically have to follow- but was glad to. "Maintain pursuit. Don't let them reform."

Even as those orders went out, Anton knew it would get many pilots killed. Without the support of the orbital defense platforms, they were more vulnerable… and yet it was undoubtedly the right call. If these Worldbinding cultivators got another chance, they wouldn't make the same mistakes again. They could come back, more prepared, with a larger fleet… and perhaps that would be the end of Rutera. Anton didn't want to disparage the ground defenses, but if fighting broke out in the cities it wouldn't be pretty no matter who 'won'.

The power of ascension energy flowed through Anton, into his bow. Either the enemy's defenses would focus solely on him, or he would punch a hole through one of their ships. Maybe two, if he was lucky. The pull of his bow strained his muscles and energy, fatigue beginning to actually catch up to him over the course of the battle. But he wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

By the time a third of the enemy fleet was destroyed, Anton thought he could have taken out the weaker Worldbinding cultivator, were she not on the same flagship as the one managing the barriers. The enemies response continued to be panicked, and Anton imagined they expected to be pulling away from these fighters. After all, all of the enemy ships were capable of interstellar travel, which meant superlight speeds in some circumstances. But they couldn't draw the power they needed.

When the sky had darkened, even Anton had been momentarily surprised. He'd forgotten his grip on the star's energy, but it had been working from the moment he did it- and it simply took more than a handful of minutes for the effects to reach them. Anton was only controlling a tiny fraction of the star's power- the miniscule sliver of it that was directly 'pointed' at Rutera- but that was sufficient. Which was good, because that was close to the limit of his power.

Perhaps realizing this, the enemy ships were making their way towards the star with a slight offset, hoping to draw from its power as the chase commenced. Over the course of the next half hour, the Ruteran fleet determinedly dogged the invading forces, reducing their numbers to below half. Then the invading fleet began to pull away, as the interstellar ships finally managed to disentangle and begin to accelerate at a rate the fighters couldn't keep up with. There was also the matter of fuel the local fighters had.

Another order, slightly delayed as distance became a significant factor. "Assist the Ceretos cultivators and pull back. End pursuit. We can't stop them."

As much as it bothered Anton, General Nicodemo was right. But he was also wrong at the same time. As the enemy ships began to pull away, none of the local fighters could keep up the pace unless they wanted to doom themselves to never returning home. Even the most brash individuals turned to retreat, Ty Quigley's extremely expensive fighter bearing numerous holes as he carried Elder Intan away, the latter clutching one of his own severed arms in his teeth as they went.

With the Sylanis Cluster's ships only getting faster, there wasn't much hope. Except, while they had chosen the best avenue of retreat for them… it was also the worst mistake they could have made.

Anton's eyes lit up as fires burned inside him. He was absolutely going to need a long period of recovery after what he'd done today… and how much more energy he was going to use. But as the enemy fleet drew closer to the local star he followed in silence and peace, merely keeping pace with them… until he suddenly cut off a wider arc of the sun's power for just a few moments. He was ready for the delay, now, and when it hit the fleet, briefly dropping their acceleration and the strange invisibility they had, Anton took his shot.

It was just a single arrow, but it went straight through the sails on one side of the flagship. The barrier from the second Worldbinding cultivator was instantly forced to its maximum as his attack went, but with half of the fleet missing and the woman having been constantly pushing herself… it wasn't enough. The barrier defended the body of the ship, but with the sails on that side went a quarter of their energy replenishment capabilities and a great amount of their stability.

His second arrow… went through one of the lesser ships. His third came from behind the enemy fleet, from the direction of the star. He'd actually launched that one moments after he cut off the flow of power, minutes ago. They weren't close enough to the star for him to simply melt the entire fleet with a giant net, but they were inside Sizipra, the innermost planet. Anton felt a significant boost as he began to tear through the ships and people- and the Worldbinding cultivator's power.

Front-facing weaponry on their ships couldn't do anything to Anton with his current position, and the myriad of attacks the weaker cultivators launched in his direction hardly mattered as he swept himself back and forth behind them, his momentum keeping his position behind the fleet while he changed his lateral motion on a whim. The barrier augmentor's attacks were the only thing that could concern him, but she was fatigued and the fleet was only getting smaller. Half of Anton's efforts countered her attacks, while the rest whittled the fleet lower and lower.

As the enemy fleet became less and less worthy of the name, Anton felt a wave of energy from the enemy- not an attack, but an attempt at communication. "Wait! We surrender."

In other circumstances, Anton would have thought it entirely impractical to attempt. Containing not one but two Worldbinding cultivators, even away from their optimal bases of power? That wasn't something they had restraints for. Actually, Anton would bet that Everheart had something that would do it, but he wasn't exactly willing to wait a week.

But… at this exact moment, he felt confident in managing things on his own. His energy connected to the enemy, transferring his message back to them. "About time." Then he used another powered arrow to pierce through the core of their flagship, rendering it nearly nonfunctional. He wasn't much more merciful with the Worldbinding cultivators, gathering part of the star and forcing it into their dantians. "If I lose control, that energy will explode. I'm sure you know what would happen to you."

Without the barrier, he could even feel the two nod their heads before they carefully responded, their energy barely able to squeeze past the burning fire Anton tossed into them. "We understand."

Anton then tossed out a massive net- not using the direct power of a star, but rather a more conservatively sized net made of 'peaceful' natural energy. The remnants of the fleet were gradually slowed by him so they would not drift past the star, as Anton instead settled them into an orbit. He also caught the other ships and pieces of them as they came into reach, further behind since they had stopped accelerating when destroyed. He'd greatly increased his storage bag's size after previous incidents, but even now he didn't have enough space for dozens of ships, so he settled for holding them in place. As for any surviving cultivators, they were thrust into one of the surviving ships that still had air and some protection from the star's radiation.

Then Anton sent a message to Everheart. "Got two Worldbinding cultivators, could use longer term restraints. Come to Rutera's star with a solution and you can have first dibs on interrogating them." That should be sufficient to get him interested, and since they couldn't have a back-and-forth discussion, he went with what he hoped to be tempting. Everheart knew much about Ascension. He'd surpassed Integration and reached Augmentation, and perhaps wasn't even too far from Domination himself… but Worldbinding and Assimilation seemed to be limited to the lower realms as options. Or perhaps they were simply unnecessary with the power of Ascension… but Everheart would be tempted to find out regardless.

Chapter 510

When Scholar Eulogius had sent a sky city crashing into the depths of Bavore, Weos was rightfully hesitant about him. Despite the fact that the city had been entirely compromised, the lack of hesitation and the ease with which he had accomplished the task concerned them.

When members of the Twin Soul Sect had attempted to flee the system only to be contained by some sort of massive formation long enough for pursuers to catch them, they had been afraid.

When he had offered to teach them 'a few tricks' they had been disappointed… then ecstatic.

With the local star and its gravity distortion having affected the planets within the system, even if it was not a universal area of learning Weos was more versed in gravity manipulation than typical. Such rare techniques being more commonplace had helped them eke out their 'victory' against the Sylanis cluster in the previous war, though their sizable population had helped. Unlike Rutera and Ceretos, they had long ago spread throughout their system.

The 'tricks' Scholar Eulogius taught them allowed them to manipulate the formation set up around their system to distort gravity- and thus space, as their ships took advantage of- in whatever fashion they pleased. The energy required was significant, and required a coordinated effort from their ships, but it was able to do useful things like distort space randomly around an incoming enemy fleet.

It was unfortunate that the invader's ships were sufficiently durable to not be torn apart by the spatial disturbances, but it did force them to drift apart over a sphere several hundred kilometers across. Weos had anticipated their arrival, and set their fleets against the isolated enemies. Some of their elders had participated in the previous war, and guided their tactics against the invaders.

The technique shifted the tides of battle enough to send the enemy fleet into a rout, despite the presence of what was presumed to be another Worldbinding cultivator. They were only disappointed that they were not able to destroy the entirety of the fleet, nor the Worldbinding cultivator himself.

On Ceretos, a certain individual bemoaned her inability to participate in recent battles. To her shame, the same had been true of her people, locked as they were to the planet's surface. There was a great unrest among them, though perhaps nobody noticed. No humans, at least.

Even so, the Great Queen was disappointed in herself. She was able to fly, but as she made use of wings she could only do so in atmosphere. And unlike human cultivators, she had no way to cheat her way around with natural energy. That was the primary weakness of void ants- and also their strength. They could mostly ignore natural energy, its offensive and defensive properties, but their bodies were small and their mobility… limited. Perhaps those the Great Queen had slain might deny the latter, but she was well aware of how much it limited her effectiveness. Nor were there many among the void ants who could ever hope to match her current level, even long in the future. It seemed that those of the void ants with potential were rarer than the humans, and the Great Queen didn't have the same ability to plan a growth path that Anton did.

The humans grew strong, and while the nests of void ants thrived in the energy rich atmosphere the cultivators produced, they could not manage it on their own. There were many factors restricting them. While they were brilliant for ants, only a small portion of them could be considered of human intelligence. They could solve many problems their size had for them, but they were lacking a feature humans took for granted. Hands. Hands made everything so easy. They could just scoop up a pile of dirt and toss it, instead of bringing it grain by grain. Some of that had to do with being larger, of course, but energy only exacerbated that gap.

Void ants remained in an awkward position where they were living at the whims of humans. While it seemed like they might manage mutual destruction, that was only on the smaller scales. A nest for a village or town, as mundane humans were nearly as much of a threat as the most powerful cultivators.

But they were not enemies. Instead, they shared mutual foes. The invaders from the upper realms were a group that the Great Queen was happy to go to war with… but they would not arrive for more than a century. Now there were other enemies, but the void ants could not fight until they reached the ground- or at least descended lower into the atmosphere.

The Great Queen didn't like it. She also didn't like the fact that Anton had gone off to another star system without her, though she was aware that her presence might have endangered his travel.

The Great Queen wondered if the void ants were bound to planets. Not in the same way as these 'Worldbinding' cultivators she heard about, but in the more mundane fashion. There had been some talk of flinging them at enemy ships, but for various reasons it was decided to be impractical… and any failure would result in good soldiers floating off into space, unlikely to ever be retrieved. Finding void ants was difficult enough when they were among other things, out away from atmosphere would be even crazier.

There was one thing that Anton said that gave the Great Queen hope. Anything was possible with cultivation. And while she was certainly not cultivating energy, she did cultivate her body. She had always been aware of this, but a particular individual who came to train with them solidified the fact- the archer known as Nthanda. The body temperer still had access to natural energy, but it was still miraculous that she had developed something akin to the void ant's chitin over parts of her body. Could the Great Queen develop an ability to use energy in turn?

Perhaps not… but an increase in her power might come with surprises. Thus, she had put together a mission, one which involved both Nthanda and herself. For both, it was something of a desperate attempt to grow to the next level. The Great Queen found herself quite nervous as the ship carrying them stopped in orbit over a very large planet. It smelled delicious, but it still filled her with trepidation.

"You ready, Queen?" Nthanda asked.

The Great Queen responded in the void ant's sign language. "Yes. We must not delay. My people anticipate great things." She did not say she was nervous. The Great Queen had come to understand human body language, but humans rarely understood hers unless she made it obvious.

Nthanda held out her hand for the Great Queen to step onto. "Then let's go. Sticking together might have better results."

The dim planet below was a swirling mass of gasses, with no solid land to be seen. The pressure of such a thing would increase greatly the further one descended. A true test of body… and a chance to be something more.

The Sylanis Cluster was aware that the first attempt on the newfound system had not been successful. However, they had made a mistake by angering the Ultimate Phoenix Sect. Whatever attempt at a Worldbinding cultivator they'd sent, it could be traced back to this system. With the actual individual at fault defending another system, this world would be quite open to attack.

The Ultimate Phoenix Sect didn't just name themselves after the firebirds. Among the fleet they sent, which should have soon included a new flagship, there were giant flaming birds. In their current forms they were incapable of interstellar travel on their own, but the sect had special containment on their ships for them. Now, they flew in formations, restricted only by their usual bindings.

Those bindings kept them in line… and channeled their power to the Patriarch, the Ultimate Phoenix himself. The power that burned within him was the peak of Worldbinding, matched only by a select few in the entire Sylanis Cluster- and even they lacked the gift of mobility binding powerful beasts provided.

"Patriarch, we are approaching the planet. Enemy vessels are mobilizing, but we have sight on our first target."

"The tree." The Ultimate Phoenix nodded his head. It was clear some great importance had been placed on that tree, and if information was correct it was the site of one of the more powerful sects. Live trees were actually quite resistant to burning- or at least they seemed to be, until they faced against the might of phoenix flames. Then, even stone and metal would ignite, let along somewhat moist firewood. "Prepare our descent."

"Yes, Patriarch. Oh?"

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Just a weird surge of energy through the barrier. Perhaps a probing attack."

"Very well. We shall continue."

As they began their approach, the Patriarch felt something. A sign of trepidation, perhaps? It was a strange feeling of hesitance he had not felt in centuries… and he was loath to acquiesce to something so primitive now. With an army of phoenixes around him, and the fleets of the clan along with him, his safety at least was guaranteed. Perhaps some would fall, but the Patriarch could replace the others.

"I sense an incoming attack!" The Patriarch growled, his voice like crackling embers. "Attune the barriers!"

In times of crisis, the formalities of a response could be ignored. All that mattered was that the proper action was taken, and he could feel the formation masters adjusting the barrier to optimally protect against the incoming attack. A proper master didn't require sustaining damage before adjusting.

Strangely, the attack missed. No, that wasn't quite right. The power simply was not aiming at the flagship to begin with, though it could only have been a desperate struggle. Instead, a phoenix was struck- though it would matter little. If one died, it could be reborn from its ashes. Except…

Whatever the attack was, it not only killed the beast, but extinguished its flames entirely. The Ultimate Phoenix felt water- but a phoenix was not so easily doused that they could be affected by full immersion in the sea. Yet the power augmenting it somehow managed to do that.

The formation master's eyes kept flickering around. "What is it?" the Patriarch asked.

"Something strange. The flow of energy is being disrupted."

"From an attack?"

"From the inside," the formation master furrowed his brow. "It's… it might just be an anomaly of the local system. It's still relatively minor, I just have to adjust if we run into any serious threats."

"I'm certain it is unimportant. I sense nothing."

"Of course, Patriarch," the man said. "Your orders?"

"We shall begin the bombardment." The wrinkled old man stretched out his hands, signaling his beasts through their restraints. They gathered their flames, preparing a coordinated attack.

Bolts of flame gathered together from dozens of firebirds, each sufficient to set a city ablaze. They gathered together, striking towards the target- the great tree below. Enemy vessels were moving to intercept, and there would be open battle soon, but starting off with a devastating blow was the best possibility.

The flames then impacted a barrier. The Ultimate Phoenix was not a formation master himself, but he could feel the magnitude of power. Did this barrier cover the whole sect? No, it was more than that. Wider. Perhaps the region? Dare he even say… the continent? But size did not matter. What mattered was its durability, and though it withstood the initial moments of the blast it was steadily melting under the power of the assault. It would crack apart, and once broken it could not reform so easily. That, he was certain of.

The Patriarch frowned.

"What is it, Patriarch?" the formation master questioned. "The barrier should not hold long, I am certain."

"It was nothing. Just… a momentary, ominous weight." It was as if something had tugged at the leg of his robes, but there was nothing aboard the ship that would dare to do so without his permission.

The Ultimate Phoenix smiled as the barrier opened. Flames poured through towards the tree. And then… it moved. The entire canopy of the tree twisted, and the combined might of dozens of phoenixes was momentarily halted. No, more than that- it was reflected. The beam of energy cut through the fleet, destroying minor ships that were not properly attuned to phoenix flames- but though the flagship was the main target of the reflection, it experienced no damage.

So it was going to be like that? The Ultimate Phoenix would have to get involved more directly then. He clutched his hands together, gathering power to himself. Then he felt something on his shoulder. He moved his hand to brush it off, and felt a sudden twinge of pain. He looked down, and was confused to find that his hand was deformed. He couldn't quite figure out why, but it just looked off. Oh, that was it. A finger was missing.

That whole process took him only a tiny fraction of a second, but by the time he came into any comprehension of the actual pain and circumstances involved, something had dug into his neck. It started at the front right side, severing veins and digging its way back to his spine.

Worldbinding cultivators didn't survive by hesitating. The Ultimate Phoenix slapped his hand around his neck with all his might. He didn't concern himself with possibly severing his own head- he could be reborn easily enough at the cost of a few of his pets. But strangely enough, when his hand tried to crush his unknown target against his own body, it was only his shoulder that gave out, giving way as if the thing on his shoulder were incompressible matter.

"Kill it… you fools," the Patriarch choked out through half-functional vocal chords. They no doubt heard his orders, but his subordinates hesitated. The thing was on his body, so how could they attack it? The Patriarch hadn't expected much from them anyway, and simply ignited himself. Replacing the bridge and a formation master would be required, but he wouldn't allow unpunished harm to himself.

Amongst the flames there was a slightly tickling feeling down the length of his chest and to his belly, as if heat sufficient to melt souls wasn't even a consideration. Then something tore into his stomach. No- that would have been a minor issue. Instead, without the use of natural energy, something tore into the metaphysical location of his dantian, the core of his power and cultivation. It tore away a chunk of him and… swallowed it into nothing?

One by one, phoenixes began to perish as they were called upon to give their life for the man who called himself the Ultimate Phoenix. Yet no matter how quickly their lives went, it could not stop what was happening to him. As he ripped open the front of his own robes- with great difficulty, given their priceless materials- he saw only the rear legs and abdomen of what seemed to be a black ant, presumably somewhat longer than his palm. His fingers reached for it, squeezing… and snapping. Each rebirth the Ultimate Phoenix had to temper his body, but he did so diligently even if it hardly mattered. Every movement he had was augmented by natural energy, and between his fingers he could have crushed a mountain. Yet somehow, he felt as if he were a child trying to squeeze a rock. Then the flames erupted inside of him, his control lost- and he was no more.

Chapter 511

It was almost surprising how many things Everheart had to restrain other cultivators. Anton paid careful attention, though everything he saw seemed like it could only be used on already incapacitated individuals. At that point, they could have already been killed. It was fortunate for Anton that the Worldbinding cultivators had chosen to flee in the direction of Rutera's star. Had they gone elsewhere, they likely would have only suffered a few initial casualties and then escaped.

It was strange, actually. Anton had been able to sense what the two women were bonded to- could they not feel his connection to the star? He'd have to go over that with someone he trusted. And he supposed Everheart would be a fine enough option, since he already knew the important parts. Being able to feel Anton being bonded to a star wasn't relevant when the man already knew it.

"So what did you say they attuned to?" Everheart asked Anton after the cultivators were properly restrained, not just with threats of imminent and inescapable violence.

"Followers, and these ships," Anton gestured.

"Anything else?" Everheart asked. "Is all of it here?"

Anton closed his eyes, concentrating. Even without conscious effort his stores of natural energy were replenishing, but Anton was expending most of that recovery to circulate his energy and heal his wounds. Outside of himself, he reached his thoughts towards the two Worldbinding cultivators. "There's… more. All in the same direction, and very faint- so I presume back at their system," Anton declared.

"Stupid," Everheart said. "Should have brought it all."

"If it was really devoted followers and ships? I absolutely agree. They should have some reason not to but…" Anton shrugged.

"Anyway," Everheart said. "I'm impressed kid. You took out two people higher than yourself in cultivation."

"Only because they chose the wrong direction."

"Did they, though?" Everheart asked. "Their ships thrive in sunlight. And I bet there's more to it."

"Not really," Anton shrugged, "I just followed them until I was strong enough to do something."

"In other words, you tricked them into entering your domain," Everheart clapped, "I'm proud of you, kid."

Anton looked at his hands. Yep, still wrinkled… and he was referred to as a kid twice in a single minute. Everheart was old enough to make that sort of statement, though. "I suppose I should accept your praise. It was much closer than it appeared, though."

Everheart snickered. "You should know that it doesn't matter who will win as long as someone knows otherwise. Once you convince everyone you've won, you have."

"I don't think it's quite that simple… but I can't fully disagree either." Anton shrugged, "Regardless, I would like to ask you something. Can you sense what they're attuned to?"

"Hmmm…" Everheart furrowed his brow in concentration, not saying anything for a good five or ten minutes. "The older one's connected to the ships, and the younger to a few remaining people, right? Yeah, I think I got it."

"So it's not just me then," Anton frowned. "Why couldn't they feel my connection to the star?"

"First… it took me more than an instant to pick that out," Everheart said. "Which means it's not that easy. I'd imagine you being an Assimilation cultivator yourself is a significant factor there. As for you, I feel…" Everheart closed his eyes in concentration again. "The devotion of the people of Rutera. Or at least some powerful people near there. As for the star? It's more internal. That power flows from the inside out, it's a step harder to sense. Also, I get the feeling those two are used to being dominant. They probably didn't think it mattered where you got your power from."

"... Is there really that much devotion?" Anton asked. Certainly, when he tried to feel it there was a constant flow, but it wasn't much compared to a local star. "I'd mostly taken to ignoring it."

"I wouldn't ignore it," Everheart said. "But if you want to stifle your growth, go ahead and keep it up. Though for someone who says he doesn't care about devotion, you sure do a lot to cultivate it with all that helping people."

"If I'm going to receive any, it might as well be for something deserving." Anton couldn't help but think about one source in the upper realms that he'd never even communicated with directly. But apparently she was now happy with how things were going, so she could do whatever she wanted.

"Anyway I gotta get to interrogating," Everheart said pulling out a huge pile of books and scrolls.

"Don't cause any permanent damage," Anton warned.

"... Including to minds and souls?" Everheart confirmed.

"Especially to those. We need to know what they know."

"Me too!" Everheart said. "I need to know everything! It's easy, I'll just do a simple memory extraction and give you a copy of everything."

"... Can you do that without turning them into mush?"

Everheart rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Sure, fine. But it'll take longer."

The Great Queen was quite pleased with her development. While she couldn't exactly move freely beyond the atmosphere, she had developed a method to redirect herself by selectively negating nearby energy, creating a void everything would flow towards. It was a bit more complicated than that, but she should be able to explain it to her stronger subjects… or carry some along with her as she went.

That actually had little to do with her actual advancement. That had come in the form of consuming copious energy at the middle of a gas giant while her body was tempered under the pressure. In addition to that, the devotion of her brethren had empowered her, not just emotionally but with a tangible connection. It wasn't natural energy, but it was something that accelerated her development.

As for other occurrences, she was now able to compare the taste of phoenix and phoenix cultivators, neither of which she had previously tasted. The former was better. The energy was more pure, and it tasted like chicken. The cultivator just tasted like a foul human, and human was something that the Great Queen had no taste for. What she really liked was ascension energy, but that was in hard supply even when Anton was around.

For some reason the humans had ignored her as she dug her way through their ship towards their leader. She couldn't have been the most subtle, tearing through the barrier and chewing through some of the hull, but they'd just ignored her. If they'd simply used their eyes and ears, they would have seen her. And even with her advancement, she was fairly certain a proper cultivator could cut her in half if they managed to slash a decently made weapon towards her. Specifically, one that was naturally sharp and durable- since enchantments and augmenting natural energy were mostly pointless, except as they accelerated the blade itself.

Speaking of people who could crush her with their bare hands, she needed to return to Nthanda. The woman hadn't been quite finished with her advancement or death when the Great Queen had, so she'd had to leave her behind. Even if Nthanda did break through, it would be rather difficult to climb out of a gas giant without control of natural energy- through one method or another.

When the last handful of phoenixes fell from the sky, Erin watched as Paradise swam at an alarming speed towards them. He gulped the first one out of the air, and caught the next two near the surface of the water. Then Paradise dove after the last three, Erin taking direct control over the formations that kept the sect and everything else from being torn away as he dove under. For an island sized turtle, Paradise was quite agile, snaking his neck around to snatch the last few in his jaws. Then he returned to the surface, twisted his neck around until his head was over the island, and slowly opened his jaws.

Six waterlogged phoenixes plopped into a pile, and Erin assumed there was a purpose. If they just didn't taste good, Paradise could have just spit them out into the ocean. "What do you want us to do with these? They'd be good materials, I guess." A wave of disapproval. "Not that, huh… then what?"

Paradise's energy twisted as the collars on the phoenixes snapped, then were crushed into a single ball of scrap.

"Ah. You mean to free them? No… you want to take care of them?" Definite approval. "Alright so… what does a phoenix eat?" Erin frowned, wondering what they might have. "I guess the answer will have to be fish."

Aside from Ceretos, which had more than its fair share of Assimilation cultivators- and apparently a particular void ant queen- nobody could claim overwhelming victories. Solid? Absolutely. Only Weos had any enemies able to retreat- but Rutera took too many losses for it to be comfortable. There was a critical question of whether or not the Sylanis Cluster could manage another attack. One Worldbinding cultivator dead and two captured was a not insignificant blow… but if they could bring the other ninety-seven, or even twenty of them working together to dominate each system one at a time… then, there would be serious issues.

Though with Everheart present, perhaps Ceretos would survive. Even if the man thought things were dire and chose to flee instead of participating directly, the continental formations would be sufficient to balance the tide. But that was assuming no more than twenty Worldbinding cultivators, and all somewhat weakened. Given what they had seen, nobody was willing to swear they didn't have the capability to send more. Except-

"Here's a list of all the Worldbinding cultivators," Scholar Eulogius said without prompting at a meeting of Rutera's top brass. "Okay bye~!"

Anton had felt him coming, of course, but he thought the man would at least stay for… any amount of time at all. He was the one to catch the almost carelessly flung booklet, and he took it with him to his position next to General Nicodemo. "It's more than just a list," Anton said upon opening it. "Names, locations, affiliation, presumed cultivation level… binding method. It's almost like someone put this together with the intention of military action…" Anton could tell it wasn't Everheart's interpretation of information- not once did it call anyone 'dumbasses' or otherwise insult them.

"Why do you think that?" asked President Aneirin Park.

"Any number of things. Including that I feel like the Sylanis Cluster might be ready to go to war with itself."

"Really? Do you think we can make that happen?"

"Before just now?" Anton shrugged. "We had barely enough information to even guess at the internal politics. Now… we have shot." Anton felt momentarily bad for not caring if Everheart had avoided melting his captive's brains to get this information. He wouldn't mind killing them, but some things were unnecessary. All of this, though… Anton hoped Everheart had kept his word, but he really couldn't complain much if this was the result because he didn't.

"If we have a chance… what do we do?"

"We read through all of this and come up with a strategy that our alliance can actually implement," Anton said. He had read through it all in a few moments- it was more than a few pages, but it was just information. After studying Everheart's learning techniques, that was simple. Applying this information would take some teamwork… but Anton was slightly distracted by 'Scholar Eulogius' standing outside waving what Anton could sense was a very shiny scroll in a manner that was confident Anton was still watching him. Was that… was that a Worldbinding method? Actual concrete instructions for breaking through… or perhaps how to advance upon reaching Worldbinding? Anton had to know.

No wonder Everheart was obsessed. How could anyone just leave the secrets of the universe unlearned once they realized how far they went? Anton just hoped that the Sylanis Cluster's methods didn't involve sacrificing babies, but he wasn't really confident that it would be much more pleasant than that. Though theoretically they had at least two options.

Chapter 512

It was quite frustrating to deal with information from the Harmonious Citadel, especially concerning Saints. While still indoctrinated by the Harmonious Citadel Vari had been aware of a number of Saints with actual names, but this particular Spear Saint didn't have one. Was it erased or…? Vari wished she had access to the whole library back on Rouhiri, or even the easily available portion. That way she could determine if there was some weird tradition about it.

It was weird to think about how obsessed she'd been while not really knowing some of the important stuff, but Vari supposed that could have been on purpose. She was one of many with no family and no prospects- but sufficient cultivation talent to practice the Holy Harmony Technique. Those with greater talent- or perhaps those who had connections- were instead allowed to practice the Glorious Harmony Technique. The worst part was she could see the reason to have a subordinate technique that empowered some cultivators. It was the deception that was the issue- in fact, even Vari herself might have remained steadfast in the Harmonious Citadel's clutches had they simply informed her what she was actually giving up, and given her a proper benefit in exchange.

Now, though, she was taking the benefits promised, as well as clawing back her devotion, with interest. If they were going to exploit people's belief in the system, she would do the same to them.

Searching through the records was dull. Catarina was very helpful, her mind for sorting through information being more robust than Vari's own. Even so, both of them could have made use of a technique her grandfather mentioned. There was just the issue of transmitting a technique via their communication methods, as it would be missing imbued insights and the like- unless Catarina managed to put together the thing she'd been working on. Beyond that, it was apparently excessively long, though Anton had mentioned that a good portion of it was likely more for practice than an inherent necessity of the technique. Either way, they didn't have the Ten Thousand Scrolls even though it had apparently been on Xankeshan at the same time as them. Just locked in Everheart's clutches.

Every bit of information had been snagged from the outpost- spending weeks or months reading was a good way to get killed by someone coming to check up on the outpost. So they had returned to Xankeshan with their goods and read.

There was a large amount of damning information hidden among what they recovered- if only they could distribute it to disciples of the Harmonious Citadel and be believed. Unfortunately many would be naive like Vari had been, and unwilling to even entertain the words of an outsider- or former sister.

"Found it!" Catarina said finally.

Vari scooched around her pile of papers. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely. The time frame matches up. They don't say when the Spear Saint was replaced, but there's information that can lead to that. A couple hundred years ago, a top disciple just… stopped having records updated. Not marked as deceased or missing, but simply ignored. The current Spear Saint is a man, right?"

"That is correct," Vari nodded. "A… Damjan Atanasov."

"Aha! So he changed his family name. Interesting. Too bad we don't have continuing records after he took over as Saint, but we can presume the old one was replaced then."

"That's nice," Vari said, "But it doesn't tell us about her."

"Oh, but it does!" Catarina fanned out a pile of papers. "Because the exact same scenario happens in the older records, with one 'Silvija'. It has to be her. Same thing, no records of anything happening- they just stop. And around that time, a lot of other disciples got shuffled around. The kind of thing I'd expect to happen with a new leader in charge."

"Huh," Vari said. "That… doesn't answer any of my actual questions." A name was something, but it didn't help with the weird feeling in the back of her head.

"This is interesting stuff!" Everheart said as he waved about his copy of the Worldbinding level cultivation methods. "If I had access to this before I ascended, I might have been interested in trying it out. Well, except for the thousands of people who were looking for me to kill me," Everheart admitted. "Probably best I ascended to avoid that whole thing. But still, these are decent. How would you say they compare?"

Anton frowned, "I can't quite say. For me personally… they are inferior. For those with the right attributes? They might greatly increase the possibility of advancement. Did these two create these, or did the methods come from someone else?"

"From what I was able to glean, they're on the second or third generation of Worldbinding cultivators," Everheart said. "They likely had some basis to work with, and this is their personal version."

"I see," Anton said. He felt a momentary surge of power in one of his communication devices- going to the upper realms, specifically. "Hmm."

Everheart sighed, wistfully staring off into space. "I knew a Salvija…"

Anton made a mental note to be more careful with incoming messages around Everheart, but he had some questions. "Is it a common name?"

"It was not uncommon," Everheart said. "There are a great number of individuals in the upper realms, so there is no lack of people sharing names."

"Who was she to you?"

"We had a fling," Everheart said. "You know how it is. Attractive woman shows up, you hit it off- pretty soon you're in a war with her sect and everything goes up in flames. Then it ends the usual way."

"... Which is?" Anton asked.

"Death, of course," Everheart sighed, "You should know that."

"I feel like you left out a few details."

"Nothing I feel like elaborating on."

"Did this happen often with you?"

"Oh, sure. Every century or two. That's how long it took for them to get fed up with me or… for something unfortunate to happen."

"You must have chosen women of remarkable fortitude for them to last a century with you," Anton said.

"Yeah," Everheart shrugged. "I'm pretty sure they were all crazy on some level."

"Did this one happen to be a Spear Saint of the Harmonious Citadel?"

"Oh, you know about her?" Everheart grinned, "They were so mad when I invaded their stupid towers and snatched away her statue. But they were just going to destroy it anyway."

"Right." Believing Everheart was truly done with the topic, Anton wondered if the information would help Catarina and Vari. "I'll be going for now. I have a meeting with some individuals from Weos. If you could leave a copy of as much of everything as possible for me, I'd appreciate it." No doubt Everheart would scramble off as he pleased, back to Ceretos. Anton wasn't certain if he was weaker outside of the system or simply more familiar and thus comfortable there. Either one was reason enough for the man to avoid battling outside the area.

Among the contingent from Weos was Oluchi, with Merve being present because of Anton's promises. Those from Weos were a select few Anton trusted with certain information. In general Anton was quite willing to share information about cultivation, but he preferred not to be reckless. Ascension and Assimilation were both significant steps, and Anton was trying to focus more on nurturing those who were trustworthy. Ceretos was in a decent state, but Weos… he'd prefer if those at the start of the race were allies. On paper the whole system was allied with Ceretos, and that would be true in practice at least for the duration of the war unless some powerful groups chose to be very foolish.

Afterwards, there was no guarantee that Weos would remain friendly just because they didn't have an infestation of Twin Soul Sect members. Cultivators were still cultivators, and just because Weos was internally stable enough to colonize their whole system didn't say much- especially with how the Sylanis Cluster ended up.

Regardless, he would be sharing the two Worldbinding methods. They were closely tied to the underlying cultivation techniques, but there was still information to be gleaned, and along with Anton's own insights he hoped to guide some of those now with him towards Assimilation- or at least having it as an option. If they merely chose to study it and ascended instead, he would still be glad for improvements in individuals he felt positively about.

"It seems to me that they were quite focused on local expansion of their 'domains'," Anton said. "I think this might hold true for other Worldbinding cultivators as well. It seems to me to be a limited method."

"Is it?" Oluchi asked. "Most cultivators would rather secure one area strongly."

"Even so," Anton said. "It is possible to cover a wider area."

"For you, it seems," Oluchi agreed. "But what about the others from Ceretos? They're not exactly hopping between systems."

"That's… a good point," Anton admitted. "However, I would still suggest a wider focus. Or at least considering the potential to expand. For example, if you wanted to bind with a large gas giant, you might also consider attuning to each moon in turn as well. Then, perhaps, one could move on to other planets whenever that finished."

"It's not crazy but…" Oluchi shook her head. "It seems impractical."

"So is restricting yourself to a small area," Anton shrugged. "Even if I am weaker among the outer planets, I am still effective." The further Anton could expand his draw on each star, the less it would make a difference where he was, except for immediately adjacent to a star. That would always provide significantly more power than anywhere else- and it seemed more than 'normal' Assimilation cultivators. There had been the slight issue with him nearly burning to death, but that was the risk taken for bonding with a huge source of power. It was a good thing Anton had only attempted a small channel, instead of dominating the whole thing. He couldn't imagine when he'd be strong enough to control more than a small portion of a star's might.

"I have a question," Merve said. "Would it not be reasonable to draw upon the power of stronger cultivators?"

"In what way?" Anton asked.

"The one cultivator had her followers attend her to provide power. If they were instead other Worldbinding cultivators there would not have needed to be many."

"That's… a problem of access to power," Anton explained. "There is one individual who shares the power of an ecosystem with another. That only works in situations where conflict is nearly impossible. Even if they agreed to it, powerful cultivators might struggle against each other. But, I do agree that if there were no conflicts that an individual or group might be empowered in such a fashion."

"I see," Merve nodded her head in understanding. "I had planned to use my techniques to support you in the attack, but the distance between us was too great. I was thinking that such a bond might allow for mutual assistance."

"It certainly would," Anton admitted. "But you would need a great deal of trust to make that work."

"I understand," Merve said. "I will toss that idea aside. I doubt that a mere decade or two would result in such trust with anyone… in either direction."

"For your technique, I think working with companions might do well," Anton said, knowing that she didn't have much contact with anyone besides him. "And if someone were to do something similar with the others becoming Worldbinders, no doubt it would be formidable. Let us be glad that the Sylanis Cluster had not accomplished this."

"What about a weapon?" Oluchi asked. "Bonding with such a thing and bringing it with you seems like it would solve the problem of mobility."

"True… but does your weapon empower you, or the other way around? I imagine it would take a weapon of truly marvelous construction to provide even the minimum requirements for Assimilation." Anton thought of Chikere- she certainly shared a sort of bond with her weapons, but her current power should come from ascension, and thus the powerful energy of the upper realms. Someone with a collection like hers might have managed Assimilation, though even then they would likely need weapons that could only be produced in the upper realms. Chikere had managed to snag some of those during the invasion.

Oluchi sighed, "You're right. It would have to be something rather amazing."

"There is some power to be gained merely by the level of insights necessary," Anton said. "I would be more powerful than a Life Transformation cultivator anywhere- but not to the same degree. I also believe that bonding to something merely to do so could set one's path in motion in the wrong direction, weakening the cultivator. Either way, the choice between Ascension and Assimilation is not one that should be made in a short time… nor could it be, unless one cultivated to the peak without thinking a single step ahead."

Chapter 513

Up to the most recent battle, there was nobody that the Sylanis cluster would have bothered trying to ransom back. Of course, there still hadn't been any official communications between them and the trifold alliance, but that might change. Along with two Worldbinding cultivators, they had communications devices. According to Everheart, "Those things can only be used by the one individual they're tied to. Or rather, I'm going to let them keep believing that for as long as possible."

So the question was, would they attempt some sort of negotiation? The two Worldbinding women- Alaia and Zarina-were cognizant enough of their own mortality to surrender, so they would certainly be willing to attempt such negotiations. The questions began with whether they could be trusted to do so without slipping in codes of some sort, and whether an exchange could actually happen peacefully.

Then there was another matter. Anton had a significant interest in the matter given his position- and the information about him that the two women now knew. They could give a reasonable judgment of his strength, and had to be well aware of his connection to Rutera's star. Anything else was only speculation, but that was valuable tactical information. The only reason Anton was actually willing to consider an exchange was because having any sort of successful diplomacy with the Sylanis Cluster would be a place they could work from. In addition to that, the two were currently weakened- his final attacks hadn't been enough to completely cripple them, but they would take either years or significant expenses to recover. And given what Anton had determined from their techniques, they wouldn't be able to instantly recover their power after that- they would have to spend proper time binding to new subordinates and/or ships, the losses of which had been a significant blow.

If any of Anton's stars were somehow destroyed he had no doubt it would be something difficult or perhaps impossible to recover from… but if someone was able to go around destroying stars he had bigger issues to worry about. The same would be true if they could somehow just target 'his' part of the stars and destroy that, because it was such an ethereal thing he seriously doubted it was much easier than wiping out a whole star.

In short, they could potentially have a successful deal and exchange two weakened individuals for a significant sum of resources, at the price of valuable intel. Since the most important parts there related to Anton in particular, he was given the ultimate choice. It was that… or they would be executed. Previous prisoners had been kept with the intention to gain some sort of information from them, but with Everheart's crazy methods to draw information from their minds they had little to offer there… and there was no way two of the top one hundred(ish) individuals in the Sylanis Cluster weren't responsible for their own involvement, unlike the rest of the soldiers.

It wasn't something easy for Anton to decide, so he planned to put it off for the moment. In the meantime, they monitored the captured communications devices for any incoming messages.

Combining representatives of notable forces throughout the trifold alliance led to large crowds. For their part, Rutera had a smaller contingent- they had organized themselves into a cohesive group, so they mostly fielded the president, some aides, and top military officers. Weos had the most factions represented, while Ceretos had around a handful of individuals representing the interests of each continent and a similar amount for the Exalted Archipelago. The latter was still a point of contention given their ties to the upper realms, but the most problematic factions among them had been exterminated.

Given the difficulties they had with communicating with the upper realms, the Exalted Archipelago also couldn't consult them- and thus dealing with the Sylanis Cluster became their problem as well. Anton trusted a few individuals among them enough to know they hadn't received any secret communications or the like from their enemies. Thus, if attacks were going to continue on Ceretos they had to get involved.

Rikuto Ranik was currently leading the discussion for Weos. "Weos is of the opinion that we should take the opportunity to push for additional attacks, to let them know we won't wait passively for them."

President Park of Rutera responded, "We likewise would not prefer to wait around… but our efforts are limited by construction speed. Even just bringing our defenses back to optimal condition could take years. We're not quite… prosperous enough to provide a proper military response." That was true- though they did have large piles of fancy scrap to work with, both their own and from the invaders.

Anton indicated his desire to speak next. "I have considered lending myself to another assault." At this point, Anton had more than just the weight of a single faction from Ceretos behind him. His personal power made him a significant player even if he hadn't been mobile. "However, they will undoubtedly be prepared for me in Okloi… and I unfortunately can't simply choose to assault one of the other systems." He needed more time. If the war dragged out for a few more years, perhaps a full handful, he might reach the next rank and thus have the option… but Anton couldn't do it yet. There were murmurs of assent- having seen cultivators of his level fall, and with the significant power of the Sylanis Cluster better understood, there were murmurs of assent. "However… that is only if I venture out alone. I could lend my aid to a raid on Okloi, with the understanding that my actions couldn't be nearly as widespread as my first attempts."

"Uhm…" Eyes landed on Nthanda, who was sitting uncomfortably in her position. Her recent advancement was something Anton still had to speak to her about- given her presence she had obviously not attained ascension, but it also didn't feel quite like Assimilation. They hadn't had the chance to speak on it yet, but her position was earned- if unwanted. And in front of her… "The Great Queen of the void ants wishes to add her words to the discussion."

On the fancy table in front of Nthanda stood the Great Queen, one of the more unexpected individuals to be present. Though, she was more active in diplomacy than Nthanda, who had simply been chosen to represent Ambati for her strength. Anton could understand the Great Queen's signs, of course, but Nthanda had to interpret for most anyone else. She could have had her a separate interpreter, but had insisted that Nthanda do it- which gave the woman the chance to not have to speak for her own region as much and still show participation.

"I am of the same opinion about waiting. Though we grow more prosperous every day, our enemy has shown themselves slow to react. I propose another assault upon," Nthanda paused as the Great Queen spelled out the next word, "Oluchi. One that involves everyone, the three allied systems… and of course Anton and myself."

Anton could tell more than half of the room was still weirded out by a 'talking' ant, but everyone was in control enough to not say anything. As for Anton himself, he'd long grown used to it. "Including you, is it…" Anton nodded. "And our target would be…?"

"The Ultimate Phoenix Sect, of course," Nthanda continued her interpretation- which was then interpreted once more by machines for the Ruterans. "We will show these fools that their Worldbinding cultivators provide no protection for them. We shall level their sect… and destroy all who oppose us."

"They are weakened…" Anton agreed. "No more Worldbinding cultivators, but there are more upon that world."

"And if they come to us, we shall destroy them," Nthanda tried to imbue as much passion as the Great Queen had, but actually found herself holding back slightly. "Even just the two of us would be a serious threat for them. The rest shall be present as a show of force and to properly collect the spoils of war."

If he wasn't good friends with this Great Queen, he might be disturbed by her words. So far, the void ants hadn't displayed any warlike tendencies. Was this part of her advancement? No, that wasn't right. It was difficult to pick out in non-human body language, but her passion was the same as his own- a desire to protect what they had. The void ants were practical, living in harmony with those on Ceretos- and responding appropriately to those who would threaten their home.

Anton nodded. "Such an attack would be appropriate, and focusing on one place would minimize the necessary forces, so enough remain to defend our systems."

General Nicodemo looked between Anton and the Great Queen. "I am… unfamiliar with your power. Are you certain it would be tactically sound to send you?"

The Great Queen stepped forward and began to devour the natural energy in the room, creating a vortex of power. "I have devoured the heart of a Worldbinding cultivator. I fear not any amount of natural energy, nor human weapons. But of course… I respect human cunning, and I would not be unprotected in any capacity. I would trust my life to both Anton and my royal guard."

"I feel like I made her mad," Nicodemo said to Anton. "Did I make her mad?"

Anton grinned, "I'm fairly certain she was more mad at the Sylanis Cluster's actions. You phrased yourself well enough."

"I really don't…" Nicodemo shook his head. "She's so small! I could probably crush her in my palm!"

"You could not. Even if she allowed you to catch her."

"Alright, fine, but… natural energy can still affect void ants, right?"

"For practical purposes, consider the Great Queen herself completely immune at this point."

"That's… terrifying?" he scrunched his face. "But even so, someone with a sword could chop her in half."

"A very limited selection of individuals," Anton said. "But you are correct, if they could hit her."

"We have supersonic sniper rifles," Nicodemo said. "No energy involved."

"That… is something that the Sylanis cluster does not have," Anton finally concluded. "And perhaps Rutera would be the best equipped to fight against void ants, if it was ever required. But I have seen the Great Queen in battle. Her strength, speed, and durability put together with a very small form are sufficient to make her a formidable foe. She could easily kill you, for instance."

"Well I… have no plans to test your words," Nicodemo shrugged. "It's just… I can comprehend cultivators and what you do. Void ants are more difficult. Can we… is it possible to make stuff from their chitin? Or replicate it?"

"Yes, and I'm unsure. I will say, however, that very few things have been made from void ant chitin. And anything of significance almost assuredly would not happen. It would take quite a number of deaths to achieve, and they would not appreciate it."

"I wasn't suggesting we kill them. I understand at least enough of them are sapient. But they must die naturally, right?"

"So far, that has mostly been the weaker ones, which would hardly serve the desired purposes. The Great Queen herself is older than you."

Nicodemo swore. "I mean, of course she is. Why not?" he shook his head. "But still…"

"The void ants also take care of their own dead. They don't leave them in human hands."

"That's… extremely appropriate," Nicodemo sighed. "But maybe we could study them?"

"You can ask," Anton said.

"... I was really hoping you would do it."

Anton shook his head. "I don't think I will. But if Rutera really wishes to try this, you do have ways to contact them. I can bet it won't be cheap though."

"What does that even mean?" Nicodemo squinted. "Do they use money? I guess they'd have to, interacting with cultivators."

"The colonies at least collectively keep money, yes. But I imagine they would want political favors."

"I see," Nicodemo frowned. "I'll have to talk to some scientists and figure out how much that would be worth, and how possible replicating something might be before we even enter into any talks. Also, how strong was that guy that she 'ate'?"

Anton shrugged, "Stronger than me by a good margin, from what I hear. Though also completely unaware of her existence until it was too late."

Chapter 514

Several weeks prior.

Sensation was nearly impossible to quantify when the only light came from spontaneous combustion of compressed gasses which turned into liquids, and a monumental pressure squeezed every part of the body to the point that touch and hearing were overrun.

The first thing Nthanda had lost were her eardrums. They had sufficient strength to withstand a deep ocean, but not this. It was a difference of… Nthanda wasn't fully sure. A hundred times? A thousand? She was still falling, as far as she could tell. How far would it grow? Ten thousand times? Perhaps more. So far, the building pressure had given her just enough time to keep her head from turning to mush, plugging her ears, nostrils, and eyes with natural energy while squeezing her lips tight.

Her body still broke, but it maintained a humanlike shape. Western Steel Body and her personal touches went far beyond the actual strength of steel at the peak of Life Transformation, but it wasn't sufficient. How could it be? She had chosen this location for its extremity. As she fell, the pressure only continued to increase. Soon, her energy would give out and her body would be crushed, probably starting with her brain.

She could feel it, the barrier of ascension. If she just pushed through that somehow, she would be free of this unrelenting pressure. Her body was adapting as quickly as it could, the traces of chitin she developed from the void ants keeping her skin vaguely intact. But soon, she would fail.

It was strange, at such a time, to feel hunger. As a cultivator who focused on body tempering, she ate more than any other- many times more, depending on how far she pushed herself. Yet that generally came in the form of training or battle and then a large feast. On the battlefield, her body suppressed such feelings. Yet now, in such a crisis situation, she couldn't help but want to go for a snack.

If she had brought a storage bag with her, she would have eaten it. Not just the food inside, or all of the contents, but the whole bag itself. Her hunger was so great that only eating a spatial distortion seemed like enough.

That was how Nthanda knew that her brain was broken and she was going to die. She felt her body passing through the twisting gasses that had not yet compressed into a liquid mixed with those forced into a liquid state. She was also thirsty, so she did the only sensible thing.

As she was going to die in a few moments anyway, she might as well drink it. What rushed into her mouth, forcing its way to the back of her throat and into her stomach was not water. Yet somehow, her body greedily tried to absorb it. Her stomach was overly full in an instant, then her body began to digest whatever was in it.

Since that would kill her anyway, she gave in and took a breath, realizing her lungs were starved for air just as much as anything else. Somewhere in the mixture of gasses was the oxygen her body craved, but it could have easily been one of the liquids.

Nthanda accepting her fate didn't mean she was giving in. It was just that in her brain addled state it felt like the right thing to do, the inspiration cultivators sought. She would die in a moment or two, but before that happened she had to follow her instincts.

Nothing of what she consumed was anything like food, but somehow it flowed from her stomach through her body, being absorbed and transformed. To the very best of her ability, she pushed that transformation.

At some point she found herself not falling any deeper. Nthanda couldn't be sure if she'd reached the deepest point, but she felt that wasn't quite right. She simply wasn't dense enough to sink further. Her body was much heavier than a 'normal' cultivator, compressed muscle and bone requiring more weight no matter how efficiently they were otherwise constructed.

Time no longer made much sense as she floated there, 'breathing' and 'eating'. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but she found herself consuming the matter around her. It was barely enough to survive. She needed something more, and somehow she still had some conscious thought. Her natural energy reserves were gone, but her ears and eyes were somehow holding together enough to not let anything through to her brain. That allowed her to think, and the only thing she could think of was the void ants- their Great Queen had come with her, though Nthanda had been distanced from her almost immediately.

Her ability to absorb natural energy wasn't significant. That was part of the reason she'd focused on body tempering as a way to grow strong. Yet the void ants didn't absorb energy like a cultivator at all. They ate it.

Nthanda was well aware she didn't have the special mandibles meant to chew up energy, nor a digestive system that could handle it. But what would trying hurt? It might kill her, but that was a fate of many who pushed themselves to the limit of Ascension. Ascension… she somehow felt she could just reach out and tear apart the world, and then she would be done- whisked off to a place with exceedingly dense energy that was so different as to have its own name. But she no longer wanted that. She wanted something else.

So she ate. She ate gas and liquid and occasional shards of solid matter that formed of things that simply couldn't be solid normally. But she also ate energy- that which was mixed within it, and that beyond it.

It hurt. It hurt her teeth, and the nerves behind them. Her jaw, her throat, her stomach. All of them protested her efforts. But she continued… and she didn't die.

What she later determined must have been days or more passed, and she found herself… whole. More or less. Her eardrums were reforming somehow, an internal pressure fighting against the outside. She'd sunk even deeper, her density increasing somehow.

Then she managed to have whole thoughts. More than just eating and surviving but… how was she going to get out of this? Everything was just pulling her down.

She stretched out her arm and reached, grasping, pulling. It was almost like swimming, though a heavy gravity pulled her down. No, the gravity itself was hardly relevant. It was the pressure, the masses of everything above her. She reached and pulled and swam, fighting against everything- and imagining herself to be light. She wasn't quite sure if it worked, but she had nothing better to do. Even now that she could open her eyes without them driving through her brain, there was nothing of note to see.

She climbed towards what she thought was upwards, squirming her way through the density of liquid gasses, ever onward. Sometimes, she would eat. It was quite refreshing. Then, she felt a presence- a small one, but notable for how the energy around it ceased existing. Her hand wrapped around a tiny body, carefully avoiding wings that somehow helped pull her further upward.

"So basically, that's what happened," Nthanda finished explaining to Anton.

"Is that… so…" Anton nodded slowly. It wasn't the fact that she survived inside a gas giant that was odd. If she truly broke through to the next stage, that was something that could be accomplished. It was just… odd. "And you feel no connection to the location?"

She shook her head, "Nothing real. Except like… as a memory of my advancement. I'm not connected with a string of energy, or drawing from it. In fact I kinda…"

"Have less energy than before," Anton nodded. "It almost felt like you became weaker, but your stop on Ceretos let you compare your power to others."

"And I let you shoot me," she nodded.

"Along with that," Anton agreed. He had taken the cautious route, gradually ramping up his power with each shot just to be sure. She let everything hit her, until his ascension energy. That she batted aside with the back of her hand, where some of her energy resistant chitin was prominent.

"Yeah so," she frowned. "I guess I eat energy now. Also everything else. I still prefer food though. The energy dense stuff Ceretos has is the best." She frowned, "Rutera feels so… empty, by comparison."

"This planet was always low on natural energy, which is why they developed as they did," Anton explained. "It's actually improved significantly lately. You'll have to give them another couple centuries to really catch up though."

"I don't… plan to hang around her for all of that, I guess. I suppose I probably will live that long, though."

"As long as you don't get killed," Anton agreed. "Now then… we should probably get you a new bow. And maybe arrows?"

"I… can use Spirit Arrows well enough. But I'd still prefer to have something physical. I'm not sure if there are any bows that can stand up to my current strength, though."

Anton grinned. "Not that I'm going to give you. I need this one." The Worldheart and Soulstring bow from Everheart was too good to give up- even if Anton was going to convince Lev to let him have some more of the Grandfather Willow at some point, a replacement for that bow wouldn't be as strong. "Rutera has excellent metallurgy, and combined with other forging techniques we can certainly get you something."

"I… never exactly hoarded many resources," Nthanda said. "I feel like something worthwhile would be outside of my budget."

"You're one of the ten strongest individuals in our alliance," Anton said. "If you will fight, you can earn back what I spend on you rather easily."

"You'll pay for it?"

"Myself and the Order, of course. Or you can convince any faction in Ambati. Either way, it's an easily justifiable expense. Especially since you can go… anywhere."

"I'm not quite sure about that…" Nthanda said. "I get really hungry. I feel like I could starve to death if I end up outside a system, and I'm barely able to direct myself. I'm definitely stronger, so I know I can make a difference but… how would I compare to a Worldbinding cultivator?"

"I won't lie to you. You're on the bottom end. But," Anton emphasized. "You literally just advanced. And your freedom to move as you please as well as your unique methods makes you a danger. If we get you a proper weapon, they might never see what's coming."

"It's not that hard to dodge an arrow going in a straight line. I can't really bend them much…"

"If it's going fast enough… and has no traces of natural energy attached to it…" Anton grinned, "Most people won't notice it coming in time. Rutera has some very interesting weapons based around high velocity projectiles." Anton shrugged, "Or you could give up the bow and just chuck hunks of metal from the sky." The Sylanis Cluster's barriers would likely adapt to the massive kinetic force she would be outputting… but if they did that, they were giving up quite a bit.

"I'd still like a bow, I think," Nthanda said. "Though I'm not certain if I can get enough arrows."

"You shouldn't need more than, what, a few thousand per battle?" Anton asked. "I'm sure I can convince someone on Rutera to make a factory that produces some stuff for you. If you don't need things like enchantments there are some metals that they have that would be quite functional, I think." Anton nodded, "But while we prepare all that, I have another assault to get to. You can join once properly equipped."

The Great Queen happened to be in on their conversation, and simply hadn't been saying anything. She gestured with some enthusiasm as the assault was mentioned. "We will make sure they don't think they can get away with whatever they want."

"Will you be alright?" Nthanda asked. "I understand you're very strong but…"

"I would be most afraid of fighting you," the Great Queen said. "Against energy cultivators? As long as I am not alone, my confidence is sufficient. And not putting forth my skills, simply relying on others to die in my stead… that will not do."

Nthanda raised an eyebrow, "Aren't queens supposed to stay alive for… other purposes?"

"I have no intention to breed more at the moment. Perhaps if Rutera is amenable I will provide the basis for a few colonies at a later time." The Great Queen performed her version of a shrug, meant for human audiences. "I am not needed for that, and my direct offspring aren't necessarily superior to the later generations. That is more a matter of learning."

Thus it was that three individuals that followed development paths that ranged from near Worldbinding in method to literally inhuman finished their discussion and moved on to consider practical applications of their strength.

Chapter 515

Once more, the trifold alliance was preparing an assault on the Sylanis Cluster. This time, they would be focusing their efforts on a single place, a combined assault stronger than their previous probes but retaining more defensive forces in each of their systems. They would prefer not to mistakenly assume the Sylanis Cluster was out of options for a stronger assault- recent damages would either motivate stronger retaliation or cow them for a short time. Having displayed four sufficiently mobile Worldbinding cultivators, they might have more.

Along with Anton and the Great Queen of the void ants came a fleet of a few dozen vessels of various sizes, though all of them significantly larger than Rutera's fighters. Whatever secret project Rutera had going- which Anton presumed was a much larger carrier ship- for the moment they only had some smaller ones capable of carrying a half dozen fighters along with some passengers and the crew necessary to operate the larger ships and their weapons. Carried on various vessels from the alliance was a small cultivator army consisting of mostly Life Transformation and Essence Collection cultivators. In addition, they had a handful of formation masters to help deal with whatever they encountered on their target planet of Zimora, a larger number of formation specialists that couldn't be called masters, and tens of thousands of void ants.

The number of void ants was actually rather conservative. That was, in essence, enough to make a few combat formations out of the weaker ants, with only a few dozen of any individual prowess. Unlike human cultivators, the void ants could not only fit in a smaller place, but were mainly focused on fighting together in a group. Ceretos could have brought as many human cultivators if they had the space, but they simply didn't- and they would have needed to start dipping into Spirit Building cultivators rather quickly. The fact was that Spirit Building cultivators could easily die to aftershocks from Life Transformation combatants, let alone the involvement of cultivators stronger than that. The few that were present were those at the peak who were looking for an experience to push themselves, aware that they had a high chance of death like the individual lesser void ants.

It was the last day of their approach to the Okloi system, and Anton could feel his connection to the twin stars sharpening. He found it much more relaxing to travel inside a proper ship where he didn't have to put in effort to his own travel, and was able to focus on important things like his continuous effort to extend the reach of the stars he drew upon. That was especially important for Okloi, because the more he could exploit the binary star system the better. For their current moment it hardly mattered- Zimora was one of the closer planets to the first star in the system, so Anton would be at optimal force. And if anyone was stupid enough to draw a fight closer to the star, he could pull off some amazing moves.

They were not intending to take over or even assault the entire planet. Their forces were simply insufficient to do such in a timely manner even if there were no other factors to consider. Instead, they were targeting a weak point to prove something. The Ultimate Phoenix Sect, which had attacked Ceretos. They considered the sects of Alaia and Zarina, the two women Anton had captured and not yet ransomed, but the Ultimate Phoenix Sect was stronger and thus a better target to mean something. More importantly, the planet shouldn't have another Worldbinding cultivator in residence.

The head of the Ultimate Phoenix Sect had been sufficient to place them as a top sect- as any Worldbinding cultivator would- but he had underestimated the defensive preparations of Ceretos. In addition to being completely blindsided by the mere existence of void ants, his fate had been sealed. Without the Great Queen he might have managed some success in his assault.

While it would have been nice to use the Great Queen for assassination attempts, she was conscious enough of her mortality to not want to go into actual enemy territory alone- a ship in the midst of combat was an entirely different matter than going to an enemy system alone, or at least without immediate reinforcements available.

As they approached Zimora, around the same size as the home planets of the alliance but not in a proper habitable zone. In short- it was hot enough to kill any non-cultivators rapidly. The younger void ants would need to stay in the protection of the ships until they broke through into a habitable formation- even fire cultivators didn't want to live in temperatures hot enough to boil away every trace of water at every moment of their life. In addition to revenge, that was another reason for the assault on Zimora- no real civilian population. While there were likely some who would fit the description, they wouldn't be contained in the core portions of the sect. Potential disciples were taken from that small population and promising cultivators on other planets.

The tilt of the Okloi system provided an easy route to Zimora that wouldn't pass close to other planets. The direction of approach would likewise be somewhat predictable, but the enemy would have to know an attack was coming to react. Because of Anton's previous visit he didn't think they had a way to sense people coming, but chances were much higher that some part of the fleet would be picked up. Since it wasn't just Anton he couldn't begin the assault from an absurd distance without giving the enemy time to prepare while they got closer, which unfortunately meant the assault would likely begin as soon as they were spotted.

It was not a matter of the Sylanis Cluster's formation skills being insufficient that meant there was no planet wide defensive formation. Rather, it was one of practicality… and a lack of trust. Especially on an intense planet like Zimora, it was impractical to attempt a barrier covering all of it. It would have to be selective in how it handled heat if nothing else, or they would lose part of the purpose of the chosen location. As for the trust issue, that was simply a matter of the Ultimate Phoenix Sect- and the other forces on the planet- not wanting to allow others to be in on their secrets.

The Worthy Shore Society had contributed the formation master Naid Conaire to this endeavor. As they approached Zimora, the fleet maneuvering to align where they intended with the planet's rotation, she began the process of coordinating efforts to pick apart its energy flow. There was little that could be done from afar, but they could at least feel it with its significant power.

Naid spoke to the other formation masters, along with the Great Queen and her elite soldiers. "We'll be looking for weak points to exploit. I understand that you naturally feel the flow of energy, but what we're looking for isn't necessarily the weakest or strongest flow. We want to cause more than just a momentary disruption."

It would be easy enough for the void ants to chew a hole in the barrier given a few minutes unrestricted- perhaps faster given the Great Queen herself- but that would leave them separated from the rest of the forces unless it brought down a significant section of barrier. The Great Queen waited patiently for direction on where to attack, prepared to move when they were closer.

Soon enough, forces collided. The fleet reached atmosphere without issue, but it was around that time that their presence was noticed, and the responses were immediate. Yet Anton could feel the signs that they weren't fully prepared for an assault. Archers responded immediately, but the way that people scrambled behind the barrier indicated many were without weapons or out of position. The barrier prevented Anton from discerning finer details, but it wasn't able to completely block him. Thousands of cultivators rushed for weapons, ships, and phoenixes. The latter were the quickest, riding into the sky along with cover from what archers the sect had.

Anton judged the ranged attacks to be of decent quality. Nothing impressive for Life Transformation cultivators, but they clearly weren't slacking. There was only the issue that those of sufficient strength could be counted on his hands, and Anton could shoot down all of their attacks- or at least disrupt them sufficiently enough that they wouldn't reach the heights of the ships. That, with sufficient concentration remaining to fire shots powerful enough to kill Life Transformation cultivators.

But those weren't his first targets. Instead, he aimed for the collars on the necks of the phoenixes. They were powerful pieces of equipment, made of durable and highly enchanted materials. Yet there was a significant flaw they possessed in that the natural energy of the phoenixes was restrained from affecting them, which included a weakening of their defenses directly beyond it. It was a narrow band, and the only attacks that would slip through would instead have to contend with the durable metal collars instead. Even Anton would be hard pressed to manage to break the collars and cause significant damage to the birds' necks beneath.

Not that he wanted to. Anton knew that not all of the phoenixes would recognize their freedom as collars shattered, and some would be cowed into obedience regardless… but for some portion that overcame both criteria the riders on their backs quickly found that the flames protecting them becoming flames of vengeance were sufficient to cause them a great deal of damage. As fire cultivators, except those careless enough to not have any of their own defenses raised, they would survive- and their positions still allowed them to easily counterattack. Many phoenixes fell into ash, but just as many enemies did the same.

Some of those freed of both collar and rider turned to flee the area, while others assisted their brethren. Both were sufficient to disrupt the enemy's efforts and allow the fleet to approach with minimal damage, the enemy vessels only just beginning to lift off.

At the same time, those charged with breaking open the formation moved into full swing. Along with the subtler manipulations of the void ants- dropping down nearly invisibly through the open sky- and the formation masters, there were the bruisers like Oluchi throwing her spear, causing as much pressure as possible to the barrier. Cultivators leapt from the attacking ships, intending to land on the battlefield at the earliest possible moment.

Waves of concentrated fire burst from the barrier where attacks fell upon it, intended to prevent further attacks and injure enemies. Some fulfilled their purpose, and others were wasted energy. Nearly unnoticed among all of the attacks was one section that was constantly spraying fire as void ants chewed on it.

Though fire could harm void ants, fire made primarily from natural energy was significantly less effective. The Great Queen had no concern for her own safety unless the enemy organized specific efforts to take her out. Her guard were also durable enough to withstand the struggling formation.

Strangely enough, the first hole in the formation did not occur next to the void ants, but at the base of the formation. The barrier and its minders did their best to react to the incoming attacks, but along with the bombardments energy simply being torn away overwhelmed them, and a momentary gap opened up. Unfortunately for them, it was enough for a handful of cultivators to slip through… and one shot from Anton that went straight for what he recognized as a power conduit supporting the barrier. The actual storage of power would be contained further within, likely underground, but it had to get to the shell somehow. He still wouldn't title himself as a formation master, but he had enough knowhow to break things that were important when they were exposed.

The edge of the formation wobbled and pulled open, still preventing attacks from above if they weren't able to twist, but allowing the landed cultivators to enter. Further up, a hole about a hand's width let through dozens of small black shapes. Ships began to land to deposit more combatants while the first through the barrier secured a foothold. The first step of the plan was complete, but they still had to fight through somewhere around a hundred Life Transformation cultivators, and ten times that many in Essence Collection.

Chapter 516

Even as the barrier around the Ultimate Phoenix Sect was broken open, the battle continued in the skies above as some of the assaulting ships made to land while the local ships had finally made it up in the air. Ruteran starfighters were included in that battle, including their ace pilot Ty Quigley. Before learning about personal cultivation he'd been above average, but he took to cultivation and Elder Intan's training in swordsmanship like a fish to water. While others used their diverse weaponry to batter their way through enemy shields, he mainly focused on a more direct approach where his vehicle was the weapon. It had taken some convincing for Ruteran leaders to accept his odd approach, but as the majority of the expenses for his modified ship were paid for by others they had little reason to reject the attempt. It was effective, with him slicing his way through the fields of fire and any ships that stood in his way.

If Anton were going to judge it- and he was- the Ultimate Phoenix Sect's control over fire was… fine. Average. Certainly, their fire was powerful, and their cultivators had some regenerative properties. They weren't useless. They just weren't as good as Anish or himself. Their buildings survived not due to precise control of the cultivators spewing flames everywhere but because they were specially made to resist the heat. That was all well and good if they fought in their own sect, but outside of it they would doubtless destroy things they didn't intend to. That would include their allies.

The Ultimate Phoenix Sect had quite a variety of ways they displayed their flames, from powerful breaths to wreathing themselves in fire to fiery wings sprouting behind them, giving them a small measure of flight. They had the skill to not hurt themselves, and the cohesion to avoid hitting each other, but they would have had much greater attacking opportunities if they could fight freely.

The trifold alliance quickly exploited those tactics, weaving themselves between the enemies. Battles settled into close melees where weapons and personal flames reigned supreme instead of wide area attacks. In that manner the Ultimate Phoenix Sect held some advantage as their numbers were superior, but only on the surface. The Ultimate Phoenix Sect had somewhere around a hundred Life Transformation cultivators when the battle started, fewer than the trifold alliance. It was the thousand Essence Collection cultivators that were able to stop them from being instantly overwhelmed. They were, however, lacking Worldbinding cultivators- while the other side had Anton and the Great Queen to fill that power bracket.

And their numbers weren't quite superior. Just as the Essence Collection cultivators were many in number… void ants were even greater. Rushing onto the battlefield behind the initial waves, the weaker void ants bundled themselves into larger rolling constructs. Flames struck them, but the power of those flames came from a reliance on natural energy. The lower ants weren't entirely immune, but they could withstand incoming attacks long enough for others to rotate into the line of fire. The tumbling bundles of ants surprisingly sought out mostly Life Transformation cultivators- the difference in power between the stages was less relevant to them.

With their strongest cultivators being picked off by Anton and the Great Queen as well as swarmed by ants they could only kill in small bundles, the Life Transformation cultivators began to fall swiftly, freeing up the trifold alliance's forces to cut down weaker cultivators who couldn't all reach them at the same time.

The Ultimate Phoenix Sect quickly fell back to secure inner walls, but the speed at which their outer barrier had cracked open had thrown them off balance. No, losing their patriarch should have been the start of that. Instead of returning with a glorious victory and plunder, their claim to power had instead perished with many of their forces- including the all-important phoenixes.

As Anton continued to shatter their collars, more and more of them chose to fight against their captors. If Ceretos had once had its own phoenixes it had lost its native population, but there were always legends of such things- and their power and intelligence. Whether they were matched with humans was currently unclear- perhaps they might be more like void ants where mature members developed deeper sapience. Or like Paradise, such things might be an exception. But they weren't stupid.

When they were free to act as they pleased, they either fled or took out their anger on those who had wronged them. Members of the Sect tried to draw upon the Phoenixes for recovery- they didn't have a proper channel between them like the Great Queen determined the patriarch had, but there was some connection. Unfortunately, without the collars it was mostly pointless.

The Ultimate Phoenix Sect took shelter in the core of their sect, no doubt intending to huddle and wait for reinforcements. Anton could feel some forces 'nearby' stirring, indicating they might be gearing up to fight… but if they wanted to bring more than their very best, it would take them hours to cross the hundreds of kilometers between the sects. Otherwise, they had to rely on their starships… and those would still take some time.

As they stood around the core palace of the Ultimate Phoenix Sect, people were directed to looting and razing buildings. It wasn't appropriate to do such things in battle, but a sufficient core watched the enemy sect for a response, ready to fight if they left their shelter. Meanwhile, the formation master Naid Conaire put together her head and the others with them to determine the best way to dissolve the inner barriers. The whole time, the Great Queen was nibbling at the bottom of the barrier. It was designed to deal with any sort of attack, but it couldn't do much about its energy being torn out of it. Alone, the Great Queen would take a long time to deplete the energy reserves they had- but she had nothing better to do and the way they tried to fling attacks at her amused her. Whatever portion of the heat their abilities created that was not attributable to natural energy was ignorable, and none had sufficient power to harm her with anything else. Any who attempted to attack with thrown spears or arrows found that a small, quick target was extremely difficult to deal with- especially at the base of their walls. They had proper machicolations to target anyone of vaguely human size, but it was still awkward to target a moving thing less than fifteen centimeters in the longest dimension, right against the base of the wall.

Anton helped finish the battle in the skies, freeing up the starfighters to deal with any potential reinforcements. They were still some distance off, however, so Anton appreciated the few minutes of downtime. He breathed deeply, drawing upon the power of the local star. Though it had nearly led to his death, his first connection had been a critical learning experience and he had no regrets pushing for the most powerful Assimilation he could think of- even if he hadn't fully understood what he was doing at the time.

Soon enough Naid had put together a plan of assault. Her diagrams showed where various people would attack- mainly the Great Queen, her royal guard, and Anton. The lesser void ants would be too vulnerable by the walls without distractions. "Fully analyzing a formation takes a long time," Naid said, "So this will still be more or less brute forcing our way through. But that is what we can do with our given time constraints."

Before they began the assault, the looters quickly deposited their last groups of spoils upon the ship- the outer region had been somewhat disappointing in their loot, but there would be more deeper within. And much of the purpose of this assault was to take everything they could- not because they needed it so much as that they wanted the Ultimate Phoenix Sect to have it… or anything. Though the shift of resources to their side would be a valuable result as well. Even simple shiny objects were enough to convince certain cultivators to provide things of actual utility, in trade back home.

When they began their assault, Anton focused his efforts on a single point, waiting until he felt the inner barrier straining to adapt to the variety of attacks before swapping to a condensed shot of Ascension energy. Golden energy snapped forward, striking the dome but not even slowing as it pierced a thin hole. Anton carried himself in with it, seeking the strongest enemy he could find. He swept low, driving up behind the ribcage, through the man's heart and up into his skull. No doubt the cultivator could recover from some of that, but the final part meant there was little consciousness to try. A nearby phoenix melted away regardless, its life force torn out to no avail.

Speaking of phoenixes, they had no fear of flames. Those dozen who chose to fight had been patiently waiting for the barrier to go down, seeming to understand the cultivator's intent. They had still been leery of the trifold alliance, of course- huddling together on the far side- but when they had the chance to attack their former masters they combined their efforts, filling the courtyard full of enemies with flames.

The Ultimate Phoenix Sect cultivators were of course resistant to fire, which was the only thing that stopped them from instantly perishing. Defending themselves from that assault made it difficult for them to coordinate against the cultivators as the barrier broke apart, the enchanted gates providing only moments of additional resistance, as they were tied to the same source of power.

Inside was a truly beautiful palace. Gold was of little value to cultivators, though it certainly had some aesthetic qualities, but Anton thought it could be overused. The Ultimate Phoenix Sect certainly had a large amount of gold to reflect flickering light inside, but they only used it as highlights. The main factors were gems- diamonds were used instead of crystal to scatter lights, fire opals- true fire opals with constant flames writhing within them- as well as precious metals and great art filled the palace. Anton thought it was a shame they couldn't take it all, but frescoes and carved walls weren't something they could loot in a reasonable timeframe.

And yes, he was already thinking about that because the last of the enemy sect was falling. Strangely enough, the incoming enemy forces were hardly even close, as if they never intended to protect their allies to begin with. And maybe they didn't.

While some pried the most valuable bits out of the walls, tossing everything into freshly emptied storage bags, Anton went to the deepest parts of the palace where his energy had instantly wormed its way searching for the vaults. The formation masters came along, and soon they were prying open heavily reinforced doors- surrounded by walls that were at least as strong, else they could have torn their way through that way.

Inside the vault was… well, it was a large pile of wealth, but nothing Anton thought a sect with one of a hundred Worldbinding cultivators ought to have. He had several thoughts- perhaps it was stored elsewhere, if they were able to trust banks. Then there was the possibility that they preferred to display their wealth instead of having it. Finally… it could have been lost over time. Or recently.

The internal politics of the Sylanis Cluster weren't exactly friendly. Perhaps the Ultimate Phoenix Sect's loss of a Worldbinding cultivator had caused them to be cleaned out, to some extent. It was obvious they hadn't actually been assaulted, but the loss of influence could have caused a rapid calling in of debts.

Anton shrugged. He would have preferred they profit more from this venture since they were doing it, but that wasn't their only goal. It was for revenge, and to send a message. As they cleared out everything as quickly as they could, swiftly venturing into bedrooms and lobbing whole sealed chests into their storage bags, Anton considered how they would leave their more explicit message. Obviously razing the place to the ground would send a message- but he planned to carve some actual words as well.

He finally settled on something short, concise, melodramatic and yet true as far as he could enforce it. 'You will gain nothing and lose everything'.

He worked with others to carve that into the rubble- with the power making the enchantments functional removed, the palace was torn down within the hour. Only at the tail end of it did Anton start shooting at approaching enemy ships as they returned to their own.

They took their loot and their dead, as well as the phoenixes that seemed to think they were the best method of egress, landing on their ships. Their starfighters returned to the larger ships hovering in orbit, and they began to pull away, distributing various sources of fuel as necessary for their return trip.

Several more ships fell to Anton as they drew further from Zimora- no point wasting an opportunity. He could have done more if he waited behind or shot to the very edge of his limits, but he didn't want to push anything and bet on no Worldbinding Cultivators rushing in from nearby planets. Nor did he want to give away his exact range information, though if they counted down to the kilometer the enemy would likely be surprised in his next engagement. Anton was always on a path to improvement as much as possible, and he found shooting with no resistance to be something he quite liked practicing. Range was one of his great strengths, and he would never say he had enough.

Chapter 517

Though the assault on the Ultimate Phoenix Sect was a success, it was not without losses. Even an overwhelming force would inevitably sustain some casualties, it was simply a matter of who incurred more- relative to their own strengths. So far, the trifold alliance hadn't lost any of their Assimilation level cultivators, and the Sylanis cluster was down three… but a single one from Ceretos perishing would be a huge deal. Weos and Rutera simply didn't have any to lose, and the latter was fortunate that Anton had been present for the most recent attack.

Anton was quite aware that if any Assimilation cultivators were lost in the war, he was one of the most likely. After all, he was active and mobile- most of the rest were present together on Ceretos, bound to a purely defensive situation. At least for the moment- perhaps some might develop to a later stage where they would be more mobile, but that was unlikely to happen in the next few years if they didn't start highly mobile. Everheart of course didn't count, because he wasn't really interested in involving himself in fighting in other systems. Weos was an exception because of the Twin Soul Sect, but otherwise he had quoted exorbitant costs that were maybe not even worth it- and that was saying something, given how strong the man was. More than once he mentioned to Anton how he'd like entire planets.

The most recent advances were the exception to the mobility issue. The Great Queen was not bound to a place- she benefited from devotion, but that didn't require her presence in any particular place. Beyond that, she merely gained a stronger body- she was likely of a similar power to an Assimilation cultivator, which in a way made her much more deadly to those who were uneducated.

Then there was Nthanda. Her current limitation was not her power nor her capacity to travel, but simply her weapons. No doubt she would do fine in a battle consisting of Life Transformation cultivators ripping them apart with her bare hands or using her older bow, but she couldn't make optimal use of her power until her new weapon and ammunition were available. Rutera was hard at work on that because they had the best non-enchanted materials expertise, and since they seemed to be a high frequency target they needed whatever assistance they could get. Weos… well, hopefully they'd have their own Assimilation cultivators soon enough- they had peak Life Transformation cultivators and Anton had been helping as he could. Gaining even one or two Assimilation level cultivators there would greatly increase their defensive capabilities.

After the assault on the Ultimate Phoenix Sect, two months had passed without direct action. That didn't necessarily mean anything good- it could mean that the Sylanis Cluster was no longer confident in attacking, or it could mean they were preparing something bigger. The number of mobile Worldbinding cultivators shouldn't be terribly high, but there was still the potential threat that they could combine what they had remaining to attack Rutera or Weos.

All of this put together made Anton wonder about the ransom of the two he had caught, Alaia and Zarina. If they were returned and healed, then they would have only removed one Worldbinding cultivator. On the other hand, forcing the enemy to expend resources for the attempt- both in the ransoming and recuperation stages- seemed like it might be worth it. And having one successful event of diplomacy seemed worthwhile. He wanted to work on that, but finding anything even remotely approaching neutral ground was a challenge.

Though Everheart could fake transmissions from the Alaia and Zarina, nobody wanted the Sylanis cluster to know it was so 'easy'. Thus, they were directly involved in the negotiations for their own ransom. Ironically enough they were more reasonable and cooperative than the weaker cultivators, like Merve. Anton doubted they trusted anyone still, but they were willing to go along with the motions on the chance that they were freed. Or perhaps because there would be some sort of ambush waiting at the other end, which was kind of the same. That would at least be trust in their allies, to some extent.

Anton was fairly certain that there wouldn't be an ambush, or at least he was convinced that the two hadn't asked for one. Whether or not that would equate to the Sylanis cluster agreeing, he couldn't say. But, at least their sects had agreed. Negotiating a price had required input from those who were more adept at trade than Anton- he was aware of the value of many goods, but the Sylanis cluster didn't necessarily offer the same things as Ceretos did. More importantly, the sects couldn't afford to just throw together a room packed to the brim with diamonds- or something cultivators actually cared about. If they were seen to be buying up all of one type of usable good, the price would increase… which meant they would be less willing to trade and couldn't afford as much. Anton was willing to press them for everything they would give, but he'd rather get the most possible as well- for himself, and for Rutera who sustained the majority of the damage from the two.

They were even willing to meet at the edge of Rutera's influence. That was good… but also meant Anton wouldn't be at optimal strength. It was better than trying to meet them in Okloi, because that sort of confidence would give away too much, and he really wasn't certain they couldn't set up a good ambush for him.

The negotiations ultimately resulted in the Sylanis cluster not informing him where they would arrive, just the distance- they would use their communication devices when they arrived, and would wait for the time Anton promised he would arrive in. He slightly undersold his potential speed- and they likely knew that. Even so, it would be much harder to organize an army to show up than a single ship or small fleet, and Anton thought he should be able to pick out anything untowards before they arrived.

Thus it was that Anton set out with the two cultivators- still restrained and with damage to their cultivations. Not alone, of course. He could doubtless fly the two of them there faster himself, but he took the maximum forces the enemy would accept. He really did want a successful negotiation, even if it was unfriendly. That would be the first step towards maybe ending up at peace. Because he sure wasn't confident in managing to beat Worldbinding cultivators fifty or a hundred more times.

Rutera provided ships, including one of their smaller carriers with a few fighters. Ty Quigley volunteered to come, perhaps because Elder Intan was also along… or because he hoped there would be a fight. Both of them probably wanted that, but Anton at least trusted them not to start it.

Anton was bending the rule of only bringing one 'Worldbinding' cultivator. Obviously, he himself was going. Along with that, he was bringing the Great Queen. If nothing went wrong, she would stay hidden and unnoticed unless they had the proper training to pick her out, a simple blank for energy senses in the void of space that was already mainly empty.

The message came, and they moved out. Anton marveled at the fact that he could reach the edge of the system, further than he could have ever imagined traveling, faster than he once could have walked to Alcombey to sell off his crops. How greatly things had changed for him in the last century and a quarter, and the same was true of Ceretos as a whole. It was hard to keep up with, even if he was one of the driving forces.

As they drew close, Anton removed himself from the ships, flying ahead with just the Great Queen as a companion. The given coordinates were accurate enough that he found the waiting cultivators without issue. From everything he could tell, all was as anticipated. No Worldbinding cultivators, even as his senses squirmed their way through the barriers of their ships to peer inside. The ransom payment was available in boxes and crates, not wrapped up in a storage bag. Its presence was useful. He got close enough to feel beyond and around the group, feeling only emptiness beyond them and the standard background of natural energy.

He returned to the ships, to arrive with them. "Everything seems to be in order," Anton said. "But stay cautious."

"Of course," was the Great Queen's immediate signed response.

The other ships replied through the comms devices- Ruteran ones all worked with each other except for the exception of interstellar ones- and even those they were working on. The acknowledgement of preparedness came from everyone, and Anton moved to unbind the two Worldbinding cultivators. He was unconcerned if they wanted to attack him- in their current states he could destroy them even in a melee. One had the faintest connection to some of those in the awaiting fleet, but that was to be expected.

It was extremely surprising to Anton that the exchange went through smoothly. He went out with the two in hand, the Great Queen nestled into the back of his clothing. Likewise, the various goods came to him, his senses quickly checking that quality and quantity were satisfactory. He dug deep into the cores of the boxes, but everything was precisely arranged and within expected tolerances for the crystals, metals, and exotic lumber- among other things. When half of the good were safely in his possession, he let the weaker of the pair go- Alina who had the connection to people. Then the other, Zarina.

They got on their ships, sealed up, began to turn around… and that was when it happened. Anton had remained ready, outside of a ship so he wouldn't have to bother with it getting in his way if something went down. When he sensed a change in the world, his eyes immediately flicked to an empty part of space, only to find great skeletal hands prying apart the void. Two reached through, slicing apart a vertical slit- then more pried open the sides like the void itself was a cloth to be torn through.

At such a distance Anton couldn't accurately judge their size, but the vertical slit was hundreds of meters in height, and the individual arms were at least a dozen. Though they appeared human, perhaps they had come from giants.

"Hold fire!" Anton commanded before anyone else could react. "Target the interloper, but don't attack until I do, or upon my order."

What was it? Anton searched his memories for what the skeletal arms could be as the opening in nothing rapidly expanding, stark white bone contrasting with the blackness of space, the points of light behind it covered in nothingness while the faint light of the sun lit the side towards them. The information carved out of the just released captive's heads provided a name. A Worldbinding cultivator, Bala Sykora. She was the leader of the Ivory Maw- one of three Worldbinding cultivators they had. Her relationship with the other two present was anything but friendly.

As a literal mountain of bone pulled itself into the world, and even before Anton felt the spectral energy emanating from it he was preparing himself. "Don't let them screw this up! Fire on the bones!" He punctuated the words with his own shot, shattering dozens of bones but ultimately seeming to be inconsequential damage compared to the size of the ship that was pulled through.

Anton was not concerned because he felt a great number of enemies come along with it. In fact, he was nearly certain that whoever controlled that came alone… but that was a more terrifying result than them bringing along an army.

He could feel the connections, though it wasn't like anything else he'd ever seen. Yet it also wasn't unfamiliar. Spectral energy, but unlike himself it wasn't being drawn from beyond. Instead, it simply was- and that was all. The connection from the great mass of bones, some human in shape and some clearly not now that Anton had the chance to pick them out, were entirely suffused with spectral energy, without a trace of natural energy within Bala herself. He'd heard she had a mountain of bones- but even the two in the ships in front of him had thought it to be hyperbole.

Then a wave of power pulsed out in a sphere. It was only enough to cover the closest ship- one of the Sylanis Cluster. The barriers they had did nothing to stop it, and a moment later Anton felt the death of dozens of souls at once. Fully half of the complement of that ship had died, and Anton didn't expect that the others were in good shape either. Attacks from the local fleet crashed into the mountain of bones. Instead of resisting with a barrier of energy, its simple size and mass appeared to be its main defensive factor. Anton thought to order a retreat- it wasn't necessary to fight this, not here. But if he did… then the two he had just ransomed would certainly perish. He cared not for their lives- only what they represented, should they survive. They would have to fight- at least long enough to let them retreat, or send a message. Though they also couldn't get too close to the mountain of death.

Chapter 518

The metal blade-bow in Anton's hands was still the optimal medium for turning his Spirit Arrows into sharp, wide attacks. He had learned how to control his energy to amplify or minimize the effect, should he wish to, but right now wider scale attacks seemed useful even if there was only a 'single' opponent.

A blade of energy several meters wide cut into and through white bone, reflecting the dull light of the distant star. As the bones fell and shattered into the mountain that they crawled out of, more came to replace them. There was always more… but Anton couldn't think of much else to do but at least act like a threat.

The hostage exchange had gone perfectly, until this thing showed up- a mountain of bones of all shapes and sizes, ripping itself out of space behind space to attack those who were leaving. One of three ships was nearly wiped clean of life in the first wave of deadly spectral energy, bypassing the standard barriers the Sylanis Cluster used. One would assume that they would be on the same side, as the individual who was presumably Bala Sykora at the center of the whole bone abomination was also part of them. But Anton was already aware that the Sylanis Cluster's internal politics weren't actually united.

But as much as Anton would absolutely like to see them fight each other to the death, the two he had captured were still weak and wouldn't put up much of a fight- and if they died this first attempt at some sort of diplomacy would be ruined. If they were going to die, they needed to do so back on their own territory or at least after reporting this situation. Thus, Anton and the others from the trifold alliance would fight against this thing.

Something about Anton's assault was sufficient to draw attention, though he couldn't imagine he'd done any notable damage yet, even with the others' initial volley. But perhaps there was some weakness to be found, or they simply thought it would be more entertaining to kill Anton. He couldn't tell.

The one thing he knew was that he had to dodge the bolts of spectral energy coming for him. In the grand scheme of things this battle was fairly close- only a small number of kilometers between him and at least the edge of this mountain of writhing, flowing bone.

His eyes were useless in determining the trajectory of the spectral energy, but he found the bolts weren't exceptionally quick… by his standards. Even as they bent towards him, he was able to direct his movement to avoid it. Unfortunately, his attempts to shoot down the incoming attacks were fruitless. Just like his own usage of spectral energy, it was nearly non-interactive if its controller didn't wish for it.

Anton didn't hesitate to draw up on some ascension energy, attempting to pierce deep into the core of the structure. He had a decent idea where the controller of it all was, and his shot drilled its way through bones. Humans bones were extremely common as he sunk into the mass of bones, but he also noted beasts of all kinds. From small woodland creatures to sea life and birds, there were also larger specimens. Great turtles, snakes, lizards, something Anton could only assume was a dragon of some sort, and large humanoids. He even thought he saw phoenix bones- somehow not turned to ash upon their death but entrapped in its current form. Then, he faded.

He hadn't actually expected his attack to reach his target to begin with- he merely wanted to remain a threat. The point was to have the focus on him, and minimize attacks on others. It worked… to some extent. The actual bolts of spectral energy remained targeted on him, fading away after they went past him. He couldn't be certain that was the actual limit of this opponent or if they were merely trying to throw him off, so he had to keep his senses alert in all directions.

Unfortunately, the bone mountain-ship released another large pulse of energy, this time finishing off whoever was in the closest Sylanis Cluster ship, not that Anton had sensed much life. And, despite the other two ships pulling away, the bone ship had pulled closer to them. One was inside the area, the pulse of death drawing from those on board… and Anton sensed the life of Zarina winking out. The one that bound herself to ships, apparently too weak to take control of her ship's barrier… or more likely never capable of resisting spectral energy to begin with. Not fully.

Those deaths were unfortunate, but only because of the current circumstances. What bothered Anton more were the Ruteran pilots who perished, along with other cultivators that had launched themselves towards the attacker. It wasn't any comfort that some of the now pilotless ships crashed into the mountain, leaving sizable craters. But one of them went in at a glancing angle and cut out the other side- then turned around to do it again. So that pilot wasn't dead. Anton recognized that ship, of course. Ty Quigley. He was alive, at least- but that was the best Anton could say for him. Even with everything else that was happening Anton could sense the damage to his life force.

As for the cultivators who actually were in contact with the mountain itself? Few survived. Elder Intan didn't seem to be fazed by something small as having his everything nearly destroyed, though his slices were slower. There were a few cultivators from the Grasping Willows tossing chunks of bone away from the mass- though it was unclear if the effort was worthwhile. And somewhere in that, hopefully alive, was the Great Queen. Because she certainly wasn't sitting on Anton anymore.

Beam weapons from Ruteran ships tore into the mountain, charring bone into ash. Yet it seemed pointless- small scars on a landscape that they were trying to fight. Anton was quite certain he could destroy a mountain, but when it was fighting back it was an entirely different story. And being at the limit of where he could draw from Rutera's star, he wasn't at maximum strength.

Just for the sake of experimentation, Anton shot a spectral arrow- covering its approach with dozens of others from a wide array of energy bows around himself. The damage from the others was nothing much, but the spectral arrow pierced through the bones without resistance, diving deeper and deeper until it found its mark- at the very core of the entire thing. Through the connection with his arrow, Anton saw a face flash between surprise and a wide grin in an instant- then he collided with a rippling barrier. It was like pouring a bucket of water into a lake. Anton didn't have nearly enough access to spectral energy to consider using it defensively… whereas Bala- he was certain it was her now, given the descriptions he'd gotten- seemed to only have spectral energy. Of course she could stop his attack.

His experiment provoked more of a reaction than he expected. In addition to more waves of spectral bolts seeking to cut him off, the bone mountain burst apart, sending masses of itself towards him, clumps of bone ranging from a boulder the height of a man to ten or twenty meters across.

The bone masses were slow- the relative momentum of the mountain was not mainly towards Anton, but at an angle between him and the remaining Sylanis ship. But though their initial speed was of no concern, they began to move more quickly. Anton was forced to dodge spectral bolts, certain that he would regret even the slightest touch. Those kept him occupied while the masses of bone moved closer- and though they inevitably slipped past him, unlike the spectral bolts they were already redirecting their own momentum to come at him from behind.

Soon enough, he was surrounded by dozens of masses, with skeletal arms reaching out for him. That was the least disturbing thing to reach for him, as legs twisted in unnatural ways along with tails, spines, and rib cages grasping for him.

But despite the personal situation he was in, Anton thought things could have been going worse. The Sylanis ship had continued to accelerate, clearly uninterested in even attempting to fight back. They were swiftly pulling away, and soon enough they would be out of the influence of the system, able to move faster than light.

Another blessing was that there had been no further wide scale pulses of spectral energy. Perhaps those were too intensive, or controlling the individual piles of bones moving to entrap Anton required too much effort. Anton really hoped it was a sign of limitation, and not a lack of desire… but even now, he could feel Bala's power. He wasn't certain if she had reached the next step in Worldbinding- some Augmentation equivalent- but if she hadn't, she wasn't terribly far from that in power. He wouldn't want to fight her even if he was around Rutera, and if he was alone… being anywhere but in a star was too far to even think about it.

Then, the Sylanis ship disappeared- not just invisible, as they could, but properly gone out of the range of Anton's senses. He'd already called for everyone to fall back towards reinforcements- they had honored the deal, but knowing what could go wrong there was another small fleet coming after them. They'd been a good half an hour behind for various reasons, but if they met up in the middle it wouldn't be quite so long.

The issue was whether or not they could manage to survive that long. After the second pulse the Ruteran fighters had kept their distance- or rather, the sane ones had- but the larger ships were still oriented towards the incoming bone ship. It would take them some effort to turn away, but they were already on a path where they were planning to circle the bone sphere.

Shards of bone exploded near Anton, and he was quite glad for the assistance of others in destroying the various sized blobs of death. He was unable to provide any significant suppression to the main ship now, having to focus on defending himself, but he was glad there were at least reasonable sized targets. Even better, when the bones were broken and destroyed they seemed to stay that way. He wouldn't bet on it, of course. His defensive energy kept the shards and bone dust away from him.

The bolts of spectral energy were still the most lethal threat, but he had to dodge individual grasping arms now. Some he destroyed, the myriad of energy bows around him shattering them to dust. Most he managed to avoid. A small few reached him with bony claws or other appendages, scraping against his energy defenses- and then stretching inside, spectral energy buried within them sinking into his shoulder, his side, his thigh. The latter, at least, was not immediately concerning.

The organized retreat of their fleet brought them deeper into the system. Anton only had a small increase in power, but he needed everything he could get. At the moment, he was looking for an optimal route to escape the piles of bones around him. They were being constantly replaced from the main body as they were destroyed, but not quite as fast as they were being taken out, and the travel time to him was another factor.

Anton had no intention to sacrifice himself for the rest of the fleet- not even if he thought it would actually work, which he didn't believe. Once his opening came, he would withdraw. He wasn't sure if it was imagined, but he thought he just felt the other small fleet at the edge of his senses. Reinforcements should be soon, he hoped.

Then, suddenly, everything stopped. Whatever trajectory the bones around him were on the kept, The small masses didn't have their own gravity, and without whatever control was over them they began to split apart. There were no more bolts of spectral energy.

Anton continued to destroy the bones around him, in case it was a ploy, while his senses focused on the main mountain. Bala Sykora… was not dead. Or even injured, as far as he could tell. But the great bone hands stretched from it, tearing into space itself… and it began to pull itself away. The background of the stars stretched around the vessel… and then it was gone- leaving behind the bones around Anton, and the bodies of the cultivators who had landed upon the main bone mass. All were dead- many from the second pulse, but others from fighting against the thing itself. That included Elder Intan. That hurt, not just because he was a friend- but because he was one of the most likely candidates to reach Ascension or Assimilation. Even if he had chosen Ascension and left, Anton would have known he was doing something somewhere. But now, he was gone.

Ty Quigley was… alive. His ship nearly crashed into the hangar, a dozen cultivators on board being the only thing that stopped it from a violent impact. Even from afar, Anton could sense the changes. Stark white hair, wrinkles far beyond his age. But as the man staggered out of his cockpit, the grip he had on his sword was determined.

Finding the Great Queen was impossible. Looking for a palm sized pocket of nothing in a volume of so many cubic kilometers was more than even Anton's exceptional senses could manage. Fortunately, she found him. As everything remaining was being recovered- bodies and valuable materials from broken ships- the Great Queen landed on Anton's forehead. She pulled back slightly, fluttering around in front of him. Several of her legs were mangled, but her front limbs and antennae were intact- sufficiently for her to sign, at least. "Unfortunately, I was unable to reach that foul demon. I need a nap."

And she no doubt deserved it. Anton had the idea that she was a significant contributing factor to Bala's retreat, though of course he would have to wait for a full explanation. Until then, Anton and the others would have to return to Rutera, binding their wounds as they could.

Chapter 519

The final results of the conflict with Bala Sykora of the Ivory Maw was currently inconclusive. Anton supposed that would somewhat depend on whether they had managed to save one person or not. Alaia might still be alive, or perhaps Bala had a method to catch her between systems. It was even possible that she would be killed after arriving, but Anton didn't mind that as long as the fact that the trifold alliance would keep their end of the deal was spread first. Fighting to keep them alive was more than either had bargained for, so Zarina's death was unfortunate but not something he actually felt bad about in any way. Especially since he tried to help.

As for the battle itself, with Bala Sykora and her mountain of bone… Anton wasn't sure if he could consider it a win or a loss. The Great Queen was of the opinion that she would have been able to slay the woman had she stayed, and perhaps she was right- but it was also possible the Great Queen had been ignored and Bala left to chase after Alaia. Either way, it was the first battle in a long time where Anton felt properly outclassed. Being closer to the sun would have merely narrowed the gap, and Anton couldn't guarantee that Bala had been at the peak of her potential power. The mountain of bone might have been only a part of what she was bound to. Details of that level were information Alaia and Zarina simply hadn't had access to.

The loss of Ruteran pilots was unfortunate, though in practical terms they were more easily replaceable than Elder Intan. Beyond the deaths, however, there were other things to consider. Injuries and the like, not all of which would heal easily.

Laying in a hospital bed, Ty Quigley had nearly as many wrinkles as Anton himself. Alright, that was an exaggeration- but he didn't look good. There was a significant difference between forceful life draining and natural age, and the former's signs were anything but pleasant. Anton made sure to visit Rutera's ace fighter pilot in person. "How are you feeling?" Anton asked.

The man was conscious, at least, if not particularly energetic looking. He just sat there for a few minutes before finally answering. "Angry."

That was completely understandable, though not what Anton would have supposed was the primary issue. "You'll have to work hard on your recovery, then, if you wish to seek revenge."

"Yeah," the man said, lacking much of his usual enthusiasm. "Elder Intan… he didn't make it, did he?"

"I'm surprised you had the situational awareness to notice that, with everything else going on." Anton nodded, "You are correct. He perished." Anton held his hand on his storage bag for a moment, before opening it and coaxing something into his hand with his energy. "He would have wanted you to have this."

Anton presented Ty Quigley with a simple curved blade, relatively lacking in adornment- a surprise, given its origins somewhere in the upper realms. This was one of the weapons retrieved in the previous invasion by the Million Sword Vault. Perhaps it should be returned to them, but if they argued about that Anton would set them straight.

Ty's eyes were unfocused on the ceiling, but as Anton's hand stretched towards him they snapped down. His arm reached out, grasping the hilt. Anton let go, while Ty's knuckled whitened from his tight grip. Anton could feel natural energy wildly swirling inside the man. He knew that feeling. Either the young man would do something foolish in the near future and get himself killed… or this would be an opportunity for significant advancement. And attempting to stop him from anything foolish would also preclude the latter, so Anton would just leave him with a few more words. "I'm sure the Million Sword Vault would be glad to have you visit. You have the time, as you have a significant amount of leave to recover from your injuries." As for the aging problem, Anton wasn't sure if he could recover from that. Anton's limited experience with spectral energy generally involved people dying, so the issue of recovery hadn't come up.

Ty didn't say anything more, but Anton left him, still clutching the sword.

Three wounds that could have been merely glancing blows but had a lingering impact were Anton's focus of inspection. There wasn't a clear delineation to the casual observer- old was old, and slightly more or less wrinkles and spots was hardly something most would notice. The difference was certainly less vast than with Ty, though that could have several reasons. The damage didn't cover all of Anton's body, and he had no youth.

He reflected on the battle, repeating the feeling of spectral energy in his mind. He only had limited experience with it. First was what he drew upon himself with Fleeting Youth. Then there had been the Whispering Watchers and the Deathly Heart Technique, which was at least similar. The way that Bala used her power was akin to a forbidden technique, by every metric. Dangerous to the user, to others, to those in power, certainly immoral. Anton had no illusions that someone could acquire so many bones except by seeking out things and people to kill- and though Anton had the lives of hundreds upon his hands, he didn't desecrate their bodies or seek out conflict with humans just for the sake of it.

Anton was certain he didn't want to try to make use of spectral energy in the same manner as Bala Sykora, but understanding it would help him protect himself in future conflicts, and to better understand an oft overlooked aspect of his abilities.

The areas where the spectral energy had touched him were still alive, though Anton was quite aware they could have become necrotic tissue with any more exposure. The lingering traces of energy were minimal, even just after the battle, but the damage… well, Anton was working on one patch to begin with- his shoulder. His side and thigh could wait, the shoulder was the most important.

His natural energy circulated through the area, soothing the bone, muscle tissue, and skin. A simple injury would have shown signs of recovery already, and even the normal effects of aging would have some reaction. If Anton wished he could at least erase the cosmetic effects of his age, but that was impractical vanity. He cared more about the function of his body, and the simple circulation of natural energy was insufficient at the moment.

His mind went to the radial shockwave of energy, the first of which had torn through one of the enemy ships, and the second the other. It hadn't just killed the people around it, but drawn something out of it. That was not a way that Anton used his spectral energy- he just used it to tear through them, avoiding their defenses and leaving behind deadly wounds as it struck their vitals. But there was no saying that he couldn't. And if it could take away, it could do the opposite.

In theory. Anton slowly drew upon spectral energy. Unlike his natural energy, it did not live inside of him in his dantian, and he never properly circulated it- the same was true of the ascension energy likewise provided by Fleeting Youth. Yet Anton was aware that both could become the basis of someone's energy- though it was a new revelation with regards to spectral energy.

He was cautious with his approach, knowing that acting carelessly could cause more damage instead. Gingerly, he pulled the spiritual energy through his shoulder, trying to let it feed into himself and restore the damage. At his level of cultivation, he wasn't just blindly groping around- the insights he had from many sources told him this should be possible, it was simply a question of whether or not he had enough talent and understanding, or how long it might take him.

It was a strange feeling, unusual energy passing through him. It was something he generally tried to avoid, precisely because he used it for purposes of battle. Yet in the right hands, a surgeon's blade was a tool of healing and not harming. Over his time Anton had become versed in human anatomy and healing to a sufficient degree to at least monitor his own internal state to a high level. He paid careful attention for changes, and where he found none he tried a different tactic, while doing his best not to make anything worse.

After a day of effort, he felt a slight positive uptick in his health. That was good, because Anton was aware some wounds cultivators could sustain were irreparable- or at least would take decades to recover like the internal damage Everheart had, and what he'd caused to Alaia to properly restrain her.

Any slight amount of recovery after just a day of effort meant Anton could fix this as he became more proficient, though he didn't want to be too slow. It was best to work with fresh wounds and start the process early. Thus, he focused on that for a few weeks before moving on to external applications of spectral energy.

A nearly invisible bolt of spectral energy flew through the sky. It was not subtle in any way, but it was different enough from natural energy and its various different variations that it could give someone pause. Either way, whether they knew about it or not, the ripples of power flowing off of the arrow were something of interest to Anton. Normally, he would consider such a thing wasted energy- but the ripples weren't a loss of the spectral energy he was shooting, just their effect on the world.

In short, for the same effort he could shoot his typical arrow of energy but cause damage in a wider area as the ripples of energy spread out from his shot. Anton made certain that he could control them as he wished- he experimented with targets and once he had the hang of it living creatures, restraining or releasing the ripples as he pleased. It took a bit to get a hang of, especially if he wanted to swap quickly, but it was fully under his control. Seeing vast amounts of spectral energy in action had been quite beneficial.

More than that, a view of something that reminded him of death itself improved his insights into that aspect of Fleeting Youth. His discussions with Prospero Vandale about death had been somewhat enlightening, but hearing something described and just seeing death- in an uncomfortably pure form, and not merely from violence- had added a new layer to his understanding. Anton was quite pleased.

He turned behind him, where the Great Queen was waiting. "Are you done?"

"I am," he nodded.

"Good. I don't like… that," she gestured, clearly referring to spectral energy. "It's nearly inedible."

Anton laughed, "Considering that it directly kills most everyone, that's not particularly strange. Don't worry, I won't spread news of a potential weakness of yours." The widespread effect had merely fatigued the great queen, and chomping her way through bones full of spectral energy hadn't helped, but it clearly had some effect on her. If she'd been directly targeted with the bolts, she might have sustained injuries even from a source that was purely energy.

That was actually comforting to Anton. Though his friendly relationship with the Great Queen meant it only benefited him if she was stronger, he couldn't guarantee that all void ants everywhere would remain friendly to humans. In fact, it would be stranger if they never came into larger scale conflict in some manner. Knowing he had an option to fight them was appealing. An option besides just having Nthanda squish them between her fingers, that was.

"Do you think you really could have killed her?"

"If the woman had a body, I could have devoured it. If she did not, I would have torn apart the energy that gave her the core of her power," the Great Queen said confidently.

Anton looked at the ant's splinted limbs. Insects didn't recover from broken appendages easily, but some experience with the matter had the void ants develop some techniques for placing their body in a state to recover. For those with sufficient power, their bodies wanted to return to a healthy state, so even if it shouldn't naturally recover consuming sufficient amounts of food- physical, energy, or both- meant they would generally recover. At least if there was nothing missing. If the Great Queen had lost limbs instead of just getting some mangled, the results were quite likely to be different- and the human's methods that sometimes allowed for recovery of lost limbs were unlikely to be of much use for those with such different anatomies.

Anton sighed slightly. "I'm not sure if I will be more effective if we were to fight again. Not offensively, anyway. I imagine anyone from the Ivory Maw has experience fighting against spectral energy."

"Take your advances where you may. There are still ninety-five or so others who are likely to find your improvements to their significant detriment," the Great Queen encouraged him.

Of course, ninety-five probably wasn't any more accurate than just saying one hundred. There was some potential for various sects or clans in the Sylanis Cluster to have Worldbinding cultivators that were hidden, not announced to the world for tactical reasons. On the other hand, there might also be some that had died and were kept on the official rosters for similar reasons. Though Anton wasn't going to bet on there being too many of those. He also wasn't planning to work his way through the enemy's Worldbinding cultivators one at a time until they were all gone. Not if he didn't have to. Hopefully, they could force some kind of peace.

Chapter 520

Unfamiliar metal machinery rumbled as metal rods were poured down the assembly line. Heavy machines stamped, squished, and stretched the rods rapidly and consistently, before arriving elsewhere for fletching.

Such machines could only be found on Rutera, and Anton was pleased by the high level of speed, consistency, and quality. The former was unmatched by anything else, though the quality could not surpass a craftsman who had worked for decades or centuries. Even so, this was the best place for the work they wanted. Perhaps some advanced smiths could work with something new, but the specifications required were unfamiliar because very few people had ever needed to make such ammunition, and none for a cultivator beyond Life Transformation. The small handfuls of arrows Anton had commissioned were made individually for special circumstances, not with the intent that every single arrow he shot would have a physical component. No matter how big his storage bag was, he'd never have enough room- and it was unnecessary and impractical besides. His natural energy was stronger and more cohesive than most material cores could replicate.

"Getting materials for this could have been a whole lot easier, you know," Everheart commented from nearby. "Just rip apart a planet or two and you'd be done. Wouldn't even have to have anyone on them."

"But it would have to have high quantities of natural energy, right?" Anton raised an eyebrow. "And greatly reduce future livability."

"Yeah, sure, but there's so much unclaimed crap here in the lower realms…"

"I bet there are things better than Worldheart if anyone takes the time to look into it," Anton shook his head. "And the material requirements are different for Nthanda to begin with."

Anton's senses shifted to another part of the factory, where the number of machines was fewer but still prominent. It was no large assembly line, instead there was a bench where a piece of metal was being cut by high intensity light. The beam shifted over the stationary object as it carved the proper outline, then when its cut finished a technician subjected it to tests and inspections. Anton could already tell them the dimensions were within specification… and that there were impurities in the top edge of the shaft. It snapped under the pressure of their machinery, and the surrounding technicians sighed.

The arrows were easy- they just needed a material that could hold its shape but also bend around a bow as expected, and slight material imperfections were less relevant as long as it broke inside its intended target. The bow itself, however, would have to stand up to a physical strength that had required special machinery to reproduce. The process was a useful study for the Ruterans, and the knowledge would be valuable for future body cultivators who surpassed Life Transformation- without ascension.

The Ruterans still needed payment, of course. It wasn't a trivial exercise to repurpose a factory and co-opt the services of individuals who could be dealing with other military matters. However, the price had been acceptable, and the need for Nthanda to be effective recognized.

Gone were the days when Rutera didn't understand the power of cultivators. A couple decades of interaction and sufficient exposure to people like Anton and the assaults from the Sylanis Cluster meant at worst, there were some stubborn people who thought things 'used to be better'. But of course, Rutera wasn't leaving behind their learned technology, which had previously been their only way to focus natural energy. Instead, they were developing a new blend that worked with what they already had. There were a few from the first waves that had learned from particular cultivators- like Ty had from Elder Intan- but there had been time to develop at least the first iteration of a cultivation style that fit Rutera.

Anton was slightly disappointed that not everyone practiced it yet, or some sort of cultivation, but it had been less than a full generation. Rutera was still building up their quantity of natural energy as well, the low levels of which had been the factor that pushed them towards technological advancements. They were swift to understand the idea of imbuing plants with natural energy only for them to grow and produce more, they simply hadn't seen the effects given how precious what they had was already. Plus, their natural vegetation hadn't really been suited. Anton and the Order had a wide collection of useful plants, though, and they had quickly distributed the most practical ones to Rutera for them to begin growing. The first few years had scraggly- by Anton's standards- plants, but even simple tubers imbued with natural energy were nutritious and tasty, quickly becoming popular and thus viable from an economic perspective even where the effects on the local energy were yet unrecognized.

"So," Anton asked Everheart, "Figure out how all this stuff works yet?"

"Of course," Everheart nodded. "I'm not sure if I need it, but I'll at least have the idea in the back of my head should I need special processes. It's nice to have things that can focus natural energy without my concentration or complex formations, as well."

Ruteran technology did use the power of formations to some extent- but it was focused more on material structure than runes, energy flow directed more by physical limits than coaxing it by bending rules around it. It was of great interest to Weos and Ceretos, who exchanged information about cultivation and their deeper knowledge of formations with Rutera, all parties greedily absorbing new information. There might be a few individuals on both sides who had an idea of how both worked, and how to combine them, but there were centuries of experimentation about what was optimal to determine. Of course, technology and cultivation knowledge would advance on their own during such times as well.

Anton's understanding of the technology was limited. He couldn't know everything, though he did find it satisfying to pore through books, especially with the rate he could read. Absorbing information wasn't enough, though. He would need practical experience to improve in that area, just like with formations. He simply didn't have the time or inclination to develop much beyond using what he needed to and understanding the dangers they presented. He doubted he would ever be a formation master- at least not relative to his cultivation level. He preferred to keep his focus on personal cultivation, archery, Assimilation, and such things. As well as his passions of growth- teaching others and developing Ceretos from the side of natural energy.

At Anton's level there was no generalized path he could follow. Even his insights at Assimilation were only for reference- he doubted anyone else from the Order would ever choose to bind stars. If they did, he hoped they would not disrupt each other. Though Anton felt extremely powerful, he imagined a star had more than sufficient excess power to support other cultivators, but the issue would be if they accidentally interfered rather than the actual power being necessary. If Anton were honest, he didn't think he'd used even a single second's worth of the power of Ceretos' sun, each star producing a constant and nearly unfathomable amount of energy in the form of light and heat, just scattering everywhere and only touching on a few scattered planets in its system, or years later being a tiny sparkle in some other skies. In short, there was plenty of power to draw upon.

Walking a path untread, Anton had to discern for himself how to proceed. Certainly, he couldn't fathom any specific refinements to make to himself like the steps of Body Refining and Spirit Building. All he could think of was refining his connection and control to each star, and with that came a greater internal power… and more stars he could bind to. After the destruction of the Ultimate Phoenix Sect and the hostage exchange, a few uncomfortable years had passed with no further conflict. That was sufficient for Anton to advance to the hundred and fifth star, though he was reserving any actual connection for later. It would likely be one of the final two in the Sylanis cluster, but he could hope for something else. He'd like to search for a star with interesting properties in the surrounding area.

He didn't want to leave allied space for a period of weeks or months, so he hadn't had the time to personally check out other 'nearby' systems, though reports from Rutera and Weos who had proper exploration programs in place indicated they were empty of and detectable cultivator presence, and life in general. It was unclear if there might be planets with life and creatures without humans, but based on the theory that they were all descendents of some vast colonization effort it was unlikely. If there were any of note, invaders from the upper realms likely would have tried to take them over long term instead of just 'visiting'. Then again, the actual mechanics of that were uncertain, even to the Exalted Archipelago.

The remaining members of that group weren't all friendly with the continents, but at least they were willing to support the trifold alliance against the Sylanis Cluster. Regardless of whether or not they supported the Exalted Cluster in the upper realm in terms of carving out bits and pieces of the lower realms, they weren't interested in being on the other end of that.

So far, there were no signs that the Sylanis cluster had ties to the upper realms at all, and in fact Worldbinding was generally seen as the preferred path compared to ascension. Anton could see that, given that the actual power was similar but Worldbinding left one with higher relative power compared to the surroundings. In the upper realms, it was assumed that any decent cultivator would reach Integration at some point- though there were some important quality differences to be had for those who properly ascended or put in some other special effort.

During these two years without conflict, scouts had been surveying the Sylanis Cluster to find signs of movement, and building forces. That was happening, without question. The same was true of constructing ships, since there was more than just the one place Anton had attacked- and he'd really only stifled a few of their bigger projects, not their work as a whole. The Sylanis Cluster was definitely going to act… but when was unsure. It was also unknown if the forces used to try to suppress their efforts would be well spent, as they were on a higher defensive alert, the scouts barely able to slip through patrols. And it wasn't as if the trifold alliance was just sitting around doing nothing.

Rutera especially was developing rapidly, with their best cultivators pushing into Life Transformation. Given that their technology allowed their best to function as if they were that powerful before, even those in early Life Transformation could match some cultivators in mid or late Life Transformation. Assimilation or Worldbinding cultivators were still an exception, but they were the elite among the elites in the Sylanis Cluster, Ceretos… and Weos. The latter had a few successes in the last years, though whether they would match the others one-for-one was still unclear.

When the warning signals came, Anton was disappointed but not surprised. It was quickly confirmed that another fleet was entering Ruteran space, far more than would be needed for simple diplomacy if they were willing. Rutera and Weos were closer to the three systems of the Sylanis Cluster, so it wasn't terribly odd that Rutera was the subject of the majority of attacks.

Of course, there could also have been nearly simultaneous attacks on the other systems. Ceretos was the most secure, but Weos was more than a step up from the last time, having recovered from their civil war for the most part- and with a few Assimilation cultivators. Though it seemed some of those were only good on their home planets, which wasn't exactly unexpected. Anton was a weird exception.

"Well then," Anton stood up, waving to Merve. "It's time for me to go. Hopefully, I should be back within a few hours."

She stood with him. "Wait. Take me with you."

"You sure?" Anton asked. Merve was a Life Transformation cultivator, so she wasn't exactly weak. However, in the Ruteran system it was more difficult for cultivators who weren't independently mobile in space to fight.

"I am," Merve nodded. "I'd rather fight for something, now that I have a choice. And… my cultivation isn't exactly progressing smoothly just sitting around circulating energy. Besides, I can help. I'm not sure exactly how much I can do anything with Angelic Providence, but I can improve a handful of others and make you… at least slightly more effective."

Anton nodded. His experience with Merve was one of a talented woman who was born in the wrong place- though even the stronger sects and clans seemed to be the wrong place in the Sylanis Cluster. She had been one of the enemies, and she had her sins, but he trusted her enough to fight alongside her. He knew enough of what she said was true that there was nothing to be gained from going back to them except death. She had the option to live on Ceretos where the natural energy was better, but chose to stay with Anton regardless- which at the moment meant Rutera. He was glad that she would choose to fight for what was around her, instead of being forced into it by circumstance.

Chapter 521

It was not important for Anton to immediately leave his position on the ground, despite the word of approaching enemies. In addition to the fact that he could target anyone over the hemisphere of Rutera he was on without issue, it would take time for enemies to reach the planet from the edges of the system. He didn't linger overly much, though. Merve would require more time to get in position due to her speed, but at least she didn't require assistance to leave the atmosphere.

Most cultivators didn't fly. There was an exception among cultivators beyond Life Transformation, at least in the lower realms- given how much conflict had happened over Ceretos, all of their Assimilation cultivators had learned to fly, and it seemed that the Sylanis Cluster's Worldbinding cultivators did the same. As for Life Transformation cultivators, they at least learned to maneuver in lower gravity, specifically all of those who had fought around Rutera before.

Radiant energy poured from Merve as from her back sprang two wings, giving her a wingspan more than twice her height. The wings were white except for a few stray feathers of black, many feathers overly large for the size of the wing- but with her control of energy, they would still be functional for flight. In short, they appeared to be angelic- though Anton hadn't ever seen an actual angel, if they existed. Regardless, Merve raising her energy provided a soothing aura that would amplify allies in the area, the effect would be amplified if she concentrated.

"Ready?" Anton asked as they flew upwards, Anton lacking any visible means of motion.

"I hope so," Merve said, looking at her wings. Her eyes lingered on the stray black feathers breaking up the purity of her wings. "It's funny, you know. Before you told me my technique was tainted, these were pure white."

"Yet now it's so much better," Anton grinned. "It wasn't pleasant to see the first reveal. Personally, you've done so much I can't even pick out the flaws in your technique myself."

"I still feel them," Merve stated clearly. "Enough that I'm not comfortable trying any sort of advancement yet." She still hadn't decided what path she would attempt, Ascension or Assimilation. Given her origins, calling the second Worldbinding might have been more appropriate- but Anton felt that Assimilation had more flexibility in its design. Then again, he only had actual information on three out of a hundred or so techniques, so he had to admit his knowledge was limited.

Anton looked out into the stars, his actual vision doing very little. "I don't feel a Worldbinding cultivator," he said.

"What does that mean?" Merve asked.

"That they're extremely weak or stealthy. Probably the latter," Anton admitted.

"We… they didn't really have that many to throw around. Perhaps the Sylanis Cluster thought they could do without?"

"They should know better by now," Anton shook his head, opening himself to the smaller fluctuations of the world. Only because he knew they were there could he even get a hint of the incoming fleet, far beyond the true range of his senses. It was less of an actual sensation and more an itching at the back of his mind. Nothing happened for a few minutes, then a small beeping sound caught Anton's attention. The sound would not have had a medium to travel were it not for Anton's energy providing an environment for it, with the intention of letting Merve speak if he wished- but the communications device was a secondary reason. "General Nicodemo. I assume you have some kind of update for me?"

"The fleet isn't heading for Rutera," came the straightforward reply. "Their actual goal isn't quite clear, but the sensors are picking up a general trajectory that would lead to one of the outer planets."

"Anything important?" Anton asked. There was the matter of a super secret battleship that was hardly secret anymore.

"If that is their target… they're going the wrong way," Nicodemo admitted.

"Someone will have to stop them," Anton said. "So… which one is the trap?"

Nicodemo got what Anton was implying immediately. "There are no signs yet of a secondary fleet incoming. Either way, someone has to go…"

"You mean me, then."

"I probably couldn't stop you if I said anything else," Nicodemo was almost certainly shrugging on the other end of the comms. "With the tactical options we have, it's more of a question of where the Great Queen is placed."

A slight pressure on Anton's arm had him look down. A series of gestures from the ant herself told Anton her opinion. "She is staying with me."

"That's… expected. She can hear me, right?"

"Yep," Anton acknowledged.

"If you kill a Worldbinding cultivator in this engagement I'll do my utmost to push through your proposal for colonies in our system," General Nicodemo promised.

"Trying to bribe royalty?" Anton asked.

"I'm aiming for proper motivation. I would never resort to bribery on official communication channels." And with cultivators being so mercenary, anything he offered for exceptional efforts wasn't really considered bribery. Perhaps if Nicodemo offered something for a personal favor… but even then, the exchange wouldn't have the same connotations that the word implied.

"Alright then. Give me some coordinates and I'll be off."

When Anton ended the call, Merve sighed. "I guess I'm saying here, then?"

"Do you want to?" Anton asked.

"I can't exactly get anywhere in a reasonable time," she said. "I have enough trouble just breathing. It would take me months to reach an outer planet."

Anton held out his hand, "Do you want to go?"

"Will I fight here?" she asked.

"Most likely there will be combat in either location. Mine will have fewer allies."

She thought for a few moments. "I'll still go with you."

"Great," Anton said, his hand grasping around her wrist. "The acceleration should be even across your body, but holding on will make this easier." Anton turned his head to look at an orbital platform in the far distance, which was little more than a plate of fortified metal floating in space. The relevant feature it had was who was on it- not a squad of fighters using it as a launch point or a bunch of cultivators from Ceretos. Instead, it was just Nthanda, holding her bow in one hand while her other hand played idly by the quiver on her back that appeared to have somewhere around a dozen arrows. Though Anton was well aware it was a special type of storage bag, and each arrow drawn would be replaced by another until she actually ran out of the significant quantity of ammunition prepared for her. Their eyes met over a great distance, and they nodded.

Then Anton began to accelerate. He didn't just tug Merve along by her wrist, instead wrapping them both in his natural energy and shoving them forward together. Even so, the effort seemed to be difficult for Merve, so Anton limited his acceleration for a moment.

"Just… hold on," Merve said, closing her eyes. "I guess I need to be a bit more serious about this." As she concentrated, she drew upon more of her energy, two more pairs of wings springing out of her back, the large wings overlapping at various points but not getting in each other's way. Instead of spreading out like the others, the two pairs of wings folded around her, covering her upper and lower body respectively. Anton felt the power flowing through them, providing cover for more than just the visible area, but a sort of barrier around her, more resilient than simple covers of natural energy. At the same time, the energy flowing from her to Anton increased as well, a pleasant warmth that was not the fires of his stars. "Alright, go."

As Anton accelerated them further, he was able to attain even higher rates of change without causing Merve any discomfort, though presumably she would garner some fatigue from her efforts. Still, he picked up speed, gaining assistance from convenient planets or moons if they would slingshot him faster, and otherwise cutting corners through open space itself. He couldn't quite manage the same techniques as functioned outside of a system for interstellar travel, but he could make up for his lack of acceleration time by cheating a little.

He corrected their trajectory with continued updates from Nicodemo. "It's weird," the man said. "There's not even a planet there. Just some asteroids. As best we can determine they're going for IGE94, which is just an unremarkable rock."

"How certain are you about that?" Anton asked.

"Very. Both the location and the remarkability. But I don't like the idea of letting them act freely in our system."

"Agreed," Anton nodded. As Anton approached the destination, he began to feel something. First, the actual fleet- he was used to the method of concealment they used, and as they had to use his solar energy to maneuver and turn invisible, they couldn't actually escape his senses. But there was something else, beneath them. Not 'down', as if that had any real meaning in space. Rather, something behind the space itself. Something familiar. "Bala Sykora is here," Anton said.

Communications within a system were near-instant, at least with the quality of comms Nicodemo had given Anton. Even so, there was a decent pause before he answered. "... Dammit. Can you handle her?"

"As long as I get to pick the range? I should at least have the option to retreat."

"Don't do anything stupid."

"I wouldn't die for a target of unclear priority. How about that second fleet? They there yet?"

"Not yet," Nicodemo said, "But we can assume they'll show up soon enough." He sighed, "I wish Ty were here."

"Why?" Anton asked. "I know he's decently strong but he's still just one person. You have Nthanda there."

"He's the strongest native we have," Nicodemo pointed out. "And though I think he's completely insane, he's also good for morale."

"Fair point," Anton conceded. "I don't imagine I'll have much time to say anything from now on. I'll keep my ears open if you have something to say, but don't expect anything."

"Alright," Nicodemo said. "... Also, how far away are you? We put sensors on nearly every hunk of rock so we even have some on IGE94, and they haven't picked you up yet."

Anton pulled his bow off his back, "Plenty close," Anton said as he began to decelerate. He stopped activating the comm with his energy. Then he felt movement from inside his shirt, where the Great Queen had been hunkering down to deal with the acceleration- her body wouldn't be hurt from anything Anton did on accident, but hanging onto him if he suddenly maneuvered was awkward from elsewhere. As she poked out of the top of his shirt, her legs were held onto by some of her royal guard, then more of them in a chain. When the last ones surpassed that threshold, they were suddenly blasted away.. Or rather, he was decelerating and she was not. A strand of his energy reached out towards her, to provide a line of communication. "I hope you meant to do that!"

She twisted so he could see her front legs and antennae- though it was difficult given her size and the rapidly increasing distance. "Of course! How am I gonna fight if I don't smash into them at great speed?"

Anton didn't have anything to say to that, partly because he didn't know how to reply, and partly because she was so far already. And he had to admit if she waited for him to stop and moved herself, the couple thousand kilometers between his current location, the rock, and the fleet landing on it would take her a while to traverse. He just hoped she was sensible enough to decelerate herself. Terminal velocity in an atmosphere couldn't do anything to her, but this was a whole different level of speed. But she was smart enough to know that, so it was really just general worry for her going off 'alone'. At least he knew the way she selectively devoured energy to change her momentum would also apply to her royal guard.

Merve was still with Anton, their physical configuration not actually being relevant to acceleration and deceleration meaning she didn't suddenly swing past him. She gave him a look, and the small clump of black that was soon going to be invisible to anything. "Kinda weird to carry a colony of ants in your shirt. But not as weird as the ones who have bugs live inside them."

"That sounds unpleasant… and risky," Anton said.

"They have an astronomical death rate," Merve commented. "And no Worldbinding cultivators yet."

Anton nodded. He pushed his mind away from the topic and considered whether he could hit someone hanging out in subspace. Then he shrugged. Either he could, Bala would reveal herself before his arrow arrived, or he would take out one of the other ships. Either way, he took his bow, aimed it directly perpendicular to where the arrow needed to go, and shot. He was far enough away that he might be able to hide his energy, in which case he needed the arrow to go the long way around to get a believable trajectory.

Chapter 522

The results of Anton's probing attack were interesting, disappointing, and at the same time encouraging. He knew that somewhere around the enemy fleet was Bala Sykora and her bone mountain, hiding out in some sort of subspace. Anton had just enough insight into such things to use space folding principles for travel, but he couldn't just remain in such a place. It seemed that she could, though.

The encouraging part was that his attack managed to break into her subspace. The interesting part was his attack was almost pulled in. The disappointing part was that there was still a mountain of bones in the way of the woman herself, so his attack ultimately reached its end.

Even as she reacted, her mountain of death pulling itself out of hiding, Anton's other attacks were finding their way into nearby ships, intent on disrupting whatever thing they wanted to do with poor little asteroid IGE94. Despite having numerically fewer allies- or similar, if he counted every individual member of the royal guard- and Bala having people beyond herself, Anton was more confident in this battle.

Did he have a good reason? Beyond his improved understanding of spectral energy and a marginally closer position to Rutera's star, not really. But he wasn't going to get anywhere by doubting himself. He had shown up, so he would simply have to win. Anton was aware that such an attitude could easily result in death… but on the other hand, unshattering confidence in oneself was half of the Million Sword Vault's claim to fame. They were good with the sword, but it wasn't like nobody else devoted themselves to the craft or had the technical understanding of swordplay.

Like Rahayu and Chikere, however, the Million Sword Vault just believed they would win, and then they did. It was a sort of insane confidence that threw off the enemy… much of the time. Elder Intan had in fact perished to this very opponent… but it was unfortunate for him that he was completely unsuited for this foe. Bala had a wide area undodgeable and mostly unblockable attack, which was exactly the sort of thing that could kill lower power cultivators regardless of other factors.

Anton kind of hoped she would lead off the battle with one such pulse of spectral energy… because she only had allies nearby. Alas, he didn't manage to panic her enough to open with such a thing sight unseen. From his position hundreds of kilometers away, he would have been perfectly fine. And the Great Queen and her royal guard weren't quite there yet, though Anton only knew that because no ships had their barriers torn apart yet. Void ants were hard to track nearby, and practically impossible at such a range.

Interestingly enough, Anton felt a significant improvement in his efforts from Merve's support. The woman didn't have the range to impact the battle herself, instead remaining near Anton wrapped in the wings of Angelic Providence. Quantifying exactly how she augmented his attacks was difficult, but it was something akin to an injection of additional energy and a refinement of the power in what he was already doing. The important part was he didn't have to coordinate with her- all of that was on her part, and he was merely able to strike more effectively. That was exactly the sort of thing that would be great with a larger group of cultivators, if she could manage it.

Many-masted ships turned towards Anton, but the ships had the weakness that it was difficult for them to accelerate effectively so far from a star. Anton wasn't confident in winking out the light of the star again, but the ships were slow enough he just flung himself around in a manner difficult to follow, Merve managing to follow in his trail without disrupting his movement. If he accelerated greatly she might get left behind, but he had no intent to build up momentum away from the general area.

Bolts of spectral energy came from Bala, but they were pitifully slow and inaccurate. She was likely quite precise within the hundred kilometer mark, maybe effective at twice that. But while she had range that would make nearly any Life Transformation cultivators ashamed, Anton felt she was merely adequate. He actually did his best to not react to any attack too quickly, both to not give away his situational awareness and to give her hope that she might hit him.

Of course, the mountain of bone began to push its way towards him, and despite having no visual method of movement it was better able to track him than the enemy ships. And there was something else that Anton sensed. Something extremely uncomfortable given that he was now certain that Alaia was dead. At the very least, he doubted she would let Bala pour energy through her if she was alive, yet Anton distinctly felt the Worldbinding cultivators there as well.

This was why people hated necromancers. Anton was almost completely certain that Alaia would be less effective, even with what had to be the rest of her sect around her, but it was an additional layer of difficulty Anton didn't need in his fight with Bala, who was rapidly getting closer. It was at this point that Anton had to make a choice between immediately fleeing or staying to fight. He could always change his mind if he stayed, but this was the only safe opportunity to retreat.

The fact that the Great Queen had already flung herself at the battle was a motivating factor to stay, but Anton was also interested in avenging his former foe. Had she deserved to die? Probably. Did she deserve to be refined into a skeletal weapon? Certainly not. In other circumstances Anton would have been ecstatic at the Sylanis Cluster killing their own Worldbinding cultivators, but he simply didn't have it in him. At least they'd retrieved Zarina's corpse when Zala retreated after the first incident, which was some measure of comfort.

Anton realized he was a very tempting target for Bala. He would make use of that to the best of his ability as he struggled to maintain some distance. He could go faster, but his efficiency dropped rapidly if he did.

Arrows sought out openings in the giant mass of bones. It seemed that Bala needed whole bones to be maximally effective, which meant they didn't completely fill the space. Arrows wormed their way through tiny openings seeking the woman in the middle, settling for breaking anything that might be important or valuable when they inevitably found an end.

Soon enough Bala was in range of her attacks, but Anton was still quite capable of dodging them smoothly. However, after the initial volley was avoided and the second about to reach him, Anton realized he wasn't the only target. Several bolts of spectral energy sought out Merve, and Anton couldn't stop them. Not now.

The struck the wings covering Merve's upper and lower body, the barrier the appendages formed rippling but not breaking- and the spectral energy miraculously not passing through. Anton was relieved, though he didn't imagine Merve could just take hits continuously. Anton led them a bit faster, taking the time to shoot down some of the bolts so that Merve wouldn't be overwhelmed. Ultimately, he still felt her presence factored into his favor somewhat… though it would be nice if she were stronger. Then again, when didn't Anton want more Assimilation cultivators by his side? The trifold alliance simply didn't have many that were mobile enough to travel with him.

Anton didn't feel the Great Queen or any of the void ants. That meant they either embarrassingly missed their target and were now floating in the void of space, hopefully orienting themselves towards a place Anton could find them… or they had reached their target and so far avoided raising a fuss. Anton had to bet on the latter for the moment, because if it was the former he just had to leave immediately.

With Bala getting ever closer, now just a few dozen kilometers away, Alaia and her sect made a show of what they could do. Bolts of energy, fire, lightning, as well as a number of ranged weapons like bows and spears began to bombard Anton. Individually they weren't much. As a group, it was enough to be inconvenient. Added to Bala's own attacks, they were somewhat concerning.

Unlike Bala herself, however, it seemed the animated Worldbinding cultivator could not function from the center of the skeletal mass. That meant they were viable targets, and Anton began with cutting down the weaker subjects. He found that hitting the spine just below the skull was extremely effective- everyone being nothing but bones meant there weren't many options to begin with, but that also meant nothing seemed important. But the separation of head and body was at least metaphysically important, and everything he struck deanimated.

Alaia herself was a bit harder to take down. She still had more power, whether from some 'self' that remained in that body or from Bala Anton couldn't tell. Either way, there was enough defensive energy that Anton couldn't simply take out the key target.

The mountain of skeletons was getting uncomfortably close. Bala's accuracy remained similar now, but the giant bone arms and tails stretching towards Anton were somewhat problematic. This was the point he would have started going all out, if he hadn't committed to that from the beginning. His access to ascension energy was nearly dry, his own natural energy replenishing quickly but still approaching below half. Spectral energy was still difficult to use, but he had a plan that might work with it. If it didn't, he'd have to admit defeat and flee. He wasn't going to be stubborn and remain to fight, especially with no sign of the Great Queen.

What was spectral energy? Death, and false life. But also true rebirth, something that Anton couldn't have… at least not and retain his current self. Not that he was ever expecting that to begin with. The point was, there was more to it than Bala was making use of. Either she didn't care to explore the full details of spectral energy, wasn't aware of the possibility, or more probably had locked herself into particular aspects. Which meant when Anton focused an arrow with the concept of passing on and rebirth, it pierced through Alaia. That part was inevitable- the part Anton had been unsure about was whether it would do anything.

Fortunately, it did. As intangible power passed through intangible power, something was yanked out of the bones and energy, causing them to collapse. Anton kind of hoped that whatever happened to Alaia she had a chance to be reborn, though he wouldn't shed tears if her soul was gone forever. If it was someone he cared about, dying a death beyond death would affect Anton… but for his enemies he simply didn't intend for that to happen. Except the Twin Soul Sect, because they deserved that for attempting to exploit reincarnation and for being traitors.

The good news was that any Worldbinding cultivators Bala took over were definitely weaker than normal. The bad news was that Anton had overly discounted the maneuverability of the Sylanis Cluster's other ships, and they were now blocking his best escape route. Anton pondered his options. Candle Wax would either provide him a significant amount of energy or instantly wipe him out, possibly kill him. That might be better than being captured or traditionally killed, but if he was going out Anton would prefer to properly incinerate his own corpse. He kept a tiny bit of his own consciousness sealed in his dantian, ready to let the unrestrained power of a star release inside him if he perished.

"We're going through that one, with the stupid face," Anton gestured to one of the ships. Merve nodded. She had little in the way of ranged abilities, but if they were breaking through a blockade she had options.

There were nowhere near enough ships to physically prevent Anton from fleeing, but he didn't want to pass between them and let them attack him unhindered. As skeletal arms began to stretch towards him at a low single digit number of kilometers, Anton pushed himself and Merve towards the indicated ship.

Instead of staying with him, Merve pushed ahead, her upper wings providing a defensive shield over her head as she dove towards the ship. The ones in the middle seemed to be responsible for the actual flight, while the lower ones suddenly found a purpose as Merve reached the enemy's barrier. She used the lower two wings like blades, slicing a line through the enemy hull. Anton didn't fail to take advantage of that opening, dozens of arrows piercing through the small gap and targeting important enemies.

Then the two of them tore their way through the center of the ship, shielding themselves from the rest of the fleet. Anton had his blade-bow in hand, alternately firing and slashing with it. The ship had enough enemy combatants that they couldn't sit still as they pushed their way through the ship. It was likely the fleet would be waiting for them to come out the other side… but personally Anton was interested in reaching the helm, where a dead helmsman was sprawled on the ground.

Anton couldn't believe the Sylanis cluster still used traditional wheels for their ships. Sure, he hadn't expected technological joysticks like Rutera had, but there were better methods of control than using hands to spin freaking wheels around. But he vaguely understood what they all did, and flipped the ship around at a rate it was absolutely not meant to manage. He had to inject some of his energy into the ships system so it would do that much, and it would doubtless fall apart in a couple minutes. But who was he to care about that? He pushed it to its limits and beyond, pulling away from the rest of the fleet. Anton was extremely pleased that the barrier was almost one hundred percent effective against 'allied' attacks. That made perfect sense in most situations, but now that he'd commandeered it the rest of the fleet was basically doing nothing.

It was too bad Bala was still catching up. This ship wasn't as fast as Anton, just a safer place to be. As skeletal arms began to tear through the ship, Anton prepared to vault himself and Merve out the opening they'd torn.

Then he heard a scream. It was partly physical, transmitted through the physical medium of bones, but partly mental and spiritual. It came with a pulse of spectral energy, washing over him- but it wasn't as intentional as before. It was, however, very good at ridding Anton of the annoyances on his ship and the others nearby. Merve even managed to use her wings to block it, which might have put her ahead of Anton in terms of safety.

Chunks of bone fell away from the mountain as it tore into space around it, pulling itself into some manner of subspace. Along with the bones, a few things remained. Anton was able to lock onto them with his energy for how different they were- and thus he detected the void ants that came along with them.

Just to have a place to talk in peace, Anton directed his ship around to pick up the hand and three toes that the Great Queen and her royal guard were holding onto. The Great Queen stood triumphantly atop the severed wrist, though when she came into the ship she looked slightly disappointed. "I have no idea how to follow her into that place," she signed.

Anton shrugged, "I guess we can try to figure that out. But at least you claimed some prizes."

"I'd rather toss them," the Great Queen said. "I simply wished to display our success. We don't eat humans, and this one would be particularly foul, like her spectral energy. It is unfortunate how adept I have gotten at navigating shifting piles of bones, but our casualties were minimal. If there is another time Bala appears before me, she shall not live." Though the Great Queen said that with confidence, she also collapsed into a heap along with most of her royal guard, proving once more that spectral energy was still a threat to their kind.

Chapter 523

News from the other systems came on a delayed timeframe, but it was confirmed that similar incidents took place in the other systems of the trifold alliance. Weos managed to drive off the attempted intrusion near the border of their system, with their occupance stretching to all of their planets and their fast moving fleet.

It was actually Ceretos that suffered the most. One day, Anton got a message from the Order- with the news repeated through various other avenues- of a small planet named Medao. The distinction of it actually being a planet was debatable, its small size and its eccentric orbit making scholars disagree. The news was that Medao had been taken over by the Sylanis cluster, though to what purpose it wasn't clear. The day after, he got a message from Everheart saying the matter had been dealt with. The day after that he was bombarded with messages indicating that Medao had been destroyed.

The timeline and circumstances were pretty clear to Anton. He didn't suspect Everheart of working with the Sylanis Cluster or anything. Nor of hiding anything, really. Everheart claiming that the problem had been dealt with was likely exactly as he thought it, and he simply wouldn't have considered that destroying Medao was anything of note. And in the grand scheme of things, perhaps it wasn't. There wasn't anyone living there- until the Sylanis Cluster very briefly took up a position- it wasn't particularly interesting, not even as space rocks went. Even so… Anton wanted to have a talk with the man about how he dealt with problems. If the word had come that he'd also removed a Worldbinding cultivator then maybe that would be different, but that particular attack hadn't had one involved. Perhaps it was a test to see if Ceretos could send someone to stop them from messing with outlying planets.

The trifold alliance's response was still being discussed. Pressing their victory seemed like a good option, but retaliating against the Ivory Maw in particular was risky. They had three of the Sylanis Cluster's Worldbinding cultivators, and it wasn't clear if Bala Sykora was the strongest among them. Chances were that as their leader she was, but that didn't mean the other two were far behind. The loss of a hand- and three toes- might not be a significant detriment for a cultivator of her kind. It was risky enough to face her alone, Anton wasn't pleased with the idea of going into Ivory Maw territory even if he had the leeway to bring Nthanda, the Great Queen, and Everheart. And at least he or Nthanda needed to remain with Rutera since they didn't have their own Worldbinding cultivator and their super secret ship wasn't complete… yet.

Nthanda clutched her bow tightly. Compared to any of Anton's, hers felt strangely dead. The metal that made it up was refined from various disparate sources and combined later. It wasn't made from a Worldheart- Nthanda really didn't want to think about the destructive excess that led to those being harvested to begin with- or from a giant tree or the bones of a powerful creature or thrice blessed skymetal. It was just a carefully concocted alloy with very straightforward enchantments. She liked it. It had a strong body, just like her.

The first arrow came at her neck. A flick of her wrist smashed it apart with her bow, more than durable enough to deal with something so insignificant. After the next half dozen Nthanda was no closer to having a proper target, so she kept her hand free to slap away the bolts of condensed natural energy. Actually, if this pattern kept up, she could just keep absorbing the incoming attacks and never get fatigued. Which of course meant the pattern shifted.

Ascension energy was surprisingly terrifying, given that Nthanda found herself at an equivalent of a strength where she could be using it. Maybe it was the unfamiliarity, or the particular manner in which Anton used it. Its speed and power were no joke, and the former meant it was rather difficult to make sure it impacted any of her manufactured chitin. Her faux void ant developments were just as capable of dismantling ascension energy as proper natural energy, maybe moreso. When she tore it apart and no longer had to fear for her life, and then she ate it. It was… crunchy? Spicy? Prickly? Some combination of all three.

It took a bit of effort, which meant a dozen of Anton's regular shots were more able to find their target locations on her body. Most of them shattered uselessly, causing little more than bruising on Nthanda's extraordinarily tempered body. It was debatable whether over the course of a battle if that would be better than someone getting their natural energy defenses constantly bombarded, but Nthanda didn't have much of anything to spare on defense. Since it wasn't really a choice, she just accepted it- if she had to take a hit, at least.

She finally found him, leveling her bow towards the horizon. Anton had said he'd be within her range, otherwise this wouldn't really be much of a competitive exercise. Maybe if Nthanda had a few more decades of experience she'd be able to compete with him in range- though she didn't have the advantage of energy senses that could pick out a target beyond hundreds of kilometers. Normally the horizon was a dozen kilometers at most, but Nthanda was currently on a platform in space. Given that she was moving in an orbit towards him, gravity, and how she expected him to dodge, she fired her first shot, shaking the platform beneath her as it dealt with the force thrusting the arrow towards her destination. Nthanda's natural energy went with it, not as a propellant or defense for her arrow, but because there was really no other way to redirect it otherwise- and an arrow that didn't change trajectory would never hit Anton in a million years. Not unless Nthanda figured out how to get them up towards the speed of light, or at least a tangible fraction thereof.

For the first twenty minutes Nthanda thought the exchanges were going well. Sure, her supplier was going to be very upset with her for launching hundreds of arrows out into space- unless Anton had caught them- but she'd protected herself adequately and launched counterattacks. Then one of his arrows hit her in the wrist. It wasn't supposed to have any effect, that being one of the places covered in chitin. Even if it had broken through, Nthanda wouldn't have expected anything to affect only the inside of her wrist. But that wasn't the only mysterious injury she got. Perhaps mysterious wasn't the right word- Anton had told her he'd be making use of spectral energy, but Nthanda was ill equipped to combat the mostly intangible energy. It wasn't fair, which was of course why she needed this training.

The barrage of arrows stopped when Nthanda found herself unable to draw back her bow, her arms and back riddled with wounds that didn't make sense. And yet… she knew they could have been so much worse. She was going to need to do so much work to figure out how to prevent this sort of damage in the future. And to recover from it now.

"How come you get something like this along with your fancy flying and range, huh Anton?" Nthanda asked when he came to get her.

"I traded away reincarnation," Anton answered seriously. "Also, everything has its counter. Void ants counter pretty much every cultivator. You counter them. This counters you."

"Pretty sure spectral energy is also bad for void ants."

"The fact that void ants can be injured at all by spectral energy does not necessarily make it a proper weakness," Anton shrugged. "Something had to be able to kill them besides physical force or tossing them into the sun." Left unsaid, of course, was that only applied to the top tier- the youngest and weakest members were at best a bit more durable than any other ant of their size, which meant being squished between the fingers of a small child was a possibility. "If it just so happens that spectral energy is the most powerful force that cultivators in the lower realms can call upon, it makes it even more important to derive proper counters."

"I'm pretty sure some of my bones are liquid."

"That's just your brain trying to interpret inconsistent feedback. Your body is still just as solid as before. Now then, I imagine your body will begin to recover soon enough without your input… but guiding it in the right direction should be more valuable."

Nthanda nodded, "I get it. But I would like to be somewhere with air, please."

"You can jump," Anton grinned, gesturing. "But I suppose we don't want to damage wherever you land." He held out her hand, as he had always intended to. "Let's get you down."

Nthanda had methods to move about in space or low gravity environments, but they weren't optimal or easy. "Thanks. Also, I don't suppose you happened to catch any arrows?"

Anton pulled out a storage bag. "Less than half. Your accuracy was too good to fully devote myself to the task."

Ty Quigley looked down at his hands. Wrinkled. It clutched Elder Intan's sword, a shallow curve that still ended in a point. Not far from him stood Elder Vasu. "I need you to take this seriously," Ty explained.

"You know what that means for the Million Sword Vault," Vasu nodded. He stretched out his hand over the sands of the Scorching Mirror Desert. Sparkling shards of glasslike sand swirled around each other, forming in his hand a plain looking straight sword, ordinary in every way except for its mirrored surface. At least, it appeared that way until Vasu shifted slightly. Every time it moved, it seemed to break down into an endless number of separate reflective surfaces without losing its form.

Vasu didn't wait for Ty to indicate further readiness, or give the younger man the pleasure of making the first move. Instead, he took a step forward, the sands beneath him supporting him at whatever level he pleased, raising and lowering or being firm or soft as convenient. One step, and then he was behind Ty swinging his blade horizontally.

Ty Quigley fell forward away from him. He didn't dodge, or lean forward. Nor did he suddenly thrust himself with a burst of energy. No, he simply fell as gravity changed directions for him alone. Yet only long enough to bring him out of reach of the blade that instead of bisecting him simply grazed the outer edge of his spine. The blade itself hadn't touched him, of course- that was simply Vasu's energy extended beyond it.

Without turning around, Ty lowered his stance, preparing a thrust. Vasu appeared on his left, a slash coming down at an angle. Ty's body was already twisting and tilting. His head nearly touched the sand as he angled himself almost upside down. No, that was simply Vasu's perspective. Perhaps it was Vasu and the desert itself that were upside down. The sword thrust went between Vasu's thighs, turning into a slash for any of the various blood carrying parts of the body in the thighs and groin.

Several moves later the battle had taken to the sky, Vasu standing upon floating disks of mirrored sands, and Ty standing on nothing. Currently he was oriented ninety degrees perpendicular to Vasu, who was almost beginning to doubt his own sense of gravity.

Two moves later, Vasu had the tip of his sword entirely through Ty's windpipe. The young man just grinned, the wrinkled skin on his face stretching tight with the motion, his hair changing from a dead gray to a vibrant silver. "Got you," Ty gargled through the blood in his throat.

Elder Vasu looked down to his ankle, where a single drop of blood was trickling from the tip of Ty's sword. Given the entire realm between them, that was good enough to count as a victory. Elder Vasu nodded. "Good."

Ty continued to grin. The cut on his windpipe would stitch up nicely, clean as it was. "Next time… use all of the swords."

Elder Vasu raised his eyebrows. He hadn't even told anyone about that. But perhaps he should have expected a young genius to figure it out.

Chapter 524

"I don't get it," Everheart said. "There weren't even any people there!"

"First of all, there were hundreds of people from the Sylanis Cluster," Anton corrected him.

"Are you saying you don't approve of me killing them?"

"... Second, it was completely unnecessary to destroy a whole planet for that."

"Medao was a dwarf planet at best," Everheart shrugged. "If we need another pile of rocks in space I can toss one together."

"... Do you break everything you touch?" Anton asked.

"Yes. But it was going to happen eventually anyway."

"Planets don't just fall apart."

"It'd go out with the sun," Everheart shrugged. "In like… a few billion years or some crap like that."

"I fail to see how an event that will happen far beyond your lifetime excuses just smashing things that aren't yours."

"First of all, I'm planning to be here when the sun goes out. Well, not here here." Everheart shrugged, "I'd watch from the edge of the system, maybe, unless I was busy. Just because you've accepted being mortal doesn't mean I have."

In a way, the admission was disturbingly comforting. At least it implied that Everheart would be sticking around and keeping most planets intact, unless he wanted to hang around in an empty system. "Sure, fine," Anton shrugged. "But consider this. Now Medao doesn't exist for those billions of years. I hope you enjoy your Worldheart."

"Pfft," Everheart waved Anton off, "A tiny, energy lacking place like that doesn't have a Worldheart. Anyway, I still argue that blowing it up was the most efficient and nothing important was lost."

"I'm just worried about where you draw the line… if you have a line."

"I totally do," Everheart said. "I won't do something like that if allies were present," Anton nodded- too early, apparently, "Unless there were at least like, twice as many enemies in terms of total combat power."

Anton put his head in his hands. "Whyyyy."

"They'd probably die anyway."

"Or you could help them. The normal way."

"Wow you pansy. Fine, I'll shift it to three to one." Anton's eyes narrowed. "... Four to one?"

Clearly, this was a topic they weren't going to agree upon. Though ultimately Everheart settled Anton down by pointing out that he couldn't efficiently destroy a bigger planet, and wouldn't destroy something with enough value for allies to bother holding. And though Anton wanted to complain more about what Everheart had already done, it was useless and he was at least partly correct. No real harm was done, and stopping the Sylanis Cluster from setting up a foothold was valuable. Though the fact that they seemed to think they could get away with it was concerning, Everheart assured Anton nothing else had slipped into the system at the same time. Hopefully, the same was true for Rutera. And now Anton had to check. He really didn't enjoy the idea of patrolling thousands of space rocks.

President Park preferred to keep eye contact with those he talked with. It showed he was listening, empathetic, a reasonable politician. He liked to think he was, but it was hard to interact with something alien. Across from him on the table of the meeting room stood an ant. A very large ant that President Park had been informed had killed a Worldbinding cultivator. That didn't seem physically possible, given the video they had of Anton and now Nthanda. General Nicodemo's prescense was reassuring… and if negotiations went as they should, President Park didn't need to worry about whether or not this particular individual could kill him. He just wished it had a readable face. That she had a readable face.

It didn't help make him less nervous that next to her on the table were a hand and some toes. Nicodemo was acting as the interpreter- somehow, even with his busy schedule the man had learned the void ant's sign language. President Park, meanwhile, had found himself busy with other things and had kind of assumed he didn't need to know it anyway. An assumption he was regretting. He trusted Nicodemo's interpretation was accurate, but requiring a translator weakened his bargaining power.

"The Great Queen says that due to her valor in battle and assisting Rutera with their foes, the void ants should be allowed a small colony upon Rutera- with full rights as humans. The tokens she brought are from a Worldbinding cultivator."

President Park almost said something that would have weakened his position, but he remembered that just because he didn't speak the void ants sign language, that didn't mean the Great Queen didn't speak Ruteran. Understand it, rather, since she didn't have vocal chords.

"That… we would not be entirely opposed to a larger void ant presence upon Rutera," President Park said cautiously. "But a full colony is a big step."

The Great Queen signed further. Nicodemo didn't immediately interpret, instead turning directly to the president. "My apologies, President Park. I made a previous deal with the Great Queen to campaign for the void ants presence should the Great Queen slay one of their Worldbinding cultivators. I think it's only fair to say that while her efforts were not yet fully successful, she has still provided a great service. I implore you to consider her offer."

"I see," President Park nodded, addressing the Great Queen directly. "I personally have no problems with such a presence," except for the fact that void ants and the Great Queen specifically were terrifying. "I think I could say the same for the vast majority of Rutera, if they know anything about your people. However, in times of war such as this, undergoing too many other great changes might be unwise."

"She requests a small diplomatic compound, with no breeders. That might get people more used to the idea."

"How large?" President Park asked. Did the embassy have the funds for a new building? Or the space?

"Just enough for ten thousand individuals, she says." While President Park had a minor heart attack, Nicodemo continued, "They would require ten kilograms of food per day- energy rich- and ten square meters of space."

"So that's, what…" President Park frowned. He hated doing math during diplomacy, he always screwed it up somehow. "A square kilometer of land?" he finally arrived at. "That's pretty significant."

"Ten square meters total," Nicodemo clarified.

For a moment, President Park had forgotten that, though large, these were ants. "Oh. Like, a room? We can absolutely spare a room or two." And with that, proper negotiations began. President Park knew there would be future headaches in the future. Even integrating with the cultivators from Ceretos and Rutera had been difficult, and they were human. But President Park had prepared himself for diplomacy with aliens since their space programs ramped up. He just hadn't expected them to be so alien yet also not. And for the first 'aliens' to just be more humans. They'd really been lacking critical information about the wider galaxy.

"... You were right, this is much better," Merve admitted to Anton. "I… places of power were very restricted previously. Rutera didn't seem particularly much worse than what I was used to."

At the current moment, the two of them were present at the Order of One Hundred Stars, at the peak of the mountain where some energy naturally gathered more densely- though the difference was not as significant between the peak and down below as it had once been. That was because the overall energy density was higher everywhere. The latest generation was adapted to areas rich in natural energy from before birth, though certain areas were still uncomfortable for those of lower cultivation.

"How did you even reach your current cultivation if Rutera was not that much worse?" Anton asked.

"By consuming energy rich resources… earned through service to the powerful sects, of course. The rewards were not so generous as what you offer here, however. Not for people like me."

"People not born into clans or powerful sects, you mean," Anton nodded. She'd previously explained such things. "It's generally better here." Even the worst sects recognized that meritocratic advancement gave them stronger cultivators. Some were just hesitant to let people grow too quickly for fear they would break away once they felt strong enough. The Order dealt with that by doing their best to assess the character of the individuals they recruited- both before them joining, and during their development.

People were free to leave if they so chose, but there was little benefit to that. The Hundred Stars was a sect that paved the way to ascension- there was little better on offer, for those who could follow the sect's rules. They were not particularly onerous, either, but not everyone fit into the mold. Some were directed to other places that better fit them. Some were rejected. Others, generally those who had committed crimes and tried to conceal it, were dealt with. Nobody was arbitrarily killed, but there were laws in place for a reason. And these days, going from country to country to escape criminal consequences was becoming less and less useful. The two continents were closely tied, and even the Exalted Archipelago worked with them on such matters. And some sects were actively helpful in general.

"How do you like it here?" Anton asked Merve.

"I… still have trouble believing that any of this is real," she admitted. "I have a few friends, I think. But I've just barely accepted there was one decent person like you. So many people also seeming that way together makes me think they're hiding something. Even if I trust you that this is all legit."

"... the Sylanis Cluster seems awful," Anton said for perhaps the hundredth time.

"I can't say everyone had the same experience as me, but yeah. It was garbage. Can't you get that Scholar Eulogius guy to blow up some of their planets? He seemed into that idea."

"No. For numerous reasons."

Merve sighed, "Yeah, I get it. I appreciate that you purged the Ultimate Phoenix Sect. They were some of the most prominently visible garbage. Did you know there used to be like, a dozen phoenix sects before I was born? They 'merged' with the rest… which basically meant killing anyone who wouldn't join them and enslaving all their phoenixes."

"The Ivory Maw seems worse," Anton pointed out.

Merve shuddered, "I spent most of my life operating on the assumption that they were boogeymen. Something made up to scare kids… and adults."

"Yeah, sorry. It seems they're real."

"I had a list, you know," Merve said. "A mental one, of people I wanted to get revenge on. The funny thing is, most of them died unrelated to me. And now I just don't want to see their faces again. I get to sit here not worrying about anyone killing me and striding closer to Ascension."

"You made your choice, then?" Anton asked.

Merve shook her head. "I don't know. I just always defaulted to that idea so that I could get away from everything. Plus, Worldbinding cultivators have to be exceptional. If not, they get chopped up by the others pretty quick."

"Is that why there are only a hundred in the Sylanis Cluster?" Anton asked. "Because if Ceretos had those numbers we'd have… more." If it scaled proportional to population, Ceretos might have four hundred? They had eight at around two billion people, and the Sylanis Cluster was said to have about a hundred billion. And that wasn't mentioning that Ceretos had less than thirty years of this, while the Sylanis Cluster had centuries. "I'm hoping we can take more advantage of that. Get them to fight each other."

"I wish I was engaged enough in politics to make suggestions," Merve shook her head, "But you already know what I do. Open hatred doesn't really last long, and I have no idea about secret grudges."

"Well, that's fine. We'll just deal with what we have."

Anton didn't have to have a reason to return to the Order, like he was now, even during war. Rutera needed him, but this was his sect. Even so, Anton didn't just leave them alone. Nthanda and the Great Queen were there. And he was working with the official policy right now. They weren't just planning to let the Sylanis Cluster keep staying on the offensive, but the trifold alliance was in a moment of internal focus and rehabilitation. Weos had their new Assimilation cultivators still settling into their power, everyone on Ceretos was training, and Rutera was definitely not about to unveil their new secret battleship. In a couple years, maybe. That thing was taking forever to build, so it had better be good. It would have been finished already, but they kept coming up with more improvements and loftier ambitions as they realized just how strong Worldbinding cultivators were and what they needed it to be able to withstand if it wasn't just going to be an expensive pile of junk after one battle.

Not that anyone had told Anton all that. Officially.

Chapter 525

"You'd better have something good to show after not contacting me for over a decade, young man!" Anton wagged his finger at the aforementioned individual. He was not really angry, but he had been worried something had happened.

"First of all, you're like… sixty-something years older than me," the scarred individual stated. "That was a big deal when I was in my thirties, but just because you're past two centuries doesn't make me not a century and a half old," Devon said. "Second, I don't just show off my powers like they're for fun."

"So those chains dancing behind you are…?" Anton asked.

"Unruly children!" Devon turned around and slapped them to the ground. "Which, uh, kinda tells you how it went. I mixed my power with stuff and now it doesn't always listen to me."

"Sounds… inconvenient."

"You're telling me," Devon sighed. "But I guess I can say I'm stronger. And ironically not tied down to anything but myself."

"That's great news, actually," Anton said. "Have you been keeping up with the happenings?"

"I definitely noticed some of them," Devon admitted. "There was a giant battle over the planet that was pretty hard to ignore. But it seems like it went well."

"It did. The Great Queen of the void ants advanced to an exceptional level of power… and they weren't prepared for it. Anyway," Anton shrugged, "There's a big interstellar war between us, two allies, and a trio of enemy systems. And they have a hundred Assimilation level cultivators."

"... That sounds bad," Devon said.

"Well, ninety-six and nine tenths, now," Anton corrected. "But it's still a bothersome quantity."

"Nine tenths?" Devon raised an eyebrow.

"One of them lost a hand and some toes."

"Pretty sure that's less than a tenth, but it does sound better that way. Think they can grow it back?"

"They either immediately tossed some freaky bones on there, or will have a hell of a time," Anton shrugged. "Could have gone either way. Anyway, we're trying to foment civil war there so we don't have to deal with them, because they're sure as hell not leaving us alone no matter how much ass we kick."

"I understand why we'd want them to kill each other instead of us, but we aren't exactly in a hurry, are we?"

"We only have like seventy years before the next invasion opportunity," Anton said. "I'd like a half century of proper stability before then. And traveling between systems is slow."

"Like… years?"

"Weeks," Anton admitted. "But for every back and forth that adds up quickly. You'd be surprised how much stuff has changed, though. Fancy starships and the like all over. And Rutera is building the biggest one. But don't tell anyone that."

"... Sure," Devon said. "What do you want me to do, then?"

"Whatever you please," Anton said. "But… we could use another unrestrained person like you. Most people are Assimilated with stuff on Ceretos. It's pretty safe here," Anton admitted. "And if you just want security, remaining here to help out is fine."

"No, if you need me on the offensive I'm willing to help out," Devon said. "I'm quite attached to this place, just like you. That means leaving it behind when necessary. Besides, we rarely get to fight together."

"How's your range?" Anton asked.

"Pretty far," Devon said, then realized who he was talking to. "A few hundred meters?"

"I will gladly fight alongside you," Anton grinned, "But space battles are very long range. You'll have to settle for having me as fire support. Though… if you have proper control over your whole range, being deeper into the battlefield could be worth it." Even his fastest arrows had travel time, after all. Even if he could shoot an extreme distance, he ended up limited by how many simultaneous arrows he could sustain.

"I'd say I'm fully confident," Devon said, "But if they're Assimilation equivalent and giving you trouble, we'll have to see."

"People will be glad to hear the news, whenever you announce it. We just need a target. Sadly, it's not going to be the people with the mountain sized pile of bones. Even if they deserve it the most."

"You'll have to catch me up on everything," Devon admitted. "Also on who that woman with you was. Another informally adopted granddaughter, I presume?"

"Oh, Merve? She's a captured enemy soldier," Anton said. "And now we're friends. The Sylanis Cluster is full of garbage waiting to burn up in an odiferous inferno."

Various codenames had existed for Rutera's battleship. The Indomitable. Juggernaut. Invincible. Planet crusher. Some of them were too violent, some sounded like they were asking for trouble. Eventually, they went for something else.

The Independence was the first Ascension-class battleship they had produced, requiring thousands of workers and many years. It consumed a tremendous amount of resources, though in a way that was good for Rutera's economy. It didn't hurt that they had the scrap of a steady stream of enemy ships, though the wooden components didn't do much to interface with Ruteran technology.

It wasn't much to look at, being more or less spheroid in shape. It was tempting to make something narrow and sleek, but as a ship carrier it required room for everything that would be transported along with it. In addition to that, restraining it to a completely defined front was something they couldn't afford in space combat where attacks could come from anywhere. The battleship wasn't particularly maneuverable, but its sturdy frame and energy shields would protect it as well as its fleet and omnidirectional weapons.

Those shields were made as top of the line as possible, taking the very best of the Sylanis Cluster's formation techniques to make adaptable barriers, along with Ruteran specific ingenuity. Anton had the honor of being the first person to attempt to destroy it, and he found himself quite certain that a single combatant would find it very difficult to even scratch. It was even tuned to filter out spectral energy, though Anton couldn't be sure if it would perfectly resist the power of Bala. Simply having some protections against that sort of energy was more than most, however. Though given what they knew, they were integrating emergency barriers into their fighters for if someone like Bala showed up. They couldn't just let a fleet get wiped out with no defenses.

Unfortunately, powering all of that- including the interstellar drive- took a massive amount of power. The center portion of The Independence was mostly energy storage and generation. Feeding off of ambient natural energy, it would likely take years to fill the thing up- but the Ruterans hadn't developed technologically because they were used to abundant natural energy. The battleship had various ways to charge it, including contributions from cultivators- though Anton thought it would take him at least a week to fill the thing up. The primary method was part of the reason it had been hiding out in a gas giant. It was able to fuse most materials into usable energy, the easiest of which were the lightest gasses, hydrogen and helium.

The Independence was massive enough that it was never meant to enter atmosphere- instead being capable of siphoning off what it needed from nearby atmospheres, or gathering sources of power through some of its support ships, various 'lifeboats' and repair vessels that would be required for the ship to remain optimally functional. Space suits were all well and good, but mechanical assistance would be necessary if there was any significant damage to the frame.

There was one week of it sitting above the atmosphere of Rutera, where people could look at it- not that it was easy to see without assistance of some sort- and comment on how great it was. Then the time came for its first mission, and along with the many Ruteran crew, fighter pilots, and ground troops, there were cultivators from Weos and Ceretos. The other systems contributed their own ships as well, of course. It would be a terrible shame if they overestimated their new vessel and left it vulnerable to a concerted attack of some sort.

The target was Okloi- not any particular place, but rather as many places as they could hit before they deemed it wise to retreat. No doubt their whole armada would be moving slow enough for the enemy to gather local forces to retaliate, so they were choosing places where the Worldbinding cultivators should be less mobile… and where they could take advantage of rival sects that might be less inclined to come to each other's aid. Without any real diplomatic communications or the ability to land spies they couldn't directly sow discord, so they were hoping it would come about naturally as they did what was necessary to keep the Sylanis Cluster in check.

The first target was a planet of a particularly large size, covered in ice with nearly frozen oceans beneath the surface. It was a place only cultivators could dwell, and a source of some problematic supporting elements. Healers that were injected into pretty much every attacking force. For Anton personally he hadn't found them to be an issue, but for the war at large they were a significant factor in restricting enemy losses. If that had been all, they might not have been a priority target. However, it was determined that captives from the trifold alliance were taken there for interrogation and experimentation.

The former was part of war, accepted begrudgingly. The latter was inexcusable, and negated any moral protection they had as healers. It wasn't clear if they would be able to rescue anyone in particular, but either way the Iceheart Ocean had to be dealt with. The entirety of the planet Atania was under their control, so any facilities that could be found were on the table as targets.

The first showing of The Independence was impressive. As the massive behemoth moved towards the planet on the outer ring of orbits, fighters were ready to be released like a swarm of bees… though they should be considered quite a bit more deadly.

Its presence hadn't gone unnoticed, and their first target had ships in the air before they were close to the surface of the planet, but that just meant they were the first to get cut down, isolated. The Independence shrugged off the enemy attacks, while they weren't able to stand up to the combined firepower of its many diverse weapons- specially selected to efficiently overcome the Sylanis Cluster's barriers- especially not when combined with the fighters. The actual cultivators had basically nothing to do as the Ruteran forces took out the fleet, though Anton was of course able to contribute without putting himself in an awkward position.

Upon encountering a larger barrier protecting the facility that was their target, The Independence trained its largest weapons upon the site. Explosive munitions would need to be replenished at a later date, but holding onto them for too long would waste their presence. They were timed to follow after concentrated lasers that cracked open the barrier, slipping through the gaps and shattering buildings and ice. The facilities continued deep below the surface, but everything on Atania was anchored to the massive sheets of ice that made up its surface.

With the first powerful bombardment bringing down the barriers, troops were landed- the numerous technologically equipped Ruteran soldiers, as well as cultivators. They were there not to be picky, but to kill their enemies, free any allies they found, take what they could and destroy anything they couldn't. There was no attempt to be completely thorough- they set a time limit for people to return, and then they moved on. No doubt their next target would be a bit more prepared… but they hadn't even seen everything yet.

Before completely rushing off, The Independence took some time to replenish some of its power. The various chilled liquids that made up the ice covered oceans weren't necessarily the best thing to convert into energy, but they were easily siphoned up into the power core. During that time, Anton kept a special watch for approaching enemies. Refueling was a time of weakness for The Independence, as much of its energy production had to be turned inward for the refinement. It wasn't helpless during such a time, barriers, weapons, and of course fighters all being available, but it took some time to shift to a full battle ready state. But as long as the enemy didn't know that, it would seem like an unstoppable force of nature- and if they found out, that was what they were refueling for before it was urgent.

Chapter 526

Ice cracked around the edges of a large structure, leaving it to sink into the depths of Atania where the vast majority of the cultivators dwelling inside would not be able to survive on their way to the surface. Yet they also had little hope of surviving if they made it out right away, with The Independence and the rest of the trifold alliance still on the assault. Anton would have preferred to kill only who they had to in the Iceheart Ocean, but they didn't have the luxury of being selective. As a sect they were participating in the war, and without some reliable method of communication they couldn't even warn them off without something extreme like this. Setting up some method of communication was on the agenda, however.

Spirit Arrows pierced into enemy disciples. Their individual combat strength varied, but their real value lay elsewhere. Healing was of extreme value after a combat, returning people to full fighting capability- but even the best could hardly contribute to such an end meaningfully mid combat. Destruction was simply more efficient. Thus, the Iceheart Ocean's combat power seemed somewhat on the weaker side, though Anton understood that his personal strength was skewing things as well.

They were most of the way finished with their intentions for the first region when the local Worldbinding cultivator finally showed up. That was the weakness of there being limited things in place to catch them further out and provide advance warning. Either the Sylanis Cluster didn't have the techniques necessary to do so or they couldn't work together well enough to create a system-blanketing option. Anton leaned towards the latter, but it could have been both- though he expected them to develop it as they saw the successes of the trifold alliance.

According to their information, this man was Carlitos Anselmo. He had great healing capabilities, but also strong defensive capacity… and more importantly he was bound to the entire planet. Anton began his offensive with a simple shot that he fully expected to be dodged, blocked, or negated by energy defenses. He was surprised when his arrow went right through the man's chest. A hole, straight through his heart. Then the hole closed immediately.

Anton's thoughts moved through the various possibilities as quick as light. An illusion? An artificial body? No, Anton had felt the proper power as he passed through with his arrow. This was the real Carlitos. Instant regeneration? He'd already determined that was inefficient and likely beyond anyone on that level, regrowing vital things such as pieces of the heart was nearly impossible. Then the only answer was… he'd simply not taken any real damage. Anton had no more time to ponder as he tested with more attacks, because Carlitos retaliated.

Not against Anton specifically- though it was possible that he would be on the list. Instead, he first focused on the weakest masses… all at once. Mountains of ice rose up and valleys dropped as everything shifted, freezing liquids that should be gasses anywhere else splashing out of the sea below. Attacks took the form of spikes of ice or simple entrapment, at high speed and on a wide scale. Many perished, but while the casualties were unfortunate that was still within expected tolerances for a Worldbinding cultivator. He didn't kill much faster than Anton could for those who were equivalent. Being at his source of power, however, the man could use his full strength.

Anton tested piercing the brain and every limb, eventually determining that he did in fact inflict damage. Just not much. Instead, the body of Carlitos rippled like water, Anton merely carving out small portions of his body, tiny wounds which were quickly recovered while the rest flowed back together. He changed tactics- usually he had to pierce through defensive energy, so a concentrated attack was optimal. Now, he switched to something more widespread, widening his arrows into blades. Even if he only cut a very thin line, that was vastly more than a point. Anton's assumptions were justified when Carlitos began to surround himself in sheets of ice to protect himself.

It was unfortunate for him, strong as he was, that he was just one man. The Independence was able to ignore lesser opponents who had come with him and instead focus fire on the man with their strongest attacks, blasting through his defenses and forcing him to dodge and expend energy directly protecting himself. That gave Anton more opportunities to utilize his attacks that were focused on an area smaller than a building, slicing off an arm- though it instantly reattached, Anton felt there were brief moments where it was held on merely by energy and not knit flesh.

Between the power of The Independence and Anton, Carlitos stood no chance. Perhaps that was why he was desperately killing as many cultivators as he could. That wouldn't last long, because there was one more… not counting the Great Queen. Great chains of fire and blood wound their way through the area, radiating auras of passion, pain, and determination. Devon was on the ground, merely a few hundred meters from Carlitos. The man instantly felt the danger and slammed together two mountains of ice in an attempt to crush Devon… but even if Devon was merely in the early stages of Assimilation, he was still more than a couple steps above Life Transformation in power.

A sphere of chains formed around him, creating a barrier that absorbed the impact of the ice while his other chains continued their motion, snaking their way through the openings in the terrain that The Independence provided. When they snaked their way around Carlitos, no doubt he intended to let his body turn to liquid and let them slide through him… but he found their grip on him firm as anything. Because they weren't just links of energy, but of the very concept of binding. It was possible to counteract such a thing, but expecting things to work differently left Carlitos open.

Anton filled him with arrows, and not merely by shooting them through the man, but having them stop inside him. The fact that he had a body at all meant that he ultimately needed it to function, and while small moments with holes in him as an attack passed through seemed to have negligible effect on his health, leaving them there meant his body was suddenly lacking blood flow in countless places, among other things. His reaction was swift, crushing Anton's energy within him, but more arrows were already on the way and Devon's chains bound tighter, digging into him. Already, the man had lost all offensive capability, focusing solely on surviving as Devon's chains raised the man up into the air away from his domain. A short distance of a few dozen meters wouldn't massively affect his ability, but with Devon latching onto a ship raising up as well any counterattacks would have to lift the freezing slurry of ice and liquids from their resting place below, making every effort that much slower and more difficult.

Powerful cold could easily freeze or kill people, but its downside was that if it did not do so its damage potential was much less than something like fire, or any sort of weapon that left proper wounds. The time taken for him to crush someone added up, and the man found himself in a sorry position. Then he screamed in pain as the Great Queen bit into him, drawing upon his energy.

Being bound and drained he was momentarily weakened, at least long enough for their purposes for them to declare an ultimatum. That honor was left to Devon, since he had to be close regardless. "Unlike what you might think, we of the trifold alliance don't find ourselves with the inclination to destroy or control everything. It is no benefit to us to be locked in eternal conflict with your Sylanis cluster… so you and anyone else who does not intend to be systematically destroyed should think about communicating properly with us. If nothing else, we might prioritize going after your rivals instead of you." Devon tossed him a few different communications devices. "You can use any of these to contact us. Details are in that scroll. If we find the Iceheart Ocean participating in the war in the future, you can expect us to return… and we won't leave you alive again."

"You think he'll listen?" Devon asked his grandfather as they rode on The Independence towards their next destination.

"Him in particular?" Anton shook his head. "Doubtful, though I don't know the man in detail. Still, by random chance he might be the one that does. I imagine we'll only get one or two out of a handful who are willing to entertain the idea, at least until we beat it into their heads that we have strength and that their major sects and clans are directly subject to retaliatory attacks. I have the feeling they see themselves as invincible, especially against outsiders."

"Not gonna lie," Devon shrugged. "I kinda feel the same way."

Anton flicked Devon's forehead. "Bad Devon. No arrogance."

"Only kinda," Devon grinned. "I know that with the right combination of factors, these Worldbinding cultivators can work together and devastate our homeland. I'd rather stop them before they realize that, or at least manage the unity to organize it."

"It is troublesome," the Great Queen added her own input. "I understand humans lack the same unity void ants tend to share, but these humans are particularly far from that unity."

Anton shrugged, "Ceretos just got lucky that we had a proper cause to unite behind, which we really don't want to give to the Sylanis Cluster. That's why we're intending to pick and choose our targets." Anton focused his energy senses on one portion of The Independence that was being carefully defrosted- it had remained in orbit and its barriers were sufficiently powerful to protect it, but the Worldbinding cultivator had still managed to cause a bit of damage in his brief assault on it directly. Nothing that couldn't be quickly repaired, and Anton was glad that the first real field test of the vessel was successful so far.

"Where are we heading next?" Devon asked. "I forgot what order we decided on."

"Cheitov. A terrestrial planet. It's one of the places where the most popular wood for the local ships comes from, as well as some of the rarer sorts," Anton said. "I suppose you didn't see them. There were some that carried regenerating thorns launched and controlled by one of the local sects. In a way, you could consider them archers."

"Will we see you in an archery contest, then?" Devon asked. "Or perhaps something like the Grandfather Willow?"

"We don't have any indications they have anything quite that size," Anton said. "We'll be staying away from some of the larger ones for safety reasons. Besides, destroying planetary treasures if we're planning to press for peace is bad for our successes. Probably," Anton shrugged, "Perhaps it would drive them into despair or awe of our power, but the more likely result is rage and indignity."

It was only a matter of hours for them to arrive over Cheitov. Some ships could have been much faster, but for the sake of giving people a chance to rest and recover- and for The Independence to perform basic repairs on itself and the fighters it carried- they took a more measured approach. Keeping a large fleet together with different methods of movement was also somewhat difficult, but the different origins hadn't consolidated into some perfect whole yet. Perhaps they never would- each system had reasons they did what they did, and they simply preferred certain tradeoffs over others.

Anton's initial view of Cheitov made him think it was quite pleasant. Its massive continents were coated in the green of treetops- though there were clear sections that had recently been harvested where nothing had grown back yet. At least they were sensible enough to manage their forests, though Anton didn't imagine they would have lasted long if they didn't. It wasn't necessarily a matter of care as much as practicality. And though certain cultivators certainly didn't care what damage they caused to an area, any who lasted multiple centuries had to find some sort of balance or risk destruction.

The Independence and the rest of the fleet maneuvered themselves towards one of the larger cities, on the outskirts of which was a starport where a good portion of the local wood exports took place. That meant they had massive warehouses just full of wood, dry enough to catch on fire unlike the surrounding forests. Not that burning down all the forests on the planet would have been advisable even if it was practical. They weren't intending a war of extermination, quite the opposite. They just wanted things to stop… while taking out those most responsible for all of the trouble.

Chapter 527

From the distance The Independence kept above Cheitov, the main form of attack it had available were high powered beam weapons or anything that created a large explosion. Accuracy was an issue for anything with travel time even if the individual weapon operators did their best to redirect the attacks along the way. Physical projectiles were basically useless unless enemy ships came for them- and weren't intercepted by the rest of the fleet. There was one form of physical attack that was extremely useful, at least against stationary targets… like barriers.

One of a small number of the necessary pieces of ammunition was removed from its extradimensional storage and aimed down at the barrier protected warehouse district in synchronous orbit below. There was little special about the ammunition itself- it was basically an oversized dart of metal. It didn't even have enchantments, due to the particular alloy being energy-resistant. It was also particularly dense, which meant its only other use was special plating on particular sections of The Independence or some mid-sized battleships. Here, it was used to form a ten meter long spike, which was then propelled downward.

Once released, it followed its intended trajectory with no additional maneuvering, picking up speed as it was affected by Cheitov's gravity. A cone of flames formed around it as it began to heat up from entering the atmosphere, igniting the area around it with friction. Despite its speed, the attack was not considered quick by cultivator standards, though it reached speeds much faster than anyone could react by the time it arrived at the barrier. But anyone could have dodged an attack that took over a minute to arrive with no maneuvering involved, and it was quite obvious.

The cowardly or clever cultivators beneath the barrier had taken that time to remove themselves from the general area of its arrival. Those who were confident or incautious trusted in their barrier to protect them. The attack was obvious, and so too was the fact that it carried with it no natural energy to speak of. Cultivators had been conditioned to disregard attacks not imbued with natural energy, consciously or subconsciously.

It was to the credit of whoever was controlling that particular barrier that it was rapidly adjusted before the attack hit. That meant when the attack hit and the kinetic energy was bludgeoned into it that it was able to disperse it over the whole formation, leaving it cracked instead of the projectile piercing through and wrecking everything inside the barrier. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about other coordinated attacks that arrived nearly at the same time. Anton's arrows pierced small holes in the barrier that prevented it from taking the few necessary moments to stabilize, followed up by fire attributed Spirit Arrows.

Secondary barriers protected the warehouses, but they were meant more to deal with casual vandalism or street brawls, their effectiveness being nothing compared to the overarching barrier. Anton's arrows found their way into warehouses stocked with wood, igniting them with supernatural flame. Some were treated to improve their durability, but not all parts of the enchanting process took place on Cheitov itself. They burned, and burned well. That was just one location- ships from the trifold alliance were already on their way to the surface, other cultivators launching their own attacks. They beat down the barrier as it tried to reform, some targeting the formations and others targeting the power sources, and with the defenses broken open it was inevitable that a superior force could keep the barrier down.

Perhaps the trifold alliance could have caused more widespread destruction if they split up- they had the potential power for that- but they wanted to not just cause damage but put on a show of invincibility. Hard fought victories would remind the Sylanis Cluster that the enemy could be beaten.

Troops marched on the starport next to the warehouses, commandeering or destroying the vessels there. The larger shipping vessels did not have interstellar drives and would not be able to keep up with the fleet, so they were the easiest targets for destruction. There were some examples of the more typical Sylanis starships they'd seen on the offensive, and nothing stopped them from taking them under their control- except those which were launched when the battle began. Most of those had been shot down, but the remaining vessels were perfectly usable by foreign cultivators.

There were sometimes 'keys' necessary for a vessel to operate, a formation core of some sort or at least a device that communicated with a formation whether it should be allowed to activate, though such measures made the overall formations more complicated and weren't universal. Either way, the trifold alliance had captured enough of the vessels that they had ways to overcome the security measures given a bit of time or costly devices.

Everheart implied he had made one that could activate any of their ships, and Anton had no reason to doubt him. Even so, the man had merely watched the work of the trifold alliance as they put their heads together to come up with the solutions they had. That was good, since overly relying on Everheart was both lazy and dangerous. They needed more competent formation masters, not a bunch of minions who could only follow directions.

The local cultivators hadn't been completely ready for the attack. Either they hadn't heard about the attacks on Atania, which would be a massive failure in communications, or they hadn't believed that the fleet could reach them so quickly. Or perhaps they'd just assumed that the fleet would leave after one success or pick a different target, but both of those seemed careless. Better to assume the alliance had been underestimated than to think their enemy completely stupid.

As the battle was settling down, Anton moved to the command deck of The Independence. He was there not because he was a part of the crew, but for ease of communication. General Nicodemo grinned at Anton. "They finally let a general like me step away from the gilded palace of home."

"Shouldn't you be called a fleet admiral or grand general or something?"

"Fleet general, maybe. We don't really bother with old military ranks that split categories of officers by location. Too much confusion. Land forces have to go with the space fleets now and our terrestrial navy is only a backup for the orbital defense platforms." Nicodemo shrugged, "But about our next target. Our scanners picked up a few different potential locations. To the southeast there's a tempting target, but the energy readings are… significant."

"Aridasa should be there," Anton said. "He's the local Worldbinding cultivator, and is no doubt fortifying the area as their most important facility." As they were already above the main atmosphere, Anton's senses were able to easily expand in the direction indicated to pick up necessary information. Barriers might conceal some things, but a Worldbinding cultivator would usually be obvious. There were exceptions, and Anton planned to steer well clear of anywhere they thought the few assassin-like entities would be. "If we're serious about this, that should be our target. Especially while we're still relatively fresh."

Anton took a deep breath, drawing from one of the two stars in the system. Both, technically, but the second star was teetering on the outside of his range. Though that was already an improvement, since they were at the far edge of the system to begin with, dealing with planets in the outer ring. Anton would never get his maximum powers anywhere but actually next to one of his Assimilated stars, but he was learning to reduce the drop off. In their elements people like Carlitos and Aridasa would be stronger than him alone, but that was why he'd avoided engaging Worldbinding cultivators on his scouting run.

"That's what I was thinking as well," Nicodemo nodded. He pressed a button on his communications console that was very specifically marked. "Ty! Get back here." Anton didn't bother to pry into what the response was in Nicodemo's earpiece, he could basically guess what it was going to be anyway. "I don't care if they flew away with piles of wood or piles of gold! Finish catching up to the next one and then return to the fleet, we need you for the next offensive. You're too far out, I'll send you coordinates. Don't get shot down." Nicodemo sighed, "Honestly, that kid. Independent action is one thing, but he could at least stick to basic tactics."

"If he did that, the enemy would be able to predict him," Anton grinned.

"Oh, don't you give me that. Or pretend that it would matter which thing he took apart. At least he's recovering well. Would be nice for photos if he cared about his physical appearance, though. Still looks like an old man."

"What's wrong with that?" Anton raised an eyebrow.

"We already have you," Nicodemo countered. "Having our scrappy young local hero look young would be better. But maybe it's not just a complete lack of vanity that has him refuse to spend the effort there. He's in the 'scars are a reminder of when you failed to duck' camp. Except it was an undodgeable pulse of energy."

"I'll bet you in a decade or two he can cut apart widespread energy pulses," Anton commented.

"... No bet," Nicodemo said. "Now then, we have to get in the stragglers."

Anton couldn't see Aridasa, and his energy senses were only precise enough to pick out the important things at such a distance. Locations of limbs and the movement of the body. It didn't matter if someone had a mole or a pimple or a scar as long as it wasn't doing anything. Even so, Anton got the impression of the weight of age, partly from the man's stance and partly from his aura.

The battle began with waves of attacks from both sides, with Aridasa making up a majority of the attacks coming from Cheitov's surface. A great wave of thorns that filled the sky, far more than any ship they had encountered yet but still within expected tolerances for the man's power. With all of those attacks being more or less the same, the stolen adaptive barrier technology minimized the damage to the trifold alliance's losses. If the man wanted to take down their ships he would have to focus on a small number at a time.

As the thorns continued, they began to angle towards Anton. Given that he was just next to The Independence there was some chance that it was also a target, but many small attacks was the least dangerous option for the massive battleship. Anton considered what to do. He could pull back, as he was likely faster than the attacks. That would be fine, but it would slightly slow his own responses and allow the man to concentrate on others.

Instead, Anton charged forward, diving lower into the atmosphere towards the wide wall of thorns. They curved to meet him, but Anton found the weakest area and countered with dozens of his own arrows, blasting apart the largest of the spikes that were like small spears. Anton surrounded himself with fire, not willing to underestimate even the tiniest projectiles, not with a Worldbinding cultivator controlling them. They all burned up as he pushed through, and he had the feeling he'd made the right choice.

The Independence targeted the largest trees in the area, as they were the origin of the thorns. Attacking them would either require a defensive response or destroy them thus limiting the Aridasa's ammo and perhaps the energy he could draw upon. The smaller ships, meanwhile, focused on either landing or supporting the Independence in the destruction of the trees.

Devon was keeping his presence to a minimum as he moved towards the ground, trying to appear weaker than he was. No doubt Aridasa could cause him great trouble if he focused on him, but then he would be leaving Anton free to cause what trouble he pleased. Finally, the Great Queen was… somewhere. Presumably being effective, but Anton didn't have the luxury to pick out the points of nothing that could be anywhere within the airspace they were fighting over. Instead, he had to focus on the thousands or tens of thousands of thorns coming for him in a swarm.

Chapter 528

The swarm of thorns had some limitations in how it could target Anton, acting more like one grand thing or at most some dozens of smaller groupings, which was extremely beneficial for Anton's safety as he wove his way around and through the attacks while remaining wary of changes.

His efforts that were not dedicated defensively were limited to occasional shots at the one causing all that trouble, the local Worldbinding cultivator Aridasa. Fighting in his domain was troublesome, but Anton managed to fire off a few shots in the man's direction, attempting to coordinate with The Independence's attacks. Beyond that, he continued to provide a distraction, keeping the Worldbinding cultivator occupied while other forces on the planet Cheitov were dealt with by landing ships. It also kept the man's thoughts off of Devon, though no doubt he was aware of his presence.

It seemed Aridasa wasn't quite at his limits with the swarm of thorns, however. He managed a few smaller swarms as well, targeting ships or cultivators as well as controlling the movements of some of the local trees. Those same trees were some of the main targets of The Independence, and those of any practical size for a cultivator battle were quickly being turned into charcoal. No doubt he could call upon more from the surrounding kilometers , but that would take time that they didn't plan to let him have.

With a few thorns in his body, Anton didn't dare leave them. He felt no further connection to Aridasa after they punctured his energy defenses, but he burned them to ash regardless, focusing the flames around him into specific points. If things continued like that, he would have to retreat to a further distance soon, allowing the man to target the trifold alliance more easily.

Finally, Devon was close enough to spring into action- closer than strictly necessary to encompass Aridasa within his range, large chains springing up around the cultivator. Anton immediately felt attention switch and punished the action with a few shots at the man as well as a wave of fire around him scourging some of the thorns.

Weaker cultivators attempted to assist Aridasa, but the trifold alliance had its fair share of Life Transformation experts to match. There were some at the peak of Life Transformation on either side or with otherwise exceptional power, but the cultivators of Cheitov were pressed by the starfighters and The Independence- its powerful weapons operated by dozens of individuals in a coordinated fashion.

A tendril of thorns- narrow around the front where the fastest thorns had pulled ahead- darted towards Devon. Instead of fleeing or forming a shell of chains around himself, he stretched out two, wrapping them around the flowing thorns. As the chains spun around the thorns without touching them they continued to approach him, before they suddenly fell to the ground, their connection severed. It was just one part of many, but Devon kept himself safe for a few more moments.

Then every thorn of the swarm reversed its trajectory or simply dropped to the ground. A small swarm of ants appeared in a ring around Aridasa, visible only with the naked eye on the battlefield of hundreds of human soldiers. It was sensible that they had been overlooked until that point, even if the man had been cautious. In fact, Anton supposed that noticing them before any of them sunk their mandibles into him was a decent feat.

Most of the ants retained their position, hovering in position even for those without wings. A few, including the largest, charged forward. Aridasa countered with a wooden sword, but the small targets swerved away with great agility. They descended upon him at the same time as the first thorns reached the area, a final layer of sizable chains blocking the area from being clearly seen.

In the end, several chains remained while the thorns dropped away, one prominent void ant with her mandibles resting casually upon the man's throat. Somewhere in all that, Aridasa had been informed he could surrender- and he took that opportunity. Seeing their leader captured, local forces coagulated into defensive groups as the information spread. Those who laid down their weapons or at least stopped attacking were spared further violence.

Then it was Anton's turn to be a friendly but not too friendly negotiator. He tossed some varied communication devices to Aridasa, some more familiar to the man but all sufficient to get information to the trifold alliance. "We speak the same language," Anton said.

Aridasa waited for something more, before determining he was expected to reply. "We do."

"Good. Then we can negotiate." While he was fulfilling this job, the Ruterans were going around setting up small, nearly invisible devices. Some were specifically cloaked from energy senses so that even if the others were noticed they might remain. Their job would be to help enforce some of the provisions Anton was going to declare. "We have a list of demands, and no, that does not include access to your vaults or your head."

Anton had the advantage in the negotiations from the fact that they could just kill Aridasa. As for why they didn't and chose to negotiate, that was Anton's job to make him understand. Eventually, everything had been laid out. Aridasa frowned, "So, you want us to completely cease operations for a decade? Such a thing would cripple us." From the way the man held himself, Anton figured it wouldn't actually be quite that bad. Not directly, anyway. "We couldn't manage that, especially not against the demands of others."

"We could raze your planet right now," Anton shrugged. "Or you can find some way to convince them. If they want materials for now they'll have to look elsewhere. Or we'll have to come visit again." Anton could see the man weighing his options in his head. Certainly he was considering just agreeing now and preparing to fight them later. If he was smart- and any cultivator who reached Worldbinding had great intellectual capability in some regard even if they didn't make use of it- he would realize that whatever preparations he made Anton and the others would prepare further counters for him in specific.

"A decade, though…"

"Further negotiations could be arranged," Anton said. "And let it be known that we grow tired of these hostilities. Nobody from the Sylanis Cluster is benefitting from this." With the exception of shipyards and material suppliers like Cheitov, which was why they were some of the targets. "If the Sylanis Cluster truly wishes to conquer us at all costs, they will regret being unaware of how high those costs can truly be as we will systematically wipe out your sects. Or, you can be sensible."

"My word alone won't get even close to a peace," Aridasa finally said.

"But if you follow our conditions, there can be peace for you, at least." That wasn't a lie, technically. The trifold alliance wouldn't cause them further trouble. As for the rest of the Sylanis Cluster, he wouldn't bet on it. But if anyone came to attack Cheitov, they would still have to deal with Aridasa… and then whoever was looking out for other groups making moves. Anton had the feeling things were on a precipice of either fostering civil war within the Sylanis Cluster or them agreeing to some sort of peace, even a white peace where nothing happened except a promise not to attack each other for a while. If they actually negotiated such a thing, both sides would have to trust each other- at least a little. This was just another step in that direction.

Eventually the discussions ended. Minimal additional devastation happened in the area, the secret monitoring devices left to observe as much as possible. Aridasa might not care about the other penalties for disregarding the agreed upon terms except for his life- and he should understand that they could come for him. If he chose to flee, his powers would be diminished and he wouldn't be involved anyway. Or if he reneged on the deal but hid himself on Cheitov without fighting, they could cause enough devastation to weaken him and achieve their other goals. Only by working together with others could he be a problem.

Anton had vaguely noticed the Great Queen's lack of presence during their negotiations, but he found her afterwards. She was in the medical bay of The Independence, a thorn two fingers in length through her thorax. It was only a few millimeters thick, but it was much equivalent to having a spear through her. As a medic gingerly tried to pull out the spike with some tweezers, the Great Queen signed to Anton with little concern.

"I don't like this one," she signed. "The planet. The thorns. The man who controls them."

"You think he'll go back on his word?" Anton asked as the medic carefully pressed down on the Great Queen's back with her fingers, as if afraid of crushing her. Though it would take a body temperer to do so with any certainty.

"No," the Great Queen said simply as the thorn slowly slid out. "I just don't like dealing with clouds of thorns. Too hard to dodge." There was a rather worrying hole in the Great Queen when the doctor was done, but the Great Queen's version of blood was only slowly oozing out of her. She turned to the medic. "Thank you for your assistance. I will recover on my own from here."

"Of course, uh, queen," the woman said awkwardly.

The next target was the planet Roistea, a gas giant with many moons inhabited by various individuals. Not the same he'd skittered past in his first sabotage mission in the area- that was in orbit around the other star. There were still two Worldbinding cultivators in the area, but they couldn't simply target those who were weakest. Nor did they want to get predictable, attacking only the outer ring.

The particular group they were after were known at the Children of Fortune. They were said to be manipulators of fate, another supporting force for not only individual battles but theoretically guiding the course of the war as a whole. It was unclear how much they could actually do, but people believed in them, and two Worldbinding cultivators was sufficient power regardless.

Anton paid close attention ahead of them as they approached. The gas giant itself was easy to pick out, but the moon they were after first had just come into his senses. He once more stood with Nicodemo on the bridge of The Independence. The general frowned, and Anton made a sudden declaration. "We're aborting the mission." The chain of command was fairly clear in combat, but outside of it Anton had the influence to say such things. More importantly, Nicodemo would listen to him.

"Why?" Nicodemo asked.

"Why did you frown?" Anton countered.

"... I'm not sure, a bad feeling maybe. Happens before battles."

"Does it?" Anton asked.

"Of course," Nicodemo said. "Even generals get nervous. What did you sense?"

"Nothing," Anton said.

"They're shielded?"

Anton shook his head.

"Something feels out of place?"

Once again, Anton denied the assertion. "I just have a feeling."

General Nicodemo drummed his fingers on his bicep, thinking. "That is completely unscientific. I suppose you're leaving even if we stay?"

"... No," Anton said. "If you remain, I will remain with you. To death, if necessary… though I would like to prevent that."

"That bad, huh? But you don't really feel anything."

"Just a feeling," Anton confirmed. "I've not found myself in unsurvivable trouble until now, but a cultivator learns to trust such things. I believe it isn't a coincidence. Before you make a decision, I would consult with the rest of the fleet."

Nicodemo thought for a few moments. "We have to decide quickly, correct?" Anton nodded. "Then we're leaving. I have the authority to call off this whole thing whenever. We've accomplished enough, and I assume Weos will accept your reasoning, such as it is?"

"From me? Yes."

"And that no doubt goes for Ceretos, though with you and your grandson and the Great Queen representing Ceretos, they wouldn't have much choice but to listen." Nicodemo gave the order, and the fleet adjusted their course, no longer approaching the planet but instead pulling away from the system's orbital plane to angle back towards their homes.

"I suppose that's another thing," Anton said. "The Great Queen's injuries, I mean. But I'm not certain if her health would make any difference in potential disaster." Perhaps they could have accomplished more if they stayed, but Anton felt justified when he felt ships lifting off from the nearby area as they began to pull away. "We have pursuers," Anton mentioned. "Let's keep well away from that planet, shall we?"

Chapter 529

As the trifold alliance's fleet drew away from Roistea, ships swarmed towards them from around the various moons and the planet itself. Though they had pulled away before getting terribly close to the planet, the fleet was limited in its speed by its slowest member- that being The Independence. The battleship was not excessively ponderous, but its maneuverability was low and it took some time to accelerate in a new direction. Thus, the fleet's curved trajectory didn't immediately bring them away from the ships defending Roistea.

As Anton and The Independence began to take their first shots, the enemy fleet was already changing formation wildly. Some ships pulled apart, others gathered together. Anton found his shots suddenly targeting fortified positions where he had once seen weakness. The reaction was strange in its execution, but by the time he noticed Anton's attacks were already close enough to strike. Since he was confident in breaking his way through the barriers regardless, he picked a few ships to focus on.

His arrows rippled into nothingness, showing little effect of the impact on the enemy barriers. Some had combined their power with nearby ships, while others displayed their resilient adaptations. Were they prepared for him specifically? There was no reason they wouldn't be, to some extent, but he'd felt the barriers adapting even before his attack reached them. That could be done with conscious control, but somehow it didn't feel quite right.

The Independence might have lacked mobility to some extent, but being prepared for omnidirectional space combat it had weapons facing wherever it needed. Projectiles launched and beams of energy swept behind them, powerful enough to tear ships in half but causing no damage… and likewise adapting instantly.

Was this a new advancement in barriers? No, that shouldn't be it. There had been no signs of that anywhere else, so unless this was exclusive to Roistea it shouldn't be the case. And the barriers themselves felt the same. It was just how they were used that was different.

WIth their previous battle experience, Anton and the gunners of The Independence coordinated their attacks on a smaller number of ships. The simultaneous bombardment should have meant the smaller ships couldn't withstand the attacks, but they managed to avoid shots from The Independence while remaining adapted to Anton's more mobile attacks.

The results should be the efforts of the Children of Fortune, however they actually functioned. Whether truly manipulating fate or simply reading probabilities or the flow of battle, the higher concentration of them in these fleets was making it annoying to take them out. Not that the ships were entirely unharmed. Even when adapted perfectly the barriers had some limits- they were just many times more efficient at resisting damage. The overpowering attacks of The Independence and Anton together did manage to slowly take them down, but there was the rest of the enemy fleet still remaining.

Because of their retreat, The Independence tactically withheld the fighters carried within. They had limited fuel and if they were left behind the rest of the fleet they would simply be lost. Thus, with one notable exception, the hangars remained closed.

Anton took stock of Ty Quigley entering the battlefield while also spotting notable presences at the rear of the enemy fleet. Two Worldbinding cultivators hanging around the back, their ships clearly able to catch up but lingering behind. Was it because they were hesitant to fight away from Roistea, or was that their optimal position? Unfortunately, those details had not been available for obvious reasons- weaknesses were kept secret as much as possible from other Worldbinding cultivators.

Ty Quigley's ship accelerated and drifted unnaturally, moving in ways the ship's thrusters simply didn't allow. His motions brought him into the enemy fleet, his ammunition flying through the rows of ships with little effect. As he swerved towards an enemy ship they were already pulling away. One wing stretched towards them but could not reach… not by itself. As it would with a normal sword, the cultivator's energy stretched beyond the blade itself, slicing through the enemy ship, the barrier splitting along with the enchanted wood beneath.

Now Ty had officially half as many ships destroyed in the battle as Anton. Sure, it was only one versus Anton's two, but he couldn't let a mid Life Transformation cultivator compete that closely with him.

Anton stepped up his game. He'd been initially unfamiliar with this strange style of defensive techniques by the enemy, but it wasn't perfect. Anton drew upon greater power, his hands moving with great alacrity on his main bow while energy bows around him drew and fired themselves. He was hesitant to use one of his few remaining shots of Ascension energy to take out just one or two ships among the group, so he instead focused on a mix of quality and quantity.

His arrows initially targeted a dozen different ships, a handful focused on each. As they adapted and moved, Anton changed his target. The enemy fleet had basically caught up and was engaging the rearmost ships of their formation along with Ty crazily flying in their midst, so Anton's arrows only took an instant to arrive… but he could still maneuver them enough to pick new targets any time before he hit.

He swapped targets a total of four times, finding that the enemy's predictive powers were swift but imperfect. Another ship fell under his bombardment, and he participated in the destruction of one The Independence was targeting by forcing them to adapt to his attacks. He had to get much more serious than he would have liked against opponents significantly below him in power, but that was the only way to properly deal with them. His main concern was not exhausting himself in case the Worldbinding cultivators fully entered the battle.

Engaged in combat from behind, the ships from Weos took advantage of the gravity distortions around them to divert enemy attacks and reroute enemy ships that got too close. They were skilled at attacking out of their little bubbles of distorted space, but something about them made their attacks less predictable than the others because of it. Ceretos' ships had nothing particularly special to mention about them except their reverse engineered versions of the barriers, keeping them relatively safe.

The trifold alliance's fleet did take some losses, but they were staying ahead in casualties and stringing out the enemy forces. It was tempting to just wheel on them to take out the fleets and the vulnerable seeming Worldbinding cultivators, but Anton still was not confident that would go well. Likewise, Nicodemo didn't suggest retracting the decision.

Finding an opportunity with few allied ships in immediate peril, Anton focused a few waves of shots on the rear of the fleet with the Worldbinding cultivators. They were able to avoid some of his shots, but they could simply wheel around and strike from behind. The ships were a step above the rest, however, and even accounting for their adapted barriers Anton wasn't able to cause serious damage alone.

Anton considered going closer to try something. He still had the Star Catching Net, and though it wouldn't be as large or as destructive as it would be right near the surface of one of his assimilated stars, he'd developed it to a great enough area that it should be undodgeable. If he caught one of the ships in that, the fleet could focus fire on them. He decided against that in the end. If the attempt succeeded it would be worthwhile, but even if they destroyed the ship they wouldn't necessarily kill the Worldbinding cultivator aboard. Star Catching Net was designed to cover a square kilometer of area, but the individual gaps were approximately a meter wide- enough for an actual person to just slip through. If they could maneuver themselves in space they could return to the planet or the other ship. It was possible Anton would kill him there, but if the plan failed he would just reveal the technique to people who could actually do something about it later. He needed a proper opening for that, forcing it would likely result in failure.

With both fleets properly engaged in battle, it seemed the predictive powers of the enemy dropped significantly. With many different attacks that could all cause harm, there was little they could do to resist perfectly. With Anton, The Independence, and Devon's chains directly impacting the battlefield it didn't matter if the two Worldbinding cultivators were actually doing something or not- Anton thought they were even if he couldn't directly detect it. Regardless, it wasn't enough. They were a quite significant distance away from Roistea, and the enemy fleet finally had to give up. It wasn't long before the trifold alliance was far enough from any disturbances that they could safely make use of their interstellar travel methods, leaving the Okloi system behind.

For all that she had a clearly visible hole through her, the Great Queen seemed in remarkably good health. Then again, Anton wouldn't have expected much else from a hand sized individual who could carry a full grown human. Even if she was feeling particularly weak, supporting her own body weight should be trivial.

With a face that didn't show expressions in a way that was recognizable by humans, her thoughts were generally unreadable unless she intended to show them, though Anton's time spent around her and other void ants had given him a bit more understanding. Her casual attitude while it had been pulled out was more of an effort to maintain dignity than an actual disregard for the seriousness of the injury.

"How are you faring?" Anton asked straightforwardly as The Independence moved through subspace. "I rarely see you with sufficient injuries to know how well you recover."

The Great Queen displayed her legs, not as a word but as an example of her previous wounds against Bala Sykora's bone mountain. "I am able to sufficiently coax my body back into shape, though we have a few specialized healers among us. They will remove stray shards of chitin from my thorax and acquire for me regenerative medicines." Her antennae twitched in a way Anton interpreted as amused. "I do not require large quantities of anything, though the process is still slow despite my size."

"Natural energy infused medicines mostly just gets dissolved when it touches you, doesn't it?" Anton asked. "That would make the more wondrous effects difficult to obtain."

"The effect is lessened with access to internal areas," the Great Queen signed, trusting in Anton to keep the necessary parts secret. "Thus, my internals will take well to whatever is given. My outer layer can be recovered to a suitable level in a short time thereafter through active effort. Full recovery will take longer."

Anton nodded, "I see. It's a good thing the battle ended when it did, if you were exposed like that."

"It is not a particularly concerning weakness to be vulnerable when there is a hole straight through your chest," the Great Queen pointed out. "It would be more efficient to simply target my brain or vital organs, had one the ability."

"What about cracks?" Anton asked. "Or is that asking too much?"

"You can let people believe what they would like about that. I shall simply point out that we do not just negate energy that directly touches us, but potentially that within some variance of range." The Great Queen was quite able to eat her way through defensive energy, which varied in thickness between a few millimeters and a handful of centimeters, depending on skill and desired effects. Thicker wasn't necessarily better. Of course, if she simply negated everything she touched that wouldn't be an issue, but Anton had seen her and other void ants literally tear away chunks of natural energy.

"I don't suppose I can help out with anything?" Anton asked. "I do have medicines."

"Void any physiology is quite different. I would need to consult one who had properly studied those details, and I assume you as well."

"A fair point."

"You could help remove extraneous bits," the Great Queen offered. "I have no hands to reach in there myself, and handling it now instead of later might be preferred. A matter of weeks could result in uncomfortable complications."

Thus Anton was left with the puzzle of how to move millimeter scale chunks of a material that resisted natural energy. The answer was surprisingly simple in the end- the puncture wound was sizable enough for Anton to fit thin tweezers into her. A proper doctor might have been a better choice, but the queen had none among her royal guard and she did not trust most humans enough to let them try. Not that she distrusted humans. If it was an emergency she would have accepted what they could give. But given that her health was not deteriorating, she could wait.

Anton was surprised to find he could sense the Great Queen's internals. He had to specifically narrow his senses into a thread that didn't touch the outside of the puncture, but her organs didn't have the same level of energy negation as the chitin. It still seemed resistant, but not nearly so much. Because of those senses, he could also pick out places where they didn't work- tiny chunks of chitin broken away by the thorn, lodged in organs Anton found it difficult to compare to human ones. The thorax mostly had a series of tubes, seemingly for nerves, blood, and a digestive tract if Anton was right.

He picked out little bits of chitin, focusing to keep his hands steady. He could support his hands with natural energy while leaving the tweezers free of it, as it would just be a waste. When he finished he had a goopy pile of black pieces and some vital fluids.

"Thank you," the Great Queen said. "I feel better, if only a little. If I could ask for something more…?"

"What is it?"

"A special treat?" she wiggled slightly. "Just a bit of ascension energy?"

Anton grinned. "For a wounded friend? Absolutely." He wasn't sure if it would actually help her recover at all- though he knew some amount of it aided her growth. Either way, he was advanced enough in Fleeting Youth to supply her whenever she asked. She didn't consume terribly much of it at once, and she was careful not to be too needy about such a thing.

Chapter 530

It was immensely satisfying that there were expedient messages from Carlitos and Aridasa after things were over. They didn't really say anything of substance- they were basically just tests. Even so, replies were sent and the weeks-long process could continue. At the logical insistence of some, the communications devices they had given were slightly less than optimal. Best not to give away useful tactical information. Information could travel between the systems much more quickly than their ships, and there was constant work to minimize that time lag.

Now that they had returned, Anton focused on his own recovery. His injuries were minor, but there was a deep fatigue that built up from repeated combat, especially concerning the energies he called upon through Fleeting Youth.

Anton also had to consider how he'd known to pull away from Roistea. There was a decent chance they could have taken out the force they had come up against, though with losses. That was presuming there wasn't anything else lying in wait, however. Anton wasn't certain about that.

All cultivators developed an intuition for danger, particularly during Spirit Building, but as with all of cultivation there weren't necessarily hard limits. Anton did train in gathering and processing information, but predictive abilities in that manner weren't really part of it. If it was merely intuition he would accept it, but if it was something he could control he would prefer to develop it further.

He thought back to what he sensed. Nothing really stood out. More or less standard barriers for the Sylanis Cluster. Perhaps a vague sense of the two Worldbinding cultivators they knew would be there. As for beyond that, there was nothing Anton could name. There was more, but he couldn't really describe it or its origin immediately. He would have to keep pondering on the topic, though whether it would produce fruit was unclear.

"... and if you really want to make them mad, burn down their favorite building, desecrate the gravesite of their favorite ancestor, or run off with one of their most eligible female disciples," Everheart finished his instructional segment.

"I will defer to your expertise as the most hated man in the galaxy," Anton inclined his head, "But I feel like perhaps those are only useful if you want a group to be mad at you. It seems relatively inefficient for starting wars between sects."

"Just put on a wig," Everheart said. "Nobody will know. Instant war."

"I-" Anton's eyebrow twitched. "Please don't tell me that actually worked once."

"Three times before I hit fifty," Everheart grinned. "I suppose it takes a bit more effort to deal with 'proper' cultivators though."

"Well, I'm not having any part in that sort of thing," Anton said.

"Yeah, you'd better not. You're extremely obvious," Everheart said. "You should really take up a few dozen alternate fighting styles. Maybe start with wrestling."

"Wrestling." Anton said flatly. "Why that?"

"It's not too bad for close combat, and it's fun to take down burly muscle guys by tying them into a knot. Strikes are fine if your opponent is unarmored, but you need more than that."

"I know how to wrestle," Anton said. "But I would be many times more effective just shooting them."

"What if you don't have your bow?" Everheart asked.

"I can literally make bows appear from nowhere," Anton gestured to a dozen bows suddenly floating around them."

Everheart leaned forward, a massive energy pressing down on the area, forcing Anton's aura back. He didn't actually force it all the way back to Anton's skin, just made the point that he potentially could. "What if your opponent completely suppresses your aura?"

"Then they can probably just kill me," Anton shrugged.

"What if you have to fight somewhere with energy completely negated?"

"Such a place actually exists?"

"Rarely," Everheart said. "What would you do?"

"Wish I had a gun," Anton shrugged. That would be the best weapon for his fighting style that could be made to not rely on energy at all. Would it be worth bringing along something for an extremely improbable condition? Could he even access his storage bag in such a place, if he ended up in one without warning?

"Or," Everheart said. "You wrestle."

"There are dozens of steps between what I do in an optimal situation and when I would fall back on pure hand-to-hand combat," Anton said. "But I get the feeling you just want to wrestle."

"On one of those fancy tournament platforms, no energy." Everheart saw Anton's look. "... Fine, you can fortify your internals, just don't augment your muscles or anything. I'll know!"

"Will this actually be beneficial?" Anton asked.

"Only one way to find out!" Everheart stood up, throwing off his shirt. His bare chest wasn't really anything exciting to look at. If Anton didn't know better, he might be seeing a reflection of himself. A body of toned muscle clearly showing its age, covered in wrinkles, spots, and scars. "Stop hesitating!"

"For someone with centuries of age on me," Anton said. "You sure are impatient."

He didn't delay long in making his way towards one of the Order's arenas. They could be used for training duels, but generally only when people intended to be serious. Because of the costs involved with powering the formations to keep people safe, they cost the disciples to use- though less than the actual price involved. Anton could easily afford to pay for the formations to be active, but frankly they wouldn't mean anything in a battle with 'Scholar Eulogius'. They could function with some reliability for even Life Transformation cultivators as long as they practiced some restraint, but it would be prohibitively expensive and seldom useful to have them work for anyone stronger. Perhaps in a few decades or a century it might see enough use to consider.

A few turned curious eyes to the pair as they walked through the sect. Of the two, Anton had kept his shirt on until they arrived, seeing no reason to walk around like that. He didn't get cold easily, but he had his dignity. Something Everheart almost certainly did not.

"So, what are the rules?" Anton asked.

"I'm sure you can imagine."

"Maybe," Anton said. "But I will remind you that we do not always think the same. Communication might be useful."

"Fine. Simple rules, really. Nothing crippling." Everheart cracked his knuckles. "That's all."

Anton sighed. That was what he was going to get, then. He and Everheart both condensed their energy to inside of them. Anton felt strange, not augmenting his movements with energy. That was subconscious now, and he felt heavy.

There was no announced start of the action- Everheart simply tackled Anton to the ground. The hardest part was not determining what move he wanted to use, but not using energy. It was like holding his breath- unnatural, but possible if he thought about it.

Anton wasn't inexperienced in unarmed combat, but he wouldn't call himself an expert. Not among people of his cultivation level, anyway. He could probably still take down anyone in Body Tempering or maybe Spirit Building if they limited their energy usage even without energy himself, but those beyond the early years of cultivation would be more difficult to handle. Not everyone would reach Essence Collection in just six years, but nowadays on Ceretos taking more than two decades to reach that point was an oddity, even for the least talented.

It was quickly apparent that Everheart's definition of wrestling did include strikes as he took swings at Anton's face. It was odd, the attacks being so slow that he could have normally dealt with them trivially. His mind still processed at about the same rate, though it could be further enhanced by natural energy in battle. His body, however, was sluggish. He could tell his arms to move into position, but it was like dragging them through mud.

Anton managed to get a grip on Everheart's wrist and throw him back over his head, giving him enough time to reorient himself as he got to his feet. Without natural energy flowing through it, his body was an uncomfortable mix of fit and old. His knees and back hurt from the motions, but it was nothing he couldn't ignore. The mundane pains of a body he'd dealt with before becoming a cultivator, and now he'd experienced much worse.

It was not even the slightest bit surprising that Everheart fought dirty. Anton was simply startled to find the man had somehow managed to grab a handful of dirt somewhere as he threw it towards Anton's face. At least his eyes blinked in time to shield himself from direct contact. It just meant he had to predict Everheart's following move with his eyes closed. His knee kicked up, expecting another tackle.

Everheart was both predictable and not. Anton's knee indeed struck him in a lowered shoulder, but the man was already prepared to grab Anton's leg. Instead of mounting Anton he twisted him around, bending the leg in ways Anton didn't know could happen without breaking something- and that was with extremely trained flexibility. He also didn't think it could be done so easily, because he didn't feel that Everheart's muscles were particularly stronger than himself and yet he could barely resist.

At least his same flexibility allowed him to kick with his other leg at angles that weren't normally possible, catching Everheart in the nose. Over the course of the next hour or so the bodies trained to somewhere above average cultivator standards received their fair share of bruises, lacerations, and even a few breaks- though they would heal quickly with the application of natural energy or the most basic medicines.

The battle ended when Anton saw an opening and kicked his foot between Everheart's legs. He had honestly been expecting a counter of some sort, perhaps for his knee or hip to be immediately twisted out of its socket… but he properly connected. Everheart doubled over, just laying curled up in a fetal position on the ground for a full minute. "What the hell was that?" Anton asked. "You're better than to get hit by that."

"I just… wanted to see if I could force you to take the opening…" Everheart grinned from the floor. "Someones got to teach you to fight dirty." Anton sighed, reaching out his hand to pull up the other man, bracing himself for the battle to continue, but Everheart just accepted it and pulled himself up, stretching. "Well, I think that's enough of that for now. You'd never win a proper match, but at least you're not useless."

"Obviously," Anton said. "I try my best not to leave any gaping holes in my abilities… despite how unlikely a situation like this would be nowadays." Anton pondered for a second. "Think you could beat a body temperer?"

"Most of them?" Everheart nodded. "Sure thing. Maybe not everyone in Life Transformation, but I've got centuries of experience on everyone." Given Everheart's past, that might actually be centuries devoted to just wrestling, at least for one of his projections. "Wouldn't even dream of it with Nthanda. Technique only works to a certain point. I'm pretty sure I couldn't hurt her with just my body if she let me." He tapped his chin, "Are all of the lower realm worlds this amazing or is it just us?"

"You know all of the ones I do," Anton pointed out.

"Good point. I'd say the Worldbinding numbers in the Sylanis Cluster are… fine. Certainly better than expected even if I'd known about the option. Rutera and Weos are too early to say, though I do like their big ship." Anton hadn't said anything about The Independence to Everheart- nor heard anything about him actually seeing it- but he wasn't surprised. "Ceretos here seems pretty special. Maybe it's just me?"

"Or maybe this is how lower realms should develop without upper realms invaders constantly suppressing them."

"Or," Everheart held up a finger, "Counterpoint- the constant invasions were required to eventually churn out something of worth."

"I don't want to entertain that thought."

"Don't get me wrong, I hate it," Everheart stomped his foot. "This is our world, the upper realms can get their souls turned into mush if they think they are allowed to lay a finger on it. But conflict is likely a contributing factor."

"I will concede it pushed some of us over the edge, but you didn't participate in any of the invasions did you?"

"No," Everheart admitted. "I was between them. But I'm special."

"You sure are," Anton nodded sincerely. Some of it was even meant in a good way.

Chapter 531

A short message came through one of the communications devices that Aridasa had not used previously. The extras were simply for the sake of reliability, but it seemed there was some intention to use it differently.

It was only a single sentence.

"Ivory Maw Worldbinding cultivators on the offensive. One remains behind. Likely target [Weos]."

The last part had to be interpreted from the different names the Sylanis Cluster had for each place. Based on the lack of communication so far, it was possible they didn't even know the local name of the system.

The question was whether or not they should trust the message. It could easily be a trap. One that was intended to draw people away from Rutera or to set up an ambush in Aphuna, where the Ivory Maw made their home. By now, the Sylanis cluster must have realized they had only a few truly mobile cultivators. There wasn't much they could do about that- simply Anton alone wouldn't have been able to accomplish much. Besides, that might have made them appear to look even weaker, and thus a more tempting target. The enemy could have easily chosen to commit more all at once and then where would the trifold alliance be?

The message was information that Weos needed to hear regardless- though if it was correct there wasn't much time to exchange information. It couldn't even be certain that the message would arrive before the Worldbinding cultivators, depending on the timing of various things. Still, it would arrive before any help could, and putting them on a false alert for a few days wasn't a big concern if the information turned out to be false.

That basically left Anton in the Rutera system discussing with General Nicodemo, Nthanda, Devon, and the Great Queen. The latter was mostly recovered from her injuries, but Anton knew there was still internal damage and that her chitin was not as strong in the replaced areas yet.

"If anyone's going anywhere, it should be me," Anton said. "The question is what we'll do. We can't leave Rutera defenseless, nor do I imagine we have time to gather a large fleet. The Independence should remain here," he looked to Nicodemo, who nodded. "Plans for if we think the message is true… we can either reinforce Weos or assault the Ivory Maw's headquarters. I don't think we can manage both."

"Not when either place could have two or three Worldbinding cultivators," Devon agreed.

"Supporting Weos is safest," Nthanda postulated, "But they can likely handle their own defense. Striking a proper blow to the Ivory Maw in their own realm should be a great victory. If we can kill any of their three cultivators, their power will diminish. If our hopes are fulfilled, that will make them more tempting targets for rivals."

"Assuming the message is true," Nicodemo agreed. "If it is not, we can only imagine there will be an ambush or an attack here. With The Independence, it is tempting to get as much of our own victory as possible… and so far the Sylanis Cluster has not fielded more than two Worldbinding cultivators at once. With the ship and a defensive stance, one more of your level should be sufficient."

The Great Queen tapped the table to get their attention. Given her size, it wasn't particularly loud, but she could have managed something if she wished. "I wish to go on the offensive. My royal guard and I could be useful either in an assault on a sect or assisting against invaders."

"As for myself," Devon said, "And the question of what we actually believe about the message. I would prefer to go with grandfather. However, I am also well suited for a defensive role here. The question is… what then?"

"I would like to act as if the message is true," Anton said. "There will be no time to contact Aridasa, though it is unlikely the same option would reach him regardless. No doubt it is destroyed by now, if there was any reason for using a different device to begin with. Stolen seems unlikely to me. Should the report be false, hopefully we can avoid entrapment of the Ivory Maw and pay him a visit."

"So you intend to go for their base," Nicodemo nodded. "I would agree with that choice as well."

"I will also come with you," Nthanda finally interjected. "If we are to go to their system, I will have no concerns about limiting my new abilities for the sake of the world we fight upon. I wish to test my limits in a practical circumstance, though I understand the danger of such."

The other cultivators couldn't really disagree, and without her the offensive force would be rather limited, even if they only had to face one Worldbinding cultivator. After all, fighting or killing one in their own territory was a big step up from doing so on the defensive.

It was only a short discussion to finalize the details- Anton would be bringing only cultivators from Ceretos, taking a few of their ships to sneak into the enemy system. Once there, he would do his best to determine if the words were true. If only one remained- even if it were Bala, the strongest of the trio- Anton was confident she could be killed.

Along with Anton were members of many different sects. The Order, Fire and Ice Palace, Grasping Willows, and others from the same continent. Then there were members of Marvelous Rabbit Mountain and the Million Sword Vault. Finally, a few from the Exalted Archipelago- the Worthy Shore Society and Hardened Crown Sect specifically. There were some others that Anton had a positive opinion of, but these were the ones with sufficient numbers stationed at Rutera.

All were given the choice of whether or not to go, though none turned it down. Great risks for great rewards was the way of cultivators, and even if they didn't manage to retrieve anything the alliance could cover reasonable payment for them- or their heirs, if they should perish. Some doubtless would, unless the target area was even more abandoned than indicated.

They were already on their way, their small fleet moving as swiftly as possible. There was some chance that the enemy was already approaching or already assaulting Weos, so depending on what happened there they might not even make it to Aphuna before they returned. There could be several layers of information delay involved.

Anton looked ahead intensely, thinking of Aphuna's star. It was slightly larger than the others he'd assimilated with, though it didn't have oddities like Weos star as far as he was aware. He was interested in this offensive for an additional reason- so far, he had only appeared in their own systems and Okloi. Showing up in Aphuna would make them uncertain, though perhaps they didn't even consider his limitations. The others who were freely roaming had their own circumstances. Devon empowered himself with a concept, with Nthanda and the Great Queen relying more on a powerful body supported by energy in one way or another.

He was debating whether to directly assimilate the star now or wait. Someone had to be able to notice his efforts and thus he could tip them off if he did it beforehand. Waiting, however, meant that he wouldn't be quite as familiar with the star's power. He ultimately decided to wait for one reason- he was hoping for a burst of power as he assimilated with the star. For most of them he'd assimilated them from afar, except for his first. He knew he'd made some mistakes the first time, minor as they were… but connecting from up close might provide a short term boost, if he could control it. No. He could control it. He was confident of that- he just wasn't certain it would happen outside of the first one.

Aphuna's star was more of a pulsing blue than a yellow or white like the other stars he'd dealt with- Weos' star having the strange weight also added a feeling of dark lines from Anton's perspective. It was slightly larger, but in practical terms Anton didn't feel it was terribly different. It wasn't unfriendly or helpful, it just was. As they wound their way through the system, avoiding the orbits of planets, he basked in its feeling.

In a short time, at least from Anton's perspective, they were close enough to see Keitera. It was… boring. Even as they approached, Anton found nothing of interest on the planet's surface. He saw only a dull brown light radiating reflected sunlight. As they drew closer he picked out some slight variations of ashy gray, but little in the way of actual terrain. He hadn't expected much, but it seemed the limited information on Keitera wasn't just because the Ivory Maw claimed it. There was nothing of interest, as it was a dead planet.

As they rounded it, Anton spotted in its shadow their actual target- the Ivory Maw itself. Perhaps it was once a moon of the planet, though such details had been lost. It certainly held no natural orbit now, remaining relatively closer to Keitera and always in its shadow, blocking it from the sun. As for the Ivory Maw… it was clearly unnatural, its form much like a giant skull. As it had to conform to gravity at given its size, it was mainly round. The 'teeth' were likely a mountain range of some sort, at least Anton hoped for that instead of some of the other options. Where the skull's eyes would be were instead dark voids. Grand formations, perhaps, serving some nefarious purpose. Unlike some sects, Anton could easily say that everything the Ivory Maw did was for a nefarious purpose.

"Get ready," Anton said, though it was mainly for himself. As they continued to round the planet, he reached out for Aphuna's star. The process was not a long one, once he had done it the first time, but he still needed as direct of access as possible to the star. He could probably Assimilate with one without seeing it, but that would be an unnecessary strain. Once he was properly attuned, he could draw upon its power relative to his distance from it instead of caring about line of sight, though perhaps the latter might help somewhat.

He felt it flowing into him, another gate of power opening inside of him. He also determined that if he didn't want it, there was no concern about a burst of power from a star as he first bound to it, not now that he had experience. But he did wish for it, drawing upon the sudden outpouring of power to extend his senses and fire a great flaming arrow, fully impractical in size normally but necessary to rid himself of the power he was drawing in.

The flames weren't fully tinted blue- for yellow or white stars he still had orange flames- but there were some traces. His presence was already announced as he shot the bolt from the prow of the ship he was upon, but he'd already determined that only one Worldbinding cultivator was within the range of his senses. He could be wrong, which was why he needed the power at his current distance- they could still retreat if necessary. However, his arrow dove deep into the void of one eye and found in the center… a simple crater. Yet one that clearly stored something regularly. As the arrow tore through barriers it ultimately crashed into little of value- a few formation runes at best- Anton noticed fragments of bone littering the area. Was that where Bala's bone mountain resided?

Before anything else could happen, there was a response from the Ivory Maw itself. The entire thing, all at once. Blood welled up from beneath its surface, pouring into the gaps of its eyes and nose as well as squeezing its way between the teeth. That should be Vaarlam's power, one of the three Worldbinders of the Ivory Maw. So far, no signs of the others as a blood sea formed on the surface of the moon sized false skull.

Chapter 532

The blood sea on the surface of the Ivory Maw was full of spectral energy, not that Anton expected much different. It would just make it rather difficult to do anything involving landing. As waves of blood rolled over local structures, Anton hoped for their sake that they were sealed. Or that Varlaam was the type to clean up after himself.

From what Anton could feel, disciples of the Ivory Maw were being swept up in the waves of blood, and while they didn't seem happy about it, it also didn't seem to be killing them. Instead, it was carrying them together. Specifically, towards Varlaam himself- and all the most important looking half-underblood buildings. In short, all targets were in one place. Anton considered just remaining where they were above the false moon, but with just Nthanda and himself he wasn't certain they could slay their primary target.

His arrows sunk into the rising tides of blood, finding the energy filled liquid just about as difficult to navigate as he imagined. Nthanda actually did a bit better, her arrows impacting with a massive physical momentum that forced apart the blood around them. They created a sort of tunnel and Anton followed them with shots of his own, though any gaps were quickly sealed by both natural fluid mechanics and Varlaam's intentions.

As this was Varlaam's domain, fighting him here would likely result in the two of them exhausting themselves first if they only tried to handle him themselves, so Anton quickly swapped tactics. They needed to secure one of the taller buildings to land some of their fleet. He wasn't willing to just let people enter the blood sea, but securing those positions to add the attacks of all of the other cultivators should be worthwhile.

Anton noticed the Great Queen pull away, giving him only a short sentence before she left. "I'll be back with something good." Then she moved along with her royal guard, devouring energy in such a way around them as to propel them in the direction she intended. It was an odd sight, but he appreciated knowing she was ready to contribute. Hopefully training with Anton's own spectral energy had helped enough.

As a melee-only individual, Anton understood the Great Queen pulling ahead of the fleet. What he didn't understand was Nthanda leaping down. It seemed more than just a little bit reckless, but by the time he noticed it was already too late to stop her. The best he could do was support her descent towards a spire.

As she fell, Anton's understanding of her intent shifted. He thought she was at least planning to take over the spire, despite it bringing her to be the first to approach the blood ocean. However, the angle of her descent wasn't quite right. She continued to build up momentum as she fell, flinging attacks around with her bow, powerful shards of metal ripping through whatever she targeted. None of those had anything to do with her destination.

When she hit the spire, its defensive formations protested. Black flames spewed out in a counterattack, but they barely licked the surface of her skin as she was through and out the other side in an instant, ripping through the tower with her body and effectively severing the top half dozen floors. Then she landed with significantly reduced momentum on the roof of a smaller building, only cracking the defensive formation atop it.

Her lower position allowed the blood ocean to rise up over her, bringing with it enemy cultivators. Her body spun, arrows drawn from her quiver in bundles between separate fingers, fired in whatever configuration she desired at the time- in singles, pairs, or triplets. Her attacks contained barely a drop of natural energy, her arrows tearing through enemy disciples mainly by virtue of kinetic energy as her specially made arrows also limited the effectiveness of their defensive energy- not that it would have mattered against most of them.

Various attacks swarmed her- black flames, bolts of pure spectral energy, darts of bone and skeletal warriors. Some attacks she simply let hit her, unconcerned. Her armor and body were too strong to worry about them. Others she dodged, either in full or in part. For some, she tore them apart with her fingers- making no distinction between wicked looking daggers, people, skeletons, and ephemeral energy except that only the first and the last were drawn towards her mouth and consumed. Nthanda had no desire to eat current or former people, but metals and energy seemed to be just fine.

When the waves of blood crashed over her, she was briefly drowned in blood before the waves suddenly fell away, no longer controlled. Draining the spectral energy from that batch of the tides of blood seemed to take some actual effort, but Nthanda maintained her position.

The first ships descended near the half destroyed tower Nthanda had moved through. Some people leapt onto the tower to take care of those standing in the section that had not toppled over, while others attacked from the ships, circling their way around the area. Allowing themselves to be fully stationary would likely result in the destruction of the ships, and they were also betting on the blood ocean rising up around the tower- which it did. As it climbed, cultivators leapt back onto the ships. One of those ships carried Merve, whose powers bolstered the trifold alliance's cultivators.

Without Varlaam, the enemy forces weren't much of a concern. Though he'd raised tides of blood over a massive part of the Ivory Maw, he'd only managed to pull in those within a handful of kilometers, a radius that was slowly widening. In short, most of the Ivory Maw disciples were not present to defend, though their density had been higher in the main area to begin with.

Taking him out would not only make everything else easier, but could also serve as an accomplished goal in itself. Every Worldbinding cultivator out of the picture was one more they didn't have to handle later- and the Ivory Maw was certainly a group they'd not be able to have true peace with.

With Nthanda being an obvious target, it was Anton's job to find ways to attack Varlaam, at the very least forcing him to defend himself directly to some extent. He seemed quite content beneath his blood ocean, but Anton noticed he wasn't fortified within a building. Did he not think it necessary, or would it break his connection and control? If nothing else, Anton imagined it would weaken that attachment.

Anton gathered ascension energy. He could practically feel the upper realms screaming at him, not because the significant energy he took was significant but because whatever caused the separation wanted to keep things that way. He didn't care, though. The energy he took through Fleeting Youth obeyed him regardless, and the quantity he had access to only grew with the rest of his power. There wasn't even a relevant downside anymore, since Anton couldn't ascend now. Though perhaps there was a roundabout method to ascend after Assimilation or something similar, he knew that would be no good for him.

Foreign power tore through the ocean of blood, sinking its way towards Varlaam until it ran into a hardened barrier of blood. Anton felt the ripples of control as his attack faded, indicating to him that the reaction wasn't automatic but required Varlaam's intention. It would also expend some amount of the spectral energy he controlled- vast though it was, it wasn't limitless. Meanwhile, Anton was replenishing his own energy through Aphuna's star. It was like comparing a river that fed an ocean to the ocean itself, but he wasn't alone.

When he saw a good opportunity Anton took a shot at the weaker cultivators around, since every enemy they didn't have to fight provided another moment they could work together to overpower another. They had to stay ahead of the incoming tide of enemies as well, though that at least was going reasonably smoothly. The flow of the blood ocean towards the central area had slowed, either as the masses of blood already in the area made it sluggish or as Varlaam became otherwise occupied. Either way, Anton kept harassing the man while also lowering himself in the sky to a tantalizing distance. He felt tendrils of blood hesitantly rising towards him.

Then he senses catapulting clusters of blood. In the most basic manner it was like Paradise's attacks, though significantly weaker. He danced around the attacks, not wanting to test his resistance to spectral energy too much. Some of it simply hung in the air, chasing after him, but he could feel the energy draining out of it as it did so. Even as he fled, he continued to shoot his arrows, curving them towards his intended targets.

The way the battle was going, the trifold alliance was coming out on top… but they were certainly not without casualties. More than that, they had no reinforcements coming and were within Varlaam's territory. Even if he couldn't focus on killing the weaker cultivators with them, he could occasionally snag a few along with harrying Nthanda and Anton. Though compared to the options where he wiped out entire ships at once like he probably could have, that was tolerable. Still, Anton was waiting and hoping that the Great Queen could pull through. He had no idea where she was in the blood ocean, but she was doubtless there by now, swimming or otherwise moving towards Varlaam. Keeping him focused on Nthanda and Anton would meet him with a nasty surprise.

Anton mixed ascension and spectral energy into the same arrow, the combination allowing him to ignore the material properties of the blood while still having to deal with Varlaam's spectral energy itself. This time, his attack struck against an already in place barrier… but it trembled with the difficulty. Anton supposed this was not the time to conserve himself. If he could kill Varlaam, it didn't matter what he had left or what he revealed with it. He tried to attack from every side, circling around and even directly above. He even came up at low angles in case Varlaam was especially careless, but the man hadn't reached Worldbinding by leaving such simple openings.

Anton felt yet another arrow, one of his last that could have ascension energy, strike against the barrier once more. The barrier rippled, holding firm. Then… it cracked. With his arrow dispersed Anton couldn't make out the exact details, but he only had to wait a few moments to confirm his assumption. He didn't stop his hands, firing arrows of all sorts from his proper bow and all of the energy bows around him.

One of his arrows that found its way through the blood ocean narrowly avoided one of many empty spaces directly around Varlaam, piercing into the man's lung. Anton expected the man's own blood to have even more powerful properties than the ocean he controlled, and perhaps it did- but he was concentrated on wide scale attacks. And, what was more frustrating for everyone who fought void ants, he was used to only requiring effort to kill things beyond a certain size. Anton could shoot the wings off of a fly, but he was used to weak points on large creatures being at least a hand in size.

The Great Queen herself was barely that length, and much less actual area. Her royal guard were smaller, and a bit weaker. But Varlaam only had an ocean of blood to defend himself, having neglected to bring more than a dagger he swung at the swarm around him. He got a couple void ants, but he failed to prioritize the correct target. Mandibles bit into his spine, stopping his muscles. Control of energy didn't require the same connection, but as his head was separated from his body and carried away his efforts, control over the blood sea became less and less significant, until it entirely fell away.

The ocean of blood didn't suddenly stop existing, nor did it stop having spectral energy in it. Instead, it simply stopped being controlled. Blood fell to the control of gravity, and untamed spectral energy tore through those who moments before had been using it as shelter. Some were able to defend themselves or control a local bubble, but many more Ivory Maw disciples perished instantly.

Anton wondered if this false moon had something like a worldheart. He quickly decided that even if it did, it would be tainted. Better to find any vaults they could and loot them. He wasn't confident in his ability to take on an entire planet full of enemy cultivators, and it would likely take long enough for two more of concern to return if so. A couple hours wouldn't hurt, but any number of days would be a risk.

To that end, Anton found his way over to the Great Queen and took her prize. "For Nicodemo, I assume? I'll put it in my storage bag." He wrapped it in a water tight cloth first. "We should probably take the rest of his body, too. Who knows what these necromancers will do with it." The Great Queen nodded. "How are you feeling? Up for chewing through some vault defenses?"

Though her words were slow, she still signed with confidence. "You think that I will let something so simple stop me? I am ready to devour their petty barriers. I shall share with my royal guard as well."

In Anton's interpretation, that meant they were all tired as hell but that consuming the energy would probably be good for them. As the blood ocean flowed away, Anton determined that the buildings were not in fact, sealed. So there would be some wading required as the blood ocean oozed its way out of the local area. At least killing the rest of the disciples here would be easy. Normally, Anton would have let them go if they surrendered… but nobody was going to ask for anything like that. Not here, watching a blood ocean slowly recede atop a moon sized skull totem which seemed to be made in large part of real bone. Fortunately, not from one thing.

Chapter 533

The chances of encountering anyone between systems was already astronomically low before considering different methods of travel, and with the arrivals and destinations being different then there was simply no chance of being near each other.

Thus there was only a strange tension of waiting and running at the same time. They were retreating victorious, but Anton couldn't shake a bad bad feeling. Not one of imminent peril, not to himself at least, but of greater troubles. Not as all encompassing as the tides of the world shifting and allowing for invasion, but significant nonetheless.

Piled atop Anton's head were dozens of ants. He wasn't particularly keen on being a replacement nest, but a sign that he was trusted by the wiped out group was nice. Even if most of their time in the blood ocean hadn't resulted in direct attacks on them, the general presence of spectral energy was dangerous for them. So they were recovering where they felt safest- which was for the royal guard around their queen, and for the Great Queen with Anton. If he understood correctly the Great Queen knew how to recover from most long term effects of spectral energy, but it required energy intake. There wasn't exactly a ton of that to spare in the void between systems, and munching on Anton's was likewise forbidden as his recovery was almost nonexistent away from his stars.

Nthanda, despite being the direct target of attacks, seemed to be doing better. That is to say, she'd been violently sick in the hours after their retreat, but now she was able to move around with no significant signs of discomfort. She still had injuries, but if Anton watched carefully he could see them patching themselves up, more quickly when Nthanda had something to eat.

Merve lingered nearby, as overcoming years of not trusting anyone was difficult, and she still felt most comfortable around Anton. As expected, she had the best effect on the battlefield augmenting the most people possible instead of just Anton, though she wasn't necessarily happy about that.

Anton himself just felt drained. He had the greatest experience with spectral energy among them, though he was nearly as new in terms of fighting it. Regardless, he was able to bring himself to a fatigued but stable state after the battle, though he couldn't fully recover until they were back in Rutera. So he could only wait.

Finally, after about half of their journey back they got a response from Rutera. Or rather, a message that was likely sent before word was received of their victory in Aphuna. It was mostly a message relayed from Weos. As indicated, Bala Sykora and the final Worldbinding member of the Ivory Maw Leonas Kazlas had led an attack there. The warning had arrived in time for them to scramble some sort of response, but it was still difficult to deal with the two powerful cultivators and the army they had with them.

Following messages came with updates. The initial defense Weos produced was only what they could quickly rally, and the attackers pushed past them towards planetary targets. Lives were reaped for no purpose other than to feed a mountain of bone and a writhing ball of flesh, the power of two Worldbinding cultivators. They were finally driven away, but not before more deaths… including Oluchi, one of Weos' new Assimilation cultivators. It was unclear if the two Worldbinding cultivators would come away weaker or stronger after the conflict, but at least many lesser disciples of the Ivory Maw were also killed- though they'd added to the necromancers' respective abominations.

If Anton had simply chosen to reinforce Weos… he probably wouldn't have arrived by the time everything was over. That was the truth, but what he felt was that he could have helped, prevented those deaths and perhaps swung the battle enough to slay the two Worldbinding cultivators. The fact that ultimately he'd probably made the right choice didn't make him feel any better. Not while word of the spear-wielding cultivator's death was fresh in his memory. Later, he could look on things with fresh eyes.

The Great Queen's enthusiasm was restrained as she placed Varlaam's head on the table. "We look forward to continuing productive relationships with Rutera in the future." She slowly rotated herself until she was facing the local representatives of Weos. "We are sorry for your losses. Know that as members of this alliance we will diligently hunt down enemy Worldbinding cultivators."

Anton was appreciative that the Great Queen didn't ask for or even imply the exchange he knew she wanted- nests in Weos. Learning any human tact had been difficult for her, but she seemed to know not to bring that up now. Later, perhaps, if she had something more to display.

As for Varlaam's head, though it could be said that Anton and Nthanda were contributors to the victory as well, the void ants were the ones who secured the victory. With Anton not having any need for negotiating weight at the moment and Nthanda being an advocate for the void ants, letting the credit mainly fall to her was acceptable.

"One of three," General Nicodemo said. "A massive step forward. Perhaps not worth the losses in Weos, but we managed to make the best of the situation. The question is if we can take out the other two." Nicodemo looked quite unsure at that. "With the addition of Devon and The Independence…" he looked to Anton for his judgment.

"That might work," Anton agreed. "But I cannot say there would be no losses among us. Perhaps another Assimilation cultivator." For the sake of ease, they would lump Nthanda and the Great Queen in among those. Assimilation and Worldbinding had enough overlaps that they could be considered the same, or at least part of some larger category, but keeping the distinction between enemies and allies for the moment was convenient. "However, we will need some time to recover from our previous excursion. And there are other plans in motion that will hopefully produce some sort of results."

"And those plans are…?" Nicodemo asked.

"The same thing we've been working on for a while. Diplomacy," Anton grinned. "At least, that's what some people call it." While it was fun to remain vague, Anton really needed to properly explain. "Aridasa sent us good information. So we replied with information about Varlaam's unfortunate death. Killing two Worldbinding cultivators is a significant decrease in difficulty from three working together, but still risky. If the situation has been understood correctly, however, there might be some within the Sylanis Cluster who would be willing to take that risk for us. If we're wrong," Anton shrugged, "Then we'll act in some manner after we're recovered."

A series of monitors displayed incoming text and images. Video would have been impossible, and Theia was honestly surprised that the transmissions were working from afar despite using minimal energy. She didn't want to think about how much money had gone into the project and how many expensive recording and transmission devices had been subsequently stomped on or otherwise destroyed in Okloi.

Aphuna wasn't much better. The first bits of information were just trickling in, pixelated pictures of blood coated buildings and garbled text representing nearby conversations. Some had never transmitted anything, and some suddenly stopped. Even so, every bit of information they got from these was something they would have no access to otherwise. The extremely minimal communication with Okloi notwithstanding.

As a coordinator for all of this incoming information, Theia found most of it was nonsense. Even so, she and her subordinates were tasked with looking through everything. Images and snippets of conversation could be important, but so far there had mostly been a lot of disciples speaking in fear about Varlaam's death and others complaining about having to sort all of the bodies. Not bury them- apparently that was not a dignity the Ivory Maw allowed. Instead, they would be 'reused'. Expected, but still discomforting.

Even so, some of this information could one day be words spoken by their Worldbinding cultivators, secrets spoken where no ears should be. Unless they found all of the hidden devices and destroyed them. Or worse, compromised them. Filtering through things that might be intentionally misleading was another job for Theia's department.

It was an uncomfortable time to be in the Upper Realms, not because things were going particularly poorly for the Xankeshan Guardians, but because those from the Order wished they could be of assistance in the war. But they had taken their opportunities for advancement as they came. Assimilation was attractive, but each of them would have still chosen Ascension even if they were fully aware of the possibilities.

Catarina was fascinated with what formations could do with upper energy, and Timothy would have followed her anywhere. Hoyt was able to encounter his reincarnated grandfather, while also working towards the future safety of his homeworld. Velvet chose to join them after being aware of the options, pitting her stealth skills against ascension level opponents regularly in both combat and espionage. Alva had come to follow Fuzz and the others. Spikes and Vari were already in the upper realms to begin with, and Chikere wouldn't have given up the chance to get better swords.

Just in case, they had been looking into the potential of any presence of the Sylanis Cluster in the upper realms. There was no indication that there would be, but that just made it easier to ask. At best, they found information on similarly named sects, systems, or planets. So they probably didn't have to worry about that in particular when the tides of the world next changed, something that would happen in less than another century- at least for the region around Weos, Rutera, and Ceretos. It seemed it wasn't the same for every place on the border between the upper and lower realms, but finding even what they did about the phenomenon was difficult. It seemed that the Exalted Quadrant and the Trigold Cluster preferred to keep it secret so they could exploit it.

Both were far too powerful for the Xankeshan alliance to even dream about making a move against, but the Harmonious Citadel was another matter. They were bound to come into conflict for many things as the Harmonious Citadel continued to spread throughout the area. Working with the Dark Ring, Xankeshan had prevented some of their 'westward' expansion, but they continued to gobble up planets and systems year over year.

With few powers of any significance to oppose them, their efforts had been successful. Getting disconnected people together for an organized resistance was difficult, especially since some didn't think they should bother. For cultivators, if a powerful sect took over they thought they might be able to rise up within the ranks. That might even be true. The issue was the Harmonious Citadel's structure being set up to be intentionally unfair, while hiding that from both the public and the members on the subordinate track. Sadly, informing people about that was about as useless as using a bucket to try to drain a lake. Few people would listen, as information from a random individual wasn't necessarily reliable.

Those who were a bit more clever knew that information from a large sect was also suspect, but there was little they could do. Except now, they might hear about joining the Xankeshan Guardians. The problem was, even though expanding rapidly was required, they couldn't just arbitrarily let anyone join them. It wasn't just a simple desire to not give up control, but weeding out bad actors and spies was necessary. Repairing the old formations to manage not only external but internal defenses was a project for a lifetime- one Catarina was glad to have, but it meant they could only count on them to stop direct assaults for the moment.

Still, as the personal power of each of them grew at a steady pace, the risks they could take on grew as well. It would be a long time before any of them were the equivalent of Augmentation cultivators, but having gone through proper Ascension- or an atypical advancement like Vari- they were a step above most of the rest. It was possible for natives of the upper realms to smoothly transition from the end of Life Transformation to Ascension, but without undergoing proper trials they weren't as effective. With more time, the gap would grow- though there were resources that could be used to overcome any hurdles. For the moment, however, time favored those new to the upper realms in the last few decades.

Chapter 534

Among the many things that Vari now believed the Harmonious Citadel did wrong, there was one that might actually come back to haunt them. It was one thing to indoctrinate their disciples- it had been done well, such that Vari had to be pulled far away from their influence to even consider there was something wrong. That sort of thing would also make any disciples unlikely to believe outsiders on anything. But there was one area that they had made a mistake.

The saints. Something there was a weakness. She wasn't sure if it was the aura of invincibility they had or the merging of their identities which led towards that, but something in that area could be exploited. Easiest would be to just kill one of the saints and those who were in line to replace them. Well, instead of easiest that would be most straightforward.

Revealing they were different people to the internals of the Harmonious Citadel likely wouldn't affect the favored disciples. Practitioners of the Glorious Harmony Technique would no doubt be aware of when the roles of saints changed over, infrequent as it likely was. The subordinate disciples, however, would be kept in the dark. They were the important part of the whole structure, and if the Harmonious Citadel had been willing to admit that they occasionally replaced their saints then they would only grow more tight knit when one was killed in battle.

If they managed to show the death of one in public, witnessed by many of the lesser disciples, it would be quite different. Revealing at the same time the various changes in the saint's positions would break the aura of invincibility and spread doubt.

Of course, if it was so easy to kill their saints, the Harmonious Citadel could just be wiped out. Vari understood she wasn't on that level yet, regardless of any potentially inflated information about them. Anyone who had surpassed Ascension two centuries before would far outclass Vari's experience regardless of other factors. It wasn't like she could just expect the saints to be average members of the upper realms, either. Those who underwent Ascension from the lower realms stood above those who only ever touched upper energy, but there were methods to struggle for the most power. Resources from the lower realms were actually quite valuable for the process, from what Vari understood.

Since she couldn't straightforwardly overcome them, either by herself or with varying levels of allies in those originally from the lower realms to the Dark Ring, Vari was focused on other methods. And she still wanted to learn more about the former spear saint, Silvija. That was her current mission, visiting yet another Harmonious Citadel planet to gather information.

Spikes and Chikere were with her for when things went wrong. Vari rather preferred that to be 'if' things went wrong, but she knew better. Vari had entered the cities herself, as she seemed to be a natural fit, but after learning where their target was the three moved together.

An old vault, sealed some centuries before by the spear saint. Apparently not looted yet, but nothing could be sure about that. The local news indicated that many people tried rather frequently.

"We will not be alone," Chikere declared. "Others have arrived before us."

"How do you know?" Vari asked to confirm, though she thought she knew the answer.

"Unless this location carries dozens of swords that move on their own, there are people wielding said swords."

"Got it," Vari confirmed as they crested a rise. She could possibly make out the shape of the structure they were supposed to be entering from this distance, but it could have been her imagination. "What about you, Spikes? Notice anyone?"

Spikes shook her head. Not yet, it seemed. Though once they were slightly closer, they could expect the wolf to pick up people with her nose regardless of whether they came by the same route.

Travel took several more minutes to cover kilometers of ground at a measured pace. Vari had now confirmed the presence of the structure they sought, and Spikes noted the presence of enemies before Vari could sense them. Her numbers diverged from Chikere which was not a surprise- as presumably the extra individuals were not carrying swords. Vari understood specializing from the Harmonious Citadel's training, but most didn't grow to the sort of obsession people like Chikere had. Not even the most passionate. Perhaps the saints might reach that level of devotion to their weapons. Vari couldn't say she felt that for any weapon, or even her preferred lack of them- though at one point she might have had it for the saints themselves.

"Seems to be… six Integration cultivators?" Vari confirmed with the others.

"Three with swords," Chikere confirmed, "And there should indeed be three others." Now that they were within normal sensory range, she could pick out the people and not just swords.

"Well then, we should probably…"

"Leave the sword cultivators to me," Chikere said. "You two deal with the others."

"That's basically what I was going to suggest, yeah," Vari admitted. Normally she would have preferred to split things evenly between them, but in addition to having to admit that Chikere was a superior combatant in general, when it came to swords… she could pull the weight of more than two cultivators. "That leaves us a few dozen Life Transformation dudes and one and a half Integration cultivators to manage each, Spikes. You alright with that? Obviously, we're not going to just attack them head on. And by us I mean the two of us specifically."

Spikes nodded. If she had something important to say, she could write a response in the dirt, or form one out of stone itself. Simple agreement was fine, since she expected Vari to be sensible.

"We'll try to find a small corridor. Just a bit more than you sized, I guess," Vari said. "I'll try to keep two at bay, while you focus on one and the weaklings. They've probably noticed us by now, but they shouldn't be on high alert. We'll wait until they're distracted. That includes you as well, Chikere. We might not have to fight. If they get turned away by the vault itself, we can just leave them."

Vari was now used to considering herself in the elite category of Integration cultivators. If she wasn't, she would have not even considered approaching the group. Picking out which enemies were exceptional was an important skill to manage, and none of them felt like they would be trouble. Worst case, Vari should be able to ride Spikes away. Chikere… she'd have to grab to come with them. Or perhaps the actual worst case was she died without reacting. It would be unfortunate, but she wanted whatever information the vault contained. Just assuming this group would fail to get it didn't sit well with her.

The surface was a large rectangular building with little adornment- abnormal for the Harmonious Citadel. As they stepped inside, Vari could pick out signs of what might have been valuable inlays and now were nothing. Perhaps some individuals, frustrated with not being able to enter the vault, had decided to loot the decorations.

Inside, two stairways flanked either side of the open room, headed underground. It was trivial to sense they went to the same place, but it was slightly comforting to note there might be multiple escape routes.

Down the stairs they found large crisscrossing corridors- starting from the stairs it could either be considered a rectangle with a cross splitting it apart, or simple four individual segments sharing hallways between them. Straight ahead was a large door flanked by statues of spear wielding individuals. Most of those currently present were there, several turning to take note of the new entrants.

There were two distinct visual groups, though all seemed to share the same basic cultivation technique. Just having them look at her made Vari feel weighed down, as if she were on one of the planets with higher gravity than average- this one was actually a bit light.

Approximately half of the group wielded swords, or at least weapons that could be called swords. They were uncomfortably large in all dimensions, nearly dragging on the ground behind the bulky men- and a few women. The blades were as wide as two hands, and several times as thick along most of their body as the majority of Chikere's swords were at their thickest point.

The other half wielded large halberd, held in their hands like a walking staff because they couldn't possibly fit comfortably on anyone's back. They were somewhere around four meters in length, nearly scraping on the high ceilings, and the curved heads of their weapons were almost as big as Vari herself.

Both sets of weapons seemed so heavy and unwieldy as to be unusable, which meant there should be a trick to them. Or all of their enemies would be quite ineffective- but Vari wasn't going to count on them being terrible with their cultivations.

Two of the Integration cultivators stepped towards them, while the rest of the groups followed behind. One of the pair was a woman, a rarity among the bulky individuals. The other was a man who carried one of the swords, face and arms scarred. He was the one who spoke first, stopping at the central cross of the area. "This area has been claimed by the Black Hole Blades. Scarper off."

Having received no information about such a thing, Vari knew it wasn't an actual claim, but one they had simply decided upon. Either just now, or when they set their eyes on the area. Still, she attempted to be diplomatic. "We had not heard of that. We are simply interested in the information this vault might contain. We could share it."

"Yeah? And let you slip away with pockets stuffed full of the best stuff in there?" the man shook his head. "No way. And don't think you're entitled as a member of the Harmonious Citadel either. You lot lost any claim to this thing long ago. Actually… I changed my mind," he said. Vari knew that didn't mean he was suddenly agreeing, though. "Since it's just you, it would be easier if you didn't leave. And I'm interested in the collection of swords that other woman has as well."

Vari could say she tried. She really had. But now things were out of her control. At the moment that things were shown to have broken down and that her own swords were coveted, every blade Chikere had was drawn. The drawstrings on a storage bag at her waist twisted open as she charged forward, since even the uncomfortable number of weapons carried openly was not anywhere near the limit of what she actually used.

The man was ready, his blade off his back in an amazingly swift motion. The world tore apart as he swung, his blade pulling away chunks of the structure around them as he swung it without even touching anything. Even Vari found herself pulled a half step forward. All of the blades around Chikere were yanked forward as well- but instead of gathering around the swinging sword, they orbited their way around it as Chikere angled two swords on either side of the blade of the giant weapon, causing it to shove her away instead of slicing through her. She tumbled down the corridor to the center right.

Vari was already moving as well, though slightly delayed. Spikes didn't appear to be in motion at first, but once she saw that the structural integrity was being messed with regardless, with a howl she crossed spikes of stone through the corridor behind the center, impaling or nearly impaling a handful of individuals in the way. Some dodged backwards, others forward, but either way the two leaders were stuck with only a handful of Life Transformation cultivators- and two of the other Integration cultivators. It was still more than two to one, but the odds were much better for the moment.

Chapter 535

A heavy halberd slashed towards Vari, seemingly intent on tearing apart the world around it. Though she had her barriers, she wasn't confident in blocking such an attack. She might try against one of the lesser cultivators for comparison, but for the moment she had to avoid it. Even as she stepped back, it seemed to pull her in along with the surroundings, tearing apart the stone structure of the hallways. Only through great effort was she able to tear herself away from the attack, leaping to the side of the hallway. The attack seemed quite worthy of the sect's name, the Black Hole Blades.

Spikes had a different response to the second Integration cultivator with a halberd. The man thrust his halberd so that the elongated spear point moved towards her, twisting the world around it, but instead of pulling back Spikes leaned into the attack. Yet instead of running into the spear point, the weapon pulled away from her to the side as the ground shifted. Spike's advancement to an Integration equivalent had improved her mastery over the ground to be second nature. It was more difficult to control stone or dirt embedded with formations, but not impossible. Here, the most powerful formations were sealing the great doors and statues beyond.

The lesser cultivators were not yet able to come to bear, being both further back and slower. The halberds they carried didn't truly fit in the hallways, though if their leaders were any example it would be the hallways that gave out before their attacks. It would be important not to get buried in rubble, not because a few tons of stone could kill anyone at their level but because it would simply be enough of a hindrance to sway the battle in one side's favor.

All of the sword cultivators, their weapons similarly oversized though not as ridiculously lengthy as the halberds, had taken to attacking Chikere down the right corridor. That included two Integration cultivators and at least a dozen lesser enemies- though some were in Essence Collection and could be little more than distractions, that could be sufficient to provide an opening for someone more powerful.

If one were to consider quantity of blades, however, Chikere was winning by several factors all on her own. Swords danced around, slashing and stabbing. The cultivators were saved not by their nimbleness or skill, but by the way their weapons drew in her attacks, 'blocking' her regardless of what they did. Yet she never let her weapons be entrapped and broken, nor could they strike her. Despite the great size of the weapons they were swung with speed and drew her towards them, but Chikere dodged the weapons by the same razor thin margin she always did. Whether it was because it was more efficient or because she was staying one step ahead of death was difficult to tell. Perhaps it was simply both.

Vari was quite pleased with the narrowness of the corridors. Even as she saw several Black Hole Blades slice through the walls and ceiling with their halberds, chopping towards her, she could tell they were slightly restricted by them. More importantly, the cultivators were directly interfering with each other. Just because they could chop through some fortified stone didn't mean they could do as they pleased- if they could cut through each other's weapons, they would prefer not to.

As the blades pulled her towards them, promising a combination of crushing and being severed in two, she ended up using barriers not to block attacks but to stop her unintended movements. Even as she did so, she drew upon the devotion of the Harmonious Citadel. Her step into Integration drew upon their belief in the saints oath to protect those beneath them- regardless of whether that was actually implemented. As such, she was able to access some of the power meant for the saints herself on a planet that had a sizable population of the Harmonious Citadel. There was some risk of discovery, but she needed the power.

Spikes found it difficult to resist the pull of the blades, but rearranging the corridors around herself and her opponents was proving fruitful. She had to take several strikes from lesser cultivators, resulting in broken bones and gashes on her body. The weapons were sizable enough that the wounds weren't small enough to be ignored, though the attacks didn't extend beyond the blades themselves. At least Spikes had a hide tough enough to prevent them from cutting deep into her.

She wouldn't have had to deal with those attacks if she weren't also keeping back the remaining cultivators, fortifying her work down the central corridor. Even as she did so, she managed to snag the haft of a halberd in her teeth, biting down on it. It was made of strong metal intended to withstand the strain of the swing of axe heads nearly the size of a person, but after being yanked out of a cultivator's hands, it couldn't withstand her jaws lacking upper energy augmenting it.

A sword stabbed into the hand of one of the heavy blade cultivators, orbiting the pull of gravity the man intended to negate its momentum. Chikere grinned, starting to get the flow of the attacks. She dove forward, inviting a half dozen attacks from all sides. She chose to be exactly between the two Integration cultivators so their pulls would balance out- the others were less of a concern. Her body twisted as she ducked under one blade and rolled under the other, the swords around her finding targets- the weaker cultivators for the most part, but she slashed at the hamstrings of the Integration cultivators.

Their armor and upper energy defended them, but the fact that they were open to the attack kept them off guard. Chikere couldn't help but grin. There were two swords around her of exceptional quality. She would have them. Starting with… that one.

Her next move vaulted her into the air, only to push off the ceiling a moment later. Gravity had little time to take hold during her quick movements, and despite the man she targeted wielding his heavy grade with astounding speed, it was still just a bit slower than it needed to be. It did take six swords to slow it down so it didn't cut through her left shoulder as Number One chopped at the man's wrists, but speed and sharpness triumphed. She didn't manage to sever the man's hands as intended, but she slightly weakened his grip. Her hands dropped from number one to grab the handle of the new weapon, twisting as she did so.

The weight of the sword took all of her focus to control, the rest of her blades falling to the ground as she twisted behind her, chopping vertically. The blade itself was not the source of the Black Hole Blade's techniques, it simply augmented it. Even so, Chikere had seen the technique enough to replicate it. Her blade cut through the ceiling, pulling the walls in all the way down the corridor, the majority of her remaining opponents crashing together as a sudden gravity clumped them along a single line.

Chikere breathed out slowly. All that effort, and not a one was dead. She certainly wouldn't be adding that technique to her arsenal. Not without some adjustments. Still, it did nicely place them for a follow up attack. Her weapon was embedded in the floor, but the embedded position only served as a counterforce to her swing for a moment before it suddenly tore apart. Her weapon went from stationary to the finished point of its arc in an instant, replicating a quick draw technique. A slashing cut extended down the corridor, tearing apart space like Rahayu's technique- and the method Chikere had replicated for her own ascension.

The sword in her hands crumbled to dust. A shame. Ah well, it was only worthy to be number four or five at best. She turned to the remaining swordsman, surprised he hadn't tried to stab her in the back with number one. There had been a thousand openings, perhaps more. Instead, the weapon still lay on the ground where Chikere dropped it, and the burly man simply stared at Chikere. Number one found no difficulty in simply killing him without Chikere touching it, rising up and stabbing through his torso from beneath, then slicing outward in both directions at once- one with the proper blade structure and one with a phantom copy rotating the other direction.

Chikere would retrieve the other heavy blade at some point, but she found it too exhausting to do anything much with them. She'd need to dig through a small mountain of rubble to find it, but that would be simple after the battle was over. First there was the remaining Integration sword wielder, now just chopping through the stone Spikes was constantly reinforcing.

Vari found an opening after Chikere's sudden attack. She had already been surprised plenty of times by the swordswoman, this one was nothing much. Killing a dozen people with a single slash- effectively two, actually- was impressive, but not as much as killing a hundred with a hundred separate slashes at the same time. That she had seen. Though technically some had been thrusts.

Either way, the sudden trembling of the corridor put her main opponent a quarter step off, enough for Vari to pull a similar move. The only thing was she was always unarmed, so catching the halberd just under the head was done with two hands. Vari was smashed knee deep into the stone floor, but the blade didn't touch her and the full force of the attack was mitigated by the poor leverage of the wielder. It made some sense to have the massive reach of the weapons, but even the widest spread of hands from its user could only control the back quarter of the weapon.

Massive strength let the hefty woman maneuver the weapon regardless, and the Black Hole Blades' gravity manipulation handled the rest… but after Vari got her hold she anchored herself in position with a few angled barriers. The halberd twisted horizontally, intending to sweep her into the walls, but it stayed taut. And then… Vari let it go. She had no arrogance to believe she could fully disarm or wield such a massive weapon, but she didn't mind letting her opponent chop through the handful of his allies on one side- barely avoiding the other Integration cultivator.

Spikes took the opportunity of a step forward by him to chomp towards his head, the haft of his weapon slamming into her neck. Her muscles and spine strained, but her jaws closed tight. Then the heavy weapon dropped to the side without a wielder. Her claws took out the lesser cultivators around her.

Then her walls were broken through, the final opponents freed. Two more Integration cultivators and dozens of others. Vari hadn't finished off her Integration cultivator yet, and with the rest of them fatigued it appeared it would be a difficult fight. Spikes charged towards Vari to help her finish that one off.

Two Integration cultivators fell. The halberd wielding woman… and the final sword cultivator who had just entered the battle. Chikere had had enough it seemed. The closer she was pushed to her limits, the more vicious she got- and it seemed she'd gained what knowledge she wanted from her previous fight. Ultimately, the man was too slow and his gravity technique not powerful enough to stop her. After that, Chikere started on the remaining weaker cultivators- those with swords and halberds alike.

Spikes and Vari found it relatively simple to finish off a single Integration cultivator even in their states, and finally the battle ended. There were sounds of heavy breathing from two humans and a great stone wolf. Then all of the corridors collapsed.

Half an hour later, after digging themselves and all of the enemy cultivators who might have decent loot on them out, the three found their way over to the only sturdy section of the area, by the statues. Above the door was a label previously uninspected, which Vari read out loud. "Only those of purity and saintly demeanor may enter." She sighed, "What does that even mean?" she complained to the statues, both of the same woman- Silvija. The reason they had come in the first place.

She grumbled and plopped herself down with her back against the door. She leaned on it for support, thinking through the Harmonious Citadel's teachings. Then she fell backwards as the doors creaked open, the same moment she realized that the woman who was now on her right was not actually Silvija. Instead, it was a face she'd seen only in distant memory and a lost painting.

Chapter 536

"Well, that was convenient," Chikere said as the doors opened behind Vari.

Stopping herself from falling backward should have been trivial for a cultivator of Vari's level, even a century of training before. She didn't because there was no real danger to overcome her sudden revelation.

Vari shook her head as she picked herself up. "I don't think it's a coincidence," she said, looking at the formations around them. She was no master, but she understood they should still be working to serve whatever their purpose was. At least, they didn't seem terribly worn despite their age. "It should have been waiting for the proper conditions to open."

"A member of the Harmonious Citadel?" Chikere asked. "Because if so, it's broken. Especially since some of those actual guys had been coming here since this place was first around."

Spikes was simply sniffing around the area, seemingly disappointed with the lack of useful feedback. There wasn't much to get from stone statues and centuries unused halls. That was all that was immediately visible, another room with a few statues. Though there was one notable feature about those statues. The majority of them were missing their head, not a clean cut but a messy stone break. There were only two that had their heads- Silvija herself, and the similar looking woman. The latter was not placed in the same arrangement as the rest, but of clearly different make and smaller size, placed more or less Silvija's statue.

Vari spoke her thoughts aloud. "Are these two twins…? Or perhaps just sisters."

"The latter, I think," Chikere answered. "The stone focuses on their features while leaving out their proper demeanors. I don't think the artist knew these people."

"You're now an expert on sculptures?" Vari asked.

Chikere shook her head. "No. But I've seen some that appear ready to spring to life. These are highly detailed, but lack the spark of life. And their stances are garbage," she gestured to the statue holding the sword.

It looked decent enough to Vari, but then again 'decent' was probably far below what the saints should have looked like. She tried to remember the statues back on Rouhiri, but the once venerated images were indistinct to her memory. They were mostly better made, she thought, but not necessarily lifelike. Or maybe intentionally not.

"If this is a vault, it should have something more," Vari said. "I would suggest we search the place but… there seems to only be one additional door."

Though they could all feel the power of formations protecting the structure around them from intrusion, the internal walls and that door were more or less unmodified. The door swung open easily to reveal a small room, roughly carved into the area around it. It had only a few small shelves, a table, and little else.

On the table was a small leather bound tome with a name carved into the cover. Kullike. Upon seeing it, Vari quickly closed the intervening space and grabbed it. Perhaps if she had been less eager she might have noticed the formations bound into the book itself, not that she could have done much about them. Even as she lifted the book it began to disintegrate in her hands, turning to dust before she could even open the front cover. She just stood there, looking at the dust falling between her fingers.

After a few moments, Chikere approached her. "Hey, you alright? You look like someone just broke your favorite sword. Is that Kullike something important?"

The unrelatable but still heartfelt comparison brought Vari out of her momentary trance. "She was my mother," Vari said.

"Same name, huh? I suppose that brings up bad memories."

"No," Vari shook her head. "Not exactly. There really aren't many. And more importantly… it was actually her. Which would make Silvija… probably my aunt." Vari grimaced, "But that's just speculation I can't prove. Though that tome should have told me what I wanted to know."

"What about all those?" Chikere waved to the shelves, with dozens of books or scrolls.

"All techniques, looks like." Vari picked up one volume with a scratched-off title. It didn't disintegrate or anything, so it seemed the thing addressed to her mother was considered more important or secret. Idly, she opened the tome and found several pages of titles, all scratched out but not removed from the book. It included such names as 'Harmony Be Gone' 'Screw Those Bastards' 'Ten Thousand Countermeasures' and a few names both better and worse than those extremes. Finally, there was one title that wasn't scratched out. "Citadel's Downfall," Vari read aloud. Following that was an explanation of what it was for. "A comprehensive guide on countering the techniques of the Harmonious Citadel."

At first she thought it would be unnecessary. She had her own studies that were quite detailed on the Harmonious Citadel's techniques. Some insights from others might be a little bit useful but if they were outsiders- a feeling she had for some reason about this author- how could they really do better?

As she started actually reading it, her mind changed. She had to admit that some of it was rather hastily written, with huge portions crossed out- but the final version that remained was quite detailed. She thought she could learn a lot from it.

The rest of the tomes were other techniques from the Harmonious Citadel, mostly centered around spear techniques. Chikere was already reading through the single book covering sword techniques.

There was something frustratingly familiar and yet unfamiliar about the authorship of 'Citadel's Downfall'. It was likely some centuries old, but it seemed similar in style to things she'd recently laid her eyes on. Then she realized it. Despite the man always remembering to prominently slap his name on things, it seemed Everheart hadn't put his name on this one. A slip-up, or intentional? Given the hasty nature of the book, she wasn't sure. The question was what one of Everheart's works was doing in the collection of a former spear saint, especially considering how forbidden Everheart's stuff was in the Harmonious Citadel.

Vari realized there might be some answers available to her, though it would take weeks if not months to get any sort of proper answer.

The first signs of activity were in Okloi, upon Atania and Cheitov. Those were carefully monitored, because if there was an intent to retaliate against the trifold alliance, a likely target was Rutera. They were lucky to have any information at all, their few surviving spy cameras transmitting what they could. Though an attack by Iceheart Ocean would be somewhat of a problem, neither Carlitos nor Aridasa would be the same level of threat away from their worlds. It was a different matter if they worked together with allies, though.

It was possible that the opposite of the intended results had been produced, but Anton held onto hope. The Sylanis Cluster would have realized unity was required to defeat the trifold alliance eventually, taking action to prevent that and end the war had been worth the risk. And they couldn't be certain what was actually happening. Calculations were still being made about where the departing ships were headed- it would have been easy with proper tools on ground, but they worked with what they had.

If they came, Anton was ready. Not him alone, of course. Devon and the Great Queen were with him. Nthanda was on loan to Weos at the moment, now that Rutera had finished The Independence. With the loss of Oluchi and some uncertainty among their new Assimilation cultivators, they needed some proper bolstering of their forces. More than that, they could provide something of low cost to them with high value for Nthanda. Gravity. Anton was aware she agreed to go because her training could be enhanced there as they could provide the harsh conditions her body needed to actually improve.

Reasonably, one more of the mobile cultivators should have gone to help them, given the results of the Ivory Maw's attack on them. Yet numbers wise the systems were now fairly balanced, and Anton, and the Great Queen basically came as a set. Devon did not mind being away from his grandfather, but he preferred to fight with more familiar allies if it came down to it. Weos likely could have tempted him away with enough promises of resources, but it seemed they weren't that desperate for more help. It already required them to swallow some of their pride to invite Nthanda.

Then, it happened. Ships appeared above the Ivory Maw. The information available from there was quite limited as many of the places they had been were demolished, intentionally or not, following the counterattack a few months prior.

At first it seemed like the forces might be inadequate to assault the Ivory Maw, simply a few dozen ships- but it was soon clear that only a portion of the forces were visible. The limited view revealed only snippets of what followed. The great eyes of the skull were the resting places of Bala's bone mountain and the writhing flesh ball of Leonas, the Ivory Maw's third Worldbinding cultivator. Second, now, but the final one Anton hadn't interacted with.

Those two and the disciples of the sect crashed against the enemy forces. The Worldbinding cultivators wiped out handfuls of ships at a time, but there were signs of other Worldbinding cultivators involved- though not obvious at the distances involved. Eventually the battle moved out of the sight of all of the remaining cameras. There were hours of little information until cultivators marched back into view and began destroying everything that belonged to the Ivory Maw, including the very ground of the false moon itself. That resulted in the destruction of the final cameras as well, merely by coincidence.

A decisive victory against the Ivory Maw, but Anton wasn't fully happy with the results. There was no clear sign of the deaths of Bala or Leonas. Certainly the forces arrayed had been powerful enough to defeat them, but cultivators of their power also had the option to retreat. Especially as their sources of power were more or less morbid mobile ships.

Of no comfort was a message from Aridasa that the Ivory Maw had been 'expelled'. It arrived somewhere after it was expected that either of the Worldbinding cultivators could have reached parts of the trifold alliance, so it seemed they hadn't directly come to attack. It wouldn't have been the smartest move, but powerful desperate cultivators weren't something Anton wanted to deal with.

A message from the upper realms came to Anton. He had no ability to act on it for several weeks as it required an in-person meeting with Everheart, but things seemed settled enough for Anton to return to Ceretos for a bit. Traveling back and forth was time consuming, but he got marginally faster every time. Spending time between systems also helped him train the distance he could draw upon stars, uncomfortable as it was to be cut off from the majority of his power. Going to see Everheart just to ask a question was kind of a waste, but Anton also wanted to regularly remind him that he was being monitored. Just in case he got any ideas.

"Got a question for you from the upper realms," Anton said after they were finally together. "You are familiar with the Harmonious Citadel, right?"

"Yes," Everheart agreed. "Of course I know of them."

"Did you write a technique called 'Citadel's Downfall'?" Anton asked. "Or are you perhaps familiar with a woman named Silvija?"

Instead of the expected responses, Everheart just sighed wistfully. Then he frowned. "Wait, how did you hear about any of that?"

Anton shrugged. "Some of those in the upper realms are doing research on the Harmonious Citadel. Found an old vault with the technique in it."

"That's impossible," Everheart said. "That vault should have only opened for Silvija and her sister. Both are dead."

"You didn't really answer one of the questions," Anton pointed out.

"Correct," Everheart nodded, still contemplating something. "What if…" he frowned. "No, definitely not," he shook his head. "But Kullike, maybe…" Everheart clicked his tongue. "That's what I get for being hasty with formations. But I suppose it worked out."

"... And?" Anton asked.

"Who found it? A man or woman?"

"A woman," Anton said. "Does that part matter?"

"Not really," Everheart said. "Except that I might have a niece. Sort of."

"You don't really strike me as the marrying type," Anton said.

"Hence the sort of," Everheart shrugged.

Chapter 537

A year passed with no further aggression from the Sylanis Cluster, but neither was there an offer of peace in any measure. There was no indication of any discussions on the topic being ongoing either, and Anton didn't want to pester Aridasa too much and imply that the trifold alliance was desperate for peace. They weren't… but they also couldn't exactly afford to keep fighting forever. The Sylanis Cluster likely only managed because of how many worlds they were spread across, and even they had refrained from anything for decades after their previous war with Weos.

The Sylanis Cluster was an annoying combination of unified and disconnected. As a whole they had participated in the war, yet there didn't seem to be anyone directly in charge. Not a single figure, at least. Powerful sects had basically drafted whoever they felt like into the war to take what victories they could, and repeated defeats hadn't discouraged them as much as would be expected. It seemed as if lives were of no value to them, but they had been strangely stubborn even with the cost of the ships involved. It hadn't been made explicitly clear, but that only made sense if they intended more than simple raids and were instead intent on conquering a whole system. Even Rutera's system would be valuable to them despite it lacking a good basis of resources for traditional cultivation.

With a sort of peace, Anton had his eyes on visiting other nearby systems. There were a few to the 'south', away from the upper realms, that seemed like good candidates for life. There was some possibility that they also had human cultivators through the same methods that all of the other systems had been settled, long in the past. Anton thought it would be nice to intentionally meet neighbors instead of stumbling into them by accident or beginning with a battle.

He would be weaker if he were to go, unless he attuned to their stars, but he intended to avoid doing that unless necessary. Not that he had spare stars to attune to at the moment, but likewise his plans of visiting were vague. He likely shouldn't go alone, but with some sort of official delegation that didn't look like a small army while still being secure. The details might take time to sort out- years, even, but that no longer felt long to Anton.

Something felt wrong around Rutera. It wasn't a feeling Anton had towards the planet or the residents, but rather about the space itself. He had nothing to back up his ideas, but when he casually mentioned it the Great Queen acknowledged having the same feeling. "Something is wrong," she confirmed. "These past days, perhaps the whole week."

"I don't feel anything," Devon contributed. "Not that I doubt either of your senses, but perhaps that could indicate what sort of problem it is."

Merve rarely removed herself from Anton's presence, so she was likewise present for the conversation. "I might sense something," she said. "But I didn't until you mentioned it so I might be projecting something."

Anton pondered what he was feeling. It wasn't just a sense of foreboding- he would have trusted it regardless- but an actual tangible sense of something. Something familiar yet foreign, present nowhere yet everywhere around the planet. "I wonder if we should warn Nicodemo or the president. Or if they could even do anything."

"I'm not sure," Devon said. "But perhaps Rutera might be able to pick up something with their sensors? They could at least mention anything they noticed."

"A good plan," Anton said. "We should contact Matija. She at least knows those who work with such things. And I'll make a mention to Nicodemo, just in case. It might be nothing, but having some people on standby wouldn't hurt."

A few days later, Anton found himself present in an orbital monitoring station, working with some individuals Matija had introduced to him. "So, what do these charts mean?" Anton asked.

"Nothing, mostly," said the man working with him. "This is just the normal background static on top of the base stable state we observe." He pressed a few keys, changing the technological image to display two things side by side. "And this is how things are now."

"It's different," Anton said. "But I don't know how much variability is normal."

"I'm honestly surprised you can tell," the man said. "It's barely one part in a thousand, which is abnormal for this."

Anton smiled, "I could count the number of specks of dust in the next room over if I wanted to," Anton said. "I can see the difference in curves and waves between two very similar images without issue. I just don't know what it means."

"I don't like to say this," the man said. "But same here."

"What are we looking at, at least?" Anton asked. "I heard you had to do many tests to find anything."

"Right," he nodded. "And because of that we were hesitant to introduce this as more than a statistical anomaly. But this shouldn't change from our charts, because this is the local gravitational mesh," the man explained. "A sort of map of curved space and gravity. It might change throughout the year as planets orbit the sun, but it wouldn't change from usual patterns without something strange. Anything that could actually affect things like this would be easily spotted. But the readings are accurate."

"Space…" Anton nodded. "This is for sensing enemy warp drives and the like, then?"

The man nodded, "That's what we've been mainly using it for, at least. It was just for astronomy before."

Given the information it was potentially some sort of spatial distortion, Anton focused on that feeling. He could confirm that was it. It was just that such things had become normal. Between traveling between systems himself, the various methods between Ceretos, Rutera, and Weos all did something with space to some extent- with Weos being more direct about it and making use of such things more casually. His senses stretched around the planet with that in mind and felt something. It was minor, as if there were light tracks of passage in a forest, but Anton could feel it. Not quite all around the planet, but also vaguely concentrated in a point nearby.

He reached for something, trying to feel more… but he simply didn't have the technique. A gap in his sensing abilities, unable to feel beyond space as he pleased. He could pick up traveling ships, but perhaps there were methods to conceal things. Or it was something else. "What if it's focused on that region?" Anton pointed. Actually describing the location was more difficult, but after the course of an hour clear ripples showed in the charts, waves of change that were only on a small scale but propagating for a short distance and even overlapping to grow slightly.

Anton searched through his memories, finally finding something that fit. With everything else that happened he had placed a thought aside, considering it a non issue, something dealt with. This was a problem that could be, like most things, traced back to Everheart. Even if the man wasn't even tangentially responsible for this one, Anton's limited knowledge came from him.

"It might be a distortion beast," Anton said. "Though whether it is working on its own or being provoked by some hidden entity, I'm unsure."

"Wha-?" The man looked concerned. "You're telling me those are real?"

"Do you think we spoke to Rutera and Weos about them because we wanted to scare you? I'll admit to only having encountered one, but it left a distinct impression."

"So," Nicodemo said. "Let me get this straight. You think there's a monstrosity dwelling outside of space probing around our planet intending to devour what energy it can… and you intend to provoke it?"

"Draw it out," Anton said. "In a controlled manner, instead of waiting for it to come through on its own, or at the behest of a hidden party. Trust me, you wouldn't like it if The Independence dropped by and suddenly there was a monster attacking it from the inside."

"And then you're going to fight a monster over the planet."

"We are, yes," Anton said.

"And everyone will go into a panic about eldritch horrors."

"The information is already available. It's simply that those managing warp drive usage set up reasonable protocols so that few ships jump anywhere near the planet. With no gravity well these things don't tend to come out, and there isn't much gathered energy either." Anton thought for a few moments. "If I am wrong, there won't be much to see. Otherwise, you get to help guide the narrative."

"This will take some time to set up. Coordinating with the president, the media…" Nicodemo frowned.

"You have three days," Anton said. "If it goes any further than that, I can't be certain if something will show up or not. Trust me, you want to be ready." For his part, Anton was going to make sure Devon was prepared as well as Rutera's space force. The Great Queen had not wanted to participate, which made sense as it was unclear if she could reasonably chew on a monstrosity spanning kilometers of space, and getting crushed if she was noticed was a real threat. She would be observing from an orbital platform just in case.

Anton was accelerating towards Rutera at a rate that was truly reckless. Even if he was not going directly towards the planet, if he was diverted slightly he could run into any of the many orbital platforms they had for various purposes. But this was the only way to cause a sufficient distortion that Anton was certain would reveal the distortion beast… or disprove its presence.

When he saw the planet screaming past him, Anton suddenly stopped. At least that was how it would appear around him. From his perspective, it was a complicated process involving stretching space and time for himself, negating his momentum. Star Steps was an amazing technique, but like many of Everheart's works it was extremely complicated to learn. Anton could only consider himself a novice, and not for lack of practice. Though generally he used it more moderately in his battles instead of in such a flashy manner.

There were a few moments where Anton thought he had misread the situation, in which case the ready ships would be informed that it had been a drill and they could all return home safe and happy.

Then Anton felt it, immediately accelerating himself with his energy away from the tendril extending from nowhere. Not using Star Steps, as attempting to further distort space in the presence of such an opponent was ill advised. He might find himself jumping into its maw rather than fleeing it. As it was, he was busy avoiding limbs that appeared from nowhere throughout his path, changing his direction of acceleration constantly.

In his hands was his bow, blades of energy slicing towards the limbs. They were far too large for an arrow of measurable size to damage, with the most narrow dimensions of the tendrils being several meters, all of them quickly extending to hundreds of meters in length or more as they reached from beyond.

Anton's arrow-blades cut into the limbs, fortunately finding them as vulnerable as the previous one. That was not always the case, according to his information. The form of the creature wasn't set in stone either, though tendrils were common.

He had his hands full with what attacks he could manage and merely staying alive, however, and he found himself the focal point of the danger. Fortunately, he had backup. Devon sprang into action immediately, entangling some of the limbs with his own chains. Strangely enough, that was enough to hold them in place- though neither end of the limbs were anchored to anything. Part of it might have been the nature of the beast, reaching through holes in space, and the rest would be Devon's focus on the concept of binding itself.

Rutera's space forces acted as well. The Independence was on standby if necessary, strategically located further from the planet so no accidents could occur. It was an opportunity for the fighters to show their effectiveness once more. Ty Quigley's participation could be ignored, not because he was ineffective but because he was always an anomaly. His ship severed limbs as it tore through the densest masses of distortion beast, narrowly avoiding calamity with every move.

The other fighters found that attacking this target was both easier and more difficult than their standard enemies. Despite the speed of the tendrils, their movement was predictable enough- and even if they missed there was always more to hit. They didn't even have the issue of their weapons being negated like on the Sylanis Cluster's barriers. Conventional projectiles and beams alike found themselves effective in penetrating the strangely yielding flesh of the creature. Yet the sheer size made it difficult to know if they were being effective.

Anton drew directly upon the power of Rutera's star, firing burning arrows that moved along the length of the limbs, charring them from the inside. That was effective even for the larger sizes, heat spreading through the thickest points readily. Anton just hoped the thing would die or give up soon… though actually killing the thing was probably outside of the expected scope.

Chapter 538

The issue with fighting a distortion beast was not that it had any sort of tactics. Nor was its significant power the largest concern. Instead, the troubles came about by how the creature worked, its pieces reaching into the world in ways that were unintentionally confusing.

On the grand scheme of things, the openings its tendrils came through didn't move, relative to the planet. That didn't mean there was no relative motion, but it was more or less consistent providing stationary targets. Those were the target of most attacks, to reasonable effect. Severed tendrils quickly ceased their aggressive movements. The biggest issue was simply that there seemed to be no end of them, both individually in length and size, as well as by count. More and more continued appearing- and they didn't come from just one direction. It took some time, but seemingly after realizing there was a proper assault on it, tendrils came from 'behind' the fleet as well.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to provoke it, though Anton still stood by his understanding it would have come through at some point. At least it couldn't reach the orbital defense platforms just yet, though it seemed to be vaguely moving 'towards' them.

Every Ruteran fighter and every foreign cultivator fought hard, making use of everything they had. Auras stretched throughout the battlefield, bolstering allies and restricting the creature. Merve's Angelic Providence bolstered the attacks of many around her, while her wings allowed her to maneuver around the incoming attacks- despite there being no real atmosphere to interact with.

Devon was focusing his chains of a few tendrils at a time, squeezing, crushing, prodding, and slicing until he or someone else destroyed his target, severing something. The distortion beast seemed to have no blood- at most, there was an inky black mist that lingered for a few moments as wounds were caused. It seemed to have no immediate ill effects, but everyone was cautious about it.

On a personal note, Anton found himself less of a target with everything else going on. That allowed him to focus on offense, including trying to hurt something important. For the most part that meant firing his arrows through the length of the limbs, trying to have his attack pass through the entry points to the other side. Dozens of arrows moved with no effect, but Anton didn't give up easily.

Spectral energy was even less effective than he would have hoped, with no obvious critical points to target the energy simply caused minimal damage where it was first allowed to interact with the creature.

Anton drew upon ascension energy, focusing on the vague start of a technique that was probably not even a thousandth of the way complete, or even determined to be viable. Here, he didn't want to shoot a large distance, just somewhere else. He was able to distort space around himself traveling between systems, but doing anything of the sort near a gravity well was difficult, and only affecting some energy in exactly the way he wanted was something he had no experience with.

Two, three, four, five. Anton quickly burned through half of his ascension energy trying to achieve results, the main thing he learned being that ascension energy was at least effective against the limbs.

Then the maw opened. Determining its size was impossible, as it couldn't be seen. Nor could it be properly felt, a hole in space much like void ants appeared to be. Natural energy was drawn into the area, attacks absorbed including one of Anton's own Ascension shots. An area several kilometers wide was being drained, with the spread widening. Energy used for sensing was devoured as well.

Two things happened simultaneously, either of which could have produced the end results- or perhaps they were both necessary. First, Anton gathered a sizable arrow of spectral energy and launched it towards where he presumed there might be something important, not quite following the flow of energy. Second, a ship flew through the center of the area, wings like blades. Natural energy augmented it, but the vehicle itself was made out of expensive alloys that were both sturdy and sharp.

The whirlpool of energy rapidly snapped closed after both attacks, condensed energy bursting back in all directions. All around, tendrils were withdrawn back into nothing.

The pulse of energy had little effect on anything but Ty Quigley's ship, near the epicenter. Its spherical shape meant the power it had rapidly fell off, and anyone closer than one kilometer had already been consumed- some leaving no traces of body or energy. Beyond that point, it was mostly uncomfortable and at best able to shake the starfighters or loose cultivators slightly, their energy defenses withstanding the dilute energy.

What remained behind were crushed ships, some dead pilots and individual cultivators that had been targeted… and many tendrils of unknown material. Anton was surprised that they didn't simply disappear, but he hadn't actually encountered many distortion beasts. There had only been one, and it seemed both smaller and weaker, quickly chased off by himself and Everheart. Hopefully, the latter would have some idea of what to do with the material. Or for the sake of Rutera, he might not know and decide to purchase it anyway.

The small meeting was uncomfortable. Nicodemo was there, not upset but not happy. Anton was there, along with Devon. Finally, there was the Great Queen, who was resting on her belly in a way generally unnatural for ants.

"I'm sorry for the losses," Anton said. "I maintain my stance that it was necessary."

"I agree, unfortunately," Nicodemo shook his head. "I only wish there was more we could say about our victory… and of course fewer losses."

"I will admit," Anton said. "I expected it to be smaller and weaker. I don't think such a creature would naturally find its way to Rutera. Your natural energy is moderate at best, given recent advances. Nothing special. Nor did you have exceptionally high spatial activity."

The Great Queen just looked disappointed that she could not eat the distortion beast. She had asked Anton to show her a sample, and had immediately taken a bite. A moment later she vomited it up, an act quite unnatural for ants. They had certain methods to share food, but doing so for something unhealthy was outside of the norm. Then again, the Great Queen was in every way. The main thing she could conclude was that it was not normal flesh, and whatever it did with the energy it did not linger in the various tendrils it exuded.

"What do you think lead it here, then?" Nicodemo asked.

"Sabotage by the Sylanis Cluster, most likely," Anton said. "Or perhaps the Ivory Maw, as a form of petty revenge. Though if it had appeared when you were unready, the results would have been quite different."

"The… bone craft that Bala Sycora had slipped easily into and out of subspace, correct?" Nicodemo confirmed. He hadn't been at any of the battles, and there weren't recordings.

"That's right," Anton nodded. "So I would put that near the top of the list. The good news is we've determined that you have sensors that can detect this. The bad news… is that it was only barely. I don't know what will happen from here, either. The beast might retreat permanently. It might come back for revenge. Or there might be another who finds the spatial distortions and determines this is a good place to feed."

"Could we… repair them?" Nicodemo asked. "These spatial distortions."

"I would imagine they should go away on their own," Anton pondered. "But I could be wrong. As they were almost certainly caused intentionally, doing the opposite should be possible. Counteracting the effects to prevent this might be useful. Unfortunately, this isn't even close to my expertise. Perhaps Weos might know more." Contacting them would be in order anyway. Bala Sykora might target them, or perhaps Leonas could do the same- if one of them made it away from the purge, perhaps both did. There had been no official information out of the Sylanis Cluster on that topic, or much of anything.

Devon added his contribution, "My tactics were relatively effective, but I could not stop any part of it from retreating once it chose to do so. Individual tendrils, specifically. I didn't even think about attempting to stop its final withdrawal."

"One thing that seems fairly certain is that it takes effort to bridge the gap," Anton said. "Effort and time. It should be made easier by any spatial distortions, though information I have says they generally just wait on the 'other side', slurping up any stray energy that gets through."

"Hardly a comforting thought," Nicodemo said. "But it is what it is." He drummed his fingers on the table. "Strange to think that in a hundred years I might be able to deal with such things myself. And that I'd still be alive and youthful."

"I do believe your people lived quite long without full cultivation methods," Anton said.

"Perhaps," Nicodemo shrugged, "We don't have anyone who is two hundred and thirty, though."

"I'm not one of the oldest ones," Anton said. "I mostly started late. Though I suppose much of the older generation has perished now." Even so, there were still people up to three or four hundred years old on Ceretos- though those who were talented in cultivation had already Ascended. None of the older generation Anton was aware of had attempted Assimilation, though there might have been some who were unsuccessful and perished.

Nicodemo shook his head, "Whatever. We need to get working on countermeasures. Can't say if they'll take a year or ten, and when we might need them."

Specific practice did little more to improve Anton's ability to shoot arrows into subspace of any sort. He needed more. More skill, more power, more understanding. Possibly all of them. Doing so with himself was simple because all of him was there to provide power as needed, and maintaining the state was relatively easy. Even if he managed to do it to a Spirit Arrow, accuracy would be an issue. Subspaces were more complicated than just a space behind every point in natural space. Going from somewhere on one edge of a system to an edge of a different system was about as close as Anton got to 'accurate', and he could be off by thousands or hundreds of thousands of kilometers. Over a shorter distance one would assume greater accuracy, but that wouldn't be quite true.

He could still launch arrows vaguely towards the upper realms, and he was able to convince himself he shortened the distance his arrow traveled, but that had only range and no accuracy- and effectively no flexibility. It was simply a vanity or a hobby, like distance shooting. Trying to get the furthest shot with a bow while he was younger had been fun, but it relied just as much on the luck of the winds changing as skill- and simple distance from the starting point meant nothing in actuality. Hitting a stationary target was a step above, but also insufficient for practical matters.

Anton wanted to consult Everheart at some point, but he didn't want to rely on the man. Both for his own safety, and because if he couldn't manage on his own then his growth would just stagnate.

As he performed his tests- that was what they were, more than proper training- Anton also drew upon the power of Rutera's star. It was only energy that the star would have output anyway, it simply went to him instead of being among the masses of heat and light being sprayed in all directions. A tiny portion.

Yet drawing upon it, Anton gained energy inside himself without it crossing the intervening distance… mostly. Distance was still a factor, but there wasn't a delay on any level he could sense. Anton had taken the time to read through many papers Rutera had on theoretical- and now actual subspace mechanics. Their mathematical avenue of understanding didn't fit Anton quite as well, and as a cultivator he also relied on insights into the mechanics that went beyond what could be written. The transfer of energy from a star was somewhat like a wormhole- though only in the barest surface level understanding.

Anton had to admit he didn't understand everything he'd read- even if he could read it quickly- but given some years and additional study he might actually digest it to be something useful. It was simply a matter of where he spent his effort. Once again, Anton understood why Everheart made so many projections of himself to get more things done. Though he certainly hadn't been intending to reabsorb most of them- especially not the way it ultimately happened.

Still, the idea of spitting himself off in the short term was appealing. He might even be verging on understanding enough of the mechanics of formations and the other things required to manage a basic version of that. The question was how much study it would take him to save time in the future. Time. He had an unknown quantity of it. Perhaps not long before further troubles with distortion beasts, and within a decade no doubt there would be more conflict with the Sylanis Cluster unless they could push for peace before then, or perhaps the Ivory Maw would cause trouble. A good seventy to a hundred years before the invasion. Would he live that long?

He didn't know. Perhaps if he continued to grow in cultivation he would not reach the end of his lifespan. Or maybe he was close to the precipice. He might be able to push himself to understand, but he thought it better to not. Fleeting Youth was training rather consistently, which had some implications, but ultimately Anton would choose to spend his time the same way regardless of whether or not he died tomorrow. Well, if he knew he had one actual day to live he'd go back to his family, but he visited Ceretos regularly to begin with.

An arrow shot through space into nothing, well away from Rutera. Anton clicked his tongue. It would take a while for him to get much of anything down, but he wouldn't give up easily.

Chapter 539

Of the three systems in the trifold alliance, Anton had spent by far the least amount in Weos. It was neither his home nor did it require his help in the same manner as Rutera had. Because he was so unfamiliar with the system, one of the few features he did remember being missing made it feel off. Oluchi had been his companion in the war to eradicate the Twin Soul Sect from the system. She had even advanced to Assimilation, only to perish against the Ivory Maw. A reminder it was not just the powerful cultivators of the enemy that could meet their end.

Anton was still acquainted with Anzela and Rikuto, his introduction to the system. They were simply staying away from the potential battlefields where he now found himself. Weos had come to the realization that it simply had too many occupied planets to cover even with their new Assimilation cultivators. And, as seemed to be the case for most Assimilation cultivators, most were bound to a particular location or planet to make optimal use of their power.

Nthanda was already in the system, and the Great Queen came along with the same intentions she had for Rutera. The more powerful a cultivator, the more the ability of the void ants became relevant. Against armies the void ants required far too many of their own to fight, but against a few powerful individuals they were exceptionally dangerous.

Weos had noticed signs of spatial intrusions in the same way Anton had- except their cultivators were as a whole more familiar with the practice. They could not measure things precisely like Ruteran technology, but they could get a good feeling for something being off. They had been cautious with their maneuvering ever since Anzela's scout ship dropped by Ceretos, accidentally taunting a distortion beast to approach. Distinguishing effects from their own ships and outside influence was simple enough with numerous eyes looking out for trouble.

The phenomenon was indeed familiar to Anton when he arrived, but instead of attempting the same thing as before, Weos had a different- if similar- plan. Anton found himself and the others above Bavore, one of their gas giants. The overall population of the planet was minimal, but what cities existed floating through the swirling storms of the planet were filled with strong cultivators. How could it be otherwise? It was a harsh environment that required constant formation work to stay safe- though the density of natural energy made up for it, powering the same formations that the planet was straining. The great amount of natural energy was actually too much for weaker cultivators to handle, much like the higher density of energy at the top of the peaks in the Order.

Their current plans were being organized by Ingeborg, a formation master from Weos. Though the older woman had a good understanding of formations, her personal power was stuck at the peak of Essence Collection- surprisingly weak. Or perhaps Anton was just biased by what had happened with Ceretos, where everyone was encouraged to cultivate. Reasonably speaking, even on Ceretos most people didn't make it to late Essence Collection. Anton had just trained among a generation that quickly surpassed it and even Life Transformation.

Ingeborg had a local fleet organizing themselves carefully, preparing to find and draw out what was causing the trouble. That would likely come with a distortion beast, intentionally baited by the troublemakers, but the plan was to have the troublemakers entangled as well. Anton had no way to tell if they were currently around or not, unless they became particularly obvious with their actions. As the fleet spread out around the planet, flying in peculiar patterns, the only spatial distortions he could sense were the ones they created, more blatant than the subtle ripples underneath.

A pile of ants clung eagerly to Anton. Their weight was negligible, though he was discomforted more by the fact that he could feel them with only his bodily senses. He was not concerned about the danger they might pose to him- he trusted the Great Queen and the loyalty of her royal guard. He had no trouble carrying a bare blade, though he could not help but remain aware of it. If a distortion beast was the only opponent to appear, the void ants would extricate themselves from the situation- they were simply ineffective against large creatures. Even if their jaws could cut and tear what they could reach, it would take all of their colonies to cause sizable damage to the one that appeared above Rutera.

When the signal came, Anton prepared himself. He didn't know quite what would happen, but his expectations were immediately shattered. Having encountered two distortion beasts, he had some idea of them in his head. When an eye opened to gaze at him, he was a fraction slower in his reaction.

It was strange, watching the lids of space itself widen to reveal an eyeball. Part of it was still hidden, as by proper eyelids, and behind the eye was nothing. It was only the shell of the front of the eye- no depth, no rear.

Seeing and feeling that all at once, Anton responded with a volley of Spirit Arrows, answered by a beam of energy from the center of the eye. Anton threw himself to the side, avoiding the combined natural and spectral energy. Star Steps instantly accelerated him, but the eye continued to lock on his position, never turning but always facing him. The beam itself, at least, took a few moments to travel the distance between himself and the eye. He circled around, uncertain if his shots could hit anything but the 'front' of the eye itself. When they struck, the eye closed in reflex or pain.

This was not the only eye to appear, though Anton was the only individual picked out. The others targeted ships from Weos, hulls directly damaged by the beams with no regard for the spatial distortions their rings created. Still more found two larger targets. One was familiar- a mountain of white bone being forced into view, while the other he had only heard described. A similarly sized mountain of flesh, writhing muscle dark red with flecks of other colors. Extending out of the muscle Anton saw something of concern- tendrils of darkness, clearly unused to acting according to natural law but a danger nonetheless. Anton couldn't be sure, but he saw at least a decent portion of what imagined to be the same creature that they had pulled out over Rutera.

So it had been the Ivory Maw, and either by plan or coincidence they hunted down the remains of one distortion beast to augment their powers. That second mass would be Leonas, the controller of muscle and flesh.

The two mountains still carried scars of battle. Bala Sykora's bone mass had a few particularly recognizable features Anton had seen broken in their earlier battles, still apparently valuable enough to keep. But there was more- indicating that at least the assault within the Sylanis Cluster had been a serious affair. The two had still kept their lives, but damage had been done. Anton just wasn't sure whether or not they were ultimately weaker now, with the distortion beast added to the mix.

Then he saw her. No, it was more correct. Oluchi's body. Empowered by masses of spectral and natural energy, the spear user's corpse moved unnaturally. If Anton judged correctly, the muscle and bones were moving independently, control split between the two Worldbinding cultivators.

"Which target?" Anton plucked the Great Queen into his hand, his energy allowing for sound to vibrate without atmosphere. The royal guard rushed down his arm to be with her, ready for her choice.

"Bala," the Great Queen signed, pointing towards the bone mountain.

"A good choice," Anton said. With the Great Queen having experience against her, even if she was a somewhat tough opponent for them they would at least be prepared to fight her. Leonas was an unknown.

He pulled his arm back, the ants gathering into a ball in his palm. Then he snapped it forward, flinging them with as much momentum as he could provide, including a sudden acceleration from Star Steps. Then they were off, it now being the Great Queen's responsibility to control their motions by how she pulled on the threads of natural energy around them.

Anton's actions got him the attention of the distortion beast once more, another eye opening. This time Anton was prepared, fingers quickly forming an arrow of light on his bow, the attack snapping from the string to his target nearly instantaneously. Anton wasn't certain if what he saw as eyes actually were, but the sudden attack striking before the eye fully opened compelled it to shut again. He would have to keep some of his energy bows ready to do the same, though avoiding drawing attention would be better. Best for the Ivory Maw's two Worldbinding cultivators to get the majority of that. Anton couldn't do anything about Weos' ships being targets, so getting himself in danger seemed pointless.

A notable exception to the distortion beast targeting powerful opponents was Nthanda. Even the not-Oluchi was seen as a threat of some sort, but Nthanda fought from a small platform placed in orbit for her with no attacks coming her way. No doubt she would draw the attention of Bala or Leonas if they had the capacity to respond- her arrows were heavy chunks of metal burying themselves in the mountains, causing damage and disrupting energy flow.

Most of Weos' ships were on different parts of the planet, and Anton could sense Ingeborg directing them to continue their motions, keeping the formation that had pulled the Worldbinding cultivators out of hiding active. Anton wasn't sure exactly how it would work, but drawing out the situation to give them a chance to escape didn't seem like a good idea.

Ascension energy was drawn back on soulstring, targeting Oluchi upon Leonas' mass of muscle and flesh. The corpse was basically intact, and somehow managed a semblance of her power. It had thrown her spear through one of the ships from Weos, the remnants of her techniques overcoming the spatial distortion barrier. Before the spear could continue to cause devastation, Anton intended to take her out.

Drawing and firing the arrow took only an instant, then it was away. Before it could reach its target, a journey that would only be a fraction of a second, Anton found himself surrounded by teeth. A shell of them, all different sizes and shapes. Long, sharp teeth. Crushing and grinding molars. Flat blades. The maw closed down around him, Anton only barely managing to squeeze out through a less dense area. He got a long gash along his right arm, a deep wound into his left thigh, and numerous smaller lacerations as his energy defenses were torn through. If there had been flesh of a proper mouth behind those teeth perhaps he would not have escaped, but Anton wasn't sure if such physiological normalities applied to distortion beasts.

The maw disappeared as quickly as it had come- then reappeared along the trail of his arrow. But the ascension energy flew quickly without reliance upon spatial distortion and was not so easily caught up to. The speed at which the teeth had appeared was still concerning, though Anton was making the perhaps incorrect assumption that the creature had but one spherical maw of teeth.

One of the black tendrils carved from the other distortion beast's corpse folded in front of Oluchi's corpse, Leonas sensing the attack, but he was occupied with many other difficulties at the moment. The simple barrier was mostly circumvented, Anton only having to burrow through a meter at the edge of the tendril before it could strike Oluchi. His target was her shoulder, and his attack found its mark, blasting it apart. He did not relish destroying the corpse of a former companion, but it was better than letting it be used against her own people.

As the arm fell, upper arm muscles stretched unnaturally and grabbed onto the shoulder. The damage wasn't healed by any means, but the limb wasn't completely lost. It would certainly be less effective, but Anton needed to cause further damage or disrupt the flow of energy if he was to fully deal with the creature.

As Anton dodged eyes that seemed to be offended by his continued existence, he began to direct himself closer to Leonas' mass of flesh. The long tendrils of the distortion beast were only a minor threat unless he got close- they writhed slowly, lacking the vigor of their previous owner. Not that Anton would bet they couldn't be focused more, but the ready distractions were the reason he was approaching. If he avoided the beams, they could bombard the mountain of flesh, achieving two goals at once. And the way the eyes followed him through Star Steps meant he could actually be fairly certain of that.

He did not forget to rain some arrows down towards convenient eyes assaulting allies, nor did he neglect Bala's bone mountain. He was simply focused on Leonas and specifically Oluchi's presence, a dangerous entity he could weaken.

Chapter 540

For all that there were effectively only a few enemies present on the battlefield, things were not as heavily weighted towards Weos as it seemed things should have been. The skies around Bavore were filled with local ships, but their main impact was maintaining the formations that were drawing out the two Ivory Maw cultivators. Unfortunately that also came along with the distortion beast, a great mass of eyes that spewed beams of energy at anything it found a tempting target. Anton was learning to avoid those attacks and even sometimes redirect them towards Bala or Leonas' masses of bone and flesh, but he had to concern himself with both their attacks which included a reanimated Oluchi as well as the distortion beast, and more specifically the spherical maw of teeth he worried could come at any time.

At the moment, the Great Queen's presence in the battle was of minimal impact. Anton was under the assumption that she was still making her way towards Bala, and if she actually reached the center of the mass of bones it would not take long for the woman there to perish. The Great Queen had gotten a hand and three toes on her previous attempt, and that was with only a few moments of contact. Bala Sykora might be more aware of the Great Queen's approach this time, but she was also occupied by the distortion beast. There were still pulses of spectral energy from the bone mountain she occupied the center of, but they were infrequent compared to the attacks at surrounding ships or random eyes popping up.

Nthanda was nearly free to attack as she pleased, not concerning herself with the distortion beast. It had attacked her a few times to little effect, and in return she had ignored it, resulting in an unspoken pact between them. Her arrows pierced into the masses of flesh Leonas surrounded himself with, muscly meat that animated as he pleased. That included parts of the former distortion beast that had been fought in Rutera, though it seemed controlling something both new and of such great power was draining. His general movements were slowing, and heavy arrows were finding their way deeper into the mountain he occupied, tearing large trails through the area as they went.

Anton's arrows focused on Oluchi. He would have preferred to preserve her body for a proper funeral, but it was already too late for that. He himself had shot off one of her arms at the shoulder, now holding itself together by pure writhing muscles. There were other injuries, both from the distortion beast and passing ships, and presumably others from her death at the hands of the Ivory Maw, though the latter were small in number. Perhaps her body had been restored in the intervening time.

Since Ascension energy seemed likely to get him nearly eaten again, Anton focused on his 'normal' arrows and spectral energy. The animated body of Oluchi was now locked onto him as a target, throwing a spear that tore apart the space around it towards him, one which dogged him repeatedly as he avoided its motions. That suited him well enough, because even with the spatial distortions he was still skilled enough to avoid a single projectile indefinitely. Though he couldn't exactly say it was easy, with Oluchi still holding most of the power she had in life. It didn't seem to take sustained effort from the Worldbinding cultivators either, though perhaps it was simply lessened.

Anton found himself moving closer and closer to Oluchi, the masses of flesh blocking his attacks on her making it difficult for him to finish her off. That put him within the range of Leonas, but the man was occupied to the point he could only manage a few dozen attacks on Anton himself at any one time. Anton would have praised his ability to act simultaneously if they could be anything but enemies.

Soon, Anton was barely a dozen meters from Oluchi. With her primary weapon chasing him, her actual body was only a small threat. Avoiding the 'ground' reaching up for him was a larger concern, but he avoided it as he pressed forward. When he nearly crashed into her, a secondary spear piercing towards him held in her hands, Anton spun around her with Star Steps, instantly redirecting his momentum twice. The movement technique was more effective on a larger scale, but it still did what he needed despite the excessive use of energy.

Behind Oluchi's back, Anton drew upon a small shard of ascension energy, firing it even before the arrow was fully formed. Two results followed, one unexpected and one anticipated. The first was that Oluchi's spear did not slow its momentum, piercing through her heart in its flight towards him. The second was a maw of teeth appearing. The latter made dodging the former more difficult, and Anton pulled away from the mass of flesh with new gashes along his body, blood pouring from wounds laced with spectral energy. He immediately focused on expunging the effects from his body while he surveyed what happened with Oluchi.

An inverted dome was carved into Leonas' mass of flesh where he had been, nothing remaining but bite marks on all sides. That included bits of unknown creatures, the other distortion beast, and Oluchi's body. A result that was a mixed blessing. The damage to Leonas was good, as well as removing Oluchi from the battle, but her body was now gone, unlikely to be retrieved in any form. Anton at least had her spear, suddenly inactive without control of the replicated version of her energy. Though it was impractical in the middle of battle, he took the moments to store it away.

The event occurred just before a cascading effect. A scant few moments after Oluchi's second death, a great pulse of spectral energy came from Bala Sykora's 'ship'. Anton felt the energy wash over him, attempting to bring him directly towards 'death'. His body weakened further as fatigue set over him, but he was familiar enough to resist its effects enough and survive. The pulse weakened in power as it spread, but it still affected many of Weos' ships. Unlike against the distortion beast their spatial distortion barriers had some effect, but Anton felt many lives perish, the greater formation beginning to fail.

As giant skeletal arms began to tear apart space itself, they suddenly stopped. Anton felt a powerful energy suddenly get snuffed out as the core of Bala's energy disappeared all at once. Yet he could still sense her life for several moments beyond that. But the mass of bones had already begun to pull apart next to the gas giant's gravitational pull, no longer bound by her control.

Through the sizable crater the distortion beast chewed in Leonas' mass, Nthanda fired a series of arrows that flew in a spiral pattern, cutting a helix deeper and deeper into the core. Spectral energy drained the natural energy from her arrows, but once they were on target their main power was simple momentum, heavy metal moving at great speed and cutting its way deeper. Some found their way to Leonas himself. Yet he too began to tear apart space, making use of the distortion beast's tendrils primarily. The large hole began to close up as more of his flesh mountain writhed its way into the gap.

Then a sphere of light and energy, countless individual beams, tore its way out from the center of the mass. Anton could both see and sense an eye… many overlapping eyes? A compound eye like an insect? That part was unclear, but what wasn't unclear was that a good portion of the beams of energy had gone through Leonas, leaving little of his body intact.

Ingeborg, the formation master coordinating Weos' ships, had already begun to withdraw their ships as the formation was already collapsing. With Bala's death, she had likely found the results acceptable, even if it meant Leonas could retreat. Thus, the formation fully collapsed a few moments later… and with it, the eyes only winked into existence a few more times. Anton did feel several dozen spherical maws of teeth appeared and chomped down in sequence throughout the masses of flesh and bone, but the world quickly began to settle down after the distortion beast was no longer being agitated and got its snack.

Anton began to bind his wounds, keeping aware as possible for anything that might indicate further intentions of the distortion beast. Yet it seemed to be either sufficiently injured or satiated to withdraw. From what Anton understood, they were actually relatively docile until agitated to begin with, content to passively feed upon energy over years. Some things were simply too tempting, though oddly enough the Ivory Maw had not drawn its attention from their subspace.

The Great Queen tossed most of a corpse onto a table. It was a rather awkward movement, not because she did not have the physical force to carry the fifty or fewer kilograms of mass, but simply because she had no hands or arms or leverage. The motion was managed nonetheless, and Bala Sykora's corpse- with the anticipated weird protrusions of bone replacing one hand and three toes lost in a previous battle- was sitting in front of a local council of Weos.

"Is this… why did you bring this here?" Rikuto asked. "The reports of her death were sufficient…"

Nthanda translated- though Rikuto himself had learned at least the basics of the void ants' sign language. He was a diplomat that worked with Ceretos, after all, and he intended to do his job. "She says that in exchange for slaying a Worldbinding cultivator, the void ants request to establish nests within the Weos system."

"It is true that there were talks of a potential deal of the sort…" Rikuto frowned. He had the problem of his own decision making powers being limited, and of also being absolutely terrified.

Anton could at least help him with the latter. "It's not a threat, by the way," Anton smiled gently. "It's more like a gift. It could have been hunted prey, but in this case it is a mutual enemy." He placed his hand next to the Great Queen, nudging her with a pinky clearly able to be bitten through with her mandibles, should she want to.

Rikuto recovered quickly. "I will of course bring up your request with all of Weos' planets," Rikuto agreed. "Determining who should be the first to host you, should people be agreeable, will likely take some time." He tried to make his deep breath seem as inconspicuous as possible. "But we appreciate your assistance, Great Queen." He inclined his head to her, then to Anton and Nthanda in turn. "And of course the human cultivators of Ceretos as well."

"Our contract was already fully established," Nthanda said. "And I imagine we are all pleased with the results." Nthanda was promised a reasonable rate for her presence- actually being involved with slaying two Worldbinding cultivators would earn her much greater rewards. Those would come after the joint groups had combed through the storage bags of Bala and Leonas, or at least the exploded remains of such bags. Anton could easily describe a good portion of what they had as 'accursed', but they were still cultivators and some resources were useful to all, or easily exchangeable.

"Today was a great victory for the trifold alliance," Anton declared. "May we continue to prosper and have good relations in the future." He would advocate for the Great Queen's colonies to some extent as well, likely with the reminder that void ants would be very effective against invaders from the upper realms- and were quite zealous in their shared ambition to fight them.

After all of the talking was done, Anton was going to go take a nap, and begin the process of healing his body. He preferred his natural elderly state rather than the current unnatural decrepitness he was experiencing. Even if he hadn't been the primary target of much spectral energy in the battle, it had still affected him. The gashes from the distortion beast's maw would also leave their scars, the wounds a bit more persistent than their simple physicality would have implied.

At least they could now say that the Sylanis Cluster was officially down more than six Worldbinding cultivators. Only ninety-four to go. Not that those numbers were ever fully accurate. At least if Carlitos and Aridasa stepped out of line he was confident in taking them out.

Chapter 541

During his life before cultivation, Anton hadn't been the 'relaxation' sort. Sure, he took time off at the end of a season when there were no crops to bring in, but he was never really idle. A habit his family never let him forget, as they had been constantly trying to get him to go easy on himself, right up until that fateful year. By now, Devon had long since given up on telling Anton to take a break of any sort, contenting himself with any moments Anton wasn't actively involved in a war.

But among his infrequent breaks, Anton did actually take what people might call an actual 'vacation' occasionally. Of places he could go to relax away from the sect, the best one was obviously Paradise. The turtle hadn't received his name on accident, after all. An abundant ecosystem with comfortable weather- except when Paradise dove to eat something.

"... You have an island turtle," Merve said for probably the dozenth time since they had arrived.

"I told you about Paradise a long time ago," Anton pointed out. "And he's not mine."

"Ceretos, though," she said. "He's really as powerful as a Worldbinding cultivator, and it's all carried with him. And the sect that lives upon his back-"

"Is here at his discretion," Erin explained. "He likes cultivators, mostly. We help out with things Paradise can't easily manage for himself, and in turn we are allowed to share in the natural energy here."

"And the phoenixes," Merve said. "They were part of the Ultimate Phoenix Sect and now they… roam free?"

Erin shrugged, "Paradise likes them. And they don't cause any trouble. They seem to like it here, though the sea isn't exactly good for them."

"And nobody's tried to tame them?"

Erin crossed her arms, "We certainly won't be using any of those collars the Ultimate Phoenix Sect had. Besides, it seems they're just about as sapient as Paradise or the Great Queen there," she gestured towards the head of the island.

"... It seems very difficult for two creatures of such size difference to communicate," Merve commented. "Especially when neither speak traditionally."

"Frankly," Erin said, "Paradise doesn't communicate much at all regardless. He's pretty relaxed and uninterested in complex conversations."

"What is she even doing?" Merve asked.

"The same thing as usual," Anton said. "Asking for more colonies. The Great Queen recently came to realize that she is partially responsible for these new fiery friends being here, so I imagine she's using that as leverage."

"Not that he'd refuse anyway," Erin pointed out. "As long as they can live peacefully."

"They're exceptionally good at it," Anton said. "They're strongly communal, both with other void ants and anyone else they consider part of them. I'd begin thinking about what you want them to do. They'll be quite happy with whatever space they're given, and they simply need to eat some higher energy containing foods. They won't be much good for anything large scale you intend, but dealing with little details is their specialty."

"Like…?" Erin asked.

"Refuse disposal, and pest control. They won't let inappropriate insects intrude on their territory, and they can manage those that are good for your plants. Even those of lesser age and intelligence can follow along with plans they make."

"... Are the smaller void ants babies?" Erin asked.

"By their conventions? Once they take the form of an ant instead of larvae, they are considered adults. Personally, I'd consider them much the same as beginning cultivators. A bit less intellectually developed in the traditional sense, but much better at teamwork than humans. Time rounds out those lesser aspects."

"I don't know if we really need them, but…" Erin shrugged. "I suppose having them wouldn't hurt. It's just a bit weird to have neighbors who can bite through your defenses."

"I imagine it's also uncomfortable to have neighbors who could accidentally stomp on you," Anton pointed out. "They're smart enough to know war would be terrible for them. And wise enough, unlike many human sects, to not go to war anyway. It helps that their demand for resources is on a small scale, of course."

"How small?" Erin asked.

"A few kilograms of food per day for a small colony," Anton said. "The largest might require a dozen, but that is for hundreds of thousands of them."

"And that's as big as they get?"

"In general, yes," Anton said. "The primary colony upon the Order's grounds has grown to millions, but they only take as much space as a single compound of disciples, and less food. There are exceptions to the norm like the Great Queen herself, but like cultivators they will seek out their own opportunities and resources. The colonies also can choose to stop expanding whenever they like, since that decision is centralized instead of made by individuals."

"... That's a lot of ants," Erin said.

"I'm pretty sure humans still outnumber void ants on Ceretos," Anton said. "They've been very conservative. It's just that more of them fit into one space." Anton thought for a few moments, "If you would like a very practical reason beyond diversity, they will be very effective against invaders from the upper realms."

"I'd say that's a very long time from now but, it's not really the case, is it?"

"We have on the upper end slightly less long than I've been cultivating," Anton agreed. "A hundred and twenty years. For you, it would be even less of your cultivation time."

"It seems like my whole life, and also like so little," Erin agreed. "This war is one of a series coming every few decades. I hope there isn't another before the invasion."

"I wouldn't count on it happening randomly," Anton said. "We have to work for that."

In the distance Anton saw that the Great Queen had finished her business atop Paradise's head. She was now flying towards them with her royal guard, manipulating the energy around them to move. Within atmosphere it was not particularly speedy, and it would take her some time to cover the kilometers between them.

"Hey kid!" a voice disturbed Anton from his rest. "Get up!"

There were very few who would call Anton kid. Both out of respect and because he had the visage of an old man, Anton could probably count the people on one hand. If he did, perhaps most of them would be Everheart. "What is it?" Anton asked.

"Ships. Obviously."

Anton had of course come to proper alertness as soon as he was woken, and he was never less than half alert to begin with, but his mind was racing. Instead of doing his own speculations, however, he might as well rely on the guy in front of him. "From where?"

"Sylanis," Everheart said. "It's a full-on invasion."

Anton's various communications devices were lighting up with messages. "I assume you informed others already?"

"Yeah, they'll be ready. I'm sure they'll want to know who and how many. The only thing I can say is Sylanis and most of them."

"Most of them?" Anton raised an eyebrow.

"They sure as hell can't have many more mobile Worldbinding cultivators than what they have coming here," Everheart said. "And I can guarantee they won't be here for a peace party."

"I am not so naive as to believe otherwise," Anton said. Feeling vaguely in the direction they should be coming from, Anton vaguely felt something. "Think they'll pass by the sun?"

"Could you deal with them yourself if they did?" Everheart asked.

"... Only if they were careless," Anton acknowledged. "How many?"

"Hundreds of ships. Maybe twenty Worldbinding cultivators. Could be more or less. I didn't expect my formations to be overwhelmed with so much feedback."

Anton sighed, "So they made this choice, then. I wonder if it included anyone I talked to."

"Who can say?" Everheart shrugged, "But I would say they don't know about the defeat of the Ivory Maw."

"... Why would they come here, though?" Anton asked. "This is the most secure place."

"Exactly," Everheart said. "That's what I would do."

"Why?" Anton asked, feeling the string of his bow, his equipment long since readied.

"Because it's crazy. Strike at the core of power, and when they lose everyone will capitulate."

"Or… lose all your forces?" Anton frowned. "I think we're adequately defended here, but if they're that confident-"

"Just to be clear," Everheart said. "I would only make this move knowing what I think they know. Which is that you, Devon, and Nthanda are from here. They aren't likely aware of the total numbers we have."

"It shouldn't be that hard to learn, right?" Anton asked.

"At most, they captured some mid level soldiers. How many of them actually know all of the Assimilation cultivators here? It's not secret, but it's also not public."

"And the numbers aren't necessarily in our favor," Anton admitted. "Twenty…"

"Don't forget," Everheart said. "We're fighting on home ground. Even if they're mobile, few of them will be close to the peak of their power. Besides, my formations were made to withstand little things like this."

"Little?" Anton raised an eyebrow.

"If I couldn't hold off a thousand Integration cultivators, I would have never secured my final tomb for so long," Everheart said. Then he sighed, "Then I lost it to a bunch of kids and a self-betrayal. I should have expected I would stab me in the back like that. Got careless."

"At least that gave you the opportunity to return to your… beloved homeworld?" Anton's statement turned into a question at the end. Everheart was clearly a bit fond of this place, but that was only with relation to how much he did or did not like anything.

"Where I got to find out my pet turtle wanted to kill me and some kid developed a secret branch of cultivation."

"Clearly not exclusive to myself, though," Anton pointed out. "Or we won't be worrying about that," he gestured to the sky.

"Who's worrying? I can just leave if things get bad."

"But you'll fight if they don't, right?" Anton asked. "Think of the stuff they have to be carrying on them. Countless unsecured techniques. And if they're not on them, then back at their sects when we retaliate."

"You're so confident in victory already," Everheart said. Before Anton could object, he continued, "Good. I've never really… fought on the side of people before. But I assume it will be easier."

"It is," Anton assured him. As much as he kinda liked the old guy, he was still going to have to keep an eye on him during this whole thing. Who could know where he would find an opportunity he wanted to take? Anton had no reason to believe that a couple decades would completely overturn a lifetime of development, no matter what sort of jumbled up mess his memories were with all those projections in there. There was a bit of trust built up, but also centuries of Everheart being Ceretos' number one hated cultivator. "We'll have to get moving."

First on the agenda was securing the teleporters. Though with starships they could arrive nearly anywhere on the planet in short order, that required leaving the atmosphere. Moving forces around on the continents would likely be important, and they certainly didn't want the enemy to take them over. Since they required both ends to work, the enemy couldn't activate them arbitrarily without also compromising communications devices, but they would also be expensive losses if destroyed.

The sects were already secure, as well as the large cities. The main issue would be tracking and predicting enemy movements. There simply weren't enough local ships to fight the whole battle above the planet. The enemy would at least have the chance to descend to the continental barriers and the Exalted Archipelago's equivalent, and it was likely they would break through in many places. Predicting those- or allowing failures to funnel the enemy- would be important.

Plans were already in place, but there was some flexibility. Anton intended to approach the enemy fleet to learn more, and see if they were maybe interested in a diplomatic solution. He was confident in his ability to flee, if necessary. Even with so many Worldbinding cultivators, only a few would be able to match his range. It was a shame it had to come to this, but Anton could only hope that Ceretos was the only target- or at least the main one. If forces of any similar power went to Rutera or Weos… he couldn't imagine what would happen. Though it seemed extremely unlikely that the Sylanis Cluster could rouse multiple times the incoming fleet's power. Anton could sense it as one mass, something easier in 'his system', and it was properly intimidating. Ceretos wouldn't be without losses… they just had to make sure the Sylanis Cluster had more.

Chapter 542

The Mighty Dragon Sect was, like the Ultimate Phoenix Sect had been, one of the stronger factions within the Sylanis Cluster. Anton had heard of it, and the dragon itself. Unlike the Ultimate Phoenix Sect there was no indication that they had any significant number of them. Truthfully, Anton had considered the descriptions of the dragon to be an exaggeration. That had been incorrect. In fact, they might have been somewhat conservative with describing its size. He wasn't able to determine exactly how many kilometers long the creature was, but it was more than a handful.

On its head stood an imperious man that Anton thought seemed far too concerned with appearances and not enough concerned with the practicalities of being in a combat zone. The individual known as Manu held his hands behind his back, and Anton considered taking a shot at him just to make him lose his practiced stance. He was busy comparing pros and cons, but ultimately the battle had not yet begun.

He picked out a number of the stronger individuals among the group, a man riding a large book, another member of the Mighty Dragon Sect, two individuals of water and ice, and several individuals guiding the fleets. There were more Worldbinding cultivators, but not all of them deserved specific notice.

Anton matched his speed to the group some hundreds of kilometers ahead of them, preparing to reveal himself if they had not yet noticed him. "If you return now we won't have to wipe out your sects," Anton delivered his ultimatum as a guarantee.

There was no expectation that proud cultivators would react well to such a thing, but he had already consigned all of those who came to invade Ceretos to death. Several responses came simultaneously, the voice that won out being Manu's. "A brave declaration for one who barely has a foot into a proper level of power."

"If your descendents were going to survive this conflict, they would curse you for your actions," Anton simply said. "Now begone, or we can promise you will lose everything."

"I could say the same," Manu seemed to be trying to look down his nose at Anton from a distance he couldn't really see him at, their voices only transmitted through natural energy. "You may devour him," he waved his hand downward, returning it to behind his back. At that point, the dragon accelerated forward along with much of the fleet.

Anton was ready, of course. He was in the domain of his first star, and while they weren't close to the sun, they were still inside the orbit of Ceretos where he was a bit stronger than his norm. As enemies surged forward, Anton moved backwards with no specific motions, matching pace with the fastest of them. Then he drew his bow, light forming itself into an arrow within it. He took a single shot with no deception behind it. At merely a few hundred kilometers, the difference between the speed of his attack and that of true light was negligible. It struck the forehead of Manu, jolting his head back slightly.

Had the man been willing to adjust his position he could have avoided being struck, but as it was he barely took any damage anyway. But barely taking damage in such a situation was still a great embarrassment, and Anton hoped the intended red mark would appear on his forehead. A chastising for an immature brat, regardless of whether or not this particular individual was older than him.

Then he increased his acceleration away from the group, avoiding the fastest and longest ranged attacks with ease. He had nothing else he really had to focus on but defense, after all. "You'll have to be faster than that if you want to catch me," Anton taunted. He imagined some of them could be faster, which was exactly what he wanted. If he could get some to chase him to Ceretos, they would not arrive together.

Either they didn't notice his intent, or they didn't care. Surprisingly enough the pair to chase after him the most swiftly was the man riding on the book- a gigantic thing several meters across- and one of the icy individuals. The man should have been Ashwin, Keeper of the Grand Archives. The icy woman was simply Zedong of the Frozen Sphere.

The dragon and Manu were not far behind, but the distance was growing greater and would continue to do so. Anton could likely have completely escaped but keeping a general pace with the two in front was a good opportunity both to separate them and to experience their techniques in some safety. Anton doubted he could fight the two of them, but he was still far enough away he was confident in escaping before they could surround him. They seemed to have a significant amount of power to call upon, but Ashwin's connections were not solely to the book he rode upon. Zedong didn't have any apparent connections, but she was still somewhere in the early part of Worldbinding from Anton's estimations.

Though great pages immediately swirled towards him, the attacks adding to Ashwin's speed and rocketing towards him, they were not the first attacks to reach him. Instead, Anton felt a chill. Space itself could be considered cold, but with little method of transferring heat it didn't make much difference. This was an active drawing, and Anton doubled down his aura and control of the area around him. Thin tendrils of natural energy still poked through to attempt to draw from him, but Anton could defend against attacks with clear origins.

Arrows flew to counter the pages- and though not all of them had any visible effect, some managed to tear through energy while others forced an activation of whatever ability the pages had. Bursts of different sorts of energy displayed themselves, but Anton suspected the true danger came if he allowed himself to be surrounded by multiple pages. The runes upon them made them akin to mobile formations that could likely enhance each other.

Spikes of ice shot through empty space with great speed, attempting to force Anton to move in a particular way. Yet it was clear that Zedong, while possessing significant range, was not best at long ranges. Her attacks were swift and agile, able to cover long distances and redirect themselves to some extent. Anton imagined they would even be able to curve around behind him if he was careless and ignored them once he dodged them, but they just weren't quite enough.

Anton also remembered to harass the two with attacks, probing their defenses. Ashwin didn't seem to do much of anything, the pages of the book he was riding extending upwards to defend him. It would take more than casual attacks to break through the barriers they created. Zedong tended to counter his attacks with some of her own, but she also formed dozens of orbiting spheres of ice that intercepted his attacks when they got close. They were quite excellent at absorbing impacts, no matter how much Anton tried to pierce through them his arrows were generally consumed.

The battle continued with little real effect on either side for a significant period of time, during which they were constantly moving towards Ceretos. Both sides wanted to go there regardless, but Anton knew it was more to his advantage.

As he approached the planet itself, Anton used Star Steps to basically negate his momentum above the atmosphere. That was beneficial, because as he dove down towards his target- the Grandfather Willow- he slammed into the continental barrier. Normally, it wouldn't stop him at all, but apparently in its current active state it was more picky. After a moment it seemed to recognize Anton and let him fall through, but hopping in and out of the barrier would likely be troublesome.

Anton wished he had brought the Great Queen with him. These two were at least minutes ahead of their compatriots, enough time to take out either of these individuals with her help. It turned out someone completely immune to most attacks was a great asset in a battle. Unfortunately, she was elsewhere around Ceretos at the moment, and the time it would take to retrieve her would be better spent differently.

"Hi Lev," Anton said as he landed. "I brought friends. And by friends I mean enemies."

The young man rolled his eyes. "Obviously." His long hair and beard dangled as he looked up into the sky. "You didn't have to bring them directly here, but I appreciate it." The Grandfather Willow trembled with excitement, the grand tree having grown in height and girth in the decades since Lev had Assimilated with it.

Anton was impressed with the speed at which Ashwin got through the continental barrier. A ring of giant sheets of paper plastered themselves on the barrier, nearly immediately opening a hole that he and Zedong slipped through. It was only a momentary breach, but impressive nonetheless. Though Anton couldn't say for certain that it wasn't an intentional weakness.

As the dragon and Manu descended upon Ceretos, planning to join forces with the others, a great mass of power drew their attention. A small salt sea flew from the planet below in an obvious provocation, dragon and turtle locking eyes. Regardless of Manu's level of control, he would not have been able to stop the dragon if he tried.

Assuming the others would succeed wherever they went, another pair descended upon what they knew to be one of the richest sects. A mountain of fire and ice with many names. One of those aiming for it, covered in scales, clawed his way through the barrier. Along with him was an individual with runes carved into their very flesh. The two of them descended rapidly until they met with a barrier of flames and flickering ice crystals.

A great concentration of wealth was apparently just in the middle of a desert. It was not of any concern to those interested in taking it that there was an entire sect that would try to stop them. In fact, it would make it more exciting. Instead of simply crashing into the barrier over the continent, the attackers landed in the ocean to the east and made their way from there. The reasons for that were twofold. One, they had determined that the barriers would be easier to break through with proper positioning, and two it was advantageous for them to go from the water to begin with.

As for the desert with its heat and swirling sands, they planned to bury it under a sea while the creatures within would serve as their puppets. The water rose up, crashing against the barrier and pushing a hole through.

Fleets descended upon a seemingly less defended archipelago. Perhaps their judgment was correct in some ways. They did not have a comprehensive barrier that covered them, saving time and effort for the attack. That was valuable for the weaker troops they brought with them. A commanding aura from one of them, a man who appeared to be carved from a marble statue, bolstered them. Another radiated the power of a dragon, though unlike Manu he had no such creature to serve as his mount.

Ice grew upon the Grandfather Willow, attempting to drain the heat and life from it. However, that was just as difficult as drawing directly from a cultivator- perhaps moreso. Sheaths of ice snapped as the branches of the great tree bent and twisted, encircling the intruding cultivators. Ashwin and Zedong avoided most of the incoming attacks, pages of fire and lightning blocking others. Yet they couldn't help but focus their efforts on avoiding potential restraint. If they were caught, their lives could quickly end.

That meant they had little to spare for dealing with Anton's rain of arrows. Anton was managing to slither through their defenses with some consistency while still having the spare effort available to tear into the incoming ships following after their Worldbinding cultivators. Focusing his efforts would result in killing the two more quickly, and he would do so once he found the right opening. For now, he simply wore them down. Every page Ashwin used carried much energy within it, but they could not be infinite nor without cost. No doubt he had some power hidden still, along with his icy companion, but they were in Lev's domain, and to a lesser extent Anton's. Perhaps if Zedong was able to draw the power of the surroundings into her as she was accustomed she would have an advantage of some sort, but within an Assimilation cultivator's doman it was actually a disadvantage for her to try.

Yet Anton didn't consider the battle won yet, even if he was already drifting to plans of who the next targets would be. It wouldn't be enough to just win, but minimizing the damage to Ceretos was important.

Chapter 543

Though the kilometers long serpentine form of the dragon was certainly a concern, Erin focused her attention on the man riding it and the weaker cultivators incoming behind him. Paradise would take care of himself, Erin was responsible for everything else. It would have been nice if they'd already established that void ant colony here, but sadly that wasn't the case. Though there weren't many void ants that could fight against flying opponents easily either. If the Great Queen were around she could have replicated her success with the Ultimate Phoenix Sect.

But this was Erin's sect to defend, the Island Tenders. A place chosen for its beauty and peace atop Paradise himself. The figure in the sky stretched out his hands, giant claws scratching towards the sect as he swept his arms. Erin countered with a turtle shell of her own, buying time for the sect disciples to reach a full state of readiness.

The island trembled as Paradise moved, forcing everything along with him. His head snapped up as the dragon descended, but the creature wouldn't stay close to the island turtle for long.

The imperious sect leader- Manu, if Erin remembered his name from the list correct- radiated his confidence and power. "You'll never win if you just defend."

It was possible that he was correct. But the statement was not true as a whole. If she was more efficient with her defenses than he was with his attacks, she could wear him down- assuming other factors were equal. Unfortunately, they weren't. He was clearly stronger, which was not unusual given he had established his position more than a century prior. Erin was one of those who only rose to her level in the last decades.

The flow of Paradise's energy shifted as he fought the dragon, but instead of wrestling for control of the power Erin simply took what she could, excess bits and pieces that would have otherwise been wasted. More than that, she also helped smooth the flow of Paradise's energy as it passed through and around him, including the sect's defensive formations.

The battle quickly escalated with enemy forces landing- or setting down in the nearby sea to push their way on land. The latter would have resulted in their immediate destruction if Paradise had any effort to spare, but sadly he was quite focused.

Among an archipelago with islands both larger and smaller than Paradise, starships settled into the sea as if they belonged the whole time, their strange symmetrical patterns somehow still functioning atop the water. Not all of them did so, as there were certain factors to consider. There was a loss of mobility gained for more limited angles of attack against them, the water guarding one side.

That was what Treloar presumed they were banking on, at least. Personally, he knew of a half dozen sects that were capable of underwater combat with no drawbacks, after the Ponderous Turtle Clan got themselves wiped out. Treloar himself had some tricks to make use of, but he planned to save those for the most impactful moment. For the moment he stood on the shores and fought against the armies supported by oppressive auras, martial and draconic in nature.

Immediately present was Naamah, who took a more direct approach to combat. The Hardened Crown Sect was not the sort who focused on large scale coordination efforts. They understood the value of tactics, and would make use of them. They also understood the value of brute force. Naamah literally tore her way through ships between her and the statuesque man who seemed to be in command.

Though a cultivator at the Assimilation stage always had sufficient power to fly, not all were proficient in such techniques. Naamah appeared to be among those, preferring to leap from ship to ship, the force of her movements breaking holes in everything in her path. It didn't take her long to reach the man, a spear thrust at her heart. With his other hand, he raised his shield to block her punch.

She deflected the spear with her empty left hand, sliding her palm along it to grab his fist in her hand. Her punch she transformed into another grab, her fingers locking over the edge of the shield, pulling it away. Of course, her hands were occupied holding his in place, so they simply stood across from each other on the prow of his ship for a moment. No doubt he expected an attack still, likely a kick from her free legs. That was why she faked a knee to bring herself forward for her real attack.

The Hardened Crown Sect was well aware that surprise was a valid tactic, and their body wasn't trained randomly. The crown of the head itself was often seen as a weak point, or at the very least the head a place that had to be protected. It was even true, but would someone in armor be afraid of a little bit of danger?

An attack focused more on physical force than natural energy sent Naamah's head into the man's nose. Sadly it didn't shove the bones into his brain, but it did majorly disrupt his flow. And Naamah wasn't done. She had no intention to let go of the man until the fight was done, since he'd been careless enough to allow her to grab on.

"That man stinks," Annelie commented of the one with scales and claws.

"Much worse than the sulfur vents," Anish agreed.

"He has to go first."

"Absolutely, can you imagine if he got that smell inside?" Flames wreathed around Anish, burning only what he wished for them to burn. That did not include Annelie's ice, and in turn her ice did not cool the fire.

Spears of ice stabbed forward in waves, leaving burning craters behind them as the married pair stood above their sect. There had been a long period of decision on whether they would ascend, but there was no way they were leaving Ceretos behind at their current point. More than a half dozen children, most of them not actually kids but still young enough to need their protection… and some with children of their own on the way. Previous ambitions to ascend to the upper realms had been set aside as their desires shifted to a staying power.

This was their domain, and two completely unrelated Worldbinding cultivators might be a reasonable match on paper. In practice, if a scaled man smelling of the worst sewers and an individual with formations carved into his body wanted to take anything from them, they would find it more than impossible. It didn't matter what sort of barriers the formations created around the second man… if anything held true, all they had to do was break his body.

Two Assimilation cultivators synchronized in their attacks from nearly a century of tandem practice fought with the vigor of parents that couldn't find an excuse to keep their children off the battlefield but would not accept anything lasting long enough for them to be injured. At least Gudrun was an archer. But there were many others who would not be in such safe positions. The volcanic mountain the sect was built upon boiled in anger, preparing to add its own contributions to the battle.

Flooding the desert seemed like a reasonable method for two Worldbinding cultivators to take, and the creatures that came along with them were reasonably powerful considering they had not been able to plan for what was available near Aicenith's southeastern shores.

Unfortunately for the invaders, the Scorching Mirror Desert was not accepting visitors. Seemingly innocent puffs of sand turned into blades along the bellies of the sea beasts, and inside the gills of others. Similar damage came to any ship foolish enough to venture into Vasu's domain.

The ocean itself did make things difficult for other members of the Million Sword Vault, and reshaping the continent would be inconvenient for others. However, the attack had taken long enough to reach them that reinforcements had come from the north.

An armored man trudged along the bottom of a new sandy sea, Sudheer of the Silver Rhino Legion making his way towards the smaller individual controlling the waters. When he was close enough, he crouched into a starting position. Vasu helpfully solidified the sands beneath his feet, the waters forced apart by the man's charge. Sudheer left behind his sectmates, a reasonable Assimilation target… but not what he had chosen. Instead, his shining armor was the source of his power, packed with enchantments bursting beyond material limits.

His target attempted to dodge, but Sudheer wasn't restricted to keeping his momentum how it had been. His path curved to meet his opponent, who had no choice but to block and let themselves be pushed back. Fighting the charge would have simply resulted in them breaking, and he could commend them for that insight. But he was still going to accomplish his goal, as he shoved them backwards and up, out of their partial sea. And then they were perfectly arranged for a nice one-on-one brawl, one covered in armor spikes and the other clearly focused on wide scale control.

Zedong made the mistake of setting a foot on the ground beneath the Grandfather Willow. She had correctly calculated that there were no branches that could easily reach her position… but she failed to account for another factor. Lev was quite glad to encompass her with roots- despite knowing that they would be frozen solid and drained of life. There would be much effort required to recover them, but he was holding the woman still for more than just his own efforts.

Anton didn't miss the moment, firing dozens of smaller shots as well as two from his primary bow. The air rippled with the power of ascension energy drawn to him by the power of Fleeting Youth. Hidden in its shadow, a much more subtle and recently advanced arrow of spectral energy trailed it. The first attack was blocked by Ashwin himself, forcing his whole book into Anton's path. Anton grinned as he heard the spin creak, though he suddenly wished he'd readied that arrow with fire. No doubt the book was enchanted to resist flames, but it would still be weaker to that than anything else.

The spectral arrow moved right through the book- sadly, Ashwin himself avoided it or Anton would have chosen him as the more versatile of the two targets. But he was still quite happy with how his arrow drove into Zedong's dantian. Even more so when she suddenly lost control of some of the energy she'd been siphoning from the Grandfather Willow because of it.

He was only a bit short from outright killing her. As it was, she would perhaps be only half as effective- maybe less, since she wouldn't be able to recover any significant amount of energy with a damaged dantian, and that was part of her main abilities. When she tore herself out of the roots she not only had the damage from Anton's arrows… but little hooks holding onto her, nearly impossible to sense. Anton only noticed them because of his familiarity. The technique derived from the parasitic moss would also dig into her energy, further weakening her.

Ashwin charged towards the trunk where Lev stood unmoving. He judged correctly that Lev's body was a weak point… but only by certain definitions. His limbs really didn't move on their own, he had to control them indirectly like he controlled the limbs of the Grandfather Willow. But Lev no longer needed to injure his body to fully synchronize with the tree. As a swirling cylinder of pages filled with natural energy charged towards him, Lev simply sank back into the bark of the tree behind him, letting himself be swallowed.

A tremendous explosion tore open the area, flattening some nearby sect buildings. However, the damage to the Grandfather Willow was only enough to reveal Lev's face. Then a dozen limbs surrounded Ashwin, sacrificing themselves to force the power of his defensive detonations inward. The man staggered off of his book a bloody mess, and though it would have been nice to inspect Anton already had a dozen flaming arrows on the way to burrow into the pages… the vast majority of which did not release their contained energy as they were destroyed. But enough did for it to be gone, leaving Ashwin hardly a Worldbinding cultivator anymore.

Anton nodded to himself. These two would be gone soon. Then he would seek out wherever needed his help most while Lev and the disciples wiped up the weaker invaders. Then after there were none left, they would make their plans for the sects of the Sylanis Cluster… but instead of foolishly spreading their forces, taking them out one at a time would have to do. Only the ones involved in this attack, of course. Though if possible he would prefer the Sylanis Cluster do most of the work themselves, with powerful sects suddenly weakened.

Chapter 544

A great claw slashed down towards the building where the weakest disciples of the Island Tenders were taking shelter. Having Body Tempering disciples participate in the battle would only be a hindrance to their side, and in truth Erin should have trusted in the building's defensive formations and left it alone. Against a Life Transformation cultivator she would have, but against Manu she couldn't help but worry. And he knew it, which meant he was able to target an attack she would have to block.

She formed a great dome of protection, a turtle shell that cracked immediately under the attack, then shattered under the next swing of the man. "You're weak," he said. "Pathetic. You can't even properly control your turtle. There is no hope for you to win."

Erin grit her teeth. "You're wrong."

"Am I?" Manu looked down his nose at her, a derisive image he was clearly quite trained to make use of. "You are unable to draw sufficient power from your bonded creature. I will have you defeated in four moves or fewer. This cannot be denied."

Erin bit her lip. He was right about that. As he drew back his arms, scythelike claws stretchings for dozens of meters, Erin was only barely able to reinvigorate her defense. His arms crossed, sending her staggering back two steps. His claws slashed up and down, creating a cross pattern in her next barrier, though it just held.

The ground trembled beneath them as Paradise fought, the formations being the only thing that kept anything on his back in place. The claws of a true dragon aimed for his head and eyes, tearing apart scales. The dragon circled around for another pass.

"One more move," Manu said, the long body and tail of a dragon forming behind him. It coiled and prepared to snap forward, no doubt with force much greater than his claws.

"You're wrong," Erin said. "Not about me being weak. But… Paradise isn't my turtle."

The serpentine dragon had a length of more than a handful of kilometers, though with the way it never stretched out straight it couldn't be measured properly. It charged towards Paradise's head, great rivers of blood flowing. Paradise hadn't been able to hit the creature with his water bombardments, and his limited mobility limited his defensive options. Claws extended and fangs menaced as the dragon approached.

Then Paradise opened his jaws wide, not to spit out another sea sized globule of water, but to make room as his neck extended. He lunged forward, mouth snapping shut around the upper body of the dragon. The dragon was indeed massive, but in truth it might have only stretched a bit longer than Paradise from head to tail. Comparing total bulk, there was no way for the dragon to match Paradise. While that wasn't necessarily a proper representation of power, the dragon was shackled by his master, his natural energy drawn upon to power Manu's abilities. Meanwhile, Paradise was completely in control of his own power, Erin and the Island Tenders merely making use of the excess natural energy from the ecosystem he had dwelling on him.

His mouth snapped shut, crushing the body and spine of the dragon. Then Paradise threw his head back, yanking more of the dragon's body towards him and into his mouth. He chomped down again, and continued the process, the dragon's skull soon crushed inside him, claws unable to find purchase.

Manu's attack came at basically the same time, the tail whipping into the center of Erin's final turtle shell. It snapped, but instead of doing her best to protect herself she used the force to fold the shell inward to the center of the cross, slamming it around Manu as her body was slammed into the building behind her. Her bones shattered, some piercing her internal organs, but she was not immediately dead. Then a wave of energy filled her, offered freely by Paradise. It propelled her to stand up, finding Manu fallen to the ground from her unexpected counter.

Erin didn't have the ability to perform anything elegant at the moment, instead leaping from the top of the hill she had been protecting onto Manu below. A simple fist with the weight of her fall and the power Paradise gave her pushed him down until he could move no more, Paradise's shell providing an impenetrable barrier to crush him against. Manu might have been able to defend, but he was suddenly only possessed of his own power, which was only a step above Life Transformation without his bonded creature.

It had to be admitted that the enemy commander was better than Treloar had given him credit for. Even while being pummeled by Naamah, he had maneuvered his forces in such a way that a great number of them had surrounded Treloar. Individually they would be no threat to him, but together they were wearing him down, along with their draconic opponent. Now it all came down to how quickly Naamah could finish off the commander and allied forces could aid him… and how soon she could assist him against the other.

Blood dripped out of numerous wounds that were insignificant on their own, coating Treloar's body. He could see why people liked to fight against superior forces, though the idea still didn't particularly appeal to him at the moment. Waves and sand crashed against the surrounding forces while Treloar clashed his blade against enemy claws, hoping to break through scales so he could start dealing real damage. He could sense that elsewhere in the Exalted Archipelago and across Ceretos were similar battles, the shockwaves reverberating throughout the planet.

An arrow of spectral energy pierced the dantian of the man with runes engraved in his body. Anton had already finished with Lev and had quickly come to assist his granddaughter and grandson-in-law. He couldn't say it was necessarily the most tactically sound decision, but he also couldn't fight properly if he was worrying about them and their children, and so on.

His shot meant that they wouldn't get to determine what happened to the man's personally imbued formations should they be broken apart, as energy quickly drained from the man and then he was consumed by Anish's flames. Anton would next be finding his way to Aicenith's west coast, where they were struggling against more of the Worldbinding cultivators.

The battle began everywhere all at once, but it only fully died out after several days. Ultimately, Ceretos proved they had been ready for invasions- and their invader's insistence on being tens of separate forces instead of a cohesive whole had allowed them to come out on top. The home ground advantage was also significant, allowing their Assimilation cultivators to have the edge, though the Sylanis Cluster had greater numbers in terms of lesser cultivators. And Worldbinding cultivators- they just hadn't been willing or able to commit all of theirs.

The losses varied greatly by sect, and quality of opponents. The Grasping Willow Sect had mostly superficial damage, though they were not without loss of life. Western Aicenith had lost several important figures, including potential Assimilation figures from Marvelous Rabbit Mountain. Damage to the Exalted Archipelago was less personally important to Anton, but still frustrating- and one of the few individuals he actually cared about was heavily injured. Treloar was still holding on, but he might sustain permanent damage to his body, cultivation, or both.

Western Brogora would have been in deep trouble with Nthanda away, but the Great Queen had contributed greatly to their defense. The members of the Sylanis Cluster most familiar with her were already dead- first the patriarch of the Ultimate Phoenix Sect and then the Ivory Maw. Recognizing her threat a few moments too late meant the most powerful enemy was wiped out with little struggle, though ironically most of the rest of the invading forces were personally of a similar threat level to the Great Queen. Even so, Ambati could deal with cultivators from Spirit Building through Life Transformation- and likely they would have overcome a Worldbinding cultivator through great sacrifice.

There were tense days waiting for news from the other systems. Had Rutera and Weos been attacked? If they had to face against even half as many forces, they might not make it. The information from captured individuals was of little use, as most were uninformed and those who might actually know had been too dangerous to capture. Nobody was interested in sparing any Worldbinding cultivators, either. There had been warnings given already.

It was unclear if Everheart had participated in the defense, though several Worldbinding cultivators could not be accounted for. Anton thought he sensed a bit of fatigue in the man, but he would not admit anything either way. Perhaps he thought he would be forced to share in his spoils, or perhaps he really did nothing, either way his defensive formations had limited the enemy's actions sufficiently that his contributions couldn't be ignored. Those had been made honestly, and at only material cost- expensive, but not so much as it could have been if Everheart was interested in charging for his great expertise.

No messages came from either system, so they had to wait for responses to their own, the first reports of enemies approaching then the reports on the aftermath. After a frustrating period of silence, Weos and Rutera both responded. They had seen no attacks. Either they weren't coming, or they would now be prepared, for as much good as that would do. Anton hoped it was the former, especially for the next stage of the plan. He wanted to retrieve Nthanda and The Independence, but he would make do with Devon and the Great Queen alone if necessary. Iceheart Ocean had made an appearance in the invasion, though without Carlitos. They were at the top of the list for retaliation, then all of the sects involved in the invasion itself. Some were located in Azoth, which made it unwise for Anton to go there… but if he was part of a larger force and stayed safe on The Independence, he could at least contribute to some extent.

The frozen oceans of Atania suddenly began to boil on two sides of the planet, a small amount of its actual surface area but located around important facilities, ice instantly melting under rains of sunfire arrow and the main laser of The Independence. Rutera had been willing to risk danger for offense. Against anything more than one or two Worldbinding cultivators The Independence would be insufficient regardless, so sending it with the offensive force was justifiable.

The icy seas, full of more than just frozen water, rose up to fight, but Carlitos was just one cultivator. Atania wasn't fully recovered from the previous assault, temporary formations of cheaper cost filling in the gaps. They were only good enough to slightly delay the inevitable.

Then, the oceans stopped acting. Anton made his way towards Carlitos, who was being carried by his belly, an unseen force acting on him from below. The Great Queen's mandibles were pierced into his dantian, cutting off the flow of his energy but not quite tearing it apart and causing permanent damage.

Anton stood over him, using his aura as a blunt force to make the man respond with something. "What do you have to say for your actions?"

The man only stared up at Anton, wide-eyed. "How are any of you still alive?"

That was sufficient. Anton saw no speck of compulsion within the man. He'd made the choice to go against the ultimatum, and he would pay for it. His head fell to the ground a moment later.

Anton stretched his energy out, only able to encompass less than a tenth of the planet, even with something simple. Even so, the majority of the population was in the area where he projected his voice. "For breaking the ultimatum set forth by the trifold alliance, the lives of every cultivator of Essence Collection and above, as well as any in the roles of elders of Iceheart Ocean, are now forfeit along with all the resources belonging to the sect. Anyone choosing to aid them will likewise perish."

Anton could personally fulfill that declaration- nobody would be able to even reach him to attack him, not without Worldbinding cultivators involved. Some might say that they didn't deserve death, but they had to be aware of enough of the situation to have made an informed choice. If they didn't accept what Carlitos was doing, they could have fled the planet. If they surrendered Anton would hear them out… but he doubted many would change his mind.

As for the rest… without the resources of the sect and Carlitos' control over the freezing planet, the weaker cultivators might not be able to survive such a harsh environment. There were sufficient ships for them to be transported off planet, however. It would be cramped and uncomfortable, and they would have to beg for asylum on another planet, but it wasn't a death sentence. Already, Anton was being several steps more merciful than he felt like. He'd considered cracking the planet in half, giving up not just because of the extreme effort required but because it was probably slightly excessive. Though it would have been good for future intimidation.

He would carry Carlitos' head around with him until they returned, though, and show it to everyone along the way as a reminder that he had chosen his fate.

Chapter 545

Above Cheitov, a planet teeming with trees, including those pressured to grow in more extreme environments than they would naturally. Before they even got close, Anton sensed Aridasa flying up to meet them. Such an action made him doubly vulnerable- both being alone and some distance away from the center of his power. Not that he would ever be weak anywhere vaguely close to his bound planet, but against a dangerous force he would need every bit of strength he could hold on to.

Anton took it as a good sign. Their work here would be easier regardless of how things went. Before Anton could make any sort of announcement, Aridasa spoke up. "There's no need for you to be here, is there?"

"Are you certain?" Anton raised an eyebrow. "Quite a number of newly constructed ships came to visit Ceretos."

A mix of nervousness and confidence flowed through Aridasa. The man straightened his back, "You know we're not the only ones with supplies of the sort. As agreed, we have refused to ship anything off-world despite the great blow to our resources. You can see them laid out there," he gestured to the planet below.

Anton did take a few moments to pick out the mentioned stores. They were quite full, indicating that either Aridasa was being truthful, or they had been working doubly hard in their harvests. Anton couldn't quite tell- the recently cut and replanted sections of forest didn't seem excessive, but while he'd worked with loggers on a small scale previously, something at this size he couldn't properly measure. Anton simply had to trust Aridasa- not blindly, but his Insight said the man was truthful. He wasn't even hiding his inner resentment, or not well.

"It is likely that you will be freed from that agreement soon," Anton said. "At that time, I believe you will find many people eager to spend and build. Your losses won't be as bad as it seems, though I understand it's difficult for the moment."

Aridasa crossed his arms, "We're just lucky nobody tried to force the matter. Our reputation with several important sects is in shambles, though."

"I am certain a portion of that list will not be relevant for long."

"Yeah, let's hope so," the man frowned.

"None of the Worldbinding cultivators made it back," Anton mentioned. Some had realized that things weren't going their way and tried to leave, but it didn't work out for them. "Unless we are vastly inaccurate in our information, there are only a small handful of Worldbinding cultivators from these sects that remained behind."

Aridasa had nothing else to say. Anton had only stopped by half to check, half to remind him that they didn't have to kill everyone who they had conflict with if they could choose to see reason.

Two Assimilation cultivators- Anton and Devon- the Great Queen and The Independence were more than a match for any enemy sects without Worldbinding cultivators- and they would still likely find it reasonable to overcome one or two along with their sects. The Independence came with fighters from Rutera, a powerful gesture of support. Rutera still had their orbital defenses and many more fighters, but their main bastion of power was along for the journey.

Weos was participating as well- dealing with Azoth directly both because it was closest to them and because Anton could not reasonably go there. Nthanda was with them, as Weos only had a small number of truly mobile Assimilation cultivators. Much of their power was made up of fleets and lesser cultivators, but within a few decades they would likely have similar or potentially greater numbers of Assimilation cultivators to Ceretos. They had the population and talented individuals to draw upon, though they had not been a place where everyone cultivated.

Among the sects in Okloi, around the 'second' star were the Grand Archives of Abos. Though they maintained a massive library, it wasn't the sort that allowed visitors. Instead, they hoarded knowledge for themselves. This understandably led to some resentment, and Anton was only slightly surprised when they found others already on Abos. Specifically, he was surprised that news had reached those intending to plunder so quickly. It shouldn't have been upon information from Aridasa unless they were already ready to go immediately.

As he descended, though Anton saw some signs of battle it seemed that the local disciples had given in and were even now assisting with the plundering, perhaps planning to buy their way into another sect. There were facilities of all sizes, and though Anton couldn't compare to whatever Everheart had in the upper realms having only heard about it, the Grand Archives were certainly sizable.

Most people didn't bother Anton, sensing his power they simply watched. As Anton approached the largest and most secure structure, he was met by a small man. Neither appearing young nor old, the stature of the individual was not representative of his actual power. Anton pored over the list of the remaining Worldbinding cultivators, now a good fifth smaller. "Vargha, I presume?"

The man inclined his head slightly, along with tipping his skull-topped staff. "Vargha of the Black Flame. Head of the Burning Skull Sect. And you would be… Anton?"

He nodded, "Head of the Order of One Hundred Stars."

Vargha then settled his eyes on Devon. "Your name is not so well known. You did not participate in the earlier stages of the war."

"Devon. Also aligned with the Order of One Hundred Stars."

"Truly?" the man raised an eyebrow. "Such a radically different cultivation method. Yet clearly it has done well for you." He appraised the both of them before continuing. "A pleasure to meet you both. However, the Burning Skull Sect has arrived here first and staked our claim."

Anton smiled slightly, "A claim you could only manage because of our efforts. However, before we discuss that, there was one more introduction you missed."

Vargha looked up, "That ship? A mighty one indeed, but I don't believe possessed of its own consciousness. Whoever controls it is not so powerful as to deserve my notice."

Anton held out his hands, and the Great Queen crawled out of his sleeve. "The Great Queen of the void ants says that she is not surprised you failed to notice her, but if your threshold for introductions is power, she is most worthy."

"I…" Vargha paused, clearly somewhat confused. "You are the one responsible for the injuries to Bala?"

"She is," Anton nodded. "She also reminds you that she is the slayer of the Ultimate Phoenix… and one of the primary combatants for every death in the Ivory Maw."

"None of this information reached my ears," Vargha said, "But I shall take your word and that of your translator. The Great Queen of the void ants, is it? Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The man's demeanor shifted slightly. Previously, he had been extremely confident- even with Anton and Devon both present. His opinion of The Independence added to that mix was unclear, but now he seemed slightly more subdued.

The great queen gestured furiously, but Anton didn't translate. Then she turned around on Anton's hand, bouncing angrily. "It seems the Great Queen has something to say?" Vargha conjectured. "I unfortunately do not speak her sign language."

The Great Queen prodded Anton's wrist with a sharp mandible, not breaking the skin but making a point. "Fine, I'll translate." He cleared his throat. "The Great Queen demands you immediately let us access the Grand Archives and take whatever we want." Satisfied, the Great Queen nodded and turned back towards Vargha.

"It is… interesting that your demands would come in such a manner," Vargha said. "Why not simply state such yourself?"

"I was planning to do it more diplomatically," Anton said. "She just didn't let me get there. She prefers the straightforward approach."

"Well, as much as I appreciate that," Vargha frowned, "I am afraid there are specific things we require here, so we cannot simply hand everything over."

"And I presume you're willing to fight for it," Anton nodded. "But it won't do you much good if you can't get inside. Those formations seem to be causing your people quite a bit of trouble."

At such a relatively short distance, there was almost nothing that could stop Anton's senses, including most traditional barriers. He had been checking out everything behind Vargha while also keeping track of the man's stance. Ready to fight… but not so eager to spring into action Anton thought he would attack first. Not yet, at least.

"I am sure we will find our way inside in due time."

"Fair enough," Anton agreed. "But we both know there's no way you're walking out of here with everything. If there are specific things you want, I can nearly guarantee we're not looking for the same things." Mostly because the man had a skull on his staff. And partly because Anton wasn't actually after anything specific, with only a vague understanding of what they might have. "Why don't we start with cooperation and we can decide if we want to kill each other later?" Of course Anton was confident they could win that, especially with the Great Queen being a quick toss from being inside the man's vital organs. He might be confident in taking out Anton and Devon, and maybe he could, but his abilities were clearly more on the side of using energy to fight. Anton was honestly unsure if the man could crush the Great Queen if she let him.

Vargha pondered for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. You may make your way inside, though don't expect to find anything spectacular outside of the central vault. Not by our standards, at least." He carefully stepped backwards before finally deciding to turn around. Showing that bit of hesitancy made Anton more confident, but also suspicious that the man didn't actually need to face his opponents to fight.

Normally, Anton avoided walking around with those who brandished skulls, but as far as the Burning Skull Sect and Vargha of the Black Flame went, they were several tiers below the Ivory Maw in terms of evil. Really more on the 'typical' level of cultivators as far as Anton was aware, though with a clear style to them. Anton also didn't want to send the message that they were going to try to wipe out all of the Sylanis Cluster, because they honestly couldn't afford another concerted attack.

Anton scanned the various books on shelves he passed. He didn't even necessarily have to open them, and after having practiced Ten Thousand Scrolls reading the simpler ones was done in a moment. He was definitely more interested in whatever was in the vault.

"What's preventing entry?" Anton asked Vargha as well as indirectly the formation masters around.

They looked at their sect head, who nodded. "Destructive defenses. Targeted, and of extreme power. Enough to slay Worldbinding cultivators."

"What about inside the vault?" Anton asked. "Would it wipe out the things inside?"

"We don't believe so," they said. "Though it might bring down the rest of the archives, or at least create a hole through them."

Anton knew enough about formations to contribute, though he was still below a proper master level. "What about-" he stopped as he noticed something, but it was too late. The Great Queen was already in place taking a chomp at the formations. It was like a dam burst, natural energy spilling outward at a great pace and blasting everyone away- but pure energy unformed into a proper attack. If the formations were looking for a cause, they would have found nothing by traditional methods. Anton thought he sensed some lightning specifically targeting the Great Queen, but it was consumed as quickly as it was produced.

The built up stores of energy couldn't last forever, and there wasn't anything particularly vulnerable around the vault. Some books far down the hallway were blown off their shelves, but that was all. Anton looked down the hall at the Great Queen, and she looked back. "That was the fastest way," she signed. "And I waited until you confirmed it wouldn't break the stuff inside."

Anton sighed. He knew she hadn't just randomly chomped into the formations either- the flow of energy was as obvious to her as a plate of bread and cheese was to Anton. She might not have the expertise to make them, but disassembling them with minimal damage was fine. Though it was a fortunate thing that nobody below Essence Collection was nearby, as the flow of even unaspected natural energy might have been too much. At least they could get into the vault now.

Chapter 546

Though there hadn't been any real warning, the vault was now open. Or at least, could be opened with no formations stopping anyone. Vargha didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about trying the door, though Anton could feel no natural energy left to do anything even if the formations happened to be intact. The Great Queen was still next to the door where she had punctured a portion of the formation responsible for energy storage, and Anton scooped her up as he reached for the large door itself.

It was locked, but without anything to stop him from fiddling it didn't take much work for Anton to shove everything where it needed to go. Yanking the thick door out of the wall would have also worked, but keeping things vaguely intact was best.

Inside the vault's thick walls was a small room, but it was packed tight with scrolls and manuals. Condensed as they were onto the shelves there were hundreds- no, somewhere around a thousand different techniques or other snippets of information. All valuable enough in some way to be kept in the sealed vaults of the Grand Archives.

Anton began to pick through them before Vargha could reach him, rolling open scrolls and flipping through books that each had their own personal preservation formations- easily recognizable. Some were complex enough that even having practiced the reading and memorization techniques of Ten Thousand Scrolls Anton would need to spend more time or reread some of them. At the moment it just looked like he was taking casual glances, but that wasn't the case.

As soon as Vargha arrived his eyes locked on something in particular, something Anton presumed he might want merely from the name. Soulflame. "Interested in this one?" Anton asked as he performed a more than casual perusal of the scroll, his eyes tracing from top to bottom over the course of a ten seconds instead of doing so in an instant. He then rolled it back up and tossed it to Vargha, who caught it with surprise. "Not really of interest for me, nor too problematic in the grand scheme of things. Though I'd be careful with it."

Soulflame was definitely in the category of forbidden techniques. It could be categorized there for harm to the users and because many sects would probably ban it- though only because they were afraid. Along the lines of Candle Wax, it gave a significant boost to one's power for a short time. That was the sort of things that could decide battles between powerful figures, and thus sects that were insecure in their positions would forbid it. And perhaps Anton should, but it wasn't something that could be used regularly. Unlike Candle Wax which only burned lifespan- a significant sacrifice nonetheless- Soulflame unsurprisingly damaged the soul. More or less irreparably, ruining more than just cultivation and combat effectiveness but the hope of reincarnation.

Having received what he wanted, Vargha could not help but read through the technique immediately- both out of greed to consume the knowledge and also caution to make sure it was genuine. That gave Anton time to sort through other things and prepare his distribution plan.

"Since the Burning Skull Sect desires such a powerful technique, I will gladly count it against your share," Anton began his pitch after Vargha finished his perusal of the technique and was satisfied. "These," Anton gestured to a pile, "Seem generally useful and should be copied. The originals can be distributed between us. Copies can be exchanged at later times. Others we will be taking, those of more use to us than to you."

As they got into the details, Vargha had some complaints. "This distribution is greatly weighted towards you."

"Ah, but you get Soulflame. A powerful technique that you have been seeking for some time, I imagine. Our side is not acquiring many terribly powerful techniques." That wasn't quite true- especially one in particular- but there were other factors to consider. Like the balance of power. Ceretos had been the one to slay Ashwin and many of their more powerful defenders- Vargha was just taking the opportunity to raid the Grand Archives. Though he possessed some confidence to fight against Anton and Devon- justified or not- the Great Queen was another factor to consider.

Then there was the other thing. He already had what he most desired. He might fight and potentially die to get his hands on Soulflame- but that meant fighting and potentially dying for something else and therefore potentially losing the technique he already possessed was not something he wanted to chance. Furthermore, there was the issue that if the Burning Skull Sect obtained too many good techniques, other sects might choose to band together against them, presumably somewhat more easily than attacking the Grand Archives. Though the defensive side always had the advantage, so as long as he remained modest they would likely be fine. He was still a Worldbinding cultivator, after all, and everyone respected their power. That was why they had such a relatively stable structure up until this particular war.

"We'll also be taking many of the things from the outer archives," Anton declared. "The method of distribution won't need to be hashed out in detail. You can't bring everything with you, not and leave before anyone else shows up, am I right?" Anton grinned. "Any copies will be exchanged at a later date." Anton handed over a spare communication device for just such an occasion. "I'm sure you'll keep in touch.'

Instead of putting the scroll into a storage bag, Vargha was unsubtly clutching it to his chest. "We will," he agreed. The tension never fully went away- at any point either side could suddenly attack the other to try to claim everything. That was just more difficult now, with things actually being distributed. Holding onto what was in hand and retreating was simple, especially with the promise of additional sects in the mix soon enough. Crew from The Independence were loading things from the outer archives as quickly as they could, paying no mind to the information they were carrying off- the same as the Burning Skull Sect and even the local cultivators who were planning to flee with what they could have. Nobody stopped each other, and the most valuable information from the vault itself had already been distributed to the strong.

One technique Anton had claimed and not promised a copy of was actually titled 'Tides of the World: A History.' Its name was accurate, until the second half where the interesting part came in. A technique to control them… to some extent. At the very least it promised such. Had Ashwin practiced it? Did the Sylanis Cluster keep themselves from invasion through some method, or was their current position a coincidence? Anton would not begrudge them the ability to protect their systems if that turned out to be true at all… but he imagined there could also be dangerous uses for such a thing as well. If any of it even worked, which Anton couldn't tell through intuition. It was indicated that there had been success, but implicitly trusting authors of such things was foolish.

Anton sensed other powers approaching, but having already cleared out the vault they were basically ready to leave at any time. They just had to fly up the current ships on the ground- dropping everything they couldn't immediately get on board. That took a few minutes, whereas those who were incoming were quite distant still. Thirty minutes or an hour off, perhaps. Out of courtesy, Anton warned Vargha- though the man would have likely intuited it from their quick departure, the extra seconds or minutes would be helpful to him as well.

Then they were off, on a trajectory carrying them past Okloi's second sun. If anyone should be so foolish as to follow two Assimilation cultivators and The Independence, they would feel regret. Anton would have noticed if there were so many Worldbinding cultivators closing in. Instead, he sensed just… the Children of Fortune and perhaps one other sect. They were late, though whether that was because the Children of Fortune could not predict this as accurately as events around Roistea was unclear. They didn't seem to have any of the extras they'd previously been hosting, though Anton remained cautious until they were closer to the sun and he was certain they were not followed.

There was the potential for more destruction and revenge within Okloi, but it seemed that the system would be picking at itself sufficiently that waiting to see what developed was the best option for the moment. Anton also wasn't particularly fond of the idea of overstaying their welcome and provoking a more organized response.

"Gimme that," Everheart said, attempting to snatch the book from Anton's hands. There was a complex series of movement techniques and misdirection as they chased each other around the peaks of the Order.

Ultimately, Anton retained an advantage. He was fairly certain that Everheart was holding back- whether to not aggravate any remaining injuries or to conceal the full extent of his power Anton was unsure, though his personal power had improved since their first clash. He wasn't confident in winning any sort of actual battle, but his power wasn't remaining stagnant. He didn't have the confidence to say he'd an Augmentation cultivator any time soon, though. Perhaps if Everheart hadn't been able to reintegrate himself with natural energy and was still reliant on ascension energy he had no access to it would be one thing, but the man seemed quite comfortable with his current position.

"I might allow you to see this," Anton said, holding it away from Everheart, "But I need you to answer some questions. Why did you have void ants on your moon base?" It was a question Anton had pretty reasonable answers to, but they were still speculation.

"Because the upper realms wanted to exterminate them," Everheart said. "And they're interesting." He inclined his head to the Great Queen, who had held her place on Anton's shoulder the entire duration of their little scuffle. "Your people should thank me."

Since Everheart learned everything he possibly could, he also knew the void ant's sign language. The Great Queen responded to him easily. "Our people have some records of history," she declared. "We are aware of you. Our feelings towards you given that are barely one step above the general populace. Perhaps you should have told us why you uprooted us from our colonies, you asshole?"

Everheart laughed, then performed very disturbing finger movements that were in no way possible for humans to manage, mimicking the void ant's sign language while speaking at the same time. "Surely saving your species is worth something," Everheart said.

"Just use your vocal chords," the Great Queen said of his attempts. "The popping of joints and the creaking sound of bending bones and distorting tendons is distracting. The efficiency your voice allows should be used since you have it. As for our thanks… we already prevented ourselves from tearing you apart on principle. And we will gladly fight with you against invaders coming to Ceretos for your head."

Everheart laughed again. "I sure hope no one's coming here for me! I'm just a poor scholar."

"Your secret is probably still safe," Anton said. "But if the entire upper realms come after you we might kick you out."

"Might doesn't mean definitely, I'll take it!" Everheart said. "Like that book!"

"I said questions," Anton emphasized. "I have more." He'd already memorized the book, of course. Travel between systems was not short. As for Everheart having the information, he wouldn't be a danger to Ceretos by having it. Anton wasn't fully sure how much actually worked, but Everheart certainly wouldn't manipulate things to make it easier for people from the upper realms to reach them. That would make it less useful as a hiding place. Likewise, he had no reason to do so for the others in the trifold alliance, and he usually remained around Ceretos regardless.

The book was going to go to him, of course. Anton wanted to hear his insights. Even so, giving Everheart valuable information without asking for something in return was a bad precedent to set.

Chapter 547

The great promise of controlling the flow of the tides of the world was not something so easily realized. At a basic level it might be used to conceal activity in an area, though even those promises were suspect. Anton and Everheart together felt like children trying to use sand to redirect the flow of the ocean itself. Even convincing themselves that they had an actual effect was difficult- others sensed no real change.

That did not mean the techniques Anton had obtained were useless, simply that a basic understanding of the elements behind it had very little effect. At best it pushed them along a path they had barely stepped foot on. In that manner, Anton was actually ahead- having been present upon Ceretos for the shift, while Everheart was in the upper realms in isolation. He'd experienced the intensifying of the flow towards Ceretos and the receding tides. Everheart's intuition had quickly allowed him to pick up that sense and likewise determine when the next cycle would happen, a strangely short one by historical understanding.

The creator of the history and technique they were studying was a long dead individual from the Olkoi system. Anton couldn't tell whether he or some successor had manipulated the situation around the Sylanis Cluster or if they were naturally unknown by the upper realms. There had been no signs of the Twin Soul Sect among them nor other signs of the Trigold Cluster, or anything else that tied them to the upper realms. Yet they had the sort of resources that would doubtless be tempting to those same cultivators.

"Do you think this will actually work?" Anton asked.

"Well…" Everheart frowned, "I don't get the feeling that the progenitor of this technique took it very far. I would consider it incomplete in its current form, and thus the speculation of what it might do is unclear. But I do feel the potential. The question is whether it is worth devoting enough time training this."

Anton nodded, "I think it would be best to continue our practice but not expect anything to come of it. Likewise, we can disseminate this information to Rutera and Weos, and even back to the Sylanis Cluster… once we secure our peace."

"How long do you think such a peace will last?" Everheart asked.

"I'm hoping for centuries," Anton said. "If nothing else, the Sylanis Cluster has a lot of rebuilding to do, and as far as we've heard they're not done with their internal squabbles yet. That should take them a while to settle. Hopefully, until after the next invasion."

"And you're hoping they're a target as well," Everheart nodded.

"I didn't say that," Anton shrugged. "I'm not fond of the upper realms thinking they can walk all over us. But if it has to happen to someone, I would not mind them spending some of their efforts on those who are not our friends."

"Unfortunately," Everheart said, "With the groups in question it's less of a matter of if they have the people to commit, but simply how much they wish to use. They have hundreds of worlds, populations many times even the Sylanis Cluster's hundred billion or so. Perhaps even trillions, though not all are cultivators. That being said, more of them reach the ascension level than the rate for Worldbinding in the Sylanis Cluster. Was it one in a billion?"

"That's a number they maintained, more or less," Anton nodded. "And there were some who ascended, of course, but it seemed that they considered Worldbinding more valuable. Which I agree with personally, though not necessarily for everyone."

"That would depend on whether you can reach an Augmentation equivalent," Everheart said.

"Perhaps," Anton pondered, "Though with the exception of those from Ceretos who can reattune to the local natural energy like yourself, I don't think Augmentation cultivators would generally be much trouble."

"There are some who are massively powerful," Everheart said. "To the point that even diminished I would not wish to face them here. Only if I were fully recovered would I consider it. But," Everheart emphasized, "I would not expect them to lower themselves to come here. The mere possibility of danger could be enough, and they are quite busy holding onto their power in the upper realms."

"I see," Anton nodded. "I only had one individual to judge by. Fajra of the Radiant Beauty Sect. She actually improved during the invasion, consuming vast quantities of stolen resources."

"Oh right…" Everheart stroked his chin, "That old hag actually made it to the Augmentation stage. That happened here?"

"That's right. She was certainly powerful, but given the lack of access to actual ascension energy I would only fear her if I was still in Life Transformation."

"Well, her power is more geared towards augmenting or suppressing large groups. In personal combat, you could absolutely defeat her now. And unless she brought sufficient Integration forces, I imagine you could do that without being in any danger now. But she'd be on the lower end of Augmentation in terms of personal combat power, especially having just advanced."

"Fair enough," Anton agreed, "But I will be growing more powerful before our next conflict, assuming she returns for the next cycle. So even if there are other Augmentation cultivators of more direct power along with her, I imagine I could be a match for any one of them with the restrictions in place."

"Well, I'll admit that Assimilation or Worldbinding are basically unknowns, just don't get arrogant. That's how you have to fake your own death three times in a row. The third time was almost not a fake," Everheart grimaced. "Regardless, they should be in for a surprise when they show up, no matter what they bring."

"That is the plan. We wish to deliver them such a devastation blow they never return."

"Or…" Everheart said, "They come back the following cycle with everyone under their command."

"I have no doubt that the Exalted Quadrant would happily send their troops over the long journey between them if they got wind of something like that. And vice versa. You seriously think they'd commit all their forces to a single lower world?"

"Think? No, if they're thinking they won't. But people aren't always even a little bit rational."

"If they try it, our Assimilation cultivators will be eight hundred years experienced. Assuming the standard six hundred year cycle happens again."

"And assuming they live that long. Though that one's not out of the question," Everheart nodded. "I'd expect some to perish, but some should still be around… and a few might even make it to the next step." Everheart shrugged, "But whether Ceretos should ultimately concern themselves with that is pointless to discuss now. You have a war to settle and whatever happens with the invasion, and less than two more centuries to prepare."

It was a year before the Sylanis Cluster agreed to any peace talks, though not in the worrying silence of previous attempts. It was simply a slow process, especially with many sects distracted by other things. Like looting the remains of sects that had been the most powerful. Few had retained any Worldbinding cultivators, not expecting their own to fall so easily. Ceretos, a single planet of modest population, had not seemed like such a threat. Anton didn't know what the Sylanis Cluster knew about their numbers, but their judgements were off. Either upon individual power, coordination, or the extremely helpful defensive and teleportation formations. Bringing people to where they needed to be not just via starship was extremely valuable, and well worth the expense. If only it was reasonable to bring cultivators at full fighting strength, but that was not the case. Regardless, reinforcements were always welcome.

One year to actually agree on peace talks, and six months further for them to actually have a place and time and list of those attending. The speed of communication between systems and the way people functioned in general all added up. Three representatives from each side to represent each system and their interests. That included Anton, President Park, and Rikuto. Though they would be the ones speaking, Weos provided one of their Assimilation cultivators and The Independence would also be present to maintain a vague balance of power. The trifold alliance had secured the help of Kohar and negotiators from Rutera to draft their basic versions of agreements, with suggestions on what things it was reasonable to compromise on and what was not. Kohar especially went over potential loopholes with everyone. If there was to be further conflict, they could not allow the Sylanis Cluster to have real excuses.

The diplomats for the Sylanis Cluster were all Worldbinding cultivators themselves. Aridasa from Okloi, and two more from the other systems unfamiliar to Anton. He still knew the man and the woman by name and reputation- Lomman of the Slithering Vine Sect from Aphuna, and Fedele from Azoth, as it was first known by the trifold alliance when they first thought it was simply a single system they faced. The latter was vaguely neutral, while the former was actually quite pleased about the destruction of the Ivory Maw. Aridasa was not the strongest of those that Okloi could have sent, but he was the most confident he would not be killed arbitrarily. Vargha was likely unafraid, but also uninterested in the negotiations.

Agreeing to terms of peace was not terribly difficult- what was difficult was agreeing on penalties should such things be broken and how they might be enforced. Ultimately, the majority of the blame would be shifted to the now defunct sects, any reparations that might have been demanded already having been taken directly by the trifold alliance. Anton did intend to secure some nominal payments from those remaining based on their contributions to the war- as any non-violent exchange would hopefully promote peace, even if it was just a few yearly ships between their systems.

Aridasa was actually more interested in securing concessions from his 'own side' for himself and his sect on Cheitov, though he certainly made it seem like he was offering help with materials. It seemed he wanted to get money flowing again as quickly as possible, while longer term gains would have to slowly ramp back up. Perhaps their finances were not doing well, or he was simply impatient. Then again, with money earlier he could invest in Cheitov's growth. Whether he planned to do anything like Ceretos' growth was another question, though they had to have seen some inkling of the planet's policy that everyone cultivated, and that the entire planet could grown in natural energy if done right.

Anton wished he could say the negotiations finished in a day, or a week. But on the agreed upon rock floating through the vastness of space between their systems, time passed slowly and with little vigor for weeks that stretched into months, finally being finalized with input from sects back in each system over the course of six months. Very few people would be happy with the results, but none would be so upset as to not go along with the peace. And if anyone chose to ignore the agreement, Anton didn't intend to be so nice the next time. As if he could actually enforce the whole thing himself, which was not true.

"That was boring," the Great Queen declared. She had been brought along, though not visibly, as a sort of insurance. The enemy had also brought their own securities that were on the border of the agreement. The Great Queen wasn't an Assimilation or Worldbinding cultivator, and she stayed a great distance from the actual negotiations, waiting for a battle that never came. "But, one must do what is necessary for harmony between colonies. I endured for the long term goals we share."

"I'm sorry about that," Anton said. Unlike actual cultivators, the Great Queen could not immerse herself in gathering insights or other such things. It had truly been six months of basically no stimulation. "But we appreciated your presence."

"I now wish to check on the establishment of the colonies in Rutera and Weos," the Great Queen said. "It will be easier for me if you come along with me."

"Of course," Anton said. "They can manage things back home without me. And visiting our allies for our first time of peace since our introductions should hopefully draw us closer."

One thing Anton wanted to do was see if he could alter the tides of the world to keep Rutera hidden. Previously it had been of no interest, but by the end of the cycle it would likely be a tempting target. Weos and Ceretos were already known, so as long as they were physically accessible there wasn't much that could be done. The invaders would likely learn about Rutera once they arrived, but by that point it would hopefully be too late to prepare another invasion force.

Maybe it wouldn't work, but Anton wanted to at least try. Then he hoped for peace, though he knew it was only temporary. Besides, even if the lower realms were peaceful, that said nothing for the upper realms, the news coming from which indicated continued escalation of hostilities with the Harmonious Citadel.

Chapter 548

There was a significant and obvious problem if Anton wanted to alter the flow of the tides of the world. It was not a small project, but that wasn't the most important factor. Instead it was familiarity and connection. Ceretos Anton had lived upon for two hundred and thirty years, multiple reasonable lifetimes. Rutera, the system Anton was next most familiar with, he had only a handful of years or decades, and only as a visitor. He honestly didn't even know where to start, or if he should. It was a question of how long it would take, among other things.

Theoretically, anyone born on Rutera at the very moment he was contemplating could reach Anton's level of power by the time of the invasion. That meant any of those who had been cultivating since their first contact with Ceretos would have several more decades than that. If they began to learn and practice the techniques now, perhaps they could do something. Or it might take a century or more regardless of the familiarity.

Anton frowned. He hadn't been planning to make an actual large change without consulting them, but he was quite fond of Rutera. Some of the people there were like family. But from that perspective, he should just help them be the best they could be. He could work with the other cultivators on Ceretos to combine their efforts, if there was anything that could functionally be changed about the tide of the world in the time they had. Could they hold off an invasion by years, decades? Given their status, that would be more advantageous to them than the enemy.

Sadly, Anton didn't know. All he knew was that on some level the techniques described were possible- but so was Anton moving a planet between systems one chunk at a time, if he didn't die of old age. The question is what could actually be done. And for the moment the answer was practice with patience. The next cycle would come and allow an invasion, and at worst they might keep themselves isolated only to direct more forces towards their allies. So if anything could be changed, more understanding was necessary first.

That would take time, but while waiting… Anton could check out neighboring systems. They might find others, hopefully more on the friendly side or at least not aggressive.

Despite the significantly greater distances involved, messages between the upper and lower realms were only a few times slower than those between nearby systems in the lower realms, at least with the current functionality. Either could theoretically be improved at some point by formation masters of significant drive and talent.

That included Catarina, but she was not interested in that aspect at the moment. Instead, she was still working out how to transfer techniques back and forth. There had been some success, but it wasn't the problem of transmitting that was holding her back, exactly. Rather, it was replicating any technique without the hand of the original author. There was sometimes a large difference between the words on the page and the thoughts imbued into the page, and a copy of just the technical wording would often result in an inferior or simply incomplete technique.

Perhaps that was a weakness of the creators, unable to express themselves in words. It was true that many concepts were extremely difficult to communicate, but some techniques were overly complex and some could simply be described more clearly. Though it was useful for Catarina and her type of learning, not everyone would do well hearing how long to have energy flow through which meridians for exactly how long in what direction.

And she hadn't even gotten to the issues of differences between 'upper' and 'lower' energy.

At least word from Anton was that the war with the Sylanis Cluster was over. It was hard for her to imagine so many Worldbinding cultivators, or rather she hadn't even seen Assimilation cultivators. Treating them just like Integration cultivators was not correct either. One gained power from using a greater type of energy, another gained power from quantity and replenishment of the energy they were already used to. A cultivator in the upper realms who upper realms who managed both would be nearly unstoppable… but perhaps those were Augmentation or Domination cultivators.

Even with access to Everheart, there wasn't that much information about them. There was only so much the man was willing to share, though Catarina suspected it was not only for lack of helpfulness. Instead, she detected a hint of shame at lack of information- but that could have been her reading between the lines. A risk at the best of times when one was not communicating with manipulative assholes, which was one of the nicer things people called Everheart.

But she trusted his words as far as her grandfather did… which was a little bit. Somehow, even through the vast distances between them their messages were distinct. One radiated cold detachment, the other love despite them not having seen each other in decades. And they wouldn't for another century yet. There were methods to travel to the lower realms even when the tides of the world didn't quite match up, as Everheart showed, but it was not something to be done lightly. Returning would be more difficult and costly, and Catarina had too much to do in the upper realm to spend an amount of time in the lower realms worth the effort and cost- years, at least.

Citadel's Downfall seemed, at first, to be a bunch of disconnected moves. Carefully formulated, yes, and a list of appropriate counters for the style the Harmonious Citadel displayed, but little more than that. Included within were also techniques for disrupting the flow of their cultivation technique which Vari found much more useful- and concerning. Though her own version was quite modified, serious flaws were revealed that could reduce her power by a significant margin if properly exploited. However, if she could remove those flaws while still keeping the important fundamentals of her style- including the ability to draw upon those of the Harmonious Citadel and the saints in particular- then she would have a serious advantage.

Was it enough to make up for being an Integration cultivator against Augmentation cultivators? Likely not. And though she wasn't planning to go into any such battle alone, she also couldn't expect odds much better than one-to-one. Still, these techniques being distributed more widely would improve the power of their alliance. It just had to also not fall into the hands of the Harmonious Citadel or they might fix their flaws.

Though it looked like the counters mentioned were simply individual moves, once she began to practice them Vari felt something different. Something more to it. Maybe everything would fit together into a more comprehensive style of its own, though not one with strict moves. That was what she felt, though after extensive self training she also knew she would need practical experience. That meant fighting against the Harmonious Citadel.

She was not reluctant to do so- in fact she was rather eager- but only those who were the upper echelon, the practitioners of the Glorious Harmony Technique and the saints. They were responsible for all of the problems. Those who practiced the Holy Harmony Technique, like she had, were simply pawns. Unknowing, for the most part. They would be dealt with when she had to, but Vari preferred facing the actual problems if at all possible.

The system used for describing the relative locations of systems had been generally agreed upon. From the perspective of Ceretos, the center of the galaxy was 'north', eventually leading to the upper realms and much closer leading to Weos. Rutera was rotationally clockwise, which was 'west'. The Sylanis Cluster was also mainly west or slightly northwest. Thus, in the search for new systems, Anton found it most appropriate to go east or south.

Though he had one additional star he could bind to, Anton kept that in reserve, traveling not under his own power but in a proper interstellar ship. It was capable of a significant distance of travel as long as Anton was not in any particular haste, spending months combing through a system or two.

That was an important feature, as the system to the east did not have much in the way of natural energy. The stars always had it in abundance, the great power they produced likewise coming with strands of energy that could be transformed and wielded. The empty, lifeless worlds however had very little natural energy to speak of- only what was trapped there by their gravity, Anton postulated. Though the more sizable planets were not insignificant in power, it was less readily accessible in the form of great storms, powerful icy oceans, or the like.

Though the planets were lifeless, Anton didn't find it unpleasant to visit them. It was not the same as visiting somewhere that should have been alive and finding it barren. For human life, and those sharing planets with them like the majority of what Anton had seen, there were acceptable temperature and atmospheric ranges that those systems simply didn't have. Gravity, too. Humans would not survive to cultivate with too much gravity, and too little would have different issues.

Anton explored these empty planets, poking around interesting places. Some had great volcanic activity and interesting crystal formations that would not develop in a planet with the atmospheres he expected. Others were more like the moon- more or less round and featureless except for pockmarks from impacts over the millennia and more they had been around.

Some would have been looking for resources. Anton didn't find it particularly enticing to pull out hundreds of tons of raw metals and refine them, and if that was truly something desirable it could be done back in his home system. Asteroids just floated around with masses of metal relatively easy to get to. As for anything unique, Anton didn't have the qualifications to judge it. He did pick up a few samples of things he didn't think he'd seen elsewhere, but doubtless he would be corrected.

Only a few eager explorers came with Anton to help with logging information. Ceretos had plans for longer term expeditions, but Anton was mostly interested in poking his head around and then leaving. Elsewhere, Rutera and Weos were back to the same, or would be now that the war was over.

There were only a few peculiarities Anton thought particularly notable, besides the differences in stars themselves. He would someday experiment how different stars affected his abilities more.

As for the oddities, there was one system in particular that had a number of planets and moons orbiting perpendicular to the general orbital plane. What plane that might be was difficult to determine, but approximately half of the planets went one way and half the other. And, while moons would normally stick to the same plane the planet rotated around, the same was true for them- about half followed their planets and half went perpendicular around the other way.

That most certainly did not seem natural, given how gravity tended to tug things into one plane, but maybe they struck a perfect balance… or simply had not had the time to shift into the 'normal' configuration yet. The important part was Anton had not found any life, human or otherwise. Cultivators might eventually be interested in expanding to live in any of the convenient systems to the east, but as they were it was of little practical merit.

The more promising ones were to the south. Anton had only chosen east because it was the direction the other systems had the least access to, because they were somewhat closer, and because of idle curiosity. He was also nervous, as entering a system without a star he had assimilated would make him vulnerable. Though realistically everyone else with him would be more vulnerable, as he was still stronger than a Life Transformation cultivator regardless. Ultimately, a few months wouldn't make a difference either way, and the order he chose to go to places shouldn't matter- or at least it couldn't be predicted how it would matter.

Chapter 549

Upon leaving subspace, sensors on the ship began to pick up bountiful information. Matija was familiar enough with most of the details to parse what they had, but she was specialized in a narrower field. She was only chosen for this excursion because of her and her crew's experience- and her strength, if necessary. She could make optimal use of the ship's reasonable complement of weapons, augmenting them for efficiency or power as necessary with her cultivation.

It was Rutera's hope that such things would be unnecessary- but they knew that practically they had to be prepared. The trifold alliance still maintained their defensive pact after the war, but it wouldn't do much good for lost exploration ships if they were avenged later. Besides, as the weakest of the three systems Rutera was still striving to come into their own power. The Independence helped greatly, but it wasn't like they could easily make massive battleships. The costs in labor and materials weren't small by any means, and now that they weren't actively in a war the expenses were harder to justify.

So individuals who were further along in cultivation for whatever reason were necessary, and that put Matija at a higher priority than others. She still had some additions to her crew to help out, but she was in charge because it was easier to not swap command structures for battle. Not that it had been relevant so far, and hopefully it would stay that way.

Their job was to do a complete but not in-depth sweep of the system, sensing for life and technology. It was still odd for Matija to think that Rutera's way of life was less common, but with the entire upper realms being full of cultivators there was sufficient evidence, at least for that area. There was some possibility that further towards the edge of the galaxy natural energy might be weaker and lead towards more technological civilizations, if any. The question was if they would be human, and if they were how they arrived. That, nobody seemed to know.

The reason they were not probing too deeply despite it possibly revealing something minor was that nobody wanted to annoy someone like a Worldbinding cultivator. Anton had been a rather pleasant encounter, especially for encountering people poking around his sun, but most people wouldn't necessarily react so nicely. Even a decent person could feel a bit impatient or default to violence when they felt threatened, and that was not the image of a 'typical cultivator'. If nothing else, they would try to place themselves in an advantageous position.

There was beeping on a nearby console. "Unusual natural energy signatures detected, ma'am."

"Unusual how?" Matija asked.

"Looks like elevated levels… perhaps intentional flow."

They'd come across a few anomalies like that before, but Matija once more integrated herself with the ship's sensory units. It wasn't a state that could be maintained long term like a normal cultivator sensing, but it enhanced both her and the ship. Instead of a particularly interesting volcano or a storm, Matija was met with a planet that definitely had natural energy. More than just a little, and not just naturally flowing about.

This had not been one of their prime candidates as it seemed too cold to sustain life, but that was only from telescopic observations originating in their own systems. Yet here it was, signs of cultivators. As Matija's senses touched the peaks of icy mountains, she felt a response, a cultivator's sense intersecting with her own like crossing ripples in a pond.

"Reporting contact," Matija began, concocting a message back to Rutera. There would be no response, as the message would take days in each direction. That meant after she reported the location and details she had, discretion on how to act had to be up to her. There were protocols in place, but ultimately the actual discretion was in her hands.

She could move on, letting the decision be made without her of whether to send a diplomat… or she could engage on her own. A difficult decision as they coasted closer to the planet, but one she had to decide fairly quickly. After all, they had already been detected. Remaining away showed a level of timidity- or perhaps stealth and subterfuge. If only she could judge a person from their senses momentarily touching.

"We'll be landing, or at least attempting a descent," Matija said. "Keep shields up, ready to adapt to incoming fire." Unless they came back with ships specifically equipped for battle, any ambassador wouldn't be particularly better defended than this current science ship. The last decades had provided significant changes in the capabilities of Ruteran ships, and Matija was supplied with something top of the line. That might have something to do with knowing the top general and a patriarch from another world, but Matija hadn't leaned on her connections to get her position. This was what they decided was required for a scout.

Matija kept her thoughts on the weapons, but didn't ask for power to be routed to any of them. That would mean a moment of delay if battle came about, but avoiding displays of aggression which a cultivator might be able to read were the priority.

As they got closer, Matija casually sensed more cultivators- only on the peaks. She knew cultivators liked mountain peaks, but it was odd that there were no signs of settlements lower down. There were signs of life, though a casual scan couldn't say much. Plants were sparse at best, which was understandable for the planet being below the freezing point of ice all over its surface. In fact, the mountain peaks seemed to have the most heat.

They continued onward, Matija guiding them towards the individual who had sensed her. They moved at deliberate speed, not too rapidly but not slowly or with any intent to conceal their presence. As they got closer, Matija felt those same senses lock onto them.

Soon enough they were close enough for the sensors to pick out a good landing area- nearby, but not directly in the middle of the cultivators they had sensed. It was also removed enough that if there were any attacks they would hopefully be able to retreat by staying out of the enemy's range.

Enhanced visuals came up on the forward screen as they entered the atmosphere- though it was extremely thin so high up. They had mostly matched velocity with the planet, so the rigors of reentry were not too harsh- though the shields would have absorbed the heat regardless.

Matija's visual focus was on the same individual, who could now be seen leaping towards them, stepping on clouds as she went. The sensors were just good enough to pick up details that indicated the figure was a woman. As she came closer, her movements did not change, neither hurrying nor tallying. Her swift leaps were simply for the sake of surmounting the distance between clouds, surfaces which barely seemed to notice her weight as the old woman's bare feet touched upon them.

It seemed better not to land without permission, but unfortunately it was difficult to communicate and indicate personhood without. Still, Matija had the pilot hover while she prepared the speakers. There was little outside noise to pick up, but the thin atmosphere also might make it difficult. The question that Matija was not qualified to answer was whether this individual would find it more respectful to be spoken to first or not. Ultimately she had to be practical… and if things went wrong, she was fairly confident in the ship being able to withstand the woman's attacks.

She was a Life Transformation cultivator, late stage or perhaps approaching the peak, but Matija was aware how much those could vary in strength. Matija went for a proactive approach. "Greetings, esteemed elder." Hopefully, the outside volume was reasonable. At the very least, it should be recognizable as speech. "We come in peace."

There was now less than a few hundred meters between the ship and the woman, close enough the distance could be closed almost immediately. Matija repeated the message, then the visual sensors picked up movements of the woman's mouth. The microphones did not hear much, and after a moment Matija realized the woman was projecting her voice through her energy. Their shields would block that, especially weak as the effort was, so they only got the remnants of the sound wherever it broke apart.

Matija extended her own energy, possessing the power of Essence Collection, potentially not too far from Life Transformation herself. She repeated her greeting, and she heard a response. It was definitely speech, but she didn't quite get it. It was certainly more like the language Ceretos or Weos spoke than that of Rutera, but it wasn't quite comprehensible.

"Tune the shields to not resist low energy," Matija instructed. "We need this to get to the translator units."

It didn't take long for the translators to manage something- and Matija realized why. There was not just an accent, but more obscure or archaic words. "From whence dost thou come?" the old woman asked once more. It was strange that the language here was so divergent when even the Sylanis Cluster shared the vast majority of the same language, but Matija didn't have time to think about that.

"We hail from the stars above," Matija said, with the translator repeating her words slightly changed. Now that she realized what was happening Matija could sort of understand without her translator, but she'd never studied that aspect of the language. It had been included in the translation programs just in case.

"The upper realms?" the woman continued forward, alighting on a cloud no more than a dozen meters away.

"No. Different parts of the lower realms," Matija said. She didn't want a misunderstanding. She displayed as much sincerity as possible through her energy as she could.

"Display your visage," the woman demanded.

Matija looked down. "We must land below." Perhaps she should have waited, but things seemed to be going fine for the moment. Off comms, Matija instructed the crew. "I will step out alone. If I am attacked, flee without me. You can fight as you wish, but I doubt you will have many chances to accelerate."

More figures could be sensed further up the mountains, those with the same sort of aura as the old woman. They were a bit more hurried, but slower, walking on the snow instead of leaping onto clouds.

The woman didn't object as they landed on a section that was indicated to be sufficiently solid to support their ship- the ice and snow were quite variable in thickness and solidity. Matija stepped out, keeping a personal translator on her, connected to the ship. It would also record what was said.

"Here I am, elder," Matija inclined her head politely as she stepped down the ramp. She carried herself with what confidence she had, at least aware that the potential danger was lower than Anton… though she hadn't even been prepared to understand that at the time.

"A woman. Human," the old woman nodded, her long flowing robes strangely leaving her hands, head, and feet uncovered. "You seek enlightenment."

It wasn't a question, as far as Matija could tell. In a way, perhaps she did… but it could mean many things. "We have our own paths to enlightenment," she said. "What brought our ship here was a desire for greater understanding of our surroundings."

The additional cultivators that somewhat worried Matija were closer still, but they now maintained a respectful distance. Presumably, they were lesser disciples of the sect. "Our words are not the same," the woman said. "Yet they are. You know about the upper realms?"

"Their existence. Some details. Not everything," Matija hoped those short sentences would translate well. So far, the woman felt calm and peaceful, but that could easily change if offended.

"How many of your people have reached ascension?" the woman asked after a pause.

"Of us? None. But we know of those who have." Matija didn't want to promise that she could bring by someone who knew a lot about ascension… but she could. "Is ascension your goal?"

"It is the goal of all except those who have given up hope," the woman said.

Bleak. But perhaps true.

"We should introduce ourselves. I am Matija."

"Janae," the woman responded. "Speak of your travels between the stars." A combined offer and command, but Matija was willing to entertain both to some extent. Especially if it meant continued peaceful communication.

Chapter 550

Over the course of several days, Matija became more familiar with Janae and the icy planet. The old woman was just one of many Life Transformation cultivators, though the only late stage member in her sect simply called the Third Peak Ascetics. The overall population of the planet Gnadus was small, with the 'civilian' population living inside the peaks in carved out tunnel cities. Everyone was a cultivator, or at least made the attempt. The natural energy in the area was not particularly high or low, but that was only the peaks.

Down below, the icy planet was colder and harsher, the shadows allowing little light and heat to reach anything. Icy mists concealed other dangers, infrequent but deadly beasts and plants that would absorb any form of natural energy held by anything they could poison or entangle. A harsh planet with little in the way of resources- most food was fungus grown in their tunnels, or a few plants resistant to the chill that were less dangerous.

There was little access to resources, even just beyond food. Metals were rare, textiles from plant or animal sources minimal, and enchantments and formations were generally restricted to those keeping communities intact, the civilians inside and the cultivators outside in the less protected, harsher environments.

From the information available to her, Matija had no reason to believe any peak was more prosperous than any other. They did compete with each other for resources, down in the valleys, but maintaining control of multiple peaks was not something that any had managed for long. None even made the attempt, simply using what they could for themselves. Yet despite the harsh environment, the current state of things was lacking the cutthroat attitude many cultivators had. If Janae was covetous of the ship, she concealed it well.

Unsure of what she could actually offer, Matija simply spoke of the other locations. Rutera and their technology, Weos and their gravity control, Ceretos and their vibrant world. She even spoke of the Sylanis Cluster, the worlds themselves being fairly abundant with resources, though they thirsted for ever more.

"Has anyone ever tried leaving this place?" Matija asked. "Seeking somewhere with greater resources."

"That is what we do at every moment," the old woman declared. "We pursue ascension. The upper realms have boundless energy, do they not?" By the current point the translation technology and simple practice made her words more familiar, so that Matija no longer thought of the strange archaic words, though the speech pattern was something that took more time to get used to.

"So I have heard," Matija agreed. "Has anyone sought anything closer?"

"We have no ability to construct ships like yours," Janae said with little emotion, just stating facts. "Not now, at least." She breathed in deeply, the cold, sharp air that Matija could barely manage bundled up flowing into her lungs. "Here, all are on the path to ascension, though it is long and difficult. I was once as weak as the least of the civilians living inside the peak, but I found my path and will walk it to the end. This is the way to be truly strong."

"... I do agree that hardship and adversity can promote growth," Matija said, "But given other options, I would expect people to spring for them."

"Perhaps some will," Janae said. "If you are able to bring people away, some would wish so. I do not think there would be many members of the Third Peak. I know our dedication. But there will be others." Janae's head turned, her eyes locking onto something in the distance. "There are further visitors. Those from the First Peak."

Matija felt some measure of distaste in the woman's voice, subtle though it was. "Is there something wrong with them?"

"The ancient name of their location gives them arrogance that simply happens to be matched by their current relative power."

"I don't like the sound of that," Matija said.

"Do not worry. You and the others are guests," Janae stood, her bare feet sinking into the snow. "I will not allow harm to come to you."

"... I need to reach the ship," Matija realized.

"If you are going to do so, I would hurry. The majority of your crew are safe inside the peak, which is where I would recommend you go afterwards."

Matija agreed with the plan, and the ship's current location made it easier to follow through with both. Their ship now rested not far from one of the entrances to the peak, having been moved for more comfortable access once they were welcomed.

As Matija hurried towards the ship, she chastised herself for getting careless. She was not a warrior, but that did not mean she had a good excuse to just leave her weapons behind. Especially when she could have a storage space carried on her. The bags cultivators favored were a bit awkward for grabbing certain things out of, but not so inconvenient that she shouldn't have been in the habit of keeping one with essentials.

Aboard the ship, she could feel several Life Transformation cultivators approaching. It seemed a bit much for a friendly visit. By the time Matija grabbed the first comms she could find and her rifle, an icy cold washed over her even inside the ship. If the ship was up and running, manned by a proper crew, perhaps its shield might resist the aura and fight back… but it was too late for that.

Matija burst out of the ship, certain that the worst was coming to pass. It wasn't much further to the entrance, but it wasn't an insignificant distance either. Especially not when Life Transformation cultivators were running after her.

Perhaps she shouldn't have run. That just made people want to chase. But the shockwaves of energy coming from around Janae indicated that they might not have waited. In front of Matija, an entire embankment of snow and ice rose up, forming into a wall. When she tried to leap over it, it rose up along with her. Her foot kicked into it, and the ice grabbed onto her. A quick blast of her beam rifle melted away the material around her and threw her back, but from then on every step was a hazard as the very ground she trod upon attempted to catch her.

Matija only saw a woman- significantly younger than Janae, but also not young- following after her. The woman was in no hurry, casually waving her arms to cause Matija boundless trouble. The entrance to below had been clearly blocked off for her- she wasn't certain she could have reached it even if she had gone straight there, unless she had known to sprint with her full power. Now, she was taking the only path available to her.

"Do not run. We just wish to speak to you." The voice sent chills down her neck entirely unrelated to the actual cold of the surroundings.

"If that were true you wouldn't have attacked at all!" Matija said, suddenly finding herself running out of places to go. The woman seemed to have some limit to her range, but Matija wasn't gaining any practical distance. And ahead of her was very little and then nothing. The edge of a sharp cliff descending from the Third Peak.

"I'm not going to kill you," the woman said. "That would be quite simple, you know? I just need information you have. About that metal ship, among other things."

Matija turned around to face the woman. Besides being younger than Janae, and their robes being of similar styles, Matija noticed many differences. The woman wore shoes, gloves, and covered her head in wrappings. All were of higher quality, a quality that Janae likely could have had if she did not choose to match the rest of the sect. "I would have gladly given you such information if you had simply asked. But I am already certain you can not be trusted with it." Walls were slowly growing up about her- not that it mattered, as she already had nowhere to escape. They were purely for show.

"You will tell me what I want to know regardless," the woman declared.

"Do people usually listen to you?" Matija asked.

"Of course. I have the strength to command respect."

Matija jumped backwards, making sure she was well clear of the cliff face. She didn't want to be caught, so she also propelled herself downwards out of sight. Perhaps the woman would choose to follow her, but Matija wasn't going to make it easy.

She was dunked in an icy ocean- though Matija was quite sure she was actually still among gasses and not liquids. The fog was simply so thick it felt liquid, hanging unnaturally in the air with shards of ice among it. Matija's natural energy surrounded her as she fell. She was already aware the gravity of the planet was slightly above average- though with the sharp prominence of the peaks it was less atop them, so she accelerated more slowly at first. The change was barely noticeable, as she was more focused on finding a happy medium between slowing her acceleration and not being cut by razor sharp shards of ice crashing into her at great speed.

Her natural energy quickly depleted by a quarter, but she felt the end of her descent coming, preparing herself for the sudden stop at the end. Her arms spread out, a parachute of natural energy slowing her descent. She hoped she hadn't misjudged the timing.

The impact nearly knocked her out- which meant that she'd been too late. Her body was stronger than a normal person's. But she was conscious and alive, and she didn't feel the energy above chasing after her.

The first thing Matija did was pull out her communication device, which she found through a combination of the extreme cold and the fall was barely functional, the natural energy flowing through it sluggishly even as Matija forced it awake and prepared her message for the half technological device. Another thing she should always have on her- like her phone, despite it not doing much of anything away from Rutera.

A message was out, and Matija wondered if she had made the wrong choice. The air above had been freezing enough that she could barely stand it. Here, it was cold, dark, and filled with a thick fog that diluted her vision and senses even further. She needed to find some sort of cave or… something. And also watch out for local animal and plant life, all of which had the ability to resist the extreme temperatures.

When Matija had communicated about Gnadus, the information had also eventually reached Anton. His ship was already planning their next destination, but with an actual confirmed contact new places could wait. Anton was excited to meet new people. Further information that came along during the journey was positive, though the planet itself sounded like a terrible place to live.

It was only the most recent message, sent directly to Anton, that concerned him in any way. It was little more than a garbled message, characters Anton had forgotten that Rutera's technology could even display gracing his screen. Such errors were uncommon, and Anton's device even informed him that the integrity of the transmission was suspect. But he looked at it anyway, finding nothing of use within it. Any words he could pick out might be random, so he tried not to make any assumptions.

He sent back a response, knowing it would take more than few hours to arrive even as the ship he was on approached the system. He just asked if the transmission was on purpose, and noted that he was nearby. He got no response.

Finding Matija's ship when they approached was easy. It was the only piece of technology on the whole planet, and there were only a few dozen places with any population to begin with, all tightly packed into their settlements.

Yet as they drew closer, Anton found no signs of Matija- or the old woman Janae. Instead, there were only cultivators gathered around the ship, engaging with it curiously. None were recognizably part of Matija's crew nor reasonably from Rutera at all.

Anton didn't like to overreact, so he didn't even shoot a hole through the hands of anyone. Not even a tiny one that would heal. Though he was absolutely thinking about it as they circled around the area, considering a place to set down. Anton noticed several Life Transformation figures approaching. "Keep the ship active and mobile," Anton said as he made his way towards an exit hatch, designed purposefully for people like him who were better not restricted inside a ship. "Don't engage until I do. If I do."

The gunners had a clear opinion of the likelihood of that event, the weapons thrumming with power ready to burst out at any moment, and Anton couldn't argue with that in the slightest.

Chapter 551

The moment he was away from the ship, Anton felt one of the Life Transformation individuals trail off in that direction while the others continued to move towards him, jumping between clouds. Given the prevalence of those, it was nearly akin to flying. Anton projected his voice towards them, not interested in dealing with politeness with the way they had composed themselves. "Where are Matija and her crew?"

He did get a response, but it was barely intelligible like reading through old tomes from several cycles previous, the majority of which were documents of little to no importance. Anton did understand what he thought was 'Primary Peak'.

"Inform me where the owner of that ship is," Anton gestured. They seemed to understand 'ship' at least, Anton quickly picking out words he'd never actually heard spoken. Not the way they were being used. He could at least get a decent handle on what was being said.

"It is ours now," said a woman leading the group. "As will be everything of yours, intruder."

There was no way Anton could have missed the level of aggression in the group even if he were merely at the beginning of Spirit Building, having just trained in Insight. There was little attempt to conceal that, nor their overwhelming confidence. Perhaps it was reasonable, as they were two Life Transformation cultivators against one in their home territory.

Indeed, Anton felt sluggish and weak. He felt it rather difficult to dodge the clouds suddenly swirling around him, and was keenly aware that he had not assimilated the local star. Though it was not a long process, it wasn't something he could do during combat. At best, like Rutera's star, he could finish a half-done process.

But he still wasn't a mere Life Transformation cultivator, and though some of his power and much of his recovery of energy were limited, there was a portion of his abilities that were not affected by proximity to a bound star. Ascension energy was drawn from the upper realms through him and out, the power of Fleeting Youth reminding him he could never ascend nor even venture close to the upper realms.

Anton's first shot was aimed at the heart of the leading woman, but she avoided it by leaping to the side, a platform of ice appearing momentarily. The same was true for the man behind her, and his arrow continued without striking a single hair. But it only took another moment for it to arrive at its true target, the third one which was distracted with chasing the ship. An outstretched arm was pierced at the shoulder from behind, the arrow working its way through the arm and leaving little worthy of being called that name behind.

It was unlikely the arm gesture was required for the control of snow, ice, and water in the atmosphere- but it was very distracting to receive such an injury. The arrow also served another purpose, concretely informing the gunners on the ship that they were cleared to engage. Anton could have said the words, they were hardly distant enough to cause him trouble in that regard, but the arrow was just as swift.

"We came in peace," Anton said, "But if you require war, you shall have it."

Flames burned within and around him, the shadows of six distant stars drawn upon for every trickle of power Anton could get. Underestimating his opponents would be foolish. The sky itself attacked Anton at the behest of the two individuals he was facing, and he had no spare moments for decisive moves. He continued to shoot at the two individuals with bows all around him, no longer falsifying his accuracy. As he did so, he climbed higher into the sky.

A strange heat filled him in the icy sky, not as pleasant as it might seem. The thinning atmosphere allowed greater amounts of radiation through, a complication Anton did not wish to deal with. The two chasing him found themselves slowing even as they attempted to maximize their speed.

Perhaps if they had patiently waited for him to land, he would have been enough inside their domain that they could have defeated him. But despite the inefficiency of his technique and his lack of a portion of his power, he was still an Assimilation cultivator able to fly through the skies and space itself. His opponents could only control so much, and by the time they began to mimic his techniques, propelling themselves purely with natural energy, it was already too late.

Their attacks were now unable to reach him, even if only for a few moments, while their efforts were divided between controlling clouds on the offensive, moving through space that would not easily carry them, and their own defensive energy. Anton's arrows pierced into any weakness they could find, puncturing holes in arms, legs, and a few more critical blows into the torso of the two.

"Surrender!" Anton commanded them. A flash of anger in the woman's eyes at the command, yet understanding. It was impossible to simply retreat now- though they could not know Anton's true range, it should at least be more than sufficient to fire upon them on their way back to their sect and whatever security it might offer. There was a moment of contemplating charging the distance between them- Anton was ready with Star Steps for an impossible acceleration away from any such attempt.

Finally, the woman nodded. "We surrender," she held her hands to show they were empty- though weapons weren't Anton's main concern. The relevant part was that she and her companion dropped their control over the majority of energy around them, letting the reaching clouds fall.

Anton made certain that the ship had finished its own battle without issue. It should have been fine, there were more than a few Essence Collection individuals aboard. Anton realized he should have probably carried at least a pair of Life Transformation cultivators as backup. The intent had been peace, but he'd been more than a little careless. Merve had wanted to come along even though she was in the midst of critical insights gained during the final battles of the war. Anton had refused her specifically for that reason, and because he didn't want her to remain tied to him. She was finally building some trust with others upon Ceretos. But he should have taken someone else.

Anton did not make a move closer to the two below. "Your name?" He pointed to the woman. "I am Anton, Sect Head of the Order of One Hundred Stars."

The woman who appeared middle aged frowned. "Liese. The First Peak."

He thought about just killing her, and the man behind her. That would be easier, but he wanted to have a decent impression on the planet, and coming in and just killing their people might not be the right one. It was confirmed that this was not the woman Matija had been around, though. Janae. "Where is Matija? The foreigner who came with that ship?" Anton included as much as he could in gestures, repeating with slightly differing language to try to match the older speech patterns. It didn't take long for Liese to understand sufficiently.

"Dead."

"Where?" Anton asked.

"The Third Peak," she pointed off into the distance.

"Bring me," Anton gestured, following a good kilometer behind the two. He took careful measure of how much energy they were expending, ultimately determining they were not able to walk on the clouds indefinitely. The third peak was more than just a small distance away. The planet Gnadus was relatively small and the peak stood so high over everything else that they were visible from a great distance, but the trip still took hours- mostly limited by the travel speed of the two Life Transformation cultivators. Above them, the ship from Ceretos hovered and watched.

As they approached the Third Peak, cultivators gathered together defensively- guarding an entrance to the inside, and not their own external structures. Anton didn't sense any Life Transformation cultivators. "Where is Janae?" Anton projected his voice to the other two.

Liese shook her head. "I am unaware."

Anton pulled out two pairs of shackles and tossed them the kilometer to the others. "Put those on." He hadn't bound them before because regular shackles wouldn't do much, and he didn't want to carry them even if their energy was bound by these. Anton watched, wondering if they might refuse, his fingers playing with the string of his bow. His senses told him the ship was ready as well. But they made the correct choice, accepting the shackles. But from their surprise when they actually clasped around their wrists, perhaps they didn't understand what they truly meant.

For Life Transformation cultivators, the flow of natural energy would be almost completely cut off. Enough, at least, that they could not damage the shackles unless they were one of the few styles that tempered their body far beyond the norm- but they were clearly more focused on energy. At best, Anton knew they were cold adapted. Their bodies certainly weren't extra durable to punctures.

With the two restrained, Anton moved forward, approaching the local disciples. "Is your leader here?" he asked, "Janae?"

A few moments of discussion Anton couldn't quite make out, not because the sound didn't reach him but because he was still unfamiliar with the ancient form of speech. Though once he'd exchanged more than a handful of sentences he thought he'd do better.

Seeing the subdued energy of the two Life Transformation cultivators, and perhaps their displeasure, they decided that Anton was not immediately going to attack them. A disciple stepped forward, bowing towards Anton. "Esteemed elder. You defeated the First Peak?"

"Yes," Anton said concisely. "Where is Janae?"

"The Sect Head descended into the mists after driving off the attack of the First Peak."

"Why?" Anton asked. He had some idea, but he wasn't certain.

"Our guest fell into the mists. Matija."

"Matija is my friend," Anton said. "I plan to seek her out. And your sect head." He gestured to Liese, and the other whose name he had not bothered with. "Can you watch over these two?" The disciples looked hesitant, so Anton took some time to explain. "The restraints will keep them at this level of power. Any of you Essence Collection cultivators could subdue them both," he pointed to a few individuals who should be more than strong enough to deal with them. He gave orders to the ship to remain in flight. They needed to be able to retreat should enemies they could not handle arrive.

Anton was directed to the signs of a battle, only a few remnants of footprints due to subsequent snow and general manipulation via energy. That, apparently, was where Matija fell. His senses dove down into the mists. He could tell they stretched more than a few kilometers beneath the high peaks… but though he expected his senses to go hundreds of kilometers through atmosphere, he quickly found that something about the mists restricted him greatly. It was more difficult than sensing through water, and even most solid ground. If he was fully immersed, his senses would stretch less than a kilometer, maybe not even a few hundred meters.

He held the communication device in his hand, focusing his energy. "Matija. I am at the Third Peak. I will find you." With practically no distance to travel, the message should arrive instantly. Anton could not sense where it would have gone, the connection between them not covering the space between such devices. Nor did he get a response- though why was unclear.

It would have been more dramatic to jump down into the mists, but Anton thought it more practical to descend at a measured rate. He began to climb down, the icy rocks and stone providing little grip, but his natural energy finding holds nonetheless as he moved hand over foot downwards. Soon, he was on snow covered ground, barely able to see his hand in front of his face. His bow was in hand.

It was just like going on a little winter hunting trip, only supernaturally cold.

Chapter 552

Icy mist swirled, thick to the point that not only could Anton not see the 'ground' in front of him, he could barely pick out anything below the surface with his senses. Natural energy was both abundant and yet inaccessible in the area, the cold more than it should be but the power that made it so distant and unusable. At least to Anton, who practiced powers of light and fire.

He was looking for tracks, days old in snowstorms that never ceased. So far, he'd had little luck finding anything but concerningly large cat paws and some tunnels of burrowing creatures, neither the right size to be Matija or the woman he had not met, Janae.

The cold was harsh, trying to worm its way through Anton's energy into his bones. Yet by comparison it was not the worst he'd ever felt. Those had been when he was simply a common man, before he was a cultivator. Likewise, the effort required was nothing compared to his final hunt.

Even if it had been difficult, Anton would have pushed through it. He was far too stubborn to let a place local Life Transformation cultivators traversed with some regularity hold him back. Sure, they knew where they were going and had a goal, but even without drawing upon a sun he had the greater power of cultivation on his side. Internal heat fought with external cold as he hurried along his way, searching for signs of Matija in particular. She was neither local nor in Life Transformation. It had likely already been too long.

His steps carried him atop the snow, his weight distributed widely so as to not limit his movements nor disturb the ground. He kept his senses open for traces of the same, but everything was dull and distant. Even so, he could be certain that he had not passed over anything of note.

A small portion of his senses were locked onto the spire he'd descended from. He needed to keep some sort of orientation in the white-out, and indistinct mounds of snow and ice covering what was presumably something else below were not much good for consistency, especially as the winds scattered the snow and even rent apart ice. That same ice cut like knives against Anton's defenses.

He hurried his steps, hoping to cross something soon. He had no interest in dealing with the local beasts, so until he found any sort of relevant trail he avoided them to the best of his abilities.

There was quite a significant distance he could cover in an hour, and soon he'd looped all the way around the Third Peak once with little of note. He was now widening his search, hoping to cross any path, when he finally found faint traces of an impact. What might have been a meters deep indentation was now little more than a bit of remnant energy and a negligible dip in the surrounding snow, but that energy was familiar. Matija practiced the One Hundred Stars, after all.

With that barest trace to go from, Anton circled the area to find some sort of trail. Ultimately, it appeared Matija had the same ideas about travel as himself- she certainly wasn't letting herself sink into the snow and pushing it apart as she trudged. He did find a faint trail, mostly based on imprints of boots several layers deep in the current snow-ice layers and just a bit of lingering natural energy. If Anton hadn't known Matija was here, he wouldn't have found it. But it was consistent enough he could tell he'd finally found a direction.

He increased his pace, moving as quickly as he could while keeping the trail. That consumed more energy for both movement and searching, but now was not the sort of situation to be conservative.

With only the slightest indication of its presence, a fox that seemed to be more ice than animal leapt at Anton's throat, tearing towards him. Perhaps the ambush would have been sufficient against a local creature, but despite the great power packed into the beast Anton fended off its attack at the last instant. A moment later his bow-blade was in hand. He did not begrudge the creature seeking food, but anything that attacked humans was dangerous to allow. The creature did not give up after a single attempt, either.

A swirl of icy mist turned into teeth chomping at his ankle, doubtless with the intent to wound him. Once that was done, the creature likely would have followed after him as his injuries mounted. A good tactic against an animal. Against him, it got the fox a mouthful of sharp blades.

Anton considered the blood on his weapon. It would alert other creatures to his presence- but it might ward them off, if the creature he fought was a known danger. Anton carefully placed the body of the fox, a coat of silvery reflective material now marred by a sky blue blood. Since he had killed it, he might as well make use of it.

He took a few moments to pick up the trail again, and redoubled his speed. The gusting winds carried no noise but that of the constant weather conditions, though Anton was not convinced that they would reveal anything beyond him regardless.

Given the hiding methods of the fox, Anton picked out other creatures in his surroundings- but they kept away from him, either sensing his energy or fearing the blood of the creature. It would have been more than a simple inconvenience for most, a power somewhere akin to a Life Transformation cultivator compressed into a small space. It had simply misjudged its target.

As he continued along the trail, Anton noticed something. Another energy, hidden like that of the fox. Much like the disciples of the Third Peak, once he picked it out- though it was like sensing a particular sort of snow atop various snowdrifts. This one wasn't the fluffy sort. More like hail than proper snow, hard and weighty, but not quite part of the actual surroundings.

Janae, hopefully, and not some other local cultivator after Matija. Though Anton rejoiced that given the distance he'd tracked her she'd probably passed the first day. Without finding shelter, unfortunately, beyond perhaps a temporary cave in the snow below. He couldn't be certain how fast a cultivator of her level would run out of energy, but a few days in these conditions was already significant.

Anton nearly missed the great cat ahead of him. He was inclined to move around, but it was directly on his current trajectory. That meant little, it was just that he could not keep track of the trail more than a few meters in front of him. The great cat was still fifty meters ahead at least, and moving at a decent pace away from him. Anton matched it, and it didn't take long to determine that the cat was tracking the same thing as himself.

It was moving a bit more quickly than he might have otherwise, though he could verify bits and pieces of the trail faster than he could trace the whole route. As long as he kept doing so to make sure the creature didn't change its mind, he could catch up more quickly. The creature moved at what might have been a sprint for a normal human, though for a creature of that size was mostly a fast trudge, its wide paws only sinking a small distance into the ice and snow mixture as it moved.

At this point, Anton was no longer able to keep track of the Third Peak. But ultimately, he didn't need it. He kept a general sense of his orientation to make sure he didn't somehow go in circles, but once he actually found Matija he could pull her above the ice and snow. It wouldn't be a pleasant flight, but it wouldn't last so long as to be worrisome.

Anton had not been land bound in several decades, and he found it entirely unpleasant to recall. Dealing with terrain limited movement so much- even dealing with atmosphere was restrictive for him. But that was an issue the vast majority of cultivators had to deal with, especially those who had not surpassed Life Transformation. A few sects had flying techniques they could use earlier, but none were low on their energy requirements.

The snow leopard- Anton made some assumptions about it based on body shape despite clearly not being close enough to see spots or lack of them- continued at its quick pace. At this rate, another hour and they should have made up for most reasonable paces, especially it Matija had hesitated at any point in her movement. She wound around enough it was likely she had been looking for shelter- and avoiding dangers of local wildlife.

Matija found herself exposed to the frost. She no longer knew how long it had been, deprived of the light of the sun for what had to be days. Any innate sense she had was off balance due to the conditions. She had some measure of protective clothing, but she hadn't been walking around the Third Peak fully kitted out. Most of her technological devices were frozen solid, and if the ice on the outside didn't stop them from working the ice on the inside would.

She'd received a brief flicker of something from her communications device… or so she liked to think. If there had been communication from Anton, it could just as easily have been an error in the current conditions. She couldn't even make out a screen.

She had intentionally left the proximity of the Third Peak, not wanting to risk the Life Transformation cultivators coming after her. She absolutely wanted to avoid capture, because even if the personal consequences weren't unpleasant to think about, what they might do if properly instructed on the ship was something else. Matija didn't have much reason to think Gnadus was nearly as populated- but she didn't want to be responsible for potential deaths caused by them.

There was still her crew, of course. She couldn't be certain about them, inside the peak. Were they safe? Was everyone dead? She couldn't know, so she kept moving. She'd found some small shelter at first, protection from the wind and snow. Then the beasts had come. For the most part she'd been able to prevent her actual body from being damaged, but with both creatures and environment wearing away at her energy defenses she would be vulnerable to both soon enough. Lack of food and ironically water were an issue, even for an Essence Collection cultivator.

She'd been lucky to avoid the worst predators so far, her time spent watching Janae move about providing some familiarity with the world. Just enough that with her scanning devices that weren't all quite broken she could pick out dangers before they came together.

Then had come one of the foxes, the signal being physically small throwing off her judgment. It didn't catch her throat but instead cut a gash into her shoulder before she managed to snap her rifle into position. Of course by then it was back in the snows, and Matija barely avoided it several more times before she finally managed to take a real shot.

A beam of hot energy cut through the mist, instantly creating steam and scorching the fox's side. It scurried off, but the attack had lit up the area like a flare. Matija soon sensed many creatures of different sizes coming for a look.

A bear was the next to appear, but Matija only sensed it a moment before it was tossed to the side. "I have finally found you, esteemed guest."

Rivulets of blood, long since frozen in place, created red streaks along Janae's arms, trailing to the tips of several of her fingers. Some also went down her forehead and her neck into her robes, and a few gashes had opened in her thighs, briefly revealed there before terminating at her bare feet.

"You came. You survived," Matija said, suddenly aware her translator didn't work. Fortunately, the time she'd spent had been enough for the cultivators to reconcile some of their speech differences without its aid, their natural learning capabilities kicking in as they exchanged words. "My crew…?"

"Waiting for your return, no doubt," Janae said as she turned to face the bear, only momentarily knocked back. "Aid me with that weapon. You are already revealed."

Matija nodded, concentrating her limited remaining energy into the beam, aiming for the bear's eye. She was quite aware of how impenetrable large beast's fur could be, and there was no chance of it properly catching fire in this place. But the difference in temperature was not all bad, if she hit the right target.

Chapter 553

The first signs he was getting close were remnants of battles, blood and bodies of various beasts. Smaller foxes, a large bear, even some creatures that looked vaguely like rabbits, if not for the size and rows of sharp teeth. At that point, Anton was able to move quickly, tracking the fresh remnants of natural energy- though he did have to concern himself first with the beast he had been following. Though it had only been unintentionally helpful to him, Anton didn't want to kill the leopard arbitrarily. If it were hunting for food, there were plenty of options available now- strong beasts that would be quite nourishing. If it specifically wanted human… he'd have to deal with it.

Anton circled around the trail, going from some hundred meters behind the giant snow leopard to around in front of it, where he revealed his natural energy, preparing an attack. His first arrow was intentionally lacking effectiveness, but he still struck the beast directly in the chest. Its natural energy and thick hide minimized the damage, leaving only a small patch of blood, but now the creature had to decide. Its initial reaction might be to fight, but Anton had little he could do about that.

The creature took a defensive crouch, suddenly drawn from its focus on the trail it was following. Detecting a new opponent, it buried itself in the ice and snow to the point Anton couldn't have detected it if he had not already been watching it. It began to slink about, but not towards Anton. Instead, it moved towards the large bear, slowly concealing it and then dragging it off.

Good. It made the right choice. With that settled, Anton had to quickly follow the trail. He was just at the point he thought he could sense active combat- or perhaps he had been just slightly too late. Not having to follow a trail or even a relatively speedy tracker like the great cat, Anton covered the last few kilometers in little time at all.

There, he found an old woman with little protection from the cold- her head was bare, her robes covering her arms, body and legs far too thin to capture heat. Her hands and feet were likewise uncovered, except for ice and frozen blood.

Matija was present as well, dressed much more warmly but clearly not with full intention to dive deep into the cold surrounding her. Despite the difference in clothing, Matija was the one who looked cold, and if not for the actual ice on her arms Anton wouldn't have imagined the woman- who had to be Janae- was the slightest bit cold.

Around them were only the bodies of beasts, none alive so far as Anton could tell. Though the Life Transformation woman did not seem concerned about the chill compared to the trembling Matija, both were clearly exhausted, and covered in various wounds. It was to the point they didn't even notice Anton until he approached within a handful of meters, nearly visual range through the swirling icy mists. "Perhaps you didn't need me at all," Anton said. "But you do look like you could use some help getting out of here, Matija," Anton held out his hand. "How about a lift?"

Her eyes had locked on him, momentarily expecting danger from something new, but quickly resolving his familiar presence. Janae likewise reacted quickly, but the shared cultivation method stayed her hand as she gathered the material around them. "Is this the head of your sect, Matija?"

"Well… it's complicated. He is an ally," the woman explained as she moved forward cautiously. Anton didn't waste any time driving away the cold around him, his body alighting in comforting flames which extended around her. It would take more than a moment to counteract the deep set cold in her bones, but a genuine display of his power comforted her.

Anton grasped her hand then lifted into the sky, stopping briefly to look down to Janae. "Are you currently able to fly?"

The old woman lifted her leg, stepping upward onto the swirling icy mist like it was a solid platform. "My movement techniques are still usable. But it requires focus."

Anton nodded. Exhausted as she was, keeping a watch for enemies while also making use of such a technique was likely difficult. Otherwise, she could have carried Matija away with her already. "Are there airborne beasts here?"

"Cliff divers and ice spirits," Janae said as she confidently strode upwards, the angle of her movement not indicating any desire to go anywhere specific but out of the mists.

Matija was currently supporting herself with a hand on Anton's shoulder, hanging there only a small effort compared to resisting the cold. Her grip on his hand was released, leaving him both hands for his bow. Though his movements would still be somewhat limited by carrying her, it was a more effective position than taking his hand.

Soon enough, Janae's words came true- birds of various sizes and clusters of natural energy that seemed to have little body but ice and snow came towards them in the air. However, as was the case with many flying creatures their structures were weak- even if they were swift Anton's arrows were more swift, and his energy bows produced plentiful volleys to cover everything that dared approach. But the populations of the mists were not unlimited, nor completely foolish- after a sufficient display of power, the cultivators were left alone. Then they were above the mists, the light of the sun barely filtered by the thin atmosphere. At least it brought some warmth, fleeting as it was.

"How did you find us?" Matija asked.

"I found your ship with the First Peak," Anton explained. "Their information led me to the Third Peak, and they spoke of Janae and yourself descending into the mists. And I am a hunter though I'll admit tracking you some days after the fact was not simple."

"The First Peak…" Matija hesitated.

"One of their Life Transformation cultivators is dead. I captured Liese and another," Anton said.

After they had reached above the clouds, Anton was quickly able to discern the direction of the Third Peak- though Janae managed to actually set off in that direction before he explained. She was familiar with the local area, while Anton had merely stretched his senses over the distance in between.

Janae strode atop the mists, eventually jumping to a cloud and between them, but she remained silent for most of the journey. Without dealing with the deep snow and the dangers of the beasts below, their speed was greatly improved, though it still took them more than a few hours to approach the Third Peak.

Eventually, Janae spoke. "Esteemed elder… were you unable to achieve Ascension?"

"Referring to me as Anton is acceptable. As for Ascension… my actions closed that path. However, I achieved something equally worthwhile."

He wasn't sure if his words were fully understood. Her reaction was minimal, not indicating much of her opinion on the subject. Matija was asleep, now dangling under Anton's arm.

When they arrived back at the Third Peak, Anton was the freshest of the three, but even he felt he had overdone himself with a battle against Life Transformation cultivators and the following events. Flying with another for a long distance would have been trivial in any system he had bound a star, but without the constant influx of energy he found himself weak. Not that it was unexpected. He was still considering just binding to their star now… but doing so without permissions of the natives was something he wished to avoid, and he hoped to avoid further battles.

Once they settled upon the Third Peak, Anton showed Janae the two captives so she could make the decision what to do with them. Her choice was swift, and the results conclusive. With a single hand she drained the heat from each of them, unable to fight back with their shackles. Those she looked at with wonder as Anton retrieved them. The bodies were simply tossed over the edge of the peak, down below.

Instead of resting inside in the heat, Janae remained outside with the majority of what Anton would consider cultivators- there were some inside the peak who were just beginning, aside from Matija's crew.

Exposure to the cold was a harsh condition to recover in, but it seemed to suit those of the Third Peak. They were clearly pleased to have their Sect Head return, but they did not bother Anton. With no specific guidance, he sat down to recover. Though the local culture seemed to take off their shoes in the snow, Anton didn't feel up to it for the moment. Instead, he breathed in the power of the sun above, and what natural energy was not frozen around him, slowly recovering. He also reached further, deep through himself to distant stars. The active effort only gave him a tiny portion of the energy he would expect next to any single star, but it was something, and decent practice for further out inside a system.

Matija's crew made sure she was treated, and she recovered quickly over the course of a few days. She was a cultivator, after all, though she did require some assistance from cultivation medicines. On the other hand, Janae who had fought off several Life Transformation cultivators and then followed after Matija with injuries seemed to have ingested no medicine at all. "Help me speak to her," Anton requested. "Ask if there is a reason she has not taken medicines for her wounds." Anton was aware that too much of the wrong thing could set back cultivation, but spending months or potentially years recovering wounds like that would also be a setback.

WIth Matija both being more comfortable with Janae and the help of the translator unit, Matija soon had an answer. "She says that unless it is necessary to survive, the third peak does not use medicine."

"Why?" Anton asked. "If it is part of their cultivation path, I can understand of course, but I am unfamiliar with them."

"I don't know either," Matija admitted. "Can you tell us?" she asked Janae. They weren't concealing their conversation from her, but they spoke as was more comfortable for them- and thus more difficult for the woman to understand.

"It is a waste of precious resources," she explained.

That, Anton could understand. He didn't exactly see abundant herbs around them. He'd seen some indications of plantlife below, but he didn't understand any of their properties enough to even think about collecting them- or approaching them. It was hard to say which plants would be dangerous without some reference.

Anton took some time to think about the situation. Mostly, he wanted to determine if some of his potential actions might offend the woman. From what he understood, she had fought- nearly to the death- to defend Matija and her crew because they were guests. A conviction clearly not shared by the First Peak. Finally, Anton just decided to offer. If he caused offense, he was still new and it could be excused. He pulled out a medicinal pill- not the strongest he had, but the one that would have the least side effects. It would help with closing wounds and returning to health for wounds such as Janae's that were not life threatening- though only because the Life Transformation woman's power had stretched that definition.

"I would like to thank you for protecting my friend," Anton said. "A gift, for your conviction."

Janae looked at the pill- a ball formed mostly of various medicinal powders. She nodded her head, reaching out to take it. Instead of consuming it, she studied it- though not with paranoia or worry, but fascination. "You say you were unable to achieve Ascension. How then do you have access to materials such as this, and those shackles?"

"They are available in our star systems," Anton said. "They are much more… hospitable than this place."

"... do any achieve Ascension?" she asked.

"Some," Anton said. "More than yearly, among our population."

"How many?" Janae asked.

"A few billion."

Anton did not think that number was particularly high. The Sylanis Cluster had over a hundred billion among their planets. Rutera was over ten billion on their main planet alone. Weos had similar numbers spread throughout their system. However, Janae looked as if she had heard the numbers incorrectly. After determining that he truly meant thousands of millions, her face could barely hold an expression, her jaw dropping. "We have… many fewer here. Less than a million, I think." Given the harsh peaks, Anton was not terribly surprised. Janae's following question was quite intriguing, however. "In a place with such abundant resources… how do you face the adversity required to reach Ascension?"

The question said much about her understanding of the world. Bare hands and feet to face the cold, cultivating against adversity to rise to Ascension. Anton could see the value in such a path… but he was well aware there were many ways. Some were certainly weaker, but pure difficulty did not necessarily make the correct path. Sometimes, a path was simply smoother because it was a well trod path to greater heights of cultivation. There was much he would be able to discuss here… and many questions he would like to have answered. Like whether or not the other peaks were likely to be more like the first or third peaks.

Chapter 554

All of the locals agreed that Gnadus was a harsh, inhospitable environment to live in. Anton had likewise come to that understanding immediately upon seeing the planet. Now that the crisis moment was over and the root causes all iced, discussing things further in detail could be done in a somewhat leisurely manner.

"We cultivate towards Ascension to free ourselves from this place," Janae said. "To rise towards the upper realms, abundant in resources."

Anton couldn't argue with that. That was the main goal of most cultivators- with Assimilation being a recently discovered alternate path. Things that seemed to have little of direct value like the harshest deserts could become a great source of power. Likewise, Anton could see the peaks of Gnadus being much the same, or the mists themselves. The cultivators were already barely a step removed from that. The only thing was… none had interest in staying. Perhaps some might have interest in lording over the terrible planet, but they would just be a big fish in a small pond.

"If your main goal is to leave Gnadus…" Anton began, "We are capable of transporting people to other systems." He had no intention of destroying a people's way of life- but that was only if they were living instead of just surviving.

"No." Janae's answer was direct. "I will not circumvent adversity to shelter in comfort."

"I did not expect you would," Anton admitted. He knew very little about her, but what he did know indicated she would see things through to the end. Whether that meant she died, or she ascended. "However, I do intend to make the same offer to those who might want it. Especially those who have no hope of ascension."

She closed her eyes, pondering on his words. "Not all can follow the trials set down before us," she said with a vague sense of agreement. "You will offer them an easy Ascension?"

"Ascension is never easy," Anton said. "Though with proper resources, it is more achievable. Along with a good understanding of the path, of course. There are many roadblocks and dead ends along the course of cultivation."

"Are those not valuable for learning?"

"Not all of them," Anton said. "Humans are made to build upon the work of those who came before us. Some things are simply mistakes that if they were known to be coming could have been avoided without weakening the cultivator."

"Perhaps."

"I have seen many Ascensions," Anton said with authority. "And studied many paths. Perhaps you are on the path most suited for you, but for others it might not be the same." Anton avoided specifically mentioning her path might also be riddled with flaws. That was unnecessary.

The chill winds blew across the Third Peak, but compared to the mists below it was almost pleasant. Anton didn't find it as invigorating as the old woman clearly did, but he was more than able to ignore it.

"You spoke of another path," Janae eventually said. "Can you tell me about it?"

"We refer to it as Assimilation. Other systems have called it Worldbinding. Regardless, it is the process of tying oneself to something inextricably and drawing power from it."

Janae nodded. "That is what I sense from you, then. You must… come from a very different place, to want to remain."

"That is true," Anton easily agreed. "I love my grandchildren, and my planet, and most of the others who live upon it. I had no reason to leave them behind. Not that I could have ascended anyway."

"It does not seem you are lacking in cultivation talent. What prevented you?"

"A technique I practice. It provides access to certain powers in exchange for no ascension… and no reincarnation. At least, not in any sense where I remain myself."

"Why would you choose such?"

"Why would I not?" Anton shrugged. "I had no reason to ascend or even think about the possibility at the time. I became a cultivator to accomplish necessary goals, not to reach some sort of unfathomable heights. Though Assimilation is not inferior to Ascension regardless. It simply depends on your ambitions. I got what I wanted."

Clearly all of that information had given Janae plenty to think about. Though Anton didn't intend to sway her conviction, and he would gladly help her if she wished to share the Third Peak's cultivation technique. Actually… it was probably mostly the same as the First Peak, and he did have some copies of that. Perhaps he could study the technique for flaws in case she asked. Anton very much likes being a guide, after all. Even if it was for those who might be older than himself in body.

Without Life Transformation cultivators, the First Peak couldn't and wouldn't stop the retrieval of Matija's ship. Unfortunately, their poking and prodding and dissecting had made it unclear in its viability for space travel. It took Matija and her crew some time to check it over to make sure it wouldn't explode when powered up, and even then they only flew it to the Third Peak where it would be safe, half carried by Anton.

Proper repairs could be done over time- and with reinforcements from Rutera. Some were already on their way, though it was a journey of weeks to reach the system. With the loss of contact they had made some plans, though they were quite relieved to hear that the situation had been resolved.

Anton would be staying around in case any other peaks thought to do something stupid- and it really would be stupid once he gave the offer to transport people off world. Eventually, because they couldn't carry even a small portion of the tiny- for a planet- population with just a few ships. He would have Janae help him propose that to people, because many would be against the idea. Even so, if some were Ascending or attempting to just to leave, Anton thought they would have a better life anywhere else. Those dedicated to cultivation could choose their path.

Strangely enough, though the entire world seemed to be on the edge of survival or death, Anton didn't really find a general idea that they would want to change. And as long as they were aware they had the choice, he wasn't going to make anyone do anything. He knew that the world was going to produce some impressive cultivators… and likely already had. It was simply that the upper realms was a big place, so a few Ascension cultivators here or there wouldn't usually be noticed.

After making sure that the Ruteran ships would be okay, and that everyone on Gnadus would be aware it wasn't beneficial to try to attack them for their resources, Anton only stayed a short time. Just a month or so, studying their cultivation and providing guidance for those who asked- even if he didn't practice their style, he could pick out flaws. A benefit of a lifetime working with others, and a bit from the Ten Thousand Scrolls and his other studies.

Though he might have liked to stay around and attempt to improve the planet like Ceretos, ultimately that was the choice of the locals. He could only let them know there was more to the world.

So he moved on- though he had the feeling he would be back. Other systems, devoid of life and sometimes devoid of planets of significant interest. Several years passed without contact with another new system, even in some of the more promising locations. That was quite reasonable- Anton felt they were already quite a populated stellar neighborhood, though ancient cultivators could have settled many of the places he passed. He could hardly imagine why they might have chosen Gnadus, except for the philosophy of trials they had passed down and ultimately doomed others to require.

Anton was not disappointed by lack of other findings, nor was he intellectually confused… but he couldn't help but continue searching the same areas repeatedly instead of moving further afield. He felt he was missing something, though he couldn't quite place why. Cultivator intuition, combining many pieces of consciously and subconsciously known information to reach only a feeling.

Eventually he found himself moving between three systems- alone, because he didn't want to subject a crew to his obsessive wandering. If nothing else, the process improved his ability to move between systems, as he was almost constantly in motion. Being away from his Assimilated stars for so long was unpleasant, but he found himself constantly able to draw just a bit more from them. Enough that he wasn't worried about being stranded in the void between planets without a way to restore his energy, at least.

What was it about the area he found compelling? That, he couldn't determine. Everything seemed completely normal. Which was, perhaps, the oddest thing about it. And another thing, though he did his best to deal with the movement of systems relative to each other, he often found himself off course by some significant degree. This was something he only realized after a significant number of traversals, at first presuming it to be due to his casual efforts at being precise.

He finally discovered something by using abilities he was still unfamiliar with. As soon as he considered the tides of the world, however, everything fit. He became consciously aware of a sort of bubble in the center of the systems, and the more he paid attention to it the more it didn't fit in the space it appeared to occupy.

Anton considered a few possibilities for it. First, it could be a strange anomaly that came about on its own. Such a thing might be extremely dangerous, and he couldn't determine a clear value in investigating closely. Then there was the possibility it was artificial, by the hands of cultivators. That one Anton was unsure of, though it was theoretically possible. If it was the case, then attempting anything would be both dangerous and… rude. If people chose isolation through such an extreme, who was he to pull them out of it?

Thus, he attempted no active change, merely doing his best to feel the flow around himself, and in the area in between. After several months of slowly patrolling the area, he decided that there was no way the phenomenon was natural. It had far too much regularity for that. What, then, would he do? He could simply ignore them, as they seemed to wish. But completely leaving them did not sit well for him.

So he found a reasonable spot in a nearby system, the planet closest to naturally sustaining life, and created a simple formation- one that did nothing except advertise its presence to anyone who would be looking. Then, he left a note, carved into stone. 'For the Hidden System, if you wish to talk.' There, he left a communication device. He did the same thing several more times, at least once in each system surrounding the area.

Then he considered one more thing. He could not tell if it was too much, but he filled a small bag with a note and another device. The note was only slightly different, merely adding, 'If you wish to be left alone, simply destroy it however you please.' Then, he picked up speed, tossing the bag after a solid period of increasing his velocity. There was always closer he could go to the speed of light, but it was never better than dealing with subspace and proper movement techniques. But it was the best he could do without going along.

When he tossed the sturdy contained, it continued on in his aimed trajectory, carefully chosen to potentially pierce the veil. It would continue on its path for years. A decade, perhaps, before it might reasonably arrive. Most likely, the properties of the system would have him miss, and even if it passed through the system it would likely either burn up upon entering a planet's atmosphere or otherwise be destroyed. But there was a small chance someone would find it… depending on how closely they watched their borders. That would have to be good enough. Any more, and he felt he would be violating their unspoken request.

Chapter 555

Further exploration of the surrounding region revealed no more groups in the immediate neighborhood, nor for the moment- though in some manner it was already quite crowded with seven or eight occupied systems. The eighth was kept secret from the general population, as its existence was more speculation than certainty, and if they chose to be hidden it was better to not simply reveal them to everyone. Yet in case they turned out to be a danger, Anton could not just keep the information to himself.

With the insights he gained from his time in the area, he was somewhat more confident in adjusting the tides of the world around Ceretos- and also more certain that it was not a project that could be accomplished alone.

Because of the concerns with causing greater trouble for their systems, Anton turned to unoccupied systems for practice. He didn't want to draw more attention to Ceretos, nor did he want to simply conceal Ceretos if it brought risk to others in their alliance.

Even Everheart found little success manipulating the tides of the world, and his vast knowledge only managed to prove how different the process was from everything else. It was not strange, though. Anton would have a great amount of trouble manipulating actual tides as well, even in a small area. He could modify geography, but there was only so much that could be done with that, and the tides of the worlds were ever more indistinct.

Eventually, Anton found himself to the 'north', closer to the upper realms, the closest edge of which could be reached with a few months of concerted effort, if not for energy requirements. Ships would have to stop and refine fuel in various systems, and Anton had to stop for rest as well, turning the process into something closer to half a year. Everheart… seemed to have not traveled in a ship, but his greater cultivation and experience with travel made it reasonable for him to make the trip in a single go. At least from around where the upper and lower realms met.

Anton kept a full system and the space to reach it between himself and the upper realms. Even from where he was, he could feel the anger of the ascension energy. Except for how he made use of it through Fleeting Youth, he knew he was fully incompatible with ascension energy living inside him. Even just his vague ideas of reaching out far before were met with a pulse of rejection, all the way from Ceretos.

He merely took in the vast feeling of the world in front of him, full of more stars than he could ever hope to count, some impossibly distant while others surprisingly close. On a galactic scale, at least. No matter how much he increased his range of sensing and control of his energy at a distance, the scale of space rose so sharply that certain things could not be done. For example, he could theoretically hit a planet from its moon or vice versa, though even that varied wildly. Larger planets had moons ranging from a third of the distance between Ceretos and its moon to sixty times that distance. At that point his arrows couldn't even reach, millions of kilometers of nothing seemed like little interference to his control, but it was in fact quite limiting. No matter how good his control there would always be some dissipation of the energy, and though he could send a regular arrow on a trajectory that would hit any large mass in a system without natural energy it was ultimately a pointless gesture. Nthanda could impart more force in that regard, though her perception of the motion of planets was less. Either way neither of them would hit a target smaller than a moon and certainly not any specific point on it.

It was a foolish notion to consider launching attacks into the upper realms, but beyond pure stubbornness Anton wanted to test the interactions between natural energy and ascension energy, specifically with the latter not in his control. He continued his attempts to not just launch arrows further, but into subspace, the insights he gained useful practice for anything involving interstellar travel regardless of whether or not his actual actions mattered.

Because the trip was so long, Anton wasn't just going to turn about and go back home. The very fact that he had come already indicated he trusted the worlds back home and the people upon them to handle their own affairs. Enough time had passed that it was fairly clear the war with the Sylanis Cluster was truly over- and he expected that to hold for at least decades, as even now sects were settling their new positions as a number of the larger ones had left gaps in the power structure.

Spirit Arrows flew along the same path, something Anton was attempting to see if he could reproduce his results as well as hoping it might stabilize some sort of tunnel he could attack through. All of that was speculation, and all his efforts might turn to nothing but a bit more archery practice. But he could never have too much of that.

The Great Queen, escorted by Nthanda, found herself upon Gnadus. A steady stream of visitors was coming to the planet- and they took with them some of those who wished to leave. The Great Queen took stock of the surroundings. Ice and snow as far as the eye could see, except where it was hindered by frozen mists. Though they sparkled, it was the same sort of sheen as a spear being thrust into one's body, not that of gems and other valuables.

"I… don't want to have a colony here," the Great Queen declared.

"I told you," Nthanda said. "It's pretty miserable." Though she said that, she was not wearing any cold weather garments, only her traditional armor, the metal of which was quite capable of conducting the surrounding temperature to her body.

"The energy is too crunchy," the Great Queen supplemented her words. "And I don't think there's enough to share with the locals right now. So it would be better to not be here."

"Plus all of your youths would freeze to death if they even thought of coming up out of the mound."

"I do believe, with the exception of the peaks, that underground or in the snowy depths might even be colder than the surface," the Great Queen signed. "A horrendous situation."

"Were you really thinking about it?" Nthanda asked. "It never sounded very appealing."

"Should the local populace wish to transform their planet, they would need those able to attend to the small details. Void ants could certainly fulfill those roles, if they were amenable. However, I do not wish to place any children in a place that they would be both uncomfortable and unwelcome."

"Great. So when are we leaving?"

"I first must experience the particular cold here for myself," the Great Queen said. "I should be sufficiently durable to power through it, but if I find myself in such a place without having tested it and coming up with counters or developing myself further, I would regret it."

"I'm pretty sure I won't have any issues here."

"This doesn't count," Nthanda said from the bottom of a sinkhole opened up in the ice and snow. Her weight made her sink through the more malleable layers, and even some of the sturdier parts did not do well with her directly upon them instead of spreading the weight out. She leapt upwards, arcing out of the hold but once more burying herself more than head deep in the snow. "It's not as bad as being in a gas giant."

The Great Queen could not respond in any relevant way, because vision was useless more than a couple meters apart, and that distance only because both parties had enhanced eyes. Even so, they kept tabs on each other- the Great Queen making her presence known by devouring some of the energy in a particular pattern. She still thought it quite crunchy, the energy itself almost solidified. Yet it also flowed well enough when it needed to. Overall, she found it quite uncomfortable. If she were a normal ant she would likely freeze, unable to manage her own heat. As it was, she frequently found her way back to Nthanda, a pleasant beacon of warmth in the otherwise tragic landscape.

In the upper realms, things were much warmer- especially for the trio of Fuzz, Hoyt, and Prospero. They were training together around the former forge, one of Xankeshan's rare volcanoes. It was an odd planet to begin with, much of it constructed or modified by human hands in some manner- even the former 'garden' which was the closest thing to wilderness it had. It wasn't just the work of Everheart alone, but the people who had occupied the place before him, ultimately to be torn apart by their enemies.

"Still no kids, huh…" Prospero said to his sort-of-older grandson. "I'm disappointed."

"What, are you Anton?" Hoyt shrugged. "Some cultivators give up the pleasures of the flesh in their pursuits… I simply haven't found any I was interested in."

"Yeah, whatever. And what's your excuse, Fuzz?"

Fuzz tilted his head.

"You've got a nice lady," Prospero Vandale pointed out. "You spend more than enough time together, but I haven't seen a single pup."

Fuzz performed something akin to a shrug, writing his answer on the ground. "I don't know. We haven't been specifically trying to produce offspring."

"It should be quite a bit more difficult for powerful beasts to reproduce," Hoyt conjectured. "Or if it happened easily, it would be likely you would have 'normal' offspring. But the two of you, while wolves, are quite different in many ways. Any children will likely be rare, but I would guess them to be powerful if they come about."

"I suppose it's the same with humans, to an extent," Prospero sighed, "Though definitely less so. High amounts of energy from powerful cultivators will simply reduce the likelihood of offspring without some intent. Though humans aren't generally born with innate power or anything of the sort," Prospero shrugged. "There is something to say for cultivation talent being an inherited trait, though much of that is also due to simply having resources, techniques, and teachers." He looked at Hoyt, "Even you had access to the Order."

"Then there is Anton's family…" Hoyt frowned. "A grandson and three granddaughters of different generations reaching Ascension or Assimilation."

"And yet," Prospero pointed out, "Catarina's mother has not reached such a level despite being more closely related. And there were many others who advanced no more in cultivation."

"Wouldn't that sort of counter your point?" Hoyt asked. "Since Anton made himself available to guide them all."

"Perhaps. Or their lack of conviction prevented them, natural talent or not. Not all were Devon, Annelie, or Alva."

"Too bad the other two didn't follow after us," Hoyt said. "Though I understand both choices. Annelie has an established place to maintain, and Devon had no intentions to cultivate from the beginning. It was all for a purpose, to gain control. Would have been nice to have them for the war, though. Think we could snatch them up for a little bit? Since people can descend from the upper realms…"

"An unexplored area, as far as I am aware," Prospero shook his head. "You'd know as much as myself. I would suppose it possible given Anton is a specific exception, but the journey would not be easy. And why would they help?"

"If our position is well established here, it will be easier for us to go back to help them there," Hoyt shrugged, "But it was mainly an idle thought. The war with the Harmonious Citadel is just a little too… close. I have the feeling this might just become a continual blood feud instead, with nobody ever making progress. The Dark Ring wouldn't be pleased at that, but it wasn't like they could make any progress alone, either."

"With nobody happy, that's how we know it's a proper war," Prospero agreed. "Only time will tell… and unfortunately I can't contribute on a significant level with my current cultivation. Time, unfortunately, continues to exist and thus I can't suddenly reach Integration."

"I could say I wish the war would continue like this until that point, but one more Integration cultivator probably won't matter… and several decades is a long time to wait."

"That number's already an optimistic projection," Prospero sighed. "But I could have Ascended at one point, so I should be able to do things properly with all of my extra experience and a new life. I hope."

Fuzz just nuzzled his way between them until the end of their break, when they would get back to dropping the sky on each other.

Chapter 556

Despite its great power, the Harmonious Citadel merely happened to be the largest sect in between the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Quadrant. Thus, whatever claim to fame it had was only in relation to those two agreeing not to conquer the region between them. As for the Harmonious Citadel's size, it was a moderate number of systems. More than a few, less than hundreds. Where it was between those numbers barely mattered.

All that was really important was that some of them had nice swords. The Trigold Cluster did too, unless the examples they lost in the lower realms were their very best. That seemed unlikely for any number of reasons, but they likely hadn't thought there was real risk of losing Integration cultivators in the invasion. Otherwise, it would be hard for it to be worth it.

Chikere knew the Harmonious Citadel definitely had more. She hadn't been able to get close to their sword saint because it wasn't easy to get onto their main planets without being noticed- and she was a little wanted. Maybe because of the bandit thing forty years earlier, or the whole part where she'd been fighting a more official war against them for decades. Either way, she'd seen some and knew there were others she wanted.

And there happened to be a really nice one as the reward for a tournament. That was why she was here on Thaizuno, and despite hearing about how it was forged by a grandmaster smith using dragon bone and the heat of a sun, she hadn't really believed it was as good as advertised until she got close. Then, there it was, sitting right out in the open. Surrounded by at least two dozen Integration cultivators and at least two layers of formations. So perhaps not quite in the open, but its aura still got to her.

It had taken her ten minutes to pull her gaze away and look at Rahayu. They would both be competing for it, of course. Not only did that increase their odds of winning it, both wanted it- and it was unlikely they would give it to the other. Though they hadn't been quite so sure about that until they saw it.

Most of the Harmonious Citadel's tournaments were internal- for their own disciples only, resources only going into making them stronger. This one, however, was mainly sponsored by them… but also by some surrounding factions and the grandmaster himself. Or herself. Chikere hadn't bothered learning the name because she'd assumed it would only replace number twenty or thirty at best, which would have barely been worth the trip. Okay, so replacing a sword was always worth a trip- but it wasn't worth getting worked up for, if it was only one so old.

A large fellow shoved his way in between the two watchers. "Out of the way!" he commanded, though he was certainly tall enough to see without moving past them.

He found himself with two swords pressed against his neck, and a pair pressing against important parts of his inner thighs. "Keep your hands to yourself if you wish to have blood in your body," Chikere commented.

The man snorted, "Don't you mean 'or lose them'?"

"No. Why would I bother with specifically your hands?"

He brushed away Rahayu's sword as he turned towards her. "I have no interest in an old man… but you, girl, have some guts. Not that it'll do you any good. Do you even dare to cut me? Can you?"

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Chikere said. "And I can cut anything."

"Oh yeah?" The man grinned. "Do it. Cut me."

Chikere sized up the man. His self confidence was not entirely misplaced. The instant the two of them had made their moves, his energy had shifted to cover the precise locations of their attacks. He was obviously quite familiar with blades. What was more, judging how tough an opponent's defenses were in other ways was important. If she could cut through an opponent's upper energy but not their armor or flesh, it hardly mattered. With her swords on vital points already, his armor was irrelevant- it was already bypassed and she only had to slice. His body and upper energy however were both significant.

She was impressed. Though she hadn't encountered his cultivation technique in the flesh before, she had a likely candidate. "Swords of Heaven and Earth?"

"That's right," the man said confidently. "I'm Vano."

Chikere focused her eyes on his, her sharp gaze clashing against his. Then, his eyes sprayed two lines of blood as they were cut without a single motion. Chikere turned away from him as she spoke. "I have accomplished your request."

She stepped away from the man called Vano who was yelling and cursing. He'd done well to protect himself from most patterns of attack, but though he came from a sect that tempered the body to be a sword, clearly he had not internalized the concept. Though he would have reacted had she drawn her blade along his throat or had any of them gone towards his face, he had simply been unprepared. Of course, had it been a real battle such an attack would have not been possible. Only because she was given time to gather herself was she able to pierce his natural defenses without a blade. And, Chikere had to admit that even given the circumstances her attack had not been perfect. If it had, neither of his eyes would be able to recover. As it was, he would likely only have to replace one.

It only took a second for Vano to draw a weapon and begin swinging at Chikere, but without being able to see how could he match her? A dozen blades blocked his surprisingly modest weapon, one not carrying the massive weight and size many men of his build would favor. "Do you wish to battle in the streets?" Chikere said. "That is forbidden in this tournament city."

"You attacked me first!" he growled. His blade withdrew in a brilliant manner, slipping past her weapons barring its retreat. A decent move, followed by a horizontal slice that seemed to arrive before it started, switching directions of attack as Chikere blocked- swinging in from her left then suddenly being on her right- but ultimately merely grazing the skin of her neck as she leaned back, leaving a tiny drop of blood leaking out in front of her windpipe.

"You laid hands on us first, and then you specifically requested that I cut you. If I had actually attacked, you would be dead."

Whatever argument Vano had about that, it was cut off by a twenty centimeter wide blade as tall as a man crashing down between them. With it came a man, his hand resting on the hilt like he had been there all along. "Enough." The single word was paired with the feeling of Chikere's head being chopped off- a sensation she was familiar with as it had happened halfway more than once. This time, however, it was simply that. A sensation- or perhaps a promise. "No ruining my tournament. If you want to kill each other, do it off planet or after the tournament."

Chikere was not listening to the man because she was looking at his swords. Not one sword, as it first appeared, but many fit together, their blades meshing side by side. With only a single hilt it would be impossible to properly wield them all in a human's hands- besides the obvious limits that came with lack of limbs- but she couldn't help but wonder if he fought in a similar manner to herself. Ultimately decided based on the part where she felt her head be severed that his style was still quite different.

"O-of course, Grandmaster Smith," Vaso inclined his head and walked away with his teeth clenched. The somewhat temporary loss of his eyes would not prevent him from moving around in a normal fashion- he was a powerful cultivator after all.

"And you?" Chikere realized that the olive skinned man was speaking to her.

"I want your sword," she stated.

"You can't have it," he flatly countered.

"I can when I win the tournament," she turned her head towards the center of the area where the prize was displayed. Then she turned back to the man who was apparently a Grandmaster Smith. "But I would also take those swords should you be willing to give them up."

"Swords?" he raised an eyebrow. "This is just one sword."

Chikere blinked. His touch was all over the weapon- clearly crafted by his own hand as much as the other in the center of the square. "Perhaps we have different definitions of what composes one sword, then." She inclined her head and turned to leave.

Soon enough Rahayu caught up to her away from the square. "I could see both sides of the single or multiple sword argument."

"I could as well," Chikere shrugged, "But I would still say it is several. What about you?"

"I don't think my opinion matters as I would not wield such a blade."

The first opponent Chikere faced in the tournament appeared to be lost, as he quite clearly was wielding a warhammer. She approached cautiously just to make certain he had no swords, but he really didn't. The weapon in his hands was small enough it could have been used as one, but sized to still be comfortable for his current two-handed grip.

Chikere arranged a modest amount of her blades around her. She understood this was still the early stages of the tournament, and skilled swordmasters could see through her style if she showed it in its completeness. She had to treat it as if she were already fighting the best of those in the tournament. Rahayu was in that category as well, but they were already quite familiar with each other. And no doubt both had plans to defeat the other.

The man with the warhammer charged straight for Chikere, swinging his weapon down. She did not dare block, determining that a good majority of her weapons would be shattered upon impact. Tournament protections would keep her from death, they would not protect her equipment from harm if she couldn't handle it. Should she not understand her weapon properties it was her own fault.

The attack was slow enough she was easily able to step to the side. Chikere's other blades lashed out towards the charging man, seeking vital points. He did not appear to have enough energy reserved for defense to stop her.

When she felt the blow to her head she realized that was not a tactical error. Chikere was at least a hundred times better off than the space she had been standing, which now had a sizable fissure torn into the ground, but she was not unharmed. The single hammer blow had not touched her, yet she felt it crash down atop her head and her spread out weapons. The force was not enough to damage them, but they were knocked out of their killing trajectories.

Chikere had not been lacking in seriousness in the battle- her attacks had not been casual, nor had her dodge been anything short of what she intended to be flawless. Clearly, however, this man had insights into a different sort of fighting that extended beyond what she had expected. She sighed. It would have been so much easier if he was a swordmaster of some sort. That would make it easy. She understood swords. Hammers were weird. But she supposed she had to deal with it, even if this guy was probably in the wrong tournament.

Knowing the man could perform attacks with a wider area of impact than he had indicated- even concealing his intent- Chikere was more able to deal with the following actions. When he lifted his warhammer from his downward chop into a sweep, she stepped inward and past the man. She attempted to cut into his arms as she went, her additional weapons positioning themselves in a way she thought they wouldn't all get caught up in any side effects of the swing.

She was half successful, as even the man's forearms possessed the might of a hammer, knocking her main weapon away and forcing her to regain her balance instead of continuing towards an attack on his torso. At least his attack had been too slow to hit her.

Though she wondered if it had to be too slow, or if he was trying to catch her off guard. Even with the simple abilities he displayed, he clearly wasn't weak. She'd have to choose between carefully watching his style for weaknesses, or merely attempting to win quickly. Ah, who was she kidding. Only one of those was her style.

Chapter 557

It was too late to learn the name of this warhammer wielder without it being awkward, but Chikere thought it was almost worthwhile. Despite him not wielding a sword, she was learning something about swordsmanship herself. The wide area attacks with the weight of mountains behind the man's strikes were a different experience. What they taught her was another way to cut things that lacked physicality.

When her blades intersected, cutting apart a cross shape in the man's attacks she saw his eyes widen then focus in a moment of inspiration. For his sake she hoped he could hold onto that for later, because she wasn't going to give him the chance to use whatever he learned against her. The sword in her hands flashed forward, touching his throat at the same time his hammer came down on her shoulder- its force negated momentarily.

"I lose," the man admitted, fortunately clearing things up since outside observers might not understand the results. He swung his warhammer onto his shoulder, "You'd better make good use of that sword if you get it."

"I will."

She still didn't know why he was in the tournament, because she was quite certain he would not have used it. But instead of trying to resolve the mystery, she let it stay. It didn't matter, because there was only one possible end result for who would own the sword.

As Chikere expected, the next matches were against others making use of various sword styles. Some had clearly been lucky in earlier rounds, while others had enough skill that Chikere could learn things from them. Most were marginal improvements, but she couldn't exactly expect to break through to new levels with every battle. Each fractional improvement would add up in ways that would eventually result in a large change that couldn't be placed anywhere along the path of Chikere's growth. Or she would be dead.

A vast number of observers were watching the tournament, but the actual number of participants was no more than a few thousand. Nobody below the Integration stage even had a chance, so they weren't even in the tournament to begin with. Most of the rest were sword cultivators pulled from a large number of systems, with a few others that simply came for the prize, presumably to resell. Despite their strength they did not have the conviction necessary to go far in the tournament.

Then she found herself against Vano. At the current stage of the tournament it was not terribly improbable that they would match up against each other, though also not particularly likely either. Though frankly Chikere did not care how they came to be against each other. "I'm impressed," Chikere said. "You found some very expensive medicine so quickly." Vaso's eyes- whole with only the slightest indication they'd been slashed in the one that had been the worst off- glared at her with intensity. To recover so much in only a day… a few days? A week? However long the tournament had been going. To recover so much in that time took special stuff.

"You're the one who will need treatment after this… if I let you survive."

"An interesting statement," Chikere said. The tournament should have some safety measures in check- she assumed. She hadn't actually checked at any point since it didn't matter to her, but that was the general setup. "... Did you forget your other sword?" Chikere asked as he took his stance.

That threw him off balance for a moment, though it was not her intention. "... What?"

"You can hardly wield the Swords of Heaven and Earth with a single blade."

"You act as if you actually understand the style."

"I've seen it in action," she shrugged. She was quite confident he didn't have another sword, but if he was supposed to she would have let him get it. Perhaps it was simply her opinion that the style would do better with two weapons due to the name, as she'd only technically experienced a single attack. "So are you a heaven style or earth style?"

Vaso's eyebrow twitched. "Everyone is both! Heaven is the power of our upper energy, earth is the power of our bodies." Then the match began, and he seemed less interested in talking than chopping her in half. Or at least he should have been. "Swords of Heaven and Earth: Sundering Skies!"

He actually yelled out the attack name. That couldn't possibly be a good idea. Yet it also didn't detract from the power of his downward slash. It took three swords to parry it even as she dodged to the side. The split it left behind cut apart more than just the skies and the ground, but the space she'd been standing in. Only careful maneuvering had prevented her swords from being part of that which was split apart, their material hardness being irrelevant against such a move. It wasn't the first time Chikere had experienced such a thing, but she was actually surprised that this man could pull it off so easily, even with a cultivation somewhere in the mid Integration stage.

Perhaps she was simply looking down on Vaso because she'd already considered him defeated. Then she realized that the sword in his hands was not the same one he'd carried before. It had a very similar feeling, but it was several steps higher in quality. That sword had been in the area… presumably carried by the sect head, as there wasn't a better one of the same feeling.

Attacks were traded back and forth. Series of quick slashes and thrusts. Vaso's preferred defensive move was to block an attack with a thin sliver of energy and his body, a move that required precision and strong understanding of the sword. He still made use of dodging, of course, but she could tell that was always what he considered first. Chikere preferred avoidance and deflection- blocking or directly taking a hit were barely on her list of potential options, generally below biting an opponent or punching them.

"Swords of Heaven and Earth: Ground's Ascent!"

The upward slash was more than just a potential killing blow or a severed arm in the making. It also moved the ground itself, raising it into the air where it floated, reshaping the terrain. The first slash also remained in place, providing a wall Chikere was unwilling to attempt passing through. As the battle continued, her cloud of swords continued to grow in number. Vaso expertly dealt with all of her incoming attacks while keeping her in an uncomfortable middle range where his slashes were most effective but she had to move closer to make use of her preferred style. Not that she couldn't extend the reach of her sword a handful of meters if she needed.

Vaso continued to call out names of moves, and Chikere found it didn't affect her ability to respond to them in any way. Knowing what he was doing was clear enough from his motions, and the words didn't really exist until the entire phrase was said. Or something to that effect.

If Vaso had been even slightly lacking in either energy or body, she would have turned any of the tiny nicks and scrapes he had into deadly wounds long before. As it was, she found herself nearly in the path of so many attacks- and avoiding them didn't leave her unharmed. Blood flowed down her limbs and torso, her light but exceptionally durable armor punctured in several places.

Chikere worked her way forward, a cloud of blades limiting her opponent's movement as she danced among the hanging chunks of ground, leaping off of them to where her opponent was now standing in the sky. She was quite done, and she felt she sufficiently understood his style. As she jumped off a floating hunk of rock, her left hand grabbed the hilt of number two, normally left to roam freely as she held number one in two hands to improve her maneuvering.

"Swords of Heaven and Earth: Heaven and Earth Meet!" Vaso's sword sliced horizontally, well over Chikere's head. Then suddenly, they were both on flat ground. It was as if the previous attacks had not happened- and what's more, his initial downward stroke was coming towards her at the same time as his current horizontal slice.

Chikere looked him dead in the eyes. Since he was aware, she would no longer be able to cut him merely with willpower. "Swords of Heaven and Earth…" Chikere called out. What was a good name for this move? Ah. There it was. "Severing Eyes!"

Ten swords countered the attacks of Vaso's first and last moves, some swinging down and back where the lingering power of Sundering Skies actually came from. Others directly chopped for the blade coming at her from both sides. In a way, it was almost two or more swords.

Chikere's arms crossed each other as her blades sprang outward, their trajectory bringing them through the front of Vaso's face. That was the point defensive formations would have prevented her, if they had been fully active. They still tried to stop her, but her momentary theft of the essence of his technique set them back even further in their partially disabled state. Though Chikere had been willing to push through them at full capacity regardless.

Vaso cried out. "My eyes!" His hands clasped onto his face.

Chikere sighed as she looked at the chipped sword he dropped. It was far too strong to sunder, but chips like that were nearly impossible to repair perfectly. What a waste. Too bad they wouldn't let her keep it… but for the moment she snatched it away. "You lose."

"My eyes, you destroyed my eyes!"

"Yes. We went over this… yesterday?" Chikere honestly hadn't paid attention to the passage of time, as being in matches and observing them had become one continuous experience overlapping with itself. "You're the one who literally asked to be cut."

"This isn't possible…" Vaso fell to his knees. "They were replaced with heavenly jewels. They can't be cut."

"Swords of Heaven and Earth: Sundering Eyes can cut anything that is eyes."

"That's not one of our moves! You just made that up!"

"It could have been, though. If you were willing to use two swords."

Chikere finally heard her official declaration of victory. She left the chipped sword just at the exit, as she pondered the muscles in her arms and how they wouldn't do anything anymore. She would take note that using moves requiring a highly tempered body were possible… at least once.

Chikere did not find the use of her arms necessary against her next several opponents, and she was pleased to find she hadn't completely ruined her muscles when they were vaguely recovered in time for her match with Rahayu. She certainly wouldn't try anything like the Swords of Heaven and Earth, but she could swing her arms while only causing them temporary damage.

As this match happened to be the last in the tournament, it was also the last one she had to win. The chances of her facing Rahayu in the final spot were… basically one hundred percent with how the bracket had been placed. She didn't care about the other factors involved.

The two opponents faced off wordlessly. Their swords would say everything necessary. They moved, and from the perspective of most observers there was only a single move exchanged. At the very least, with Rayahu's sword stabbing directly through Chikere's neck and hers into his heart, it appeared that way. There was more to it than that, but a drawn out fight wouldn't have been good for either of them.

Rahayu clicked his tongue as he stepped back, his sword withdrawing. "Can't believe you avoided everything important. I couldn't even extend my cuts. You win this time."

The hole in Chikere's neck from front to back did seem like it should be significantly more deadly than her own sword barely poking into the outside of Rahayu's heart, but the vertical blade had passed between veins and arteries, past the spine and even slipping between most of the important muscle groups, angled slightly as it slipped out the back right side.

"I-I w-win," Chikere nodded, her voice strained as she hadn't considered protecting her vocal chords high priority. "I will nooow claim my prize." She walked towards the end of the arena that was where the tournament's prize was kept. She couldn't help but drool as she looked at that sword which she would soon hold in her hand.

Before she could even touch the outer layer of formations, several figures landed around her- including some old sword guy who might have been in the late Integration Stage. All were from the Harmonious Citadel, "Hold on there, bandit. We can't just hand over the prize to a criminal."

"W-what is this?" Chikere said poorly. "A sud-sudden shift in t-terms? Who could have p-possibly anticipated this?" As the Harmonious Citadel moved against her, hundreds of other 'onlookers' in the crowd suddenly sprang into motion as well. Chikere grinned. Finally, it was time to start. After she got that sword in her hands.

Chapter 558

As the old sword guy appeared in front of her with a few more, further individuals were intercepted by people in the stands. Chikere looked at the old sword guy, then towards the now barely guarded weapon that was supposed to be the prize of the tournament- but which would probably have never been given away to anyone. "Rahayu! Stop this old guy!"

Rahayu frowned, taking in his opponent- and his sword. "Fine, I guess I did technically lose that bout. That should be a decent enough upgrade."

Before the guy from the Harmonious Citadel could protest in any manner, Rahayu was already cutting towards him, making him quite occupied. Meanwhile, Chikere dashed through the others that had come along. Several lines of blood were drawn along her as they sought her death, but their skills were lacking. Especially given that they were in the Harmonious Citadel. Chikere hadn't thought that something written for a broad audience such as Citadel's Downfall could possibly have given her useful insights, but upon actually looking at it… there were even things she hadn't considered to counter their techniques, small weaknesses that were sufficient to exploit.

With a sword, of course. The author's insane suggestion to just shoot them with a bow was immediately disregarded. Still, she only needed just enough edge for them to die and her to not. Her army of swords dashed along with her, cutting down several figures in her way.

The outer formation around the sword was now down, as the guards had lowered it to join the surrounding battle which involved more than the Harmonious Citadel had anticipated- but as those involved with running the tournament they weren't lacking in presence. In fact, there were several powerful figures unanticipated by Chikere. Not just the Harmonious Citadel, but those who were foolish enough to be their allies.

The prize sword glinted spectacularly where it was currently stowed near the arena's best seats. Chikere leapt towards it, only to find her way barred by an old woman this time. "Don't think you can just move as you please."

Chikere clicked her tongue. A spear. She could fight against that, but it would be pointless. It wouldn't even be able to enter her arsenal. "Out of the w-way." Chikere still had trouble talking due to the hole through her neck. "I'm c-claiming my priiize."

"It would never belong to one such as you," the woman said. "You are unworthy to touch a weapon made by the Grandmaster Smith Sadiq."

"Who? Oh, t-that guy?" Chikere's swords did not stop with her, forming a semicircle off to one side of the woman. "T-too bad. I can have whatever swords I w-want."

"That is untrue." Chikere didn't have time to react when the man appeared next to his swords-conglomeration that he claimed was a single sword. She'd barely even noticed it dropping from the sky next to her. "My weapons only go to those who are worthy."

On two sides of her, Chikere felt a spear thrusting to take her life, and a sword with power she couldn't imagine facing… at her current level of power. She had sufficient confidence that she would reach that point with time. Her response was to charge straight forward, along the side of the old woman where she'd placed her own swords. There was no way she could defend against both… but she didn't have to.

A portion of the arena exploded as swords and spear clashed. Chikere knew the sword hadn't been coming for her, or she would have had no choice but to bet her life just to survive a single second. As the shockwaves of the attacks met, the ground rumbled and the clouds parted, and Chikere was quite glad that the sword's menace, at least, didn't follow her. Those who were smart had already been fleeing the area, not wanting to get involved in the battle- but several behind the old woman were cut down as a blade of force continued past her. The old woman held her spear, sliding and creating sparks against the smith's blade. "What is the meaning of this, Sadiq?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said. "I created you a blade to be the prize in a grand tournament, and what have you done? How will it go to someone worthy now?"

"The Harmonious Citadel has many disciples who-"

"Are unworthy. Otherwise I would have made it for them."

"You can't possibly allow the weapon to go to a bandit and insurrectionist!"

"And why not?" Sadiq asked. "She won the tournament with her blades."

The two fellows were talking quite casually for the way their intensity was beating against each other, sharp enough to kill anyone who got too close if they weren't strong enough. Chikere heard them, but wasn't paying much attention. She was focused on her prize, ready to slice open the inner formations and take it. Unfortunately, someone got there first. A woman with natural dark skin was there ahead of her, disarming the formation and putting her hands on Chikere's sword.

"What…" Chikere coughed as she spoke before she could finish her questions. "Let g-go of myyy sword!"

The woman was from the Harmonious Citadel. Mid Integration stage, perhaps. Not young, but neither was she old. She turned casually towards the charging Chikere. "It's not yours. It was always destined to end up with someone like me."

Chikere tilted her head. She had sarcastic questions, but her throat hurt and talking seemed pointless. As she tilted, her swarm of swords curved along with her head motion.

The woman held her stolen sword in one hand while she pulled another from a sheathe at her waist. "I see you are a collector," she said. "But such inferior weapons won't do you much good, nor will your quantity."

Chikere had to admit the woman had some skill. Especially with the way her swords scissored around Chikere's own blades and snapped them apart. Sure, they were absolutely the inferior ones- ranked fifty or less- but it was still blasphemy. But the woman was fast, keeping just on the edge of the cloud of swords while Chikere chased after her, slowed by surrounding battles and interference from other disciples. More swords were destroyed. It was quickly clear the woman was doing it just to aggravate her. She recalled them, sending them back into sheathes and storage bags.

"So you do recognize your own weakness. Each blade you control is weaker than the last. Though I suppose there's no point in giving you a lesson since you won't have a chance to make use of it after you're captured and executed."

Chikere just mouthed words with her lips. The only thing she actually put voice to was, "You're dead."

A flash of movement and Chikere was in front of the woman wielding two swords. Chikere's arms were outstretched, but the two blades locked around her. With a twist, her sword was flung from her hand. With the same motion, she cut gashes into each of Chikere's shoulders, not quite avoidable. She was fast, and her power was certainly real. "You'd better surrender before you lose something."

That was the problem with some people. First of all, if Chikere were going to die it didn't matter if she lost her arms or legs a bit before that. Second, some people were afraid of minor consequences to an excessive degree. She steeled her gaze, extending her empty hands in front of her. She did not have to move, but instead she reacted to her opponent's intent.

One sword came for each of her arms. Chikere reached out for both. The one to her right, her opponent's left, was just a bit weaker and slower. It sharpness a few degrees less refined. It would be a good number two or three. It cut into her starting with her hand then made its way up her arm. Chikere did not intend to allow such a thing to happen, but she couldn't stop it. What a pity. The blade was making it way closer to her, where she would be cut in half.

But… so was the other blade- on her left side, in her opponent's right hand. But as it thrust into her palm, it did not waver in its position or trajectory. It did not cut through her- and though it stabbed deeper, once it was out the back of her hand it hardly meant anything. Chikere stepped forward with her left foot, angling her right side back to keep what was left of her arm there intact a moment longer, and reaching her left forward further until her fingers closed around the crossguard of her new sword.

The fact that her opponent was currently holding it had indeed crossed Chikere's mind, but she wasn't going to let something like that stop her. Nor did she worry about the way it ground against the bones inside her fingers as she twisted it out of her opponent's grip, nor the way it cut as she twisted her wrist around without withdrawing the blade. She had no time for that, and the blade simply twisted around and cut off her opponent's arm at the elbow.

Both opponents took a step back, but only Chikere was grinning, her right arm fully mangled and her left held in the least comfortable manner possible to hold the blade forward, her fingers clutching white knuckled on the crossguard to barely touch their tips on the hilt itself.

"... What's wrong with you?" the woman asked.

"... My sword," Chikere said. Honestly, it was so inconvenient to have a hole through her neck. She couldn't wait until it healed. Too bad her arm wouldn't do that, despite the cut being clean.

When her opponent tried to step forward, presumably to 'finish off' Chikere with her one good arm now that Chikere had two nearly crippled arms, she found the motion difficult. Then she had to sweep her sword behind her to deflect incoming attacks, not able to deal with the blade embedded in her foot. Chikere hadn't called back all of her sword… she'd merely stopped directing them to attack. Unfortunately the woman's energy was keeping Chikere from extending the power of the blade further up her leg, but it still held her in place just enough.

Chikere dashed forward, intent on cutting her in two. As it turned out, with insufficient power and a grip that couldn't even be deemed 'abnormal' made it difficult. The woman was spun all the way back around to face Chikere having deflected her blades in an instant, their weapons clashing. Gouges were torn in the arena behind Chikere from excess energy, but her body remained mostly intact. Except for the arm thing and a little gash on her front.

Before Chikere could do more, her opponent leapt up- leaving the sword behind. Instead of falling back down, she stood upon the air. "Chikere the bandit. I will remember this insult." Then, she turned to flee. Chikere might have chased the woman, but she'd already gotten her sword. She would like that other one, but her goal was accomplished.

She looked down at her right arm and cut it off at the shoulder. It would be easier to stop the flow if it was a clean cut, and she hadn't been able to maneuver the damage to be something that could be fixed. With bandages supplementing a cap of her energy, she was no longer bleeding there.

She flicked her hand to open her bag and pulled out a bottle of pills. She couldn't remember what went into it, but there were a few different kinds. Some were for one thing, some another. She just downed the whole thing. Blood replenishment and wound closing pills had to be part of that.

Then she looked around, setting her sight on the next target. Anyone from the Harmonious Citadel. That old woman with the spear was already fleeing Sadiq, and he seemed content to let her go… but the more damage Chikere could cause to them the better the whole plan would have gone.

She grinned as the medicine coursed through her veins. Life was good. The Harmonious Citadel was being shamed, and she had a new sword. Shame about the arm though.

Chapter 559

Most people would have said that trading an arm for a sword was a bad deal, but Chikere wouldn't agree with them. Would she have preferred to get it without losing an arm? Absolutely. But there was more to it than just losing an arm and getting a weapon. If she had wanted to simply have her right arm, she could have not fought for the sword. She could have settled down for a few decades, trained herself, and found whoever owned the weapon later. She had no doubt she'd be able to get it.

But now she knew how she matched up against skilled cultivators. The kind who were expected to reach at least late Integration and who might progress to Augmentation. And she was quite confident she wouldn't end up with a narrow victory next time. She learned a lot by experiencing it with her body.

Catarina came to her after the battle- many people had disguised themselves to be ready. Chikere was simply the best bait… and the one that seemed easiest to draw out. Which she probably was. "Do you need help growing back your arm?"

"Growing back… my arm?" Chikere tilted her head. "I… hadn't planned to do that."

"Really? Don't you need it? Is it not your good arm?"

"My left arm is pretty good too," Chikere shrugged. "But either way, I think I'll stay like this for a while."

"That's… a terrible idea. If you don't start now, it will be more difficult to restore it."

"So? Rahayu sacrificed an arm and a leg for his ascension. Sometimes, you have to give things up for his growth."

"First, that's crazy," Catarina pointed out. "Second, he has all his limbs. They were just injured! If you want to not use your arm you could just grow it back and not use it."

"Sounds lazy," Chikere shook her head. "I need to commit to this."

Catarina sighed. "Fine. I was going to help since you were an important part of this operation, but… if you don't want it."

"I'm fine, thanks."

"At least we won pretty definitively, which makes it harder for them to cover up. Independents weren't particularly interested in the Harmonious Citadel to begin with, but such open duplicity will be trouble for them. Especially since they emphasized the tournament was open to everyone so much. Though Vari mentioned their internal control of information is fairly concrete."

The big victory was not winning a single sword- not for the group as a whole, at least. It was simply having a clear and obvious defeat of the Harmonious Citadel- and what damage they had caused. They couldn't take over Thaizuno and use it as staging grounds for further operations- in fact, they had to pack up and leave in rather short order- but catching a significant group outside of proper Harmonious Citadel territory was a boon.

As they discussed the benefits to their alliance, they were approached by an older man, one that Chikere now recognized and even remembered the name of. "Grandmaster Smith Sadiq," Chikere inclined her head, holding up the blade. "This is a good sword."

"Of course it is. Spent five years on it. Speaking of which, as I can't trust the Harmonious Citadel to follow through on their agreements anymore, I'm looking for a new place of residence."

"Yes," Chikere said.

"I have not yet asked a question or proposed any course of action," Sadiq pointed out.

"I require further swords of this quality," Chikere said firmly. "Join us and make them."

"You think it's so simple? Even if I had the materials to make something like that- which I don't- I also need a good forge and inspiration."

"Where is the forge?" Chikere asked. "We will take it."

"Hmm," Sadiq nodded, "Confidence is good. But this one was on Rouhiri."

Chikere bit her lip and looked down at her left arm, then her legs. "I will not be able to acquire it just yet. But we have some remnants of Everheart's."

"Oh, that's right," the large old man nodded, leaning on his oversized combination of what was definitely multiple swords beneath one handle, blades overlapping. "You're the ones who took over Everheart's Tomb."

"We did," Chikere confirmed.

"Did you punch him in the face?"

"Unfortunately we did not have the opportunity," Catarina inserted herself into the conversation. "Not literally, at least. Though I do believe he was quite upset when he made his way off planet."

Sadiq grinned. "Heh. Good to hear he had something stolen from him in turn. There's a good chance the forge there was once mine. That guy was annoyingly adept at removing entire structures that were meant to be stationary…"

"I did hear about that," Catarina nodded. "Anyway, we have plenty of space for you to get set up… and in a volcano, or not if that's not actually helpful. We'd be glad to have you."

"I think I would like that, yes," the man nodded. "At least I'd know there would be someone worthy of my work and able to appreciate its value," he turned his head towards Chikere who was grinning from ear to ear. "Don't expect anything quickly though."

"I will wait for more swords as long as I need to. And I will help you acquire a worthy forge and materials."

Back in the lower realms, war had been over for a decade. It wasn't just nominal peace, either. There was trade- hesitant, certainly, and not large scale- between the systems of the trifold alliance and those in the Sylanis Cluster. It was entirely possible for things to return to conflict at some point in the future, but the groups there were less consolidated.

Anton was now having to consider how he would expand his assimilated stars without any particular indication of what he might want. Leaving too many of his options unbound would slow his growth intolerably. Highest on the list were a few in the neighborhood of Ceretos where people might one day settle, but they were still busy filling out their own system. Even if they rushed things, a decade or two before expanding to other systems was close to the reasonable minimum. The benefits of 'easy' access to some resources might also be outweighed by the lack of natural life and the very competition people might want to avoid. With nobody to trade with, would such excursions be profitable? That was something people would have to find out.

Personally, Anton was more interested in seeing if life could be sustained on such planets, but it was more complicated than just chucking down a few trees, bushes, and animals. At least, if it was going to be anything functional over a longer period. Anton had an excellent understanding of how to manage all of that for places like Graotan. He'd studied other countries and beyond for the sake of building up the planet's natural energy, and could at least do a half decent job. But another planet, starting from nothing… that was in the realm of the theoretical. Rutera had some ideas, of course. So did Weos.

Perhaps it might be appropriate to found a new system with elements from each part of the trifold alliance, though it would have to be physically close to one of them. Such an effort would take decades to even consider starting… but that was something they had now.

Somewhere close to a century hence, the tides of the world would have shifted naturally- though whether the current short cycles was actually natural was unclear- and their worlds would be open for invasion. There was some possibility that it might not be all at once, the timing in different systems off by weeks or months. If they had years… they would actually be able to provide significant support between systems. Either way, they were busy combining their expertise for mutual defense.

When Anton had been a young man, it had been hard to get a village to agree upon dealing with roads or community projects that were going to take five or ten years. Perhaps he himself had even been casual about such things, losing interest as time dragged on. Now, keeping people focused for a century- another century- seemed almost impossible. Except there was a very useful thing Anton could point out. A good portion of people would be alive for that, and if they weren't going to be they still hoped for it. At the very least Anton could confidently say that the generation being born now would live that long if they put even the slightest devotion into their cultivation. And anyone who made it to Essence Collection could expect to live to at least a hundred and fifty, perhaps two hundred.

That was for humans, of course. As for void ants… the matter was quite unclear. Not all of them grew stronger, and they could die of old age. But some showed no real signs of aging besides an increase in size, like the Great Queen. Overall he could say vaguely approximate to humans, except perhaps tending more towards the extremes. Like the void ants themselves, the youngest of which were barely sapient though able and expected to act on their own unlike human children. Yet they were never really independent, fulfilling their role in an organized structure- again, much like most humans.

The moon. Currently, the largest organized gathering of the Tomb Seeking Cult, as much as they were ever organized. Some of them had taken the effort to dig up Everheart's tomb there, hoping to find signs. As with most, it was collapsed far beyond what seemed reasonable, formations weighing their current time against the future to sustain structures. The gardens in particular were a true loss, the living creatures there perishing with the tomb itself… though not aging like the actual structure. In short, whatever people had not brought away with them had perished in the physical collapse of the underground caverns that housed their ecosystem. The only thing remaining had been things with minimal requirements for life like bacteria and fungi.

That did not include void ants. "I suppose you're officially the progenitor of all void ants now," Anton said solemnly. "Did you know this was going to happen, when you snuck into my bag?"

The Great Queen shook her head. "I don't think I really understood back then. I was adventurous, and it seemed interesting. Though I did have some sense that this place wouldn't last," she signed her words as Anton carried her through some of the dug out area.

"It's unfortunate," Anton admitted. "Though I am quite glad we got you instead of a less cooperative individual."

"Had someone improper led the void ants, we might have only managed a few years of explosive growth before we were determined to be a threat. Humans would have been quite capable of eradicating us, with motivation. As for my sisters, I do not remember them. We were born queens we struck out on our own before truly understanding each other, and after our colonies were established we interacted little. Though I understand we must have remained sensibly conservative."

"A difficult thing," Anton admitted. "Humans always want more and more."

"Even so, you restrain yourselves… or face harsh consequences. You are simply larger."

"I wonder what was here," Anton said. "That… they were encouraged to dig this place up."

"You think Everheart manipulated them?" The sign for Everheart's name was just a rude gesture, something the man himself found quite amusing to discover. Even if anyone from the Tomb Seeking Cult had been around, however, it was unlikely they would have understood the reference to him.

"I know they have been manipulated. I just don't know if it was for a purpose."

"It is rather late to dig all this up, when it could have been done decades earlier by Everheart's own hand."

"And that's the problem. He would have had to do it alone… that's quite a bit of work. And though I believe he would be capable, it wouldn't have helped his injuries." Anton couldn't quite tell how injured the old man was at current. He didn't see a way the man could be back at full power- though in truth his actual full power was likely impossible to make use of in the lower realms, regardless of health and reattuning to natural energy. But despite his suspicions… Anton still trusted him enough to believe he was either working for entirely selfish purposes that would not cause enough harm to send anyone after him, or potentially working against future invasions.

Or he might just be messing with the cult. He did enjoy doing that.

Chapter 560

As might be expected, it was rather difficult to develop new formations to synchronize transmitters over a vast distance, and even more so when one wanted to convey complicated information. Anton had been expecting that to be an eternal project for Catarina and Everheart, but here he was mere decades after the project had begun, looking at a printed technique from the upper realms, one that had a decent semblance of the insights that had been woven into the original. Yes, printed- with Ruteran technology. Modified, of course, into a unique machine of great price.

It was too bad that it had taken a month for the technique to arrive after it had overcome the time delays between them. In short, there was no way to rapidly trade techniques. They had to choose carefully what they wished to exchange. To the upper realms, they first sent Worldbinding techniques- they were less personal than Assimilation, but might still contain useful information. Catarina and the rest of the group already had access to nearly everything from Ceretos, and thus most lower realms techniques weren't that interesting. In a somewhat selfish request, Anton had asked for a modern version of the Harmonious Citadel's archery techniques to be one of those first transmitted from the upper realms. Everheart had a version that was over a century old, but seeing how they were developing would be useful.

Anton still wished they could personally exchange insights, comparing their divergent paths, but that would have to wait. Not forever, but the time Anton spent with those who had now ascended would match the time they were apart. All assuming, of course, that he lived that long. His internal examinations were still unclear about his lifespan. He wasn't feeling older as his cultivation grew, but neither did he feel younger. The one who might have the best insights into the subject he preferred not to discuss actual worries with.

In front of Anton, sitting with him in the Sect Head's lounge was a man who he had a great fondness for… but it was his benevolent nature that meant Anton didn't spend as much time with him as he should. Elder Vincent was not a man of war, despite his technical ability to fight. And despite having a good sense for who could cultivate, the man was not supremely talented himself. Though Anton had to remember something important- it was abnormal for himself or anyone else to reach the peak of Life Transformation in a century. It just so happened there had been an unusual batch of cultivators all at the same time which was… strangely more likely than a small number, according to what records existed.

"A hundred and fifty years since you set me on this path," Anton said. "I'm glad you've reached this point. Congratulations are in order."

The man smiled. He was younger than Anton, and maintained that look as his cultivation advanced. He didn't look to be in his prime like some, but he was at most middle aged. A few wrinkles, maybe some stray gray hairs. But Anton honestly didn't believe he would have felt right if he looked younger. "Don't congratulate me just yet," Vincent said. "I have not yet taken the next step."

"And yet," Anton countered, "Most also don't reach the point where they could take this step. Besides, I have seen your devotion. I believe you will succeed."

"I can't help but have doubts," Vincent sighed.

"About what?"

"My talent. My chosen path. Whether it's even possible… and whether I should bother. If I don't make this attempt…" he furrowed his brow, "I still have centuries of life to look forward to, doing what I enjoy."

"If that is what you choose, I will not fault you," Anton said. "That is merely a matter of priorities. You don't need more power to seek out disciples, or to provide guidance to those beginning their paths. But," Anton paused on the word, "I sense that you would regret not making this attempt. You have to decide whether that regret would be greater than what might be lost if you fail."

Vincent sighed, "How do you choose such a thing?"

Anton shrugged, "You just have to. I might suggest conveniently being rid of most of your worldly attachments and near the end of your lifespan. It's a great motivator."

Vincent laughed, "Perhaps I will. Or… perhaps I won't. I suppose I could wait centuries and make the choice then."

"If you seriously consider that option, don't forget Vandale," Anton warned. "Though in your case, you won't necessarily be giving up an ambition. It's different for those going through Ascension."

Vincent nodded, "Though it is quite appealing to have all of the upper realms to spread the One Hundred Stars, we have little structure to support people there, despite the amazing things I have heard. And… my ambitions are not so wild that I cannot be satisfied with a few billion individuals to work with."

"Don't forget Rutera and Weos," Anton said.

"I'm not sure they would be happy with me poaching talented individuals."

"It's called 'promoting immigration'," Anton grinned. "Besides, if it's truly suitable for them it would be better. And… maybe we should be creating branch locations already. Being centralized here in Graotan is not bad, given the availability of teleportation formations. Official locations in other systems seem prudent at this point."

"Sounds interesting," Vincent admitted. "But I have plenty to roam here on Ceretos for the moment. Maybe I'll change my mind next century." He stood up from the table after finishing his tea. "I have made my decision. I don't know what will happen should I fail… but don't expect anything spectacular no matter what happens."

"You're making the attempt at Assimilation, then?" Anton asked.

Vincent nodded. "The Order doesn't need me anymore. Perhaps it hasn't needed me since I recruited you… that was the most impactful decision I made, thinking nothing would come of it. But… I would still like to remain here for the Order, and see how far I can go."

Anton watched, without interfering or being an oppressive presence, as Vincent made his way around the Order. But while observing such a thing was in a way an invasion of privacy, ignoring a potential Assimilation would leave potentially valuable cultivation insights by the wayside for no reason.

Vincent certainly didn't do any of the 'typical' steps, as if there was such a thing for Assimilation. Except for one thing, which involved powerful sources of natural energy. Instead, he was just walking around the sect, talking to people and shaking hands. Elder Vincent was likely known by more people in the sect than Anton. Oh, sure, everyone knew Anton's name. He was the Sect Head, after all. And while Anton was by no means unfriendly… he didn't know tens of thousands of people. Maybe hundreds of those in the Order, but that was it. Vincent, however, had recruited maybe one in ten- which was an insane proportion given the explosive growth of the Order in the last century and how many people were attracted to it simply from hearing about it.

There were standards for entry, of course. Not cultivation talent anymore, but measures of personality and morality. People didn't have to be flawless, but they had to strive towards what was right, even if they failed.

And Vincent was frequently out in the world finding those who were suited to join. More than that, he remembered those he recruited. The only reason he'd been unclear on Anton near the beginning was because he had expected Anton to perish in his pursuit of cultivation rather than achieving rapid successes.

As Vincent moved between people, Anton felt it. The strings of connection, like those of Alaia- but not quite the same. Alaia's had been impersonal, a bond formed for the sake of convenience. This, on the other hand, was merely the strengthening of something that existed. Even if they only interacted with Vincent infrequently, everyone recruited by him remembered him fondly.

The differences between Worldbinding and Assimilation were more a matter of perspective than mechanical differences. Both, at least, were a method to step beyond the boundaries of Life Transformation without Ascension. Both allowed connecting to people or places, with rarer connections to concepts. Vincent had access to information on both, putting together this path for himself, as all had to.

Through the connections that Vincent was strengthening- they already existed, if not in the same form- Anton felt small bits and pieces of the man lingering behind. A serious commitment- if his method failed or was not completed, the results would be devastating. Then again, how could he hope to step into the next stage without risk? That was not how cultivation worked. Though of course, the risks were lesser if one strode the right path for themself.

It took days for Vincent to pass through the whole of the Order, and when Anton thought he was finished, his task complete, Vincent stepped out of the gates of the sect onto the road. Certainly, not everyone Vincent had recruited would be present at the Order at all times… but seeking them out was likely less efficient than waiting for them to return. If he got in contact with them remotely, they might all come to him.

But that wouldn't have been Vincent, if he chose that route. Anton hoped things worked out for him as intended. He could possibly step over the threshold at any point… or fail right before the end. And nothing Anton did would be able to help.

By all of Anton's calculations, his message to the Hidden System had passed into and then through their system some years prior at the latest. There had been no response- either something had caused a response to fail or more likely there had never been a response to begin with. It was possible it had been missed, despite being intentionally obvious, but Anton found it easier to presume that the system cut itself off on purpose and preferred to maintain its status.

He took a moment to visit each of the places he had left communications devices in the surrounding systems, finding them intact and undisturbed. That also didn't mean anything. Perhaps they did not survey their nearby systems, or simply hadn't in the last decade or so.

Anton had simply hoped there would be a response. Knowing why they were isolated- outside of mere speculation- could provide some catharsis. At a certain point, however, he was unsure if there even really was a system where he speculated. Now that he had returned, with some more experience under his belt, he felt not only the unnatural tides but also the presence of stars. His Assimilation made the latter possible- and he was quite careful to avoid forming any actual connection. With the tides as they were, he couldn't determine anything more. Was it a binary or other such system with multiple stars, or several systems packed closely together? He was curious, but no answers were forthcoming.

Though Anton felt as if he were simply waiting, he was never truly unoccupied. Cultivation filled any gaps in his time, but there were many responsibilities to fulfill. Though he wished it were otherwise, Ceretos didn't just remain at peace with itself all on its own. It required constant oversight and a bit of an implied threat. Assimilation cultivators were slowly forming throughout, which unfortunately made it more likely that there would be a return to competition of some sort.

Fortunately, resources and space were no longer limited in the same way they had been. It was possible for people to expand outward rather than fight each other. Though Anton wasn't willing to settle for deferred troubles. Instead, he had to keep up with the other sects, arbitrating issues in some cases and in others simply overseeing deals. Hopefully, that would head things of permanently… or at least as permanently as anything could be in the world. If nothing else, it should last until the arrival of a common foe in the next invasion.

Chapter 561

Of all the people Anton knew, the most irreplaceable was perhaps Kohar. She did all of the things that Anton could not do himself- obtaining results that could not be achieved through diplomacy, including violence of the threat of violence. In a perfect world, she would be around forever to deal with whatever issues arose. Though if the world was perfect, she would be unnecessary. Either way, that was not this world.

Kohar was getting older. That was clear- and her cultivation speed was not improving. With the general trending upward of the natural energy upon Ceretos and a reasonable amount of devotion, she had risen from her initial status at the peak of Body Tempering to eventually reach the peak of Spirit Building. And now, close to a hundred and fifty years after Anton had first begun interacting with her, she was slowly crawling her way into late Essence Collection. Each step was slower, and it was quite clear to Anton that she would not reach Life Transformation unless something exceptional happened.

"If you devoted all of your time to cultivation-" Anton began, but Kohar waved him off.

"Then I wouldn't get anything important done. I can't split my focus like you. I have to achieve my legacy the normal way. By raising a successor."

Pointing out that he'd trained many who could potentially be his successor wouldn't be valuable to the conversation, so Anton instead turned to consider Lynnette. She was the best and brightest of Kohar's young trainees, taking to both energy cultivation and the law with gusto. "It will take a while yet for her to come even close to your experience."

"Maybe…" Kohar said. "Though with that reading technique poring over an entire planet's worth of laws might actually be achievable."

"It helps that we're consolidating some, I imagine."

"Working from a good core is important… as well as stating why laws exist." Kohar rubbed her forehead, "You have no idea how many laws were made for a specific problem that nobody remembers. Yet they remain on the books, enforced by people who are strict or petty or…" she waved her hands vaguely. "Actively evil, sometimes."

"How long do you think it would take to come up with a reasonable system?" Anton asked.

"Depends. I'd say between five and five hundred years." Kohar snorted, "Depending on if people would be willing to just throw out everything."

"So closer to the long end."

"Oh, I'm sure it could be measured in decades if people are cooperative. Also, it depends on if we'd be integrating with Weos and Rutera. Just laws for technology…"

"The laws should be similar regardless of technology," Anton said. "Harming people is harm to them regardless of the tools. But I suppose that might have to be spelled out."

"It sure does," Kohar sighed. "I'm not going to be around forever, but at least I have people like Lynnette to imbue a good spirit into laws we work with."

Anton nodded. She and those like her would work on that, and he would do his best to deal with those that didn't care. Laws that were well crafted could protect people from day-to-day problems, when made by the right people. And though Anton understood them quite well, to the point he could be considered an expert by some, he found it much the same as formations. He could manage to deal with them, but true experts with proper devotion should be the ones if they were available.

Anton found himself in a new system. If they were to be interacting with the Sylanis Cluster peacefully, he needed to be able to visit all of it. Because he was not going to let himself be weak in territory he planned to frequent- his experiences on Gnadus being more than sufficient in that area- he bound to the star of the final system. Even if he had completely trusted the people involved- which he didn't- appearing weak would also be a problem even if they didn't try to kill him immediately.

Gemurn was an interesting planet full of life and many different sects. Its main feature was its great size. Though it shared the features of most habitable planets- appearing in a habitable zone a certain distance from stars, having an atmosphere and a solid terrain for plants and animals to live- it was significantly larger than the other examples. It was approximately twice the radius of Ceretos and thus the surface area was approximately quadruple, it still had a gravity close small enough for non-cultivators to survive. Clearly there were internal differences that made it less massive than it might appear.

Today, Anton was not meeting with Worldbinding cultivators. That meant he could have sent someone else… but his presence would change the negotiations. Two sects inhabited a certain sort of forest that produced platinum oak trees with excellent features for making bows. Unlike Cheitov, only a small portion of Gemurn was devoted to forestry. This was a place inhabited and used for smaller scale operations.

A small amount had been purchased for the Order of One Hundred Stars, but with their great numbers- and many inspired by Anton's strength to train in the bow- he wanted to secure a greater supply. Platinum oak wood could be used for bows that beginners could use but also took well to enchantments, making them useful for those with greater requirements.

The representatives of the Dazzling Glimmer Sect and the Dark Forest Sect were both present with Anton. They were in a neutral grove between the two, which ultimately meant an area claimed by both. While not exactly enemies, they certainly got into frequent scuffles. That was the information Anton came equipped with, hoping to use it to his own advantage. He didn't intend to start an actual battle, but instead provoke competition that would allow him to get a reasonable price. What he was asking for was worth the effort.

"Gentlemen," Anton said after proper pleasantries had been exchanged, looking at the respectively thin and squat representatives of the sects. "You know I have come here with plans to purchase platinum oak for the Order of One Hundred Stars. We have traded with both of you to some extent already. However, today I intend to ask for a bit… more. I wish not for just wood and lumber, but actual trees. And the requirements to grow them."

The two stiffened. The man from the Dazzling Glimmer spoke up first, "We have maintained control of such things for quite some time now. Why would we just give it up?"

"Indeed," the shorter man added, "It is a consistent flow of income for our sects. If you have reasonable requirements, we can sell you what you need at not unreasonable prices."

Anton nodded, walking over to admire one of the trees. Its bark shone with a metallic glint, and though Anton could not say it truly resembled platinum on the outside, the inner parts were even more impressive. But the functionality was more important than its beauty, in the end. "I understand you would not wish to give up a monopoly. How could it be worthwhile? But actually… I have plenty of reasons it would be worthwhile. First of all, we are willing to pay a not insignificant price. That will allow you to invest in other areas now instead of growing slowly."

"And yet, it is clear you desire this material greatly," the first man said. "We don't plan to gouge you, but we must charge what things are worth." A true statement, more or less. Though perhaps if Anton was someone else the prices would be higher.

"There is more," Anton said. "I have word that Aridasa has secured some number of seedlings of platinum oaks, though I do not know from where. In two or three decades, you could find yourself with significant competition." Anton left out the small bit of information that Aridasa was assuming the first few generations would grow up scraggly and weak without knowing the precise conditions required. It could easily be a century before there was real competition from Cheitov. "You won't maintain control over the materials forever. In addition, we can promise to not compete with your sales for a century."

Eventually they would crack. Everyone did eventually. Frankly, as business minded individuals it would be crazy to not accept offers of certain sizes. Anton was at least partly sincere about everything. He didn't intend to leave trading partners with a bad taste, though they might realize they could have gotten more later.

If he liked them more, perhaps he wouldn't negotiate for the best prices he could get on his end. But he was going to fight hard here, though he could hardly call himself a ruthless negotiator outside of war.

Anton didn't know what made him go back to the hidden system again. It was a waste of time, weeks lost in total as he traversed between systems. What training he could do between systems hardly offset it. At best, he could consider it a break without any real sort of rest. Yet he went back… only to find something after several fruitless visits.

It was a note, and a small device where he had left his own. At a glance he could tell it was also meant to be a communication device. The note explained further, though he could hardly say there was much to it.

"Return only after the cycle is complete. Other devices have been destroyed. Keep secret."

There was little more- simply a code phrase he was supposed to supply to the communications device, and the information that it would only work from the location he found it. But… there was a response. From people who spoke a familiar language, no less. That meant they were at least more recently removed from things than Gnadus. Anton seriously doubted they maintained any sort of contact with the upper realms now. Not with such a clearly intentional manipulation of the tides of the world around them.

And it only took a few times as long as he expected for a response.

Anton considered the possibility he had been followed. This could have been a prank from Everheart, though the man would have more likely torn his way into the hidden system out of curiosity. The differing style of the device felt unique, however, so he was willing to believe it was genuine. And though people might understand he wandered off occasionally, that wasn't particularly weird for someone like him. More importantly, they would have had trouble determining where he went without getting within range of his senses. There was very little that could compete with him in that regard, and that included Rutera's best technology.

All he had to do was wait for the cycle to be over. Less than a hundred years- perhaps closer to sixty or seventy, now. It would become more clear as the time approached, but Anton felt that rather than two hundred at the upper end, it was closer to one hundred and sixty or one hundred and seventy after the previous invasion. Though both were still a great margin lower than the 'typical' six hundred. Too bad Ceretos didn't have many records going back beyond the previous cycle.

When Vincent returned, Anton was surprised. Not because he thought the man was dead… but because reports of him had been widespread and consistent. Suddenly finding him back, finished with his efforts… that was what the surprise was.

"I suppose you have been successful, then?" Anton asked, looking the man over. He certainly felt stronger, the thrum of energy through him.

"I cannot say that yet," Vincent admitted, stretching out his hand to Anton. "I am not quite finished yet."

"I see," Anton nodded with a smile, taking the man's hand. "Am I the last?"

"A few I could not find to confirm life or death. Of the rest, I saved you. It felt right."

A thin cord of energy stretched between Anton and Vincent. The latter was not drawing upon him- it was simply a connection. Perhaps he might be able to, but Anton was not concerned about Vincent abusing the possibility.

The pulsing of energy within Vincent grew, as Anton and he stepped apart. Then the man- not yet old, but not young- closed his eyes and took a breath. When he opened them again, they revealed hidden depths, the reflections of others in his eyes. "Given that I have not exploded," Vincent said. "I would have to say I have succeeded."

"I would agree," Anton smiled. "And I am glad for both. It is good to know you will remain."

Chapter 562

Transport between planets in the upper realms was quite common and easy to arrange. The Dark Ring had a large number of their own ships, and it wasn't hard for those from the lower realms to get their hands on some. Though they varied in quality they were standard modes of transit.

For going anywhere in the upper realms- whether one stayed in the Scarlet Midfields or wished to enter the territory of the Trigold Cluster or Exalted Quadrant- a standard ship was sufficient. However, if one wanted to go somewhere more exotic… say, to the lower realms, things got more complicated.

"It appears ships can only bring us to the border, at best," Catarina said after looking over the details in front of her. "Beyond that they would simply fail as the prevailing energy shifted between types, from upper energy to lower energy."

"Wouldn't it be possible to make ships that could use both upper and lower energy?" Alva asked.

"In theory it is possible," Catarina agreed. "In practice, it would basically be two ships layered atop one another. Formations made out of materials reactive to one would not function properly with the other, yet their presence might interfere with each other even when inactive. Not to mention the difficulty of getting the right sort of materials here in the upper realms."

"Sounds kind of like the upper realms are raiding the lower realms so that… they can raid the lower realms more easily," Alva commented.

Prospero Vandale had the first comment on that, "Some of the resources are also helpful for training those of lower cultivation. It is difficult to train with just upper energy at the early stages as it is too powerful. Without my memories and experience I would have had great difficulty functioning as an independent. Though living upon Everheart's Tomb meant things could never have been easy."

"Right," Alva nodded, "I remember now. Why not just… trade, then?"

"Because they can take," Vari crossed her arms. "They have grown too large and powerful to act with any empathy." She sighed, "I should know, as I was part of the Harmonious Citadel, and we've only been around a few millennia."

That was a reminder that those from the lower realms did not know how many six hundred year cycles had passed since the upper realms started invading the lower realms- and setting back their development. Just that it had been repeated more than a few times.

"So," Hoyt said, "How did they get to Ceretos? I can't imagine all of them flew on their own."

"A combination, I suspect," Catarina explained, "Of taking their ships to systems on the edge of the divine and then following the flow of the tides of the world."

"I can't imagine they just left ships undefended," Velvet pointed out.

"They should have long term control of those systems," Catarina said.

"Wouldn't that be a violation of their whole… truce thing?" Timothy asked. "Not stepping into the Scarlet Midfields?"

She shrugged, "Perhaps it is an exception… written or unwritten. They might simply split the lower realms between them. Ceretos is already odd for having a permanent contingent of individuals tied to the Exalted Quadrant."

"Our information is too limited," Prospero lamented. "They're not exactly open about what they are doing. Though I suppose as a total population they might be more aware of it. The Scarlet Midfields' population is quite a bit lower than either of them. All that is left here are war torn remnants."

"We could eventually build up a rival faction…" Timothy said. "But I imagine that would result in being crushed by both."

"I wouldn't even dream of it without Augmentation cultivators," Prospero agreed. "Or even Domination. Who knows how many centuries or millennia that would take. Our immediate issue is what to do about the end of this next cycle. We retain loyalty to our home in the lower realms, how can we help?"

"According to information from certain sources in the lower realms," Catarina said. "As individuals we should be more effective combatants than other Integration cultivators. Beyond having gone through a proper ascension- or other efforts like Vari and the wolves- we can reattune to lower energy and replenish ourselves more easily. That is a luxury those not native to the lower realms won't have."

"So we fight," Hoyt said. "Completely wipe out the attackers so they don't want to return… or are provoked into sending even greater forces in the future to annihilate us. If that's not already the plan."

"We certainly can't allow them any leeway," Prospero said. "Or there would be no point in cultivating at all. If we are to be cattle slaughtered for others, I would prefer to perish in a way they can't benefit. But… we can't know if this will solve problems for the future."

Catarina sighed, "Unfortunately we do not have enough information on how they would react. Moving against them in the upper realms to try to cause more damage… simply wouldn't work. Not anytime in the foreseeable future. We're far too weak. Even if the Harmonious Citadel and every planet and faction worked together, we could hardly annoy one of them. Though the Trigold Cluster is the bigger concern right now."

"What about… just the border systems?" Velvet asked. "If we could take them over or make them unusable or… something…"

"Maybe," Catarina said. "If we even knew which systems or how many ships would be there or other defenses. And we would have to stay out of the fight in the lower realms."

"Anton is… very strong," Velvet provided. "I don't think Integration cultivators from the upper realms would be a challenge for him. And he is not the only Assimilation cultivator."

"I don't want to doubt you about my grandfather," Catarina said. "We just weren't there to experience it. The initial plan…" she shook her head. "I guess there wasn't one, really. We ascended to progress in cultivation with the idea it might help against future invasions, he remained behind. Now that we have more information, if Ceretos itself is secure… we could definitely consider sabotage here in the upper realms. Though that seems quite a bit more dangerous on a personal level. We likely wouldn't have the backing of the Dark Ring or our other allies."

"What about other regions in the upper realms?" Timothy asked. "Surely there can't be just the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Quadrant?"

"If you wish to travel through their territory to the other side looking for mutual enemies," Catarina began, "Then, husband, I would be forced to stop you. Though I doubt we could find anyone of sufficient strength that we could offer anything of sufficient worth to. Even our own participation would be… marginal."

Timothy shook his head, "I wasn't planning that. Though we could go… around?"

"Between the upper and lower realms is dangerous enough without whatever systems they control being in the way." Catarina frowned, "Other dangers exist closer to the core, so I hear. Obviously you are aware I have not personally experienced them. It would not be impossible to make one of those journeys in the decades we have, but actually getting help and returning seems outside of our reach."

"I suppose so," Timothy agreed. "In which case, we should determine how much damage we wish to try to cause for an optimum amount of them leaving the lower realms alone. And Xankeshan, because our involvement will risk our activities there."

"With the old formations repaired we might resist Augmentation cultivators for some time," Catarina said. "But we hardly have the forces to defeat them. And as the population swells, we will be drawn more into managing the forces than our personal goals. Perhaps we should have some who remained focused there."

"You're the formation master," Timothy pointed out. "You control the defenses. While we'd love to have you along with us for whatever we do…"

"It would be nice to just be able to trust people," Catarina sighed. "We maintain control here on Xankeshan only because of a power that is not ours."

"You repaired the formations yourself," Timothy said. "So it's as much yours as most formations are for their sects. As for trust… we'll just have to experience more life and death battles with others on our side. It's a good way to learn about people." With that, his eyes turned to Vari.

Vari decided to speak up. "I could stay, if you trust me. I know enough about formations to keep things running, and I can't enter the lower realms. Or at least… I'd be weakened more." Spikes grunted, reminding people of the wolves' presence and also her own status as a native of the upper realms.

"If it wasn't so far to the border regions," Catarina said, "We could easily swap out. If we're not actually descending to the lower realms and simply sabotaging what we find along the border- whether that be stealing ships or destroying outposts or whatever we have to do- then you're not restricted."

"In that case," Prospero said, "Why not ask for the help of the whole alliance? Though we are mobilized to fight the Harmonious Citadel, our actual battles are infrequent. Of course, people could refuse… but there are more than just a few ascended cultivators from lower realms who would at least like to ensure the safety of what they left behind. Not everyone will know of the danger or think there's something they can do."

"I like the idea in theory," Velvet said. "But if we do that, nothing is secret anymore. Our whole alliance would at minimum be marking itself as against the Trigold Cluster, and they could fortify the border regions. If we were selective with our questions secrecy might last longer but… we don't know enough yet anyway."

"Then it sounds like our first task should be learning about the enemy," Hoyt said. "Who controls what systems along the border between realms, how they choose their targets… simply diverting them to other systems is better than doing nothing, but stopping them would be better. Otherwise, we'll be responsible for unreasonable amounts of suffering. Just because I don't know anyone in the lower realms not from Ceretos doesn't mean I don't have sympathy."

Discussions in the upper realms had led Anton and Everheart to get together in the lower to have their own. "I'm glad you are willing to share so easily on this topic," Anton said.

"Are you kidding? I hate those guys. Exalted Quadrant isn't really better than the Trigold Cluster, just a bit smarter in how they go about things. They still leech off the lower realms."

"I'm still surprised you care."

"And I still need a place to lay low away from Augmentation cultivators' reach," Everheart shrugged. That was true, but Anton knew there were other reasons. There was the general grudge, and then just a little bit of actual care mixed in, tightly locked up. Not a lot of it, but enough.

"What do you know about their control of the border systems, then?" Anton asked.

"Not much, I'll admit," Everheart shrugged, "I blew past 'em on my way down."

"You did not arrive with a ship…" Anton noted. "Did you leave one at the border somewhere?"

"Are you kidding? For someone else to scavenge? I threw that crap into the nearest sun."

That was a statement Anton couldn't determine the truth of. The way Everheart said it he was clearly willing to destroy things so others couldn't have them, but whether he'd done that on his most recent excursion was unclear. No doubt he had stashes of things in various places, properly hidden instead of the sorts of training vaults he'd set up on Ceretos.

"What about further enemies in the upper realms?"

"Oh yeah, loads. No way to contact them though. Not that they'd talk to me, in particular."

"... Did you also piss them off?"

"They almost certainly wouldn't have any reason to dislike me," Everheart said in a manner which made it sound like he hadn't been caught.

Though Everheart was lacking many specifics, he was still able to share some information back to the upper realms. In addition, he came up with ideas to coordinate with their efforts. If they could properly determine who was coming and going from where, they might be able to take out those headed for Ceretos specifically- or more likely, stop them from returning. Though Anton didn't intend to let any invaders leave the surface of the planet this time, he couldn't guarantee they wouldn't manage it anyway. If they showed up at all, they'd be stronger than last time.

Chapter 563

Once they knew what they wanted, threads in the upper realm were pulled to reveal information one bit at a time. It started with a simple visit to the 'east', circling around the Harmonious Citadel's territory. There was always someone who kept track of who came and went, and they knew about interactions with the Trigold Cluster. Though it seemed they were quite careful to never technically establish anything within the agreed upon neutral ground of the Scarlet Midfields, they still had influence. How could they not, with such power relative to the scattered groups?

Getting basic information on comings and goings hardly counted as spying. And in truth, it was both impossible to keep such information secret and hardly deemed important. Alva and Velvet got so much information they didn't know what to do with it.

"What are we even looking for?" Alva asked.

"Something that tells us which planets they control towards the border. Shipping routes or something."

"Why would they even ship things to super secret planets?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Velvet countered. "Who's going to stop them? And the level of secrecy is only an assumption on our part. We're just cautious because we don't want to get picked out as threats."

"Probably shouldn't have brought Fuzz then," Alva frowned.

"On the contrary… any time we go somewhere without Fuzz, we are no longer the same people. There are the two women with the giant wolf, and the two women who are perfectly normal," Velvet explained. "Also I was hoping he could pick out scents or something."

Fuzz shook his head. He wasn't actually expected to track people through space, but if there had been a particular individual's scent that came up regularly he could remember it. So far, they'd found none he could discern.

Eventually, they had to pull out star charts, though dealing with those with inexact information was annoying. Just because something was flying 'in a direction' did not mean it would be doing so when it reached the edge of the system, nor did it reveal specific systems. That took more work, generally leading them 'southward' towards less inhabited planets. Finding the right information there was more difficult because fewer people would keep track, and their presence and questions would seem more suspicious. Though there were many Integration cultivators, they weren't so common that they were just glossed over when they showed up.

Eventually they found a few probable systems. The only issues were determining whether or not it was safe to approach, and how to visit and return. Populated planets had many options for replenishing the energy stores of interstellar ships, but even if they did find populated planets they would solely be inhabited by enemies. That was a place they had to take a pause.

"So…" Alva said, "Do we attempt infiltration with just us, or do we come back with an army? And how much would be enough?"

"Enough to invade an entire lower realm. And unfortunately, they will not be weakened here. Even if we could face them on an individual basis… they would likely outnumber our forces." Velvet pondered for a few moments. "That is, of course, if the key forces are even present at all. We are still quite early- more than a handful of decades."

"Then taking a peek at what infrastructure they have set up should be easier," Alva decided.

"That might be best. From orbit only," Velvet shook her head, "Which means I will be of less use, but I don't want to risk setting down on dangerous planets."

"Then we just have to pick a target and go," Alva said.

The best negotiator among those from the lower realms would be Prospero, who had experience running a sect. Unfortunately, he was still not strong enough to be taken seriously. Or rather, his cultivation had not yet reached the Integration stage. Even if he could match lesser Integration cultivators, he didn't feel strong, which was important for such things.

That essentially left the matter to Hoyt or Timothy. Catarina was a poor choice for negotiations that didn't involve formations. She was intelligent, but her people skills were not astounding. For these particular negotiations, Hoyt was the choice.

"You want us to act against the Trigold Cluster?" asked the woman known as Zazil incredulously. She was an important figure in the Dark Ring, and one of the first Hoyt had met upon his ascension.

"Not directly," Hoyt said. "We just want you to help disrupt their operations for invading the lower realms. Or at least get us in contact with people who are sympathetic. Someone has to have dealt with it."

"... you overestimate the number of people who could survive such things and still have reached ascension in the short time afterwards," Zazil reminded him. "Even your own world was essentially reset six- now seven- hundred years ago, was it not? There may indeed be some angry Integration cultivators… but most are quite content with their positions here now."

"What about Augmentation cultivators?" Hoyt asked.

"Hah! You think we just have them lying around? Let me tell you, the Harmonious Citadel might have nine or so Augmentation cultivator, but we don't. Even the big players like the Trigold Cluster don't have spare Augmentation cultivators to just set on any task they want. Maybe a few dozen, maybe a hundred. Far fewer than one for each major system they control."

"There must be some, though," Hoyt prompted. "Maybe not part of the Dark Ring or even allies… but you have to know them."

Zazil folded her arms in front of her. "The number I've met in my lifespan can be counted on a single hand."

"Same here," Hoyt agreed. "The one I saw gained her advancement through the theft of our planet's resources."

"Fajra." Zazil frowned, "And now she's got a grudge against Xankeshan. Though that was unavoidable considering it was due to your takeover." Zazil pondered for a few moments. "That woman can't afford to dwell in the Scarlet Midfields for long. Her mere presence might already be a violation of the agreement with the Exalted Quadrant." Zazil shook her head, "Unfortunately, I really can't provide help with anyone. If that insane bastard Everheart were still alive I'd imagine you could get him to do something, if you had something of sufficient value. But as you're occupying his planet clearly that's not the case."

"How did he manage to cause trouble for so many people?" Hoyt asked. "He was only alive for… a few centuries, right?"

"That was his active period, yes. The rest of the details are unclear. As for how… I guess he met the right people, caused the right uproars. A lucky and daring fellow. I wouldn't try to replicate his successes, if you can call them that."

"Oh, I wouldn't," Hoyt agreed.

A pile of books lay in front of Catarina. One was flipped open, paged through at astonishing speed, then set aside. Of those who could make use of Ten Thousand Scrolls, Catarina was at the top of the list. But to her, this speed of reading didn't seem fast enough. "This would be easier if there were more of me," she said.

"Please don't," Timothy said. "I love you," he added, "But I can hardly keep track of one of you. I wouldn't want more getting up to trouble."

"I would be much more responsible than Everheart," Catarina said. "I would work with my projections instead of having them work for me. And… I suppose not letting them hang around indefinitely would be for the best."

"We shouldn't be in a rush," Timothy said. "We're still quite young, only a handful of decades into Ascension."

"That's the problem," Catarina said. "What if we face those who are further along with more experience? Practical, useful experience. Not just age."

"Then we'd best be ready to face them together as a group. Not with one of us off kilter and perhaps mentally damaged."

"Projections are totally safe," Catarina said. "As long as you dissolve them within a reasonable amount of time, apparently. Besides, you don't have to worry about them. If they die, it's not me. And they're so useful! They let you be in multiple places at once, hash out so many more ideas…"

"Get yourself tea."

"Thank you," Catarina said, taking a cup from a nearby woman. "And so many more things."

"I see you've already done it, then," Timothy sighed. "I thought you were undecided?"

""This is an experiment!"" Both Catarinas said together. Then the 'real' one continued. "It will only be a month. I'm not going to leave anything for a century to get divergent thought patterns. It's just a part of me, a simple projection of energy that uses my thought patterns to some extent. And they'll stay that way."

"Your words imply there is already more than one," Timothy raised an eyebrow.

"No…" Catarina turned her eyes away. "But maybe there will be."

"I suppose this explains why our resources have been used up so quickly. I trust you to be responsible but…"

"Hey," Catarina said. "Those are investments. Trust me, soon enough we'll be getting more in than I spend. Think of all the things I can do. Working around Xankeshan on the formations, training enchanting, and I'll still have time for other things."

"... You haven't recently looted any vaults of large sects and made them eternal enemies, right?" Timothy asked.

"... Does Everheart himself count?" Catarina asked. "Because we all did that. Otherwise, no."

"Then I suppose I will support you in this. Just… try not to be obvious about it, alright? We wouldn't want people associating you."

"Don't worry," Catarina said. "I'm much more pleasant. And I have actual friends."

Everheart's fist tore through the space just to the left of Anton's ear. His arm was still a kilometer or so back with the rest of his body, and that same fist was there an instant later, but whether he'd torn open an actual portal or some other option, the attack had definitely originated near him.

Arrows flew in a rain towards Everheart. The man swept them away with a massive war fan which transformed with a flick of his wrist into a bow of his own. He shot not just arrows of energy, but physical arrows with all sorts of special properties- and occasionally none that Anton could discern. They might have been perfectly normal… or the very worst of the bunch.

The other man switched styles as quickly as he was said to loot vaults, harassing Anton in melee for a time before backing off when Anton began to find a rhythm. Along with bows, he tossed spears, axes, or daggers. He also attacked with all sorts of elemental abilities. The man seemed to know and have a high degree of practice with hundreds of fully formed techniques. Hundreds… that he'd shown in the last few minutes of battle.

Clearly, Everheart was recovering well from his injuries. If Anton hadn't managed to attune to so many stars he would have been defeated in mere moments. Now, he was unable to keep up. It was tempting to use Candle Wax. But when, and how? Would it even defeat him, or would it defeat Anton?

Of course, not knowing his remaining lifespan, burning it away seemed quite foolish. And it would be even more foolish to do so when he was fairly certain the man wasn't actually trying to kill him. He sure did a good job of looking like that was the plan, though.

Anton finally found an opening, summoning ascension energy through Fleeting Youth and firing an arrow. It pierced straight through Everheart's chest- a wound that was at least without ragged edges and thus presumably recoverable. If he had been there, of course. Anton's senses were amazingly finely tuned, and he had grown used to illusions… but an actual body had been there. It just wasn't the real Everheart. That one stabbed a dagger between his ribs from behind.

"Too bad kid. You're dead."

Anton turned to look at the man. "Good thing you want me around for the invasion." Even as he spoke, he pushed poison out of his body. "That is an astoundingly expensive poison to use when you don't actually want to kill me," Anton commented.

"What made you think I wasn't actually planning to kill you?" Everheart said, the bloody dagger still pointed between them.

"I recognize the poison," Anton shrugged. "You've gotta have crazy stuff from the upper realms."

"Most of that crap breaks down without upper energy," Everheart shrugged. Then he flicked his dagger, the blood spattering on the wall. "But you're right kid. I don't intend to kill you yet. But maybe someone else you know might take a chance. Don't let your guard down."

An ominous warning, but was it paranoia or did he know something? Or it was another step further, intended to simply make Anton paranoid and sow discord with between him and others. Or to make him worry that that was the plan for fun or some nefarious purpose.

He was going to need someone to stitch together the muscles in his back and where the dagger nicked his organs… but the cut was clean. There was no reason the dagger had to not cut further than its edges.

Anton considered the rumbling fires in his dantian that had been ready to explode out. He wondered what would happen when he died. Nothing accidental, he thought… but perhaps he could control a last bit of that power. He was always careful to not draw too much, but if he was going to die anyway? It was a thought he hoped he never had to follow through with… but improving his ability to draw upon the power of his stars was a perfectly sensible training for non-paranoid reasons.

Chapter 564

The Dark Ring had practice avoiding the notice of the Harmonious Citadel. At a basic level that involved simply not being somewhere they would look, scattered across asteroids throughout systems instead of dwelling on major planets. They also had members of other sects that did not publicly support them, who only acted when the objective was sufficient to risk exposure.

They also had the skills to build stealthy ships- it didn't require asking dubious sources for such knowledge for those from Ceretos to put together a ship. With some design help from the lower realms, they had vessels that wouldn't be noticed as long as nobody was looking for them in particular. That meant staying out of battles entirely, but if being used for transport or war there were better options- larger or more sturdy vessels rather than sleek spy ships.

Acquiring a standard stealth vessel would have been quick and easy, but getting something better took time. All told it was years of drafts and acquiring materials and construction work. Whether that was particularly slow or surprisingly expedient depended on perspective.

There was yet no rush to learn the details of the Trigold Cluster's border planets. A handful of decades or more remained before the tides of the world would allow another invasion of the lower realms- though the exact timing seemed inexact, potentially varying by location. Working from limited information could only help so much.

"I don't like being this slow," Alva frowned. "There's so much to search, and then actually doing something about it…"

"Unfortunately," Velvet said, "Even if we had all the information at our disposal, we couldn't act immediately. Let's say we take out an entire planet somehow, everyone who was planning to invade Ceretos already there and conveniently easy to kill. Then they have decades to react, to do something worse." Velvet shook her head, "It sounds nice to go out in a blaze of glory, but the end result would be everything being gone. Every person and place we ever knew in the lower realms. And no, we can't count on reincarnation for any of that."

"I wasn't going to say that," Alva folded her arms in front of her. "I know Prospero Vandale is an exception. Besides, grandpa can't reincarnate- more than anyone else. I can't say I know how it works but…" she sighed. "By now I both know people can't live forever and still want them to. I don't plan to go out in a blaze of glory either, but just waiting… how will we know we're not too late?"

"We'll have to figure that out when we get closer. Before that," Velvet reminded, "We have to be successful on at least one scouting mission. Probably many more, unless they conveniently leave boxes of information floating in orbit above their planets."

"That would be nice," Alva said. "Though I suppose they might, in a way. They have to ferry people back and forth, right?"

"Presumably," Velvet said. "But if they notice ships going missing, that will also tip them off."

"I suppose that will depend on how many there are."

The first system, they and their small crew slowly curved their way around planets, using the natural motion of orbit to carry them without using much active energy. They had a pre-planned route to go by all of the major targets, as well as several potential sources to recharge- though they should be able to return without refueling unless something went wrong.

They felt for signs of life, upper energy molded in formation patterns or simply acting abnormally. Of course if they sensed any extremely powerful cultivators that would also be a sign, but they were keeping their distance so as to not be sensed in return. They trusted in the functionality of the ship- the Stellar Wave- but pushing things too far was asking for trouble.

"I'm not sensing anything," Alva admitted after they circled a number of rings around the first planet- theoretically surveying large swaths of terrain beneath them. The planet had a surface that was nearly molten- in some places it was, while away from the sun it was cooler.

"You have a better range than myself," Vari said. "I didn't expect anyone to live here anyway."

They moved on, more days and weeks spent around a planet with caustic clouds but no signs of life or especially human cultivators.

Alva clicked her tongue, "I hear there's some stuff that barely uses energy at all, 'technological' stuff from Rutera, that could sense immediately if there were any cultivators in a place like this. And my grandfather could probably cover a lot more…"

"It is unreasonable to compare yourself to Anton," Velvet shook her head. "The man is a sniper without match. And that would include Kseniya."

"Why didn't we bring her, anyway?"

"She was occupied with other missions," Velvet admitted. "Perhaps we should secure her help for our next rounds. Though I would postulate we've found nothing because there is nothing."

"We could at least find nothing faster with someone like her," Alva said.

"That's also true with you," Velvet shrugged. "There is always someone more suited for a task, but sometimes people simply have to undertake what they can accomplish."

Then there was silence. Not complete, of course. More than that, there were various shifts for the sensing duties and people had to have personal time to train or study or whatever they wished to do. Otherwise they'd go crazy after months of constant activity with nothing really happening.

They moved further out in the system, generally away from the sun catching planets in their orbits as they could. Though the planets themselves changed, there were consistently no signs of cultivators. The largest planets, gas giants, were mainly ignored except for their rocky moons. It was true that cultivators could settle inside such a place, but it wouldn't be simple to find them unless they were plentiful.

They circled around the system to cover all the planets, as they weren't neatly arranged in a line or spiral going outward from the sun. Ultimately, they found nothing.

"What was our estimated chance of there being something here?" Alva asked.

"Over sixty percent," Velvet said.

"That seems so… assured. But it's also really not," Alva sighed. "I just don't want to miss anything. But I guess we have to move on."

"Even if they are excellent with concealment," Velvet said. "Someone will mess up. We will find them at some point, so even if we miss some opportunities we can't worry about it."

Back in the lower realms, after exploring several systems away from the trifold alliance operations further in distance were held back. From the scientific perspective of Rutera there was more than sufficient things to study nearby. The others were also not in any specific need of further contact at the time. In the scope of time they had, anyone further away would be impossible to coordinate with for the invasion. Messages might take several days up to weeks and travel months, and there was no way to be certain that whoever they met would be friendly. So they restrained themselves, content to expand mainly within their own systems, or between them.

None of them were over the losses from the war with the Sylanis Cluster, though all had populations that were rapidly growing as they found room to expand. Even the less hospitable planets had tempting reasons for cultivators to settle upon them, filling out the system like Weos- though instead of billions there might be between thousands and millions on the harsher planets.

Anton could not help but think about the hidden system sometimes, but he avoided any further interaction, keeping the communication device upon him safe and secure. Likewise, he remained rather unadventurous and safe within systems he had Assimilated stars. Not out of fear, but because growing stronger was the most important thing at the moment.

Heat washed over Anton from a star, so close he could nearly reach out and touch it. If he did not have a connection to it and some control over its intensity, its power would simply wash away his energy in a few moments and turn him into something less than ash. That was the magnitude of power of which he only controlled a small part. Even up close, though everything he could do seemed significant to himself, great rivers of flame or nets of fire hundreds of kilometers across and able to entrap a fleet of ships, it was simply not that much to a sun.

The most difficult part, up close, was not resisting the external temperature but the internal pressure. Anton's connection would make it simple to open himself up to more than he could control. That was something he knew, to a greater extent then he knew his body, the exact curve of every bow he had. A certainty that he would be destroyed- but he didn't consider it a danger, really. He was in control of that connection, and it was his choice not to let too much through.

Knowing that for certain had taken some time cautiously approaching Ceretos' star closer and closer. It was an amazing thing, so bright that sight didn't mean anything. Even facing away, his eyes wouldn't have been able to comprehend anything.

Anton slowly pulled away, building up speed that would eventually carry him to the far reaches of the system, and beyond. Now, he would be stretching his limits in the other direction. If at all possible Anton would prefer not to fight outside of the optimal range of his power draw. But his enemies wouldn't necessarily give him that luxury. While the exact details weren't known, what could be purchased from black markets in the Sylanis Cluster and even the trifold alliance knew that he drew his power from stars. He hadn't killed everyone who had seen him fight, after all- and from inside the alliance people had gotten a good look. Out of thousands or tens of thousands, there would always be someone willing to sell for a price.

But even if they had exact details, Anton wasn't going to make it easy to use against him. He could continue to expand his range… and then the weakness would be less pronounced. Anton was certain it would always remain a weakness, but if he was strong around everything he wished to protect, he simply had to not be lured away.

The core of burning fire he had access to grew distant, but he opened himself to it fully, drawing upon the power of Ceretos' star and very slightly upon the others, all others together less dwarfed by the system he was in.

He did not know what the next threshold for advancing stages was- only that he would not reach it before the invasion. Even so, he would be as strong as possible, along with everyone else he could push to greater heights. It was hoped that Rutera would not be targeted- they had been unknown and all known methods of spying to the Trigold Cluster had been cut off- but nothing could be certain.

There was still the Exalted Archipelago. Even if the Exalted Quadrant was in conflict with the Trigold Cluster, they were still in communication with each other- and thus the Exalted Archipelago in the lower realms. Anton had been assured by those he trusted that the amount of communication between upper and lower realms was quite limited, but that was not as helpful as he might like. On the other hand, the current state of the Exalted Archipelago comprised only allies and those who were willing to work together. Trying to wipe them out because they theoretically could betray them would be unfair, especially since other parts of Ceretos, specifically those friendly with the Order, had much better communication with certain individual in the upper realms.

But it was still so much easier to be suspicious of them, even with nothing yet having gone wrong. Simply acting against those not in his in group was a simple way to become a crazy tyrant. If there really was going to be some sort of betrayal, it would have to be dealt with after the fact. Or if any spies found usable information, they would work with that. Until then, there was nothing to do but be ready for what he knew was coming.

Chapter 565

"... and this one replicates the background energy levels," Velvet explained some of the functionality of the Stellar Wave.

"That's why you're the one controlling all the stealth stuff," Alva said. "I get concealing your energy, I don't get then intentionally using energy to be even less obvious."

"I didn't even get to see all the stuff from the Sylanis Cluster," Velvet sighed. "I wonder if I could hide myself in subspace?"

"Don't know. Either way, you manage that while I… take a look at that base."

"Don't forget to be careful with your sensing energy."

"Listen, it's not gonna be perfect," Alva said. "I can't conceal energy I'm using to feel people out. But I can be subtle enough."

Finally in their third system they had found an occupied planet. And it was… not difficult. All of the signs of cultivators were present, including barrier formations that didn't make any attempt to hide their presence and in fact did quite well to advertise them to the world. It seemed that the Trigold Cluster wasn't terribly shy about their occupation, perhaps counting on the fact that nobody would be looking.

A simple pass around the planet indicated it wasn't being settled normally. There were only a few occupied locations, large cities outside of which only a few locations with especially dense energy were occupied. Extreme regions, like the types that attracted sects to settle and develop their particular styles.

As for the cities themselves, simple visual observation- from a great distance- revealed many of the buildings were exact replicas. Standardized. From a bit closer, they could see training fields with large numbers of individuals performing the same moves.

Outside the city walls was very little. Fields of grass and occasional trees- all growing radially from the settlements. Clearly the planet hadn't come with life, but instead it had been implanted.

"Grandpa would be so upset," Alva said.

"But he likes the idea of settling new worlds," Velvet answered.

"They've got one type of tree! I haven't seen any animals!" Alva waved her hands wildly. "If someone brings along a single disease the whole system will collapse."

"A fair point," Velvet admitted. "But perhaps because they don't intend to live there for long, it's too costly."

"They still have at least half a century," Alva pointed out. "Depending on how long travel time takes."

"Yeah… Anton would have at least a whole country put together by that point," Velvet nodded. "The question is, do they just abandon these places for… five centuries normally?"

"And how do they eat?" Alva tapped her chin.

The answer to that was not as difficult to find as it might seem. Already since they had arrived earlier in the day, several ships had been spotted entering just the closest city. While ships of the size in question even if they continued to come in around the clock definitely didn't have sufficient room in their holds to carry enough food, that was only the case if they didn't have extradimensional storage of any sort. Individual bags would be prohibitively expensive, so perhaps the ships themselves were enchanted with one bigger formation.

"... This is a waste of resources," Alva said. "Seriously they could have planted fruit trees a decade or two ago. Though I guess most of them would die since this planet doesn't seem to have… weather."

"I hadn't thought about it," Velvet admitted, "But now that you point it out, I can tell it for myself. There's certainly an atmosphere, but not enough of it to have much happen. Nor enough moisture to have a proper water cycle."

"I bet if we popped the formations around the city everyone would die," Alva said. "Uh… if we can determine they're actually going to be invading the lower realms, of course."

"You don't need to be cautious with your words around me. We've been around each other long enough that we both know what is necessary sometimes. We're at war- even if the Trigold Cluster wouldn't deign to make any sort of official declaration. Or perhaps be so blatant with their excesses. Even cultivators have to draw the line somewhere. Bullying those who literally can't be as strong as them isn't very glorious."

"But they can be," Alva pointed out.

"I don't think they knew that," Velvet pointed out. "Or if they knew about Assimilation or Worldbinding, that might be why they kept invading every cycle… to keep people from reaching that stage. Ascension just scatters people into the upper realms where they have all of their forces so they don't really care."

"When you say it like that it sounds crazy to go against them."

Velvet just shrugged, "It's also crazy not to. If we want our home to thrive or even survive, we have to stand up to them."

"What about Xankeshan, then? It's just one world, does it really matter how many Integration cultivators we have there when they already have more? Then again, that's why we're trying not to be obvious."

"Right," Velvet said. "Speaking of which, want to get closer? I'm sure we can pick out more details."

The first hour of hovering invisibly over the city revealed more details. From within the atmosphere their ship was barely any distance from their target. What they saw was mostly a large number of Spirit Building and Essence Collection cultivators. Not a threat to Ceretos, but in fifty years? Many of them could be in Life Transformation. That might still be fine, but other lower reams might have more difficulty.

"It's not going to be easy to determine where these people are going…" Alva said. "Unless you can just sneak in and listen?"

"More like look through documents," Velvet said. "I probably could, but coordinating with the ship would be a problem. You'd have to keep it hidden while I was gone, and I'd have to meet back up with it. That would take-"

The two of them suddenly turned. Their reactions came before the impact, but not with enough time to inform the crew. The ship was spun around, the impact damaging the hull.

"What happened?" Alva half shouted at the pilot. It was mostly to be heard, but she could understand why he cringed.

"I don't know! Suddenly that ship changed trajectory towards us. We were going to slip by them but-"

"I got it," Alva said. That was basically what she had sensed too. She hadn't felt any intent from the approaching ship, no impending danger or fluctuation in their energy. Maybe they really had turned and randomly run into them. She had to admit, the other ship looked like it got the worse end of the deal. Its masts were torn off- sails weren't fully necessary for star ships, but they still had purposes. Meanwhile, their own ship just had a deep gouge along its belly. They were still flying, but the enemy ship was going down.

That was good, but what was not good was the notice it attracted. Alva felt several Life Transformation consciousnesses flare up as the incident progressed.

"We lost concealment!" Velvet warned. "It was only for a moment, but they'll know where we were."

"We have to get out of here," Alva said. "Increase altitude!"

There were many other shouted orders. Within a short time there were Life Transformation cultivators and a few Integration cultivators preparing ships- Alva could tell that much through the barriers. At the same time, a crew member rushed onto the deck. "Seniors! The cargo hold is broken open! Some supplies have fallen out, and more are threatening to spill! The rapid climb is jostling it!"

What a pain. They had extra supplies- but something falling out would undoubtedly reveal their location. "I'll deal with it," Alva said. "You continue to maintain our stealth."

Instead of going through the ship, Alva simply jumped down over the side, latching onto the ship with her energy. She slipped in through the crack, which was indeed worse than it had initially felt. She'd sensed it and determined the ship wasn't going to fall apart- and not further than that at the moment. Even as she was swinging in through the breach, a crate was on its way out, the shaking of the ship and the winds pulling it along. The gash was only a meter wide and at most two or three long at an angle, but that was more than sufficient to cause them problems.

It had luckily missed any important parts of formations- though Alva knew that there would still be some impact because of the ship changing, if nothing else. Her energy reached out along the seam, holding back not only the cargo but also the scattered splinters of wood. This was sturdy stuff, but their barriers had been down and the other ship just careened into them at high speed. What terrible luck. Or ingenious planning to make it seem coincidental. Though if that had been the case, the enemy would have reacted faster. Instead, their ship had half-crashed and their others were just beginning to lift off.

Alva felt senses sweeping over the general area they were in, but she had no idea if they were noticed or not. The ships certainly moved in their general direction, but hesitantly. They were still not far from where the crash happened, after all- the enemy could have guessed.

Around the time the enemy increased their speed and launched their first attacks- a volley of bolts from emplaced ballistae- their own ship had the barrier formations engaged. Velvet had either noticed the preparations or had partially given up on stealth. When their own ship shot back, Alva added her own attacks to the mix. She was supposed to be up on deck where there was an augmentation formation, and not down below where a good portion of her energy was occupied with holding things together… hopefully someone would come take over that part.

The barrier helped with some of the shaking, and the wind, but things could still fall out and either burden the barrier or simply be lost. Alva's hands pulled the string of her bow, launching Spirit Arrows at the enemy ships. A couple Life Transformation cultivators by themselves weren't of significant consequence, but on top of other Integration cultivators they could be an issue. If nothing else, they could wreck the ship and make things much more difficult.

Downing the ships would be best, either forcing those who could fly to expend their energy on that or grounding the enemy. She pierce the barrier and the helm on one of the ships that had no Integration cultivator. With no lateral control, that ship quickly veered off course despite attempts to latch onto the mechanisms with the energy of those on board.

There were still two more Alva was worried about. However, as she was trying to pick which one to focus on, a command came from above, echoing through the ship. "Hold fire!"

That was Velvet, and she was obviously intentionally reaching Alva… so Alva withdrew her energy, waiting to see what would happen. From her perspective it was very little… she mostly felt their ship turn as the far horizon drew further away- their ascent having brought them out of the lower atmosphere. There was a single bolt that pierced through the barrier over the hole in the side, and almost into Alva- but she could easily deal with one arrow, oversized or not. She caught it and spun around to slow its momentum, while doing her best to not leak energy out.

The following attacks were quite off target, and it seemed they had their stealth protections engaged once more. As they flew almost over the enemy ships, the vastness of space opened up before them- and improperly aimed attacks became less and less likely to hit them.

Now all they had to do was get away, deal with the hole in their ship, and also the consequences of being spotted. Simple.

Maybe they should have just stormed the planet, though obviously they couldn't have anticipated it to be so 'thinly' defended as it was. If the other cities were the same, there were at best a dozen Integration cultivators on the whole planet- something that their alliance or even just Alva and the others could take care of on their own.

Alva looked at the hole in the ship and wondered if that particular spot was cursed. It sure felt like it- though actual curses were just manipulations of energy.

Chapter 566

As it turned out, there were reasons ships didn't come with massive holes in them. Like the fact that if one were in space it became very inconvenient. Many Life Transformation cultivators and pretty much any Integration cultivators could manage without air, but that didn't mean having air wasn't better. Their ship- the Stellar Wave- also happened to have plenty of individuals for whom a lack of oxygen would be a death sentence.

"... It's a good thing it's not just us on this ship," Alva said. "I don't know anything about repairing ships."

"I'm sure we could figure it out," Velvet said. "I just imagine it wouldn't be so smooth of a process."

Some of their crew was already patching the hole- an interesting process, though not nearly as thorough as proper repairs. It simply involved laying sheets of metal over the hole and then sealing the edges with some sort of rapidly hardening goop.

"Jobs done," said Cai, the man who had been leading the few individuals on the repair work. "It's not structurally stable and it's still basically a hole in the side, but it's airtight. You'll have to count on the barriers to keep things intact."

"Or just not getting run into…" Velvet shook her head. "I can't believe they turned so sharply."

"Indeed," Alva said. "I can't believe it was a coincidence, but I also can't believe it was on purpose. There was no warning from Instinct."

"We'll have to hope they can't replicate it. It seems that our stealth worked, though. Except for that," Velvet frowned. "We'll have to maintain a great distance, just in case."

"What should we say on the report?" Alva asked. Though they would provide thorough details when they returned, providing some information about how things were going would keep those back at Xankeshan informed. And in the worst case… they would at least not have totally failed. They weren't willing to strongly consider the possibility of failure, however.

"I think we can chalk it up to a strange coincidence, for now," Velvet said. "We don't really have anything to indicate otherwise. Either way, we need to be even more cautious."

There was some discussion on whether they should return for full repairs. Unfortunately, with the distances involved that would be a matter of weeks in each direction. While that was not an unreasonable amount of time, especially for cultivators, it also provided the enemy a chance to react.

"Now that they know spies are around, I guess we should lay low for a while," Alva said.

"That's a reasonable option," Velvet admitted. "Or… we return immediately and make use of this opportunity."

"Them being on high alert is an opportunity?"

"We can test their best defenses," Velvet confirmed. "And by 'we' I mean probably myself. You're capable of being stealthy, but that's not your focus. I'm confident in setting the ship down on this planet somewhere it won't be spotted. Then I can sneak in and get information."

"The problem with your plan is that if you fail," Alva frowned, "Then we don't get anything and… you might not make it back."

Velvet crossed her arms. "I'll be honest. I very much like being alive, and I'm not the biggest on sacrificing my own life to save others. But I do care about our success. Knowing whether it's even possible to sneak into these places will shape our entire operation in the future." As she spoke, Velvet slowly faded from Alva's perception.

"You still have to go out one of the doors!" Alva called after her. "I'll notice that!"

It was to her shame that she did not, in fact, notice it. Her eyes were fixed on one door- that one it was quite clear did not open. Another, however, opened without her senses being able to discern it. In fact, it was only when it clicked closed that she noticed- and she was quite certain that sound had been intentional. Velvet had made her point. And an infiltrator who couldn't open doors wouldn't get far.

Though Velvet had snuck off, they did still have to land the ship- or return to the planet in general. They had not gone far, as there was quite a vastness of empty space away from the planet. Nothing even vaguely approached their direction, so they had been confident remaining long enough for people to get a bit of a rest. Though on the actual planet, they would better be able to replenish themselves and the ship.

The Stellar Wave moved in for an approach, invisibly and with only the most minute ripples of energy. Approaching a planet's atmosphere at just the right speed to do so was a lengthy and energy intensive prospect, but being careless could easily result in them being shot down. They kind of needed their ship to get back off planet, so even if they weren't concerned about the potential of death and the price of the ship- which they were- it would be quite inconvenient.

As Velvet slipped away, Alva made a determination to improve her own stealth abilities. Since it hadn't been part of her Ascension she would likely find it difficult to actually catch up, but it was still useful to be unseen. Joining Velvet would likely just make things worse- stealth teams often just had more people to mess up and get spotted- but having options would be useful.

Velvet's feet carried her from barren nothingness to monotone grasslands with a single type of tree. As an ecosystem it was horrible- as a hiding place the long grass and regular trees were quite helpful. Though she could walk invisible in front of people, having something in between made things easier where any senses were concerned. Visual was completely obscured, hearing muted, and even energy senses were hindered somewhat by physical objects in the way. Any limitations that she did not have to provide made her job easier.

Tall grass did have its flaws- it was quite happy to yield to her movements, but that meant it was also obvious if she didn't do anything. Creating illusory images of the grass as it would be without her only worked until she let it drop, after which there would be bent blades that could be picked out, leaving a trail. Avoiding that was a significant pain, but she was still able to do it. As things went, reducing her weight to a negligible amount was much easier than flying.

The city she was infiltrating had walls- large towering structures that mostly seemed to serve as an anchoring point for the formations that actually provided protections. Climbing to the top of them would do no good as there would still be a barrier preventing her entry. She could try to force her way through, but it could easily lead to her being detected.

There were technically gates that opened and closed, but there were no roads leading anywhere and they looked basically unused even outside of the current potential lockdown. Velvet wasn't sure how far things would have gone- what the enemy knew. They could only see reactions from afar, and they had no history with what protocols might be in place.

A ship approached. That was easily detected from afar, as it didn't conceal its approach. She stepped upon the air, moving slowly towards it. Flying, but in a way that caused minimal disturbances. It was also much slower, like everything had to be when stealthy- but it was fast enough for her to catch onto the ship after predicting its landing position- not difficult, given it was the same place as all the others.

It moved through the barrier without issue, and Velvet with it. She was very careful to feel for any sort of detection, but she felt nothing lingering on her and heard no alarms. If she had been able to study the formations she would at least be able to pick out those details, but she didn't intend to stand outside the walls for days. Especially as she was testing their theoretical heightened alertness.

The spaceport had quite a number of individuals prepared for unloading. A glance inside the hold informed Velvet that they were right about the extradimensional storage- there was quite a bit of space inside. Lots of food and other necessities, and even clothing. It didn't seem like this place produced much of anything for itself. Expensive and wasteful.

Further into the city, she found except for the origin of goods it functioned much as might be expected, at least for cultivators. There were both the large training fields for the standard troops and training areas for individuals. Even for those whose cultivation was in Life Transformation, in the upper realms that was only considered the beginning of true power, so unless they were recognized to have special talent they were drilled in uniformity, depending on which sect they were part of.

The Trigold Cluster had more than a few cultivation styles- it was simply that Ceretos had the most trouble with a few specific sects. It was unlikely they had been representative of everything that was available in the region.

Velvet cataloged what weaknesses she could find. Since she could get inside she could certainly sabotage the formations- though she didn't feel the barrier was strong enough to stop a concerted attack anyway. It seemed to be mostly used as a gathering formation, concentrating all of the energy on the city. Useful… but it wouldn't encourage growth elsewhere. Then again, they clearly weren't interested in that.

She listened in on conversations, catching snippets that might or might not be useful.

"... can't wait until this is over. We're out here so early…"

"... better than back at the sect. Might actually earn something."

In a way, the city was more of a large military outpost than a proper city or a cultivation sect. While not all sects produced everything themselves, they at least had some production. Here, that was limited- some enchanting of weapons and armor as well as basic construction of replicated buildings.

She made her way towards the center where more important things would be. More risk as well, but she could avoid gatherings of Integration cultivators. Though she also wanted to check on some individuals, like the target ahead.

"It's not as easy as you think," a Life Transformation cultivator was complaining to a man a bit older than herself and the Integration cultivator in question. "We can only manipulate what is probable or possible. Sometimes inspiration strikes and you get an amazing result. Like revealing that ship. But other times…"

Now Velvet was especially interested. And concerned. Did this woman mean she'd orchestrated the collision? What did that mean for Velvet being here now? She kept herself tightly concealed as the two approached. She was confident enough in her combat capabilities to fight or run if necessary. She was an Integration cultivator herself, and not so easy to keep locked down.

"A downed ship and we were unable to catch the spies. That hardly sounds like a success to me," the man said.

"That's not my fault!" she said. "If y- if the others had been faster, they would have caught them."

"Why did you not instruct them to be ready?"

"I told you already. That reduced the probability of anything going our way," the man and woman were now perhaps a dozen meters from Velvet, walking next to each other on a wide street. They continued the discussion with the subordinate woman clearly trying not to get herself in too much trouble with her complaints.

"Just seek another future. If they came here, surely we can catch them."

"Fine," the woman sighed, then closed her eyes. Through her lids, Velvet could see them glowing, then it spread over her. Her eyes opened, looking straight at Velvet- who was ready to spring into action. But the eyes passed over her, not focusing. The woman clutched her head.

"What is it?" the man asked.

"It's… nothing. I told you, it can't be forced. Or you'll just invite disaster."

Velvet frowned. What did the woman know? Her posture didn't indicate readiness, even though Velvet was a single instant away from killing her. Perhaps she was very practiced in deception, but Velvet wasn't sure. She would have to find out more about this woman, and whatever potential divinatory abilities she was supposed to have. Something like that could be a severe problem for anything they might do.

Chapter 567

Recognizing the boundaries of formations was the bare minimum required for proper infiltration, and being able to at least determine the basics of what they did was the next step. Velvet had Catarina's guidance to thank for her proficiency in that area, and also Catarina to blame for her worries she might stumble across something entirely undetectable. Knowing that the entirely undetectable type were expensive and difficult to make wasn't necessarily comforting. Surely a large place like the Trigold Cluster could manage it. But given the outer defenses- would they? Especially for what felt like a simple military outpost?

If Velvet truly believed they might exist she would have left. Caution wouldn't do any good against such things. As it was, she had to pick and choose what she did. Following any individuals for a longer period was the best way for someone to finally catch on to her presence, and she couldn't take anything important. Or kill anyone. Not without letting them know that their alertness would have to turn inward, which would make any future efforts where she was and likely at other locations much more difficult.

Since she couldn't take anything with her, she had to do her best to overhear what she could and memorize what she saw. That wasn't difficult on a surface level, but she couldn't just stand in offices shuffling through papers forever and expect nobody to notice.

It was unfortunate, but it seemed that aside from the uncomfortable revelation of diviners there was little of interest to be found. At least, Velvet wasn't willing to risk overstaying to be thorough. Several hours of poking around the city and she had a pretty good understanding of how things were run. She didn't want to wait too long and find out that things were all some elaborate trap, so she made her way towards the gates.

They still weren't open, of course, but barriers seldom stopped anything exiting. These should be the same. Only when she passed through as she leapt from the wall was she able to relax- though being close enough that the Integration cultivators might find her was still a danger. She took a quick but circuitous route towards the ship, still nestled in the same place.

"How did things go?" Alva asked as she came to meet Velvet outside.

"It's not terribly secure," Velvet shook her head, "But they seem to have some sort of diviner. I don't think I was noticed, but we should get moving. There's not much more we can really get from here without a specific goal."

With Velvet controlling the ship's stealth- and them paying attention for anything that might get even vaguely close to crossing their path- they slowly rose away from the planet.

"Were you able to figure out where they might be targeting?"

"Vaguely," Velvet said. "There were some names, but I didn't find good star charts… and there's no guarantee they use the same names. Nothing said Ceretos."

"... It feels kind of bad leaving things like that, knowing they'll attack some other world in the lower realms."

"There's an easy solution," Velvet said. "Just get strong enough to stop them all yourself."

Alva rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Someday, maybe. I think I might someday reach Augmentation, but who can really say? I'll probably need a century more to even have a good sense of my path."

Velvet nodded, "The Hundred Stars is about as good as anyone could expect up to Ascension, but the only experience we have beyond that is a handful of individuals for as many decades."

"... Honestly we're really lucky there are so many of us," Alva said.

"Indeed. Even in the upper realms, so many individuals reaching Integration from a relatively small group is uncommon. Though the Trigold Cluster might be to blame here."

"Because they came to invade us?" Alva nodded. "That was very motivational."

The ship was out of atmosphere. No others were around, but they continued to pull away from the planet for a time, doing their best not to indicate their final direction.

"I don't think we'll find much in the next systems," Velvet said. "Though I would like to probe a few to determine if they are indeed occupied, as this one. Then we should return for repairs, and to plan the next step."

There was a reason people liked to have two arms. Chikere knew this when she'd made her decisions, but it was still inconvenient to no longer have her dominant arm. Adjusting her forms to her single left hand was not terribly time consuming, but that part of her would be weaker. On the other hand, she now had a very good sword… and the limitation made her feel like her abilities were progressing more rapidly. She recalled when Rahayu had ascended he had intentionally wounded himself to achieve the same effect.

It would be nice if it were temporary. She still found her decision worthwhile, but she would have no complaints if her arm came back. Unfortunately, unlike swords, arms didn't grow on trees. At least, not any trees she'd ever heard about.

"Do you know of any trees with arms?" Chikere asked the nearest individual, who at that moment happened to be the grandmaster smith Sadiq.

"Human arms? No. Some do grab people with limbs, however."

"We have grasping willows that do something similar where I am from," Chikere said. "I was just wondering how to get a new arm."

"I've heard a phoenix bone poultice will do wonders. Though it might be too late for that- some things only work immediately."

Chikere nodded, "I did not expect regrowing an arm to be simple. And I don't know if I would make the choice to do so immediately even if that were the case. Perhaps I should do away with my other arm, instead, to benefit my abilities." Seeing Sadiq's raised eyebrow, she clarified, "I would only have to make it unusable temporarily. Simply choosing not to make use of my arm is insufficient if I could actually change my mind when danger approached."

The man nodded, "I understand. Though… I tend to be less willing to improve my skills in such a manner. I'm not so young and hasty. Besides, a good blade takes years to forge and the effects on cultivation aren't always positive."

"Would not practicing your abilities help you improve?" Chikere asked.

"Not when you put some of yourself into a weapon. But I don't care about my technical level, as long as I can make what I want."

"Make me a good weapon," Chikere said.

"You already have one."

"I obviously meant another one. I would prefer to have at least a hundred high quality weapons."

"Is that so? Then get me a hundred Worldhearts and the soul of either a new or dead star."

"That sounds like it would take a long time," Chikere commented. "And I do believe Worldhearts are not acquired in a tolerable manner."

"You're right about that, of course," Sadiq nodded. "But if they come into your hands regardless, it's a shame not to use them. If you want something more achievable… core metal is easier to obtain and doesn't require the death of a planet. It's also quite abundant, but if you want anything good you have to deal with a heavy gravity planet and combing the depths. Alternatively, kill someone higher than yourself in cultivation and bring me their blood to reforge their weapon."

"... Why didn't you tell me that last one sooner? I could have given you so many things."

"First, because you didn't know me. Or ask. Second… because I doubt you really have."

"I kill people of higher cultivation all the time!"

"Killed any Augmentation cultivators lately?"

"Well… no. But I did kill an Integration cultivator in Life Transformation," she displayed one of her top five.

"Hmm…" Sadiq frowned. "It had a small amount of its owners' blood on it, but it's far from fresh. I can't do anything with that. If the killing blow had been done with his own sword, perhaps something would have lingered."

"I see," Chikere nodded. "I'll let you know if I get anything interesting." She paused as she turned to leave. "Does it have to be a sword?"

"Don't you only use swords?"

"I meant… do I have to kill someone who uses swords? Do I have to do it in the upper realms?"

"I need a weapon that had a bond with an individual and their blood. Also, I don't think you'll find many Augmentation cultivators in the lower realms…"

"There will be at least a few," Chikere said as she walked off.

Sadiq was an excellent smith, but he was not informed on all matters so he merely tilted his head in confusion. "Make sure you keep the blood fresh!" he yelled after her. If she really got something, it would be a shame to waste it with improper care.

Anton looked down upon Edelhull, the large city just outside the Order's borders. It still maintained its distance despite its increasing size and rapid development. Though as the sect head of the Order he could easily influence matters there, they were still not under his control. Though the policies he set in place were enforced throughout Graotan and even most of Ceretos. That was because they were quite sensible- and not just things he thought of on his own. He built upon his own experiences and the wisdom of others.

Rutera, specifically, had quite a lot to say about industrialization. With their knowledge and sufficient usage of natural energy it was possible to skip over some intermediate steps of machinery, some of which were apparently quite messy.

It was theoretically possible for Ceretos to catch up to Rutera's technology within a few decades- but practically it would take much longer. Strictly cultivation based techniques already worked. Even if one were to mass produce things, smiths had developed techniques to rapidly hand craft weapons and armor. None were as good as the painstaking labor of years that could go into a masterpiece, but all were better than that strictly made by early machines.

Yet not everyone was a cultivator who wanted the very best weapons or armor. Some simply wanted comfortable clothing at affordable prices. Ruteran technology also didn't run counter to usage by cultivators- all of it was augmented with natural energy that they simply hadn't had much access to with the way their world developed. Anton saw jobs lost as efficiency increased- but he did not have to involve himself. With the advent of mass cultivation, everyone was able to extend their lifespans, being younger and healthier than they would have otherwise been. Finding new employment- such as working on machines that replaced some of them- was always possible.

For those that could not work, they were taken care of. In Edelhull, at least, nobody went hungry or without shelter. But those without family who truly couldn't work were few in number. They might not receive food overflowing with natural energy, but nothing in Graotan and through most of the rest of the world now grew without at least providing some benefits to cultivators consuming it. A century and a half of effort had seen that sweeping change take place.

The world was still not a flawless utopia. There were always places where people took more than they ought to, leaving those with less power whether it be martial, political, or financial in a poor state. However, there were always avenues to seek relief available. There was little way to do better, and taking total control would simply turn Anton into a tyrant. Though he currently had no complaints about how he managed things, most of those who advised him would have told him not to take that step- if he ever seriously considered it or had asked. And if he didn't ask or didn't listen to them, then Anton knew he would already be the wrong sort of person to control everything.

So he limited himself to what he could manage and hoped prosperity would spread as quickly as possible from what he controlled. That general prosperity also had to lead to martial power- but it wasn't any good to survive the invasion if the only people remaining on Ceretos would be just as bad. Fortunately, the strongest individuals who might cause issues were also the oldest- and as cultivators that meant they didn't mind waiting a handful of decades for the invasion. Whether that counted as patient or not Anton was unsure.

Chapter 568

In terms of overall scale, the war against the Harmonious Citadel had barely begun to creep into its 'western' flank. They'd liberated a few loosely controlled planets and systems, but little more. Xankeshan was a useful staging ground and defensive location, but it was closely watched- any assaults launched from there would be quickly countered. However, the Dark Ring had been fighting the Harmonious Citadel for some time- and quite successfully- and their previous tactics continued to function.

As those with lesser forces they had to resort to guerilla tactics, hitting targets of opportunity and retreating. They were difficult to track down- and even if the Harmonious Citadel was catching onto their methods, there wasn't much they could do about it. Establishing minimal bases on asteroids or anywhere small and insignificant wasn't terribly difficult if they only needed basic survival. Because of that, they were able to mobilize however they needed… and if discovered, they could quickly flee.

Even if the enemy scouts managed to actually find their location- with a sufficient force to combat it and not be taken out- the Dark Ring would be able to detect them coming. A few small scouts they might miss, a larger group would provide obvious signs whether they approached in realspace or subspace of some kind. The Dark Ring always had ships near to readiness, so if they had to flee they could simply go. Once they dropped into subspace- with nothing stopping them as there were no significant gravity wells on even the largest asteroids- it was nearly impossible to catch them.

But when they didn't have to run, they wouldn't. Taking out any members of the Harmonious Citadel was a victory, and if possible they would claim ships for themselves to bolster their own resources.

The Harmonious Citadel couldn't possibly track down all their hiding places and have sufficient forces for those fleets to fight, as there was simply too much space to cover. Each system had a myriad of possibilities for a small- but potentially powerful- group of individuals to hide out. Sometimes, a force seemed sufficiently powerful to the Harmonious Citadel… but it could always encounter the wrong group.

Kseniya had noticed the ships well before they could be aware of anyone on their particular asteroid. A readiness alert went out- but they did not have to decide whether to fight or flee immediately. First, she would determine their relative strength. A small fleet, maybe ten ships and half as many Integration cultivators- though they couldn't be blamed for that as they would have to have a dozen such fleets patrolling the system to have stumbled upon this base within just a few months. Their own forces were somewhat less- aside from Kseniya, there were two other Integration cultivators. Even so, she was ready to fire once she had the hint that they were detected. That required the enemy to be closer.

The first arrow left her bow the instant the enemy changed trajectories, angling slightly towards the asteroid and slightly dropping their speed. At the clip they were going they couldn't do otherwise, unless they wished to ram the surface. It was easy to predict how that would go- a large ball of rock would outclass even the most well enchanted vessels. Not that it mattered even if they broke the asteroid apart somehow.

The arrow flew with practiced accuracy towards a specific point, piercing through the barrier with its force and damaging the formation markings beneath. Kseniya was no formation master- but to have a large fleet, the Harmonious Citadel required some standardizations. That included their formations, and while Kseniya might not have the talent to seek out weaknesses on her own she could absolutely shoot a target. This one might be moving at a relative speed surpassing thousands of kilometers per second, but it was still mostly on a straight course. Their slight adjustments wouldn't throw off Kseniya's aim even if she hadn't been able to precisely control her arrows mid flight.

The ship began to slightly pull ahead even as its barrier flickered. It was not so simple to pierce through a barrier in a single shot, but these were the lighter scout craft- at least, they were nothing compared to the bulky warships that carried a thousand troops. Knowing exactly what she needed to do, she hit the pre-planned spot and now the ship was not decelerating with the rest.

Her next shot was blocked by one of the Integration cultivators, a swift duelist type who had already discerned she would make the same move on another ship. The woman even managed to strike Kseniya's arrow instead of just forcing it away from its intended target. So Kseniya instead targeted one of the other ships, without an Integration cultivator. The plan was to split them up with some arriving earlier and some later, but Kseniya would have to settle for the one disconnected at the moment.

The third ship had competent crew, redirecting the shields to the vulnerable section. Having seen her target it twice, it was a good move. It even forced her to redirect her arrow to another part of the ship- the second best position, determined to be more or less opposite from the first. This one had no immediate effects, but Kseniya knew they would be bleeding energy unless they had a formation master to stop the runaway effects of the damage.

She only had time for a few more shots before the first ship arrived, managing to damage two more enemy ships and slightly stagger their arrivals. The first approaching ship had gotten itself back under control, but they were forced to decelerate more quickly at the end.

An armored figure leapt first from the ship towards Kseniya, undefended by any formations. They couldn't afford to set up anything beyond a basic air containment field if their positions were to be compromised regularly.

Kseniya ignored the incoming figure- Zazil was there to intercept. A dozen rings of energy sliced through the air, curving towards the figure. A curved sword deflected half of them, several more were dodged, but two found purchase at the bend of the elbow and one ankle, slicing into the woman. The rings did not suddenly disappear when deflected, either, but followed around for further attacks.

The armored figure changed trajectory towards Zazil, who blocked the enemy's descent with a single larger ring. They shifted their trajectory to fly around, but it slowed them enough for Zazil to make another round of attacks. Meanwhile, Kseniya was firing at the last few ships she had not damaged in some way while the Dark Ring ships were already engaging the first enemies.

Zazil was no weaker in melee, her rings moving through her own body without issue to allow for strange and difficult to manage attacks while blocking her opponent's sword strikes. However, it was clear her opponent had some skill as the sword came close to connecting more than once. If she was just a bit off, she could find herself gravely injured.

Rings combined into a single larger shape, encircling her opponent- but the collapsing form was blocked by the curved sword. Zazil strained against the enemy, but it was clear her rings were only a moment from collapsing- and then the blade would come for her, wide open. But that moment wouldn't come, as Kseniya reminded the Integration cultivator of her presence. With the opponent locked in place, even for just a few moments, Kseniya twisted and fired an arrow at their upper chest. Slipping upwards out of the ring would free their arms and allow them to deflect with their sword- but likely lead to their legs being captured and sliced through as the ring collapsed. Ducking seemed like the correct choice, but that shifted the angle at which the sword blocked the ring. Zazil easily shifted her attack to collapse inward and fully pin the blade against the enemy while the ring sliced through the armor- and then everything, as defenses collapsed.

The loss of an Integration cultivator was something no sect or clan was comfortable with- but this was just the first sign to the Harmonious Citadel that they had underestimated the enemy. Their assumptions that the Dark Ring was weak because they did not stay to fight were true in part, but not quite fitting. At least some part of that perceived weakness was intentional.

Even during her assault on the ships, Kseniya had been counterattacked by an enemy archer. But with just one worthy opponent to worry about, Kseniya barely even had to move. The man who was targeting her certainly had powerful attacks- if she got hit even once, she had the feeling that the spearlike arrows would go straight through her. But they were predictable, and at least in the hands of this individual far too straightforward. She understood it was hard to curve a great mass in flight- thus Spirit Arrows forgoing the physical component altogether- but she did see the appeal as the bow drew back and caused yet another crater around her. He had a surprising number of arrows- no, that wasn't right. The same spearlike arrow reappeared upon the bow each time it was drawn. Fascinating.

Kseniya wasn't just going to stand there and let the man shoot at her forever. He was still an Integration level archer, and he would catch onto her movements in ten or twenty more shots if she was careless. Then she might lose an arm or a leg, or perhaps her torso. None of which she was comfortable giving up.

A few quick arrows of light forced the man to delay his next shot- Kseniya did not often find them useful, but she was thinking about strategy and the delay was good enough. The arrow impacted next to her once more, Kseniya swaying out of the way as she felt shockwaves of force even in the thin atmosphere. One hand reached out to snatch the arrow. Her fingers wrapped around it… and then it was gone. As expected, really. A physical grasp seemed unlikely to stop any sort of teleportation.

Her eyes focused as her hand snapped back to her bow, forming a focused Spirit Arrow. She didn't have as many fancy varieties- she used upper energy now, which was exactly the same as everyone else in the upper realms. Her arrow shot straight towards her opponent, while his did the same. It was a challenge, as their arrows passed by each other. One she intended to win as she didn't dodge the incoming attack. That surprised her opponent enough that he didn't dodge quite right.

As the spearlike arrow was incoming, Kseniya made use of the small bit of energy she'd placed into it when she grabbed it. A simple push on the tail of the arrow was enough to force it off target- though it did still slap her with the tail. Her own shot scraped along her opponent's shoulder- and exploded upon contact. By that point, Zazil and the other Dark Ring Integration cultivator had taken out a third target. With one injured and two others, the numbers were fairly equal among the Integration cultivators- but the Dark Ring's other members present were overwhelming the weaker cultivators.

It was still possible for the Harmonious Citadel to win. Kseniya and Zazil weren't exactly fresh. But they projected enough confidence that the two uninjured cultivators weren't sure if they would survive as individuals, and the fear of potential centuries of lost life was enough for them to pull away with their own ships and those surrounding. The archer seemed to have the same intention, but he's let himself get locked in combat too long. His ship was damaged- with Zazil charging for it- and it seemed his personal ability to fly through space was only passable. That was why Kseniya kept her feet firmly planted on the ground.

He attempted to fly backwards so he could still fire his bow, but without the stability he didn't have quite the same power to his shots. More than that, there seemed to be some greater difficulty with retrieving his arrow at range. Kseniya amplified the speed of her sequential shots- they didn't require one to have hit or missed unlike the enemy- and eventually pierced into his wrist. With his grip ruined, the man could only turn to flee. An unthreatened Kseniya focused all her power on killing him, for the sake of the cause and because she was quite curious about that bow. Two out of five Integration cultivators would leave unscathed, but that was unimportant compared to the damage they did cause. They would have to change locations, however, lest the enemy return with a greater force.

Chapter 569

Sifting through information found in the first of the border outposts as well as several beyond that on later missions, it was fairly conclusively determined that none of the targeted systems were Ceretos or their allies. Not leaving from those locations, at least. That still left many other systems that could have groups readying for that particular invasion. Systems they had no contact with nor way to get into contact with. That was not a pleasant thing to think about.

"We haven't yet run into more trouble that could only be explained by diviners," Velvet said to a gathering of those from the lower realms on Xankeshan. "But each system we inspect brings with it further danger. I'll gladly risk my life for a good cause, but I'd prefer not to risk it in a place that can't even have useful information."

"Understandable," Catarina said. "Perhaps we're going about this from the wrong direction. Though we know that one of these systems should have information of use to us about the forces that might invade our homeworld perhaps that is not what we should be looking for. Instead, we could find the invaders."

Timothy gave her a look, "I usually understand the things you say, but that one doesn't make any sense. If we can't find information, how will we find the people?"

"We already know a likely candidate," Catarina said simply. "Fajra. And even if she is not going to return, those of her sect likely will. Along with the Twin Soul Sect and others. And if they don't intend to seek revenge for their losses, we can at least determine that and give some peace of mind."

"I doubt it," Hoyt said. "Both the possibility of them not attempting to wipe Ceretos out of the galaxy and that them not planning it would provide peace of mind. That can only be certain after the invasion doesn't happen. Which it will."

"... I did not say it was likely," Catarina shrugged. "But they could, in theory, choose to eat their losses and ignore one particular world in the lower realms."

"I don't know if finding information on Fajra will be much easier," Velvet said. "Though perhaps it might be available without going into Trigold Cluster territory. I guess that's a reasonable place to start."

Obtaining information about the internal events of the Trigold cluster was tricky- though not because the information wasn't available. That was something Velvet discovered with some poking around in the eastern section of the Scarlet Midfields. It was obvious that others would be quite interested in the goings on of their most powerful neighbors, and since the Trigold Cluster didn't have a complete lockdown on entering or leaving their systems information was bound to circulate.

Two could keep a secret if one was dead. That was the sort of saying that applied, but when it came to a matter of billions of individuals at minimum it was even more true. It was just that information was not freely distributed.

Velvet was nearly certain that the Trigold Cluster as a whole would not have anyone on watch for individuals from the Order. She would place her confidence somewhere above ninety percent- but that was not nearly enough to have her going into enemy territory where alternatives existed. If she were to bet on a one in ten chance of dying or worse she would have better than even odds of death after just ten incidents. That was not the sort of thing that got people to live past a century unless they were extremely lucky. Perhaps that had been the case for Velvet so far- she found it reasonable that she could have died many times- but simply counting on that was the worst idea.

Far easier was trading information for other information, despite potentially inflated prices. She did her best to not let on that she couldn't get the information some other way. The price might go up if she seemed to need the information, and going to another information broker might not help her.

It was still not a quick process. Perhaps it might have been if they had the technology of Rutera that was rumored to be able to access all information, recalling what was necessary instead of just what a particular individual knew or what an organization had copies of. As it was, Velvet was glad to find that it only took a small handful of years to obtain some useful information. They could not quite determine if Fajra might be participating in the invasion- if she was, she was not yet waiting around the border, though it was decades early for that being required. Even so, they narrowed down their search options somewhat.

Of the various individuals she knew, Vari thought she might be the worst spy. Yet she was also the best suited for the particular place she was infiltrating. With her she carried a spear- an elegant specimen to be certain. She had even learned to use it, and she understood why people would. It just wasn't what she preferred.

Returning to the Harmonious Citadel's planets was extremely uncomfortable. Everything she once thought was good and now knew was mostly manipulative tactics irked her. Yet she still fit in as a practitioner of the Holy Harmony Technique. A Life Transformation individual, specifically. Vari absolutely had no plans to display her full abilities in front of many members of the Harmonious Citadel- nor did she intend to enter the same system as any of the saints. That would simply not do. If they even had an inkling that she was siphoning power from them, she would be killed- and if they had proof, it would be either much more quickly or much more slowly.

But as someone who 'belonged', people would generally overlook her. She was just another practitioner of the Holy Harmony Technique stuck at the peak of Life Transformation. It was technically possible for them to reach Integration, but much harder than for the Glorious Harmony Technique which fed on individuals such as Vari had once been. All that wasted devotion… Vari hated the thought, even if she'd likely snatched back more than she'd given. She might individually have righted her balance, but that would not be true for the rest.

The Harmonious Citadel did not take the Dark Ring seriously. No, that wasn't quite right. They were serious about things, but they could not publicly admit how serious the war was getting. Though they couldn't be said to be on their back foot or losing, they couldn't take it casually. They also just refused to admit that there even was a war, with the Dark Ring simply being terrorists.

With her false identity- easily believed as anyone could feel her cultivation was part of them- Vari gathered and passed on information of any sort. Large movements of troops or particularly powerful individuals as well as anything else that stood out. Some individual places were checked for weaknesses, but she could not be seen snooping around too many military outposts. It was unlikely anyone would recognize her, but if actually thought to be snooping it might not matter. Accusations of her being a spy wouldn't even be wrong.

Though she fed a steady stream of information, Vari wished there was more she could do. She couldn't help but look at the regular people who lived around her, and the practitioners of the Holy Harmony Technique. Those who did not cultivate would never be more than the bottom of society- but their only practical choice was the Holy Harmony technique, which wasn't actually going to improve their position. Not like a good cultivation technique should.

Stories of Anton filled her head from the various individuals who knew him. He was responsible for the transformation of a planet. The Harmonious Citadel had more than a few of those, but Vari wondered if she could at least change one. It would have been nice if that was Rouhiri, but she wasn't going to just throw her life away. A single slip up, taking devotion from the saints while on the same planet would be the end.

So she was instead on Lytis, one of the planets with a larger population but not one that was frequented by saints. Vari didn't know quite what she intended to do, but a few people learning alternate versions of the Harmonious Citadel's techniques could spread to more than a few. If only there was a way to keep it from tracing back to her… at least while she was around. How did one go about changing a planet? A continent? Country? Or even a city? She didn't know.

Though Xankeshan was a planet any faction in the Scarlet Midfields would desire to possess, even if it didn't have all of the rewards of Everheart's Tomb just scattered about for the taking, it was not so easily overcome with the large, self-sustaining barrier covering the whole planet. All traffic that moved in and out had to be approved on some level. That meant being part of an approved sect. Or at least appearing to be.

There were going to be spies on Xankeshan, of course. That was inevitable. The information about who was controlling things was likely already available to anyone willing to pay the right price. They might not know that Catarina was literally controlling things with the heart of the formations in her hands, but they would at least place her as one of the key figures.

Some spies would be difficult to root out, and might not be worth the effort. Others were worth the effort… and the difficulty in detecting them had already been overcome some time before. Even so, it wasn't quite clear how long the old man in the cell in front of them had been on Xankeshan. Nor did they know what sort of information he might have sent back. But when the circumstances were right, he had been caught while more or less minding his own business.

"You should tell us what we need to know," Hoyt said as the most obviously intimidating member of their group. "Things will be significantly less painful for you that way, if we don't have to scour your soul."

Even at war, there were limits to what people should do. Even among the group from Ceretos, there were disagreements on what those limits were. Scouring someone's soul was rather extreme, and indeed a painful process. However, unlike the version indirectly obtained from Everheart they had developed a slower and likely less effective method- but also less painful and vaguely more ethical.

Yet they might also have been willing to use one of the worse versions on this particular man. The reason he had been discovered was not because he slipped up in any particular way… he was simply a member of the Twin Soul Sect. The fact that he had gotten in at all meant there were some flaws in their security, though perhaps advertising that they could pick out the Twin Soul Sect meant they should continue to keep that information concealed.

"Please, there must be some mistake," the man said. "I am a devoted member of the Looming Forest."

The Looming Forest was indeed an ally of Xankeshan, part of the Dark Ring. That was why they had already brought over one of them, specifically one who could pick out members of the Twin Soul Sect. It wouldn't do for them to have a 'member' die without confirming it for themselves.

"If you were, you wouldn't be here," Hoyt said. "You're not a member of the Looming Forest at all. You're part of the Twin Soul Sect."

At that, the man's eyes widened- though nearly imperceptively. Clearly he was trained to conceal it, but they weren't just guessing so they knew how he should react. "Please," the man said. "There must be some mistake. You can verify my cultivation technique-"

"We already did," Hoyt said. "And the secret one hidden underneath, of course."

Everyone was surprised when the man died- because his energy was fully suppressed by his bindings. Even if he'd attempted to bite his tongue off, they could have stopped his death. But instead of killing himself he skipped straight to the end of the line, his soul leaving his body without the aid of upper energy.

"Dammit," Catarina said. "I knew we should have told him about the traps first."

"Sorry," Hoyt said. "I know we were trying to get him to talk but… I didn't think he'd be so decisive."

"It's fine. His soul won't get far." The formations that handled that were courtesy of Everheart and not the previous inhabitants. Catarina shook his head, "It's just that the soul scouring isn't as reliable as I would like. Not that I'd be willing to practice the more effective version to a proper level of mastery."

Everyone agreed on that. And while it was unfortunate that the Trigold Cluster would realize their spy was gone, it was better than him actually getting back to them with information on how. Perhaps in the future they could pick out members of the Twin Soul Sect upon arrival and observe their behavior- though that meant more people who knew the techniques to reveal the Twin Soul Sect, and thus more people who could mention that they existed to the wrong people. If they heard about it and came up with proper counters, it would be very troublesome to keep their ranks clear of traitors, or at least to whatever extent they managed it now.

Chapter 570

Years continued to slip away. In some way, the passage of time was beneficial. It gave an opportunity for training and improvement- but that applied to all parties. In general it could be assumed that younger cultivators would be advantaged by further passage of time, so in comparison to Fajra who had officially been called an 'old hag', those from the lower realms had some advantage there. However, that did not mean they would have the confidence to directly deal with her. Instead, they had to think of the majority of the invading forces and what they might be.

Through slow and careful work they did determine where Fajra would be stationed. They were also able to confirm the target was indeed Ceretos- though there were three outposts on the planet Tatera. Fajra seemed to be in control of the forces that would be attacking Brogora, while another individual would be leading the attack on Aicenith. That second individual was a woman known as Juta, a member of the Fearsome Menagerie. It seemed she was also a cultivator in the Augmentation stage- which meant they were taking things quite seriously. Even so, the two groups were disconnected from each other.

That left a third outpost. After some effort, it was determined they would be attacking Weos. Though none of those in the upper realms had interacted with them, as an ally of Ceretos they would try to do something about the third group- beyond just the warning that an attack was definitely on the way.

The fact that things had gone rather slowly was good for Alva, giving her some time to improve her stealth abilities. Even so, she was hesitant to actually enter any of the outposts on Tatera. Whether it was a group of Integration cultivators or a single Augmentation cultivator, she wasn't able to handle them. There was no information so critical at the moment that risking her life was worth it- at least, not to that extent.

Simply being on the planet was a risk, as if Alva or the ship were noticed they would find all further operations more difficult. But unlike Velvet, she was remaining at a proper distance, observing the longer term happenings on the planet.

A small fleet of ships was leaving again. They always came back, but the very fact that anyone was leaving except for the purposes of picking up supplies said quite a bit. Following those ships was a project for another day- or another year perhaps. The important thing was that it wasn't limited to any single outpost, though they didn't seem to gather together or coordinate anywhere near the planet.

Looking for other long term patterns was about the best Alva could do from a distance, but that was still important work. She might even gain the confidence to enter the outpost at some point, though if she was going to it would have to be before the commanders actually arrived. There was currently another Augmentation cultivator in each place, though whether they would be staying or not was unclear. Either way, Alva wouldn't want to risk two people at their level or the individually stronger ones. So she assumed, at least. It was unlikely there were any actually weak Augmentation cultivators, but importance and strength were closely tied in the cultivation world. At best, the current occupants would be similarly talented and less well connected as they were given the unimportant and more boring longer term positions watching over the area.

The fact that the Trigold Cluster had Augmentation cultivators to spare, even just a couple, was concerning. Either they had more than anticipated or were prioritizing this task. Neither was good news for Ceretos- though at least the invaders from the upper realms would be hampered by their positions.

Velvet was focusing on the stealth capabilities of their vessel, but she was still able to keep track of things outside to some extent- and especially oddities with their own vessel. "What's going on?" she asked. "Aren't we outside the system already?"

"We are," Alva confirmed, "But they're still going at sublight speed."

"It might be a trap," Velvet frowned. "Perhaps they're watching for us."

"There's no way they'd know we are following them this particular time. This must be what they're doing."

The trip from there was quite uncomfortable, with the small fleet flying ahead of them for days with no real change. Then there was a slow deceleration. Alva and the rest of the crew was carefully monitoring their relative speeds and they kept their position. It was simply odd when the fleets suddenly… stopped. In the void between systems it would generally be impossible to determine if anything was stationary, not without some sort of reference. And that was exactly what was ahead of them, an extremely uncomfortable reference plane.

It was like looking over a cliff- if Alva were still a young child and unable to even climb, let alone fly. It was a feeling she hadn't felt even in space away from everything, with infinite distances in every direction, most of which had nothing in her path.

She'd felt this feeling from the other side, but significantly less pronounced. The amount of energy thinned out significantly away from planetary systems, but even so there was an obvious transition where it rapidly became nothing.

No, there was still lower energy beyond the slowly undulating edge- but having functioned solely on upper energy for more than a third of her cultivation time, Alva no longer felt like it had any power. There was no connection there for her to draw upon.

The mere idea of powerlessness was frightening, and that was what the space beyond represented. "The Tides…" Alva said as she looked ahead. Visually, it was almost indiscernible- at best a haze in the boundary zone. "I guess that's not quite right." The tides of the world were more than just the border. This was just what could be sensed. Something like… waves?

"I can't believe we lived there," Velvet said. "It feels so empty."

Alva nodded.

Soon enough they were able to discern why the ships had come to this place. One at a time, the ships began to creep across the border. The followers continued to maintain their distance.

"Energy reserves dropping rapidly," one of the deck crew commented. "The upper energy is not being maintained."

"How long do we have?" Alva asked.

"Less than a day, if it maintains its current rate."

"So not that bad, yet," Alva shook her head. "Keep an eye on it. They don't look like they're bleeding as much energy, but I definitely sense some…"

Over the course of the next eight hours, everyone grew increasingly uncomfortable- with the exception of Alva and Velvet. They weren't exactly feeling welcomed, but there was a nostalgic presence to the lower energy around them. Even as their personal reserves leaked out of them as if they were sponges laying out in the sun, they were able to absorb some of the diffuse lower energy.

"It still feels weird," Velvet commented. "Maybe if there were more…?"

"I think I get what they're doing, though," Alva said. "They have to acclimatize people to this. Most people haven't felt natural energy before. Right?" Alva asked the crew.

"This energy feels thin," commented the same individual from earlier. "I have felt it before, though only in passing, in training materials from the lower realms."

Right. That was, in a way, the entire reason for the invasions. Objects infused with natural energy could carry a significant density of the energy and theoretically provide a good basis for control to those of lower cultivation while still being somewhat beneficial to those of higher cultivation. For two cultivators who had undergone Ascension, it was odd to return to the other energy, but it wasn't completely unpleasant.

At the end of the eight hour span, they were soon going to turn about even if the Trigold Cluster's ships hadn't- but just about the time they were ready to make that call, the followed ships began to reverse direction. Throughout the fleet it was possible to feel cultivators expending the lower energy they had absorbed, and though Alva would have said it was clumsy and awkward they weren't particular worse than she would expect for people of their cultivation. She would be interested in trying it herself, but she didn't want to give away their position.

When they were far enough back across the border, the Trigold Cluster's ships paused. They were monitored for some time longer- after another eight hours of rest they headed back through the mixed area.

"Clearly they have storage devices that can maintain their upper energy better," Alva said. "Though we knew they had something of the sort. Though they didn't bring ships last time…"

"Perhaps they can't actually get them to their destinations. These might be simply for training. Which is too bad," Velvet said. "As it will make sabotaging them less effective."

"I know their stronger cultivators shielded them…" Alva said. "Did they fly all that way carrying others?" She locked her eyes on the star that should have been the home for Ceretos- though she was only ninety percent certain. It was the right color, but there were a few in the same general region of the sky. Without proper instruments determining which one was the right size and distance was not that easy.

"I do believe the border will be closer, when the time comes," Velvet said. "Yet still not particularly close. They must have special techniques."

"Yeah, we did get something like that from… the scholar. Though they were for individuals." Not that it was a problem for Alva and the others- they were all Integration cultivators, and they didn't even necessarily plan to return to Ceretos themselves. There were plenty of cultivators there to take care of things. On the other hand, it would be interesting to see the Assimilation cultivators.

Everyone from Ceretos- and a few other allies- were gathered together on Xankeshan to discuss possible actions. "A frontal attack is foolish, obviously," Catarina commented. "At best we might take out one of the military encampments, if we caught them off guard. And they might simply replace or augment their numbers if we do it too soon."

"Can't sabotage their ships," Velvet said. "At least… not directly. We could maybe pick off a few groups near the end." Taking out a few Integration cultivators would still be valuable to the lower realms- and Life Transformation cultivators as well. "We could perhaps slowly poison their wells, but that has many opportunities to get caught. Either from the repeated entrances required or someone discerning trouble with the water itself."

"What about a trap along their route?" Prospero asked. "There's a predictable route, if there was some sort of wide scale formation…"

"It would have to be excessive in size to be certain," Catarina said. "And we would have to move ahead of them. I don't think we could set it up significantly enough in advance, and getting materials properly reactive with lower energy… I could make something happen but I don't think it's practical."

"How about we ignore Tatera entirely?" Timothy suggested. Many heads turned towards him, "I don't mean we do nothing. Just… focusing elsewhere might produce better results. If we pick a few places to cause trouble, destroying supply ships or causing more overt damage, they might have to take people from elsewhere. Like Tatera. Obviously they're not going to send over the big wigs, but maybe an Integration cultivator or two. And if we can cause general damage to their forces…"

"I like the idea," Velvet said. "The worst case is we make an invasion worse for one of the other lower realms… though given that the general state of things is for them to get wiped out to the point of nearly everything being lost, that might not change anything. Or we get caught ourselves, and they learn our plans. So we… can't get caught." She shook her head, "I'm not sure what would be required to strain the Trigold Cluster, though, so we'd have to cause as much damage as possible while not having them bolster everything. Which sounds… difficult."

"Maybe we should just stay out of things?" Alva said, clearly unwilling to just stand by, especially after all their effort."

"Or…" Kseniya said. "What if we do get them to send more troops to Ceretos?"

"More people from there will die," Alva said. "Even if they're driven off."

"Yes," Kseniya nodded seriously. "They will. But I don't think Ceretos will lose easily. You haven't seen what your grandfather can do now. Or rather, what he could do when I ascended some time after you. And he's not alone. Don't forget, they don't have to match Integration cultivators one for one. In the lower realms, we killed them even with small groups of Life Transformation cultivators."

"Yeah!" Chikere nodded. "Rahayu and I got this sword that way!"

"You don't count," Alva said. "But I get the idea. I just don't know if drawing more attention is the right then."

"Then we should ask," Kseniya said. "If they're willing to face the risk, then we can cause whatever damage doesn't get us killed here and win in every scenario. First, they don't replace the forces- making things easier for Ceretos. Second, they replace them but no more. More dead members of the Trigold Cluster- that's good. Third, they add more forces- that all get killed there. If Ceretos is up for it."

"With Anton leading the Order, and with everything else I've heard?" Prospero asked, leading into his conclusion. "They will be."

Chapter 571

Word of a 'special excursion' of the Harmonious Citadel reached Vari's ears. The existence of the excursion itself was not secret, but the details were. The only details she could gather was that it would be led by 'prominent disciples of the saints' and the requirements to join. One had to participate in a special training endeavor and reveal their skill.

That seemed important, but not too important. Specifically, Vari felt confident that she would not encounter a saint, but might learn something useful. This was about the best opportunity she would get, so she took her spear and went to the arena.

Obviously the selection would involve fighting- when did cultivators ever do things differently? More than that, the Harmonious Citadel was large enough that they didn't keep careful track of individual performance, except for those at the top. That was especially true for practitioners of the Holy Harmony Technique.

The exhibition was set up so that people would fight as many different individuals as possible- an elimination tournament with one or a few winners wouldn't leave them a large pool to select from.

Vari's first opponent used a sword. Unless there was a particular skill difference, a spear would have the advantage of reach. Between cultivators that could be overcome, but it would be quite difficult for the other woman to beat Vari. There was still a cultivation gap between them, after all. Life Transformation cultivators were the bread and butter of the upper realms, those who were strong enough to be relevant but not the best.

There was the slight issue that Vari couldn't display her full strength- and that the spear was not her first choice of fighting style- but she was quite experienced with countering the various styles of the Harmonious Citadel. Her spear flashed, stabbing forth. The point of the weapon extended well beyond its physical reach, and the speed forced her opponent to deflect- or be forced eternally back.

The other woman attempted to step past Vari's guard, but Vari matched her footwork, keeping at her optimal reach and out of the woman's. Vari actually found it quite difficult, wondering how her aunt would have reacted to her sharing the same weapon. Perhaps in a different world she might have learned from the woman.

A quick jab with her spear was actually a feint, and she was already withdrawing when her opponent parried. That allowed her to stab deep, piercing into the breastplate of her opponent. The arena's formations stopped her attack.

Against another spear user she found her own technique lacking- even knowing the proper counters, she couldn't help but feel she was only able to keep up because of her cultivation. On the other hand, she could have taken her opponent apart in moments with her bare hands. Or gauntleted hands and sturdy boots.

The morningstar was a weapon that was only dangerous if it reached her. That was true of everything, of course, but users of the spiky maces tended to favor heavy attacks, amplifying the properties the weapon possessed. Vari might have been able to handle them unarmed, but she thought her barriers would have actually done poorly against them.

Only bows had greater reach than a spear. Vari had to sneak in a few barriers to protect herself from the barrage of attacks as she approached- and even if anyone noticed the divergence from 'proper' combat style was not significant. Even lumping everyone into specific categories, the Harmonious Citadel's members weren't exactly the same in how they fought.

Against Alva, Vari had plenty of experience dealing with arrows- though it was quite annoying when an archer had unlimited freedom of movement. Here, the arena was not tremendous in scale and there were only so many places for her opponent to run, once he failed to quickly defeat Vari.

Axes came in many shapes and sizes- for the Harmonious Citadel, that went up to polearms like halberds. Though it would seem that having an axe head in addition to a spearhead would be advantageous, the weapons were slightly slower- and its wielders were predisposed to sweeping and chopping attacks. Ducking under one swing, Vari secured her next victory- though it was not by much.

When she went up against daggers she found herself quite surprised- as weapons with the shortest reach their wielder had to be used to fighting against longer weapons, and the woman had the strength and technique to parry the spear with one dagger along with the swiftness to approach in that same moment. Trying to restrain her power to a reasonable limit while fighting with a style she had only spent a decade at best practicing was insufficient, and Vari suffered her first defeat. But ultimately, that was probably for the best.

Her performance should be sufficient but not exceptional. That was what she wanted, though it irked her that the loss was somewhat real rather than fully intentional.

At the border between the upper and lower realms, a half dozen ships carrying all of the available cultivators from the lower realms followed after a group of five. It was six Integration cultivators against a projected five, but they were not interested in fair balance. If Kseniya and Rahayu had been available they would have been included among the others. Along with them were many Life Transformation cultivators, requisitioned from their various allies for promised rewards- though they could not currently offer anything tempting enough to bring along additional Integration cultivators. Any of them could fight more than a handful of Life Transformation cultivators, but doing that at the same time as they fought Integration cultivators? Quite foolish.

A single ship was ahead of their group with Velvet controlling its stealth capabilities. There was enough divergence between the front and rear sides that the following ships could keep track of her position while being far enough that the enemies wouldn't detect them.

Today was both one of their first sabotage missions… and a test. They returned to the first location they had found the Trigold Cluster along the border, where there had been a nearly disastrous accident- that turned out to be at least partially orchestrated by a diviner of some sort. They were keeping a careful watch for additional enemies. In the openness of space sneaking up on people was difficult but not impossible, as great distances and special techniques could both be sufficient. But they were prepared to flee if there was danger.

There was no indication anyone noticed them as they reached the 'border', and the trailing ships quickly moved to keep up as the enemy crossed for one of their regular training excursions.

A message was transmitted between the ships. "Three of them have swords. Two are on the same ship."

The true meaning of that unintentionally cryptic message from Chikere was that there were likely more than five Integration individuals they would be facing. It came as they were beginning to cross the border themselves, the upper energy thinning and their presences likely noticed.

They had to make a quick decision of whether to fight or flee. It was possible to retreat still- though the strangeness of the border would likely make going beyond lightspeed difficult. That was part of the reason they were staging their ambush where they were- to prevent their enemies from simply leaving. Though it was not possible to instantly reach faster than light speeds regardless.

Everyone quickly made the same decision. A few more or less enemies wouldn't make a difference to their plans. They all had their targets, and moved forward as planned. Instead of closing in and then matching their enemies' speed, however, they accelerated towards them. The chances of a collision were tiny- both sides would have to want one for that to happen. However, they wouldn't stop to exchange blows.

Around two ships, fire formed itself into distinct meteors. With no gravity to aid them, the traditional method of attack for Falling Stars was not possible- this method had been developed for ship to ship combat. There were limits to how much distance either Hoyt or Prospero could control the technique at, so accelerating along with the ships was optimal. While it seemed simpler to simply begin their technique after the ships had already accelerated, it took some time to stabilize and aim for their high relative velocities. And they were not far from their targets.

The Trigold Cluster's ships now had their own decision to make- they could still flee at this point, but if they all moved together the incoming fleet was likely to cut them off. However, if they were to split up then infinite directions were available to them- even if it was more or less cut in half because of their location. Either they did not want to split up, or they felt confident in their victory. Only one side's confidence would be justified in the end.

Both sides opened fire with their ranged attacks- archers, ship-bound artillery, or various forms of energy attack. All moved to evade, except Timothy's ship. It was the second of the various vessels they had commissioned to be completed, with formations suited for him in particular. It didn't just make use of barriers- anyone could do that- but also his particular insights into shielding and deflection. The formations would not act at full efficiency without his control. The projectiles that struck Timothy's ship were partially deflected, while others were reflected back towards the enemy fleet. Given both sides were undergoing evasive maneuvers the results weren't perfect, but they were sufficient.

Chikere stood at the front of her ship. She'd heard about the interesting designs they had in the lower realms, but if she were to get a ship customized to her it would be a long process. Instead, she was doing the next best thing- just using her own abilities. Her ship was performing evasive maneuvers, but unlike the others it wasn't entirely attempting to avoid the enemy. Specifically, she got as close as possible to the ship with two rather decent swords- and their wielders.

A hundred swords flew in front of the ship, forming the shape of a single, larger blade. As the ships crossed paths, the arrangement cut forward, intent on slicing the enemy ship in two. Chikere achieved less than a quarter of that ambition- but she did manage to slice through the barriers and the front part of the ship before the two Integration Cultivators together stopped her attack. They only had a short moment as they passed each other for Chikere's augmented sword to sweep at the ship twice more, cutting an x into its hull but not breaking through.

Catarina seemed most like she was doing nothing, but in actually she send small stone plates spiraling out long before, and while she wasn't able to perfectly predict the movement of enemy ships she got some of her devices close enough to two ships, at which point they had a clear attraction towards them like a magnet. As they were small and inactive, nobody paid them much mind. There were six enemy ships and their cultivators to focus on- picking out space junk at the same time was difficult. As the stone plates touched their intended marks on the enemy ships, latching on and slowly drifting towards specific positions, they activated their own markings, adding them onto that of the ship… and creating a loop that recklessly discharged energy into the barriers. If they had been attacked at that moment they would have been nearly invincible- but that wouldn't last for long.

The Falling Stars from Hoyt and Prospero both found some purchase, targeting ships being simpler than cultivators who could react and change directions at greater speeds. Hoyt had more power- he was in Integration while Prospero was still in Life Transformation for the second time- but both were useful in their own way.

The final ship clashed with the enemy as it went by, but the thing that nobody was supposed to notice was Vari, who had pulled away from her own ship before they reached a full acceleration. That meant she arrived somewhat later- but not moving at a speed that would flatten her against the enemy's hull. She did have to expend some effort to slow herself down subtly, but she caught onto one ship and cut her way through the barrier, making use of some guidance from Catarina. Once she was inside, she could cause all manner of trouble.

Chapter 572

Though many cultivator spaceships carried on the traditional aesthetic of their sea counterparts, there were also ways that they were different. The Trigold Cluster- at least for their military operations at the border between upper and lower realms- favored a design that had the majority of the crew encased instead of on an open deck. That meant a simple breach of their barriers wouldn't lead to suffocation of the weaker cultivators, and it provided a bit more privacy. Isolation, even, though people weren't ever actually alone.

Physical security on the ship was minimal, as people needed to move about freely especially during a combat situation. More importantly, the outer barrier should have stopped people like Velvet from boarding their ship. Maybe it would have, if it was running at full capacity- but the current position across the border was met with interference from natural energy. The ship was clearly designed to operate to some extent in those conditions, but it was still made mainly for traversing the upper realms.

There were many tempting targets along Velvet's route, but while she could count on concealing herself, once someone died the crew would have to be pretty incompetent for none of them to notice it immediately. Unless she could get someone in a completely sealed room, but then she couldn't step out of it easily.

Velvet made her way further, not hurried but certainly not taking her time- this was a combat scenario, after all. The hatch she entered eventually took her through hallways to the bridge- the known layout of the ships guiding her. Though the presence of an Integration cultivator would have been sufficient.

The door took a moment of focus, replicating the feeling of it being shut for those inside even as she slipped through. Though Velvet was unable to say she'd done perfectly, there were no indications of anyone noticing. That let her close the distance with her target.

She had in one hand a stiletto dagger, long and thin. Her aim was just under the armpit, where armor would be lightest. The Integration cultivator had energy defenses as well- it would be foolish to not at any point, but especially in battle. Velvet needed to gather enough energy to pierce through that so her dagger could reach the heart.

If everything went well, the woman wouldn't even feel it until the blade was drawn out of her body. But either because of some extraordinary senses or a failure on Velvet's part- perhaps due to the interference of lower energy which she was no longer used to- her opponent twisted at the last instant. Velvet's blade still pierced energy defenses and flesh, but barely even punctured a lung and certainly didn't reach all the way through the woman's heart.

Velvet expected an immediate retaliation with the claw weapons the woman wore on her hands- what she did not expect was for the woman to exhale a cloud of acrid yellowish gas, filling the area around them. The angle of the cloud wasn't quite perfect, indicating Velvet had still managed to keep herself somewhat concealed. It was targeted more towards her left shoulder than her center of mass, and she pulled away- leaving her dagger behind. She had another, though she preferred to fight with both.

The lungs on the woman seemed endless- or more likely, whatever she was breathing wasn't actually in her lungs to begin with but was a creation of energy. A poison of some sort, one that the woman herself would be immune to. Velvet moved to one of the walls of the bridge- a corner was too obvious- holding her breath and forming energy over her pores. Some poisonous gasses required inhalation, some seeped in through the skin. At least it didn't appear to be directly caustic- the materials of the bridge itself were not disintegrating as the cloud spread.

While the woman herself was immune, the crew on the bridge was not. There was no immediate visible effect, except for their reactions- at best a moment of spasming muscles before they collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

Velvet was not on the bridge. That was what her stealth was based on, but she was still not able to perfectly embody that idea. No matter how much she might trick others' senses, she was still actually present. She didn't want to determine if she could beat that poison… so she twisted the handle of the door.

Without even stepping from her position, the Integration cultivator slashed at and through the door, the form of a dragon extending the reach of the claws to several meters. It wasn't just a projection, either, but a physical transformation- if temporary.

If Velvet had been foolish enough to actually touch the door instead of grasping it with a tendril of energy she might have been cut into clean slices. Though if that had actually been her intention, she would have done a better job of hiding the movement of the handle. Even so, she came to realize her current position was even less safe than it seemed- if she was properly revealed, she would likely die. But clearly that wasn't the case.

Instead of edging closer to the door- or what was left of it- she moved further, even as the toxic fumes continued to spread. The woman had ceased her breath, but the fumes naturally moved to fill the area. They crept ever closer to Velvet… and the availability of the hallway wasn't sufficient.

There was a glass viewing window at the front of the ship- or perhaps some sort of durable crystal. Either way, Velvet made a slight sound there. Her opponent's reaction was much the same- except a larger sweeping claw slash covered a wider area. Velvet had to bend towards the floor to avoid the attack, and even then it still glanced off her defensive energy. More than injuries or the loss of that energy, Velvet was worried about her opponent's potential feedback. She leapt towards the now destroyed window, disappointed that the ship's formations held up and didn't suck the gasses out into the vacuum of space.

It seemed that the draconic woman didn't quite sense where Velvet had been, or simply had other ideas- turning to sweep the room with another sweep behind her, cutting apart pieces of the ship and crew. Velvet was glad she'd dodged towards the area that had just been attacked, though she didn't think she was as likely to be cut into tiny slices by the wider area attacks. At most she would receive some wounds… but that would be problematic as well.

She slipped out of the now destroyed viewport, squeezing herself between the formation barriers and the vessel itself. She had to be careful of her route, as the ship itself was still being assaulted by her allies- and with its bridge completely disrupted, it was an easy target. She supposed she could still call her efforts a success, even if she hadn't killed her target. Though her toes were numb on one foot where she'd barely dipped it into that toxic cloud.

Having been unable to cut the ship in half, Chikere had to return for another pass. Instead of speeding by, she had the ship approach at a reasonable speed to facilitate a proper confrontation. In short, she jumped onto the enemy ship, where she was immediately met by two swordsmen. One held a pair of middling sized blades, while another held a two handed sword- though it was not like the bulky hunks of metal the Black Hole Blades had carried. It was still an elegant weapon, thin and sharp with a long reach, making it more akin to a glaive in some manners.

As she was no longer trying to cut the ship itself in two, Chikere gathered her swords around herself in a dancing cloud of blades instead of treating them as one larger sword- clearly that technique needed more practice, and perhaps more energy infused into it. Personal combat, however, she could handle.

It only took five blades each to deal with the two Integration cultivators, leaving her the majority to deal with the waves of foolish individuals who thought they could alter the battle by joining in. Perhaps they meant to wear her down, but Chikere didn't think she would ever get tired from low level sword techniques. Simply swinging a weapon was invigorating in its own way.

Her one arm held no weapon. That was not because she was not capable- and in fact it would still be better to wield her best sword that way, even though she was not left handed. But having a free hand came with advantages… and things being difficult was good for training.

Using her own body like a sword was a nice idea, but Chikere knew she wasn't a good sword. Oh, she could still cut someone with her fingers or a simple look, but that was no good against anyone even vaguely close to her level. She had to admit the two figures were working together well- the one with two blades moved in close and kept her busy while the other moved into a flanking position. If she was not effectively using ten arms to deal with them, she might not be able to keep up.

The other crew were now hesitating at the door- and finding it rather difficult to get over the pile of bodies- so Chikere felt confident she could have reserved a few more weapons for offense against either or both. That would end the fight quickly. But she had further goals beyond just winning.

The greatsword was first. Though Chikere knew her body was a terrible sword, not sharp at all, for defensive measures it was perfectly serviceable. Even when deflecting with one of her own blades she was never supposed to touch the edge, but use flats against flats.

The greatsword stabbed towards her with great agility, transitioning into a sweep then drawing slash as she avoided it. Moves worthy of a swordmaster. Chikere felt herself dancing on the edge of her capabilities, but that was exactly what she wanted. Her fingers came up, pushing against the flat of the sword and bringing it above her head as she stepped into one of her opponents. Her elbow jabbed into his wrist, spasming the muscles to make one hand let go. Her fingers closed around the hilt of the weapon, angling the blade even against the other hand's resistance to deflect one of the swords sweeping towards her while her own free roaming blades blocked the other.

Chikere then gathered several of her blades to force the man to make a choice- keep his remaining hand on his greatsword and have his body impaled in multiple places, or retreat. Those weren't the only options, but they were the clear ones. The man pulled back, even being gutsy enough to grab the hilts of some of Chikere's floating blades. For a moment, it was as if they had switched weapons.

The overly large hilt spun around in a single hand, the weapon elegant and balanced enough to not hinder Chikere overly much. The sword struggled against her- it seemed the man had a decent brand of ownership. Unfortunately, she needed to kill him with his own sword so she couldn't let that stand. Three of her own blades moved towards the man and he attempted to deflect with the two he'd captured. Chikere let him think he had control of them until the last moment, and to his credit he avoided getting his hands cut clean off. Instead, he just received slices along the length of both forearms. But that slowed him enough for Chikere to step in, thrusting his own sword through his neck, the weapon moving too quickly for him to react with the other moves already happening. Blood poured down the blade, which should fulfill Sadiq's requirement. Though perhaps she should store some of it as well.

The other behind her was being constantly menaced by her weapons as well. When she focused on one opponent, he took advantage and slashed towards her in a cross pattern. She intended to deflect them with her right arm before realizing she no longer had that. She had to twist her body unnaturally, catching one blade between her ribs and kicking up one foot to kick at the other. The blade cut through her shoes but was caught in the valley next to her big toe, the limb itself providing only a small amount of the force required to stop the attack and her upper energy doing the majority of the heavy lifting. Her body was tempered as much as was reasonable, but she wondered if she should work towards the unreasonable… or perhaps she should focus on it even less.

With one opponent down, even though she'd received a not insignificant injury at that moment she would not take long to defeat the man. When she dropped the large sword and went back to being bare handed, the man seemed to understand her intent to kill him with his own blades.

The most difficult part was holding both of them in one hand. It felt a bit rude, really, to kill someone of such skill with their own sword- but their blades would be better reforged into something greater. If Chikere was going to go out, she would want her life essence to become part of a powerful sword as well.

Chikere retrieved the blades, some blood, and finished cutting the ship in half from the inside before remembering they intended to capture at least one of the vessels for study. Well, it was basically intact except for one side and the entire middle.

Chapter 573

Bags were being carefully and calmly packed in Namrata's quarters. Everything was fine. Sure, someone had gone and basically ignored her instructions despite her being the only one to achieve any results. Who cares how long it had been since it last happened? There was no trouble in the meantime. And then they went and put two people with swords on the same ship. Honestly, Namrata didn't understand why that would be a problem. In theory, those guys had good battle synergy. But she didn't have to understand, she just had to know.

Now she had to go. Staying would somehow result in her death, even though nobody listened to her. Maybe because nobody listened to her. And leaving… would not. Which meant the Trigold Quadrant wouldn't be expending the resources to hunt her down in the near future. Or the Unseen Eyes. Maybe they could discern she had no intention to betray their secrets. Or perhaps there was some master diviner already working against her, luring her into an inescapable trap she didn't deserve.

But everything was fine. She was on track to leave and her near future had her alive. She had no idea what would happen with the fleet, except for calamity. Or maybe it had already happened? When did they go out? Were they supposed to be back soon? Namrata shook her head. Thinking about such things wouldn't help. She just had to survive. Otherwise, there was no point. Unlike sometimes, the futures were very clear. Like that time she'd almost died. She was unsure what sort of weird chain reaction would have led to her death for just seeing a future, but she was glad that she got the counter-future first.

She tried, desperately, to not think about the small chance that she had her probabilities backwards and that this was the choice with an overwhelming chance of death. But she couldn't second guess herself because if she did there was no point in even having those abilities. She also couldn't stop herself, because she'd repacked her bags ten times and it really didn't matter because she was just going to shove everything into a storage bag in the end.

Then it was time to go. Namrata traced a specific path through the compound, a completely normal and not at all circuitous and suspicious route. There she found a hauler removing the last of the supplies. "Excuse me. Before you close that up, there's a return shipment that has to go back with you," Namrata smiled her best smile. The man looked at her.

"There aren't return shipments."

"Of course there are," she said, holding out a bag to him. He opened up the drawstring of a bag which held just enough materials to propel the man from the Foundation Phase into Essence Collection or perhaps even Life Transformation if he was lucky. Technically, not all of those were things that Namrata was supposed to have distributed to her, but she'd made a few requisition orders. It was frustrating how she'd only had two days to do it, though. Way too many interactions where things could go completely wrong.

She continued walking towards the ship, where she walked into the hold and huddled into a corner. Nobody stopped her or pulled her out, though it would be simple to catch her. Anyone important walking near the hangar could notice. If anyone checked the ships at all she would be compromised. Namrata almost turned and ran out, certain that she'd gotten things backward. What could harm her here? Except, of course, her superiors. And that… one particular divination that revealed only her death.

So she stayed. The ship's hold was closed, and within ten minutes they were back in the air, the crew not even getting a day on the ground before being shipped back off. Not that the compound had much in the way of entertainment, but they could at least relax at the bar or something.

Once they were out of the atmosphere and soon thereafter leaving the system, Namrata relaxed. From here on out, all reasonable futures led to her being alive. Except if she did something stupid like walk up onto deck where the crew could see her.

She got up, stretched, and began to walk around the hold.

"What are you doing here?" A voice said next to her. She turned her head towards the familiar voice she'd never heard. Oh no. She'd gotten it backwards, hadn't she?

"I, u-uh," the woman in front of Velvet stammered. "I'm not supposed to be here either so turning you in would get me in trouble! So even if nobody knows I'm here, killing me wouldn't do you any good."

"But also nobody would miss you," Velvet pointed out.

"Thaaats not truuuue," the woman said as her eyes searched for something that might sound true- but would clearly not be. "Tons of people will look for me. Important people."

"I would have expected you to avoid this place, you know," Velvet said. "Aren't you a diviner?" she pressed her dagger up against the woman's neck, just enough to draw a drop of blood. "Is this a trap?"

"Y-yes! You've fallen into my clever trap and there's no way to escape unless you run right now!"

This woman was either the best manipulator Velvet had ever seen or she'd never learned how to talk to people. Having seen her smoothly get onto the ship Velvet considered the former. Yes, she might be up to something right now.

"Tell me what it is," Velvet said. "You have three seconds. I know nobody can get here before then."

"Iliedandthere'snotrapIwassupposedtolivethiswaybutIgotitbackwards!" the woman said all at once.

"What about my companion?" Velvet asked. "The one with the axe? You knew he'd be here?"

The woman looked around the empty hold. "I don't uh…" she closed both eyes for half a moment, but didn't have the courage to gather energy. She was lucky Velvet had seen it before. "Is he hiding here somewhere? I don't know, I swear! This ship isn't even important enough for me to show up here! Uh, normally."

Velvet looked down at her communication device. "Really? But it is important enough for your boss to come after it."

"What?" the woman looked truly shocked. "That can't- how would he know?" she slumped to the floor. "I got everything wrong."

The dagger dangled in front of her face. "Tell me what happens to him," Velvet said.

"I don't… I don't know," the woman admitted.

"Then find out," Velvet said. "You can't hurt me, so go ahead and do your divination thing."

"Really?" the woman said. "Okay, fine. But I can't guarantee it will work. If uh… if something happens after my death… the probability drops…"

Velvet wasn't sure if that was true, but she was willing to believe it for the moment.

The woman closed her eyes, then upper energy gathered to her head. Velvet watched carefully, but couldn't really pick out what was going on. Did it require some sort of innate ability?

The woman grimaced. "I'm not… quite sure. It's uh… either him or the ship he's on gets cut in half?" she tilted her head. "Does that make sense?"

"Are you sure it's not both?" Velvet asked.

"I uh… it seems pretty well split between the two."

"Maybe he's standing off center, then," Velvet said.

"Uh… what?"

"What's your name anyway?"

"Namrata," the woman said.

"Alright then Namrata, do you want to live?"

"Yes!" she said. "I mean… of course. Who wouldn't?"

"Then… don't do anything stupid." Velvet wrapped an arm around the woman.

When she began to open the hatch at the rear of the ship, Namrata began to squirm. "If you're going to kill me I'm not going to just sit here and take it!"

"If I was going to kill you," Velvet said, "You'd be dead." Then she wrapped her energy around herself and her companion. Life Transformation or not, it didn't seem this woman was capable of surviving in space alone.

The hatch opened easily enough, and the ship even held in all the air so there wasn't any crazy decompression.

Another pulse to her communication device. "Looks like we missed it," Velvet sighed. "I kinda wanted to see it." She pushed off from the rear of the ship, causing them to slowly drift away. "Oh well, I'll have them pick us up here. You're much more interesting than the flight pattern of a single cargo ship."

Ten minutes later, two halves of a ship drifted past them- or perhaps they were merely two pieces, inexact in their symmetry. "How… how did this happen?" said Namrata.

"Aren't you the diviner?" Velvet asked.

"There was no sensible path to this!" she shook her head. "How does sending a few extras instead of leaving things the same lead to this?"

"Well," Velvet shrugged, "Maybe Chikere was unhappy with needing two swings the first time. And she did fight a couple strong guys."

Namrata was now a captive, which she supposed was technically alive. Perhaps she should have been more exacting with her standards, as if that was even possible in the short time frame she had. It was either be alive, or not.

And, aside from the tiny prick in her neck she was not really on a track to dying. People had a lot of questions for her. Most of which… she could not answer.

"Is it possible to create a world devouring formation?" some other strong woman asked. Catarina, maybe?

"Why would I know that? I'm not a formation master!"

"But I am," Catarina said. "I think it would take about a decade. Would I succeed?"

"I don't know!" Namrata shook her head. "Things like that… it's way too complicated! Also why?"

"I just wanted to know if I could," Catarina shrugged. "Seems like a big waste of time for something I wouldn't ever use, but it would be nice to know if I could do it."

"Well I don't know." This woman was crazy. All of them were.

"What about the Trigold Cluster?" Catarina asked. "Do they have any world devouring formations?"

"No! Of course… not…" Namrata frowned. "At least, I haven't heard of any."

"So they might."

"... Sometimes planets are removed. But I don't know if formations are involved in any meaningful fashion."

"And you lived there?" Catarina asked.

"Where else was I going to go, huh?" Namrata grimaced. "They don't just let Unseen Eyes leave the sect. And don't say I should have chosen another path in life! I'd be in Essence Collection at best if my divinatory abilities hadn't been revealed!" Namrata probably shouldn't be shouting at her captors, but so far it hadn't had any consequences and she was having a bad week.

"So it is an inborn talent thing?" Catarina asked. "How does that work?"

"During Spirit Building, if Insight, Spiritual Connection and Earthly Connection combine just right…" Namrata shook her head. "Well, it's something they sort of nudge people towards, but I wasn't important enough to learn the inner secrets."

"Yet you're quite good at it. You hit an invisible ship by giving instructions to another ship ahead of time. Why are you all the way out here?"

"... Maybe because I prioritized not dying over the 'best' results?" Namrata frowned. "They didn't really say."

"Didn't you say to Velvet that your divinations become less reliable past your 'death'?"

"Exactly!" Namrata nodded. "So they really just want inaccurate prophecies that might be better for this or that sect. And the Unseen Eyes would get paid big either way."

"You seem quite effective, then," Catarina said. "Why shouldn't we get rid of you?"

"Uh…" Namrata was kind of taking for granted her feeling that she would be alive. But there it was, coming up again. Her death. Would she actually just not know her actual death? Could she inaccurately depict being alive after that? How bothersome. "I can be really helpful if I'm not in situations where I might die."

"Do you have to be close to what you're predicting? Physically, temporally?"

"Not always," Namrata shook her head.

"Then… if you can help us get the Trigold to be moderately excessive with their attacks on the lower realms, we might be able to help you."

"... What do you have against the lower realms?"

"Nothing," Catarina said.

The weird part was that Namrata thought it was true. And what did moderately excessive even mean?

Chapter 574

Having obtained the qualifications to go on the 'special excursion' with the Harmonious Citadel, Vari found several features that worried her even more than her normal negative interactions with her old sect. Like having to give up all communication devices. The old Vari would have accepted it without question- it was a good way to prevent spies from leaking information, after all. And also a good way to isolate people and a clear sign of lack of trust in their disciples, for all their 'harmony'.

It was a good thing some form of this had been anticipated. Vari gave up all her forms of active communication- there was little of interest among them. After all, if she had been captured, revealing anything from Xankeshan would not only make things worse for them but also herself. Though if her own position were compromised Vari understood there wasn't really any chance of survival- it was simply best if they thought she was unimportant and quickly finished her off.

The only thing she retained was an inconspicuous token, the formations woven into it using very little energy and only transmitting a small amount of very important information- her location. More than that, she could infuse some of her own energy into it to provide a signal- though that was only for emergencies. To keep the device simple, there were only two options depending on how she did it- one to warn people to stay away, and another to ask for a group to come aid her. The former basically meant resigning herself to death, and the latter she only hoped to use to disrupt whatever the special excursion was.

Vari was packed in with all of the others on ships that had just enough space for a short time of travel, maybe a few days between systems or a couple weeks if they were going further. But after two weeks, they had not heard any further news of their progress, nobody getting off at the stops to refuel and resupply.

If it had not been a rapid form of suicide, Vari would have sought out those who seemed discontent with the Harmonious Citadel among those on board and trying to turn them to her side. However, not only was this particular group selected for those with greater devotion to the cause- Vari had to do a lot of pretending to still believe everything was fine and normal- there was nowhere for her to go if something backfired. Even so, she still kept track of potential individuals. Those with bruises and cuts from 'sparring' and individuals who suffered from less physical forms of abuse. It seemed to be always those who practiced the subordinate Holy Harmony Technique. That was the way of things.

Vari did her best to remain unnoticed, to not stand out or appear weak. She kept her spear on her at all times, even though in truth she would be deadlier if she set aside that weapon and just chose to kick people with the fancy boots she got from Everheart's Tomb. Even on a ship with only allies, carrying a weapon at all times was seen as a reasonable act, proper wariness rather than paranoia.

When they finally arrived at their destination, it was entirely uninteresting. A barely livable planet with nothing going for it. Yet it was the same place every other ship destined for the 'special excursion' arrived at, so it wasn't as if Vari in particular ended up with the worst location. This was just what it was. She had some suspicions- her contact with the others had been minimal since she began her operation, but she still knew about the invasions of the lower realms. She just couldn't verify anything right away.

Life on the new planet was simple and boring. Training, either in groups or individually- but without the beneficial facilities that the major planets of the Harmonious Citadel provided. There were at least instructors of some talent- individuals in Integration, some more advanced than others. Vari felt she could really learn something about the spear from spearmaster Jafet, but she knew she wouldn't improve her actual strength training with them.

It took some time for their goal to be clearly stated, during which time Vari spent as much of her free time as possible low key spying. First she determined how many Integration cultivators were present- more than two dozen at first, increasing over time as new ships arrived. They had a real army present, which basically confirmed her suspicions before the actual revelation.

Jafet was one of those with the greatest influence present, a man who clearly showed his age but had the strength to maintain a position. He had some potential to step into Augmentation- but clearly he was not a supreme talent, or he would have done so a century prior at least. Either way, he was respected enough to give the official announcement.

"As I'm sure most of you are aware," the man began slowly, "There are many materials difficult to obtain in the upper realms that are quite prevalent in the lower realms. These can bestow certain properties on equipment or improve the training of cultivators, especially those below the Integration stage- but it is not exclusively limited to them." He looked over the gathered crowd, hundreds of Life Transformation cultivators gathered from many planets. "Ascended individuals might bring some amount of those with them, but they are hardly selective. It is difficult to secure a consistent supply… but word has reached the Harmonious Citadel of certain opportunities. A mere few decades from now one of those will arise. But this involves descending to the lower realms. Thus, from now on we will be acclimating ourselves to lower energy to fight at our optimum capacity."

There were many exclamations of surprise. Vari did her best to at least look pensive as if she didn't already know. She hadn't known that the Harmonious Citadel possessed this particular information, but it was not crazy that they would have it. There were many ways it could have come to them, between informants or 'lucky' individuals who ascended from lower realms after their worlds had been invaded. Like Alva, but most would be properly swept up in the Harmonious Citadel. The truth was they were a strong sect with a powerful cultivation technique, so the loss of some autonomy would have been acceptable for many even if they knew everything.

In fact, if Vari had been chosen to practice the Glorious Harmony Technique, perhaps she would have been part of them still. Instead, the Harmonious Citadel fostered a class of the downtrodden- those to weak to rise up and overcome their oppressors… but that wouldn't stop them from trying forever.

"I see you have some talent," said spearmaster Jafet to Vari. "However, you seem to have run into some roadblocks in your training. I can provide personal guidance, if you wish."

Vari kept her expression as neutral as possible. "I appreciate the offer," she said. "But enduring the struggle for growth might be best, for now."

"Very well," the man said. "It is your choice."

As he left her behind, it seemed he meant it. While she still considered him scum, Vari still would have placed him above many others for that. Many cultivators would be glad to exchange their affections for a chance at power, regardless of their feelings for the individual in question. When it was actually a choice to get involved, it still vaguely fit in tolerable behavior. But Vari's seniors on Xankeshan- mainly those from the Order of One Hundred Stars- freely helped people with training, when they had time. The stories of Anton indicated he was a great instructor, and Vari looked vaguely towards the lower realms. This was perhaps the closest they would come to ever meeting. After all, Vari had no intention of actually invading the lower realms.

The only reason she had waited to send the signal was to make sure that all of the forces that would be arriving in the near future were in place. If her companions properly determined that they needed to bring an army from the alliance with them, they could defeat them. Otherwise, she was still confident that a smaller group could extract her.

She just wished she knew how long it would take. So far, it had been six months. In some ways a short time for a cultivator, in others it felt like an eternity. Obviously Vari couldn't expect them to just drop everything and come to her. They had other things to deal with, but the longer it was the more she was unsure if they were actually coming. She was unsure if she could keep her guise up indefinitely. Certainly, once they were in the lower realms she couldn't expect to fight in a war while limiting herself. And though they might overlook her strength, she really didn't want to help the Harmonious Citadel do that. But she also couldn't just join the other side- even if they didn't lose, would they really just trust that a random invader was a turncoat?

But she could wait. The journey from the Harmonious Citadel's territory had taken more than a handful of weeks with logistics already dealt with. If her friends were gathering a proper army, she could only wait.

Harassing the border planets of the Trigold Cluster had become a longer term project- not that anyone expected it to be short or easy. The important part was picking the right targets. Nobody wanted to accidentally attack a fort with an Augmentation cultivator present. Even if they managed to defeat them, it would come at a guaranteed loss of life. WIth the difference in stage, an Augmentation cultivator would be nearly guaranteed to take out multiple Integration cultivators no matter the odds stacked against them. More than a few if they weren't severely outnumbered. That wasn't even counting potential allies.

There had been just enough time to attack one training excursion and take out a few supply ships heading for Tatera when the message from Vari reached them. They didn't immediately leave- they had to determine where they were going and how to get there. And who they should bring. As the matter involved the Harmonious Citadel, this wasn't simply a matter for those from the lower realms. They could involve the rest of their alliance.

Though nobody wanted to linger long, they also wouldn't have many opportunities to harass Tatera before Fajra arrived. Even if she were to show up late in the process she might still need a decade or two to properly acclimatize to lower energy again, so in the grand scheme of things she would be arriving 'soon'. And since they had already begun their attacks, her arrival might be accelerated.

"Just wait for us, Vari," Alva said to a friend who could not hear her. "We'll be there."

"There's no way this is a coincidence," Catarina said after she had double and triple checked the location information from Vari's token. "But even if it somehow isn't what it looks like, there's an isolated pocket of the Harmonious Citadel, some hundreds of Life Transformation cultivators and dozens of Integration cultivators- enough to deal a crippling blow to the Harmonious Citadel if they were lost."

Timothy sighed, "Unfortunately, our allies might not believe us. If they think we're making use of their forces for our own purposes…"

"Then they can get the hell off our planet," Catarina folded her arms in front of her. "If they don't trust us enough to follow through with a single assault at our direction, I don't trust them to remain on Xankeshan. We can just huddle up there forever while they fight the Harmonious Citadel on their own."

"He has a point," Alva said hesitantly. "I have no doubt some people will join us, but we'll still want to convince as many people as possible to participate. This isn't just something we can try to match the enemy forces and hope everything works out. At best, even if we came out slightly ahead on losses… it wouldn't really be a victory. And we don't know if they had people there already."

Catarina nodded. "I agree. We need to perform solidly. Once they arrive it will be clear the forces belong to the Harmonious Citadel, but we need enough for a decisive victory. I would prefer to solidify our position as more than just… the people with control of Xankeshan's formations. But I'm not… much of a leader. Or a negotiator."

Hoyt's eyes turned to his grandfather, Prospero Vandale. "What?" Prospero raised an eyebrow, "You think that just because I was the leader of a sect for a couple centuries that I'm good for the job?"

"You were a good leader," Hoyt said. "Even if I didn't want to rely on your influence."

"Maybe I was," Prospero shrugged. "But I know how cultivators work. Right now I'm not even an Integration cultivator. Here, nobody will listen to me. So it will have to be someone else." The grandfather in a younger body than his grandson didn't waver in his gaze.

"... Me?" Hoyt asked.

"What? I'm not asking you to do anything apparently difficult like getting me great-grandchildren. Just rile up some cultivators to form an army and stomp their enemies into the dirt."

Timothy and Catarina exchanged a silent glance while Hoyt sighed. "Fine. I suppose I might be the best for that particular task. Also you were definitely older than me when you married grandma."

Chapter 575

The first proper excursion across the border to the lower realms had come. Since they weren't packed in as tightly nor were they going for long, Vari found it much more comfortable than the trip to their border planet. At least, until they actually arrived.

As they drew away from the upper realms, Vari felt like she was in a desert being drained dry. Even the vast expanses between systems with almost no upper energy felt like oases of power, and the energy she expended for just living and the subconscious defenses she raised constantly leeched energy from her. In turn, the presence of something else became clear, though slowly because of how weak it was.

Lower energy. Drawing it into her was an unfamiliar and unpleasant feeling. Where upper energy was a flowing river, lower energy was like pouring a jug of molasses into her veins, sticky and slow moving and weak.

Why anyone would want to train with it, she didn't understand. On the other hand, it gave her a new level of respect for those from the lower realms. Was that what they had to deal with for over a hundred years? No wonder it was difficult for people to ascend. Vari felt like she could barely muster the strength to stand up. That wasn't fully true, of course- she had upper energy still in reserve- but everything felt wrong.

Isolation was a rarity on a ship. With minimal space to move about, eat, and sleep time alone was rare at best. For this dive into the lower realms, everyone was meditating where they could find space, getting themselves used to lower energy. After a certain point, Vari grew tired of wrestling with her energy and wanted to distract herself. With the limited options available, she chose food.

For her, there was the choice between hard, dry bread and moldy cheese. Was the quartermaster incompetent? Vari decided that was a yes- though she noticed practitioners of the Glorious Harmony Technique got better meals. Not that much though, reinforcing how unprepared they were for this special excursion. The food on the ground was not much better, but it was something.

She was hungry though. Especially due to the lack of proper upper energy. There was no way she could possibly sustain herself. She lazily dealt with her food, trying to determine if the mold was intentional- it was not- and if it was edible- her energy senses detected it was. Tasted awful, but that might have just been the cheese. It was frustrating how picking out something so insignificant with her energy had become. How long had they been beyond the border? Eight hours, ten? Were they still accelerating? She couldn't tell. Vari hoped they turned back soon. Lower energy was garbage.

She trudged back towards her room, which was about a size smaller than the bunks that filled it. The cramped corridors and lower energy gave her a headache. She nearly ran into someone outside her door. "Sorry," her reflexes said.

"That's not good enough."

Vari automatically glared at the individual who responded. Her head hurt. She didn't want to deal with this. There were… four men. All carrying spears. Vaguely recognizable? But only as a group. "Oh, you're all… Iva's cronies, right?"

"We are supporters of the future disciple of the Spear Saint," said the man defensively.

Vari snorted. Normally, she might have had tact. Right now, everything was unpleasant. "Oh please. At best she'll be a lackey to an honorary disciple which puts you cronies even one more rank lower."

The man lowered the tip of his spear towards her while the others… spread out wasn't quite correct. Because they could only manage to get half a step to the side in the tiny hallway.. At best, they shifted their weight

The man whose name Vari didn't intend to learn spoke with barely concealed anger, his voice hard. "One of your station would do well to remember it!"

The spear jabbed towards her. It was a simple matter to wrap her fingers around it, stopping it. That led to a strange dull pain in her palm as Vari looked over towards her hand. Why was blood dripping down her palm and off her wrist?

Oh right. Because energy was garbage and the spear was still sharp. What a stupid way to die. Not that Vari planned to go easily. Her other hand came up, grabbing behind the spear head like a sensible person, while at the same time her best 'weapon' kicked out for the man's knee. There was a satisfying crunch as her heavy boot shattered a kneecap.

Unfortunately, the moment the man fell there were two spears lowered at her. One cut a notch in her ear as she barely managed to dodge to the side, the other very nearly impaled her torso- the only thing stopping it being the half-fallen state of the first man hindering the motion.

At that moment, Vari didn't hesitate to draw upon the power of those in front of her. Weak as they were, practitioners of the Glorious Harmony Technique had to have something. What they had was… more garbage lower energy. The promise of the saints didn't do much either- they were half a realm away.

Vari twisted open the door, completely filling the corridor. It held up to exactly zero attacks, the next spear stabbing straight through it as if it were made of… well, extremely normal wood with no bolstering. It was hard to believe they'd been so cheap. Vari had to bend backwards to not be impaled, gaining a gash along her jawline as she was too slow. She stopped her backwards fall by grabbing the spear, yanking it towards her. Spinning it around in the tight corridor was basically impossible, so she just tossed it behind her.

As the door was ripped off its hinges, Vari wondered if anyone would stop this. No, probably not. Nobody would or could help her, and her techniques just didn't work right. As she tried to think of something that would, instinct took over.

The door flew towards her, but she held out her bloody left palm. When it connected, instead of shattering the door or punching a hole, it retained its structure as its momentum was reversed down the corridor, augmented by her energy. The useless base structure meant it was still smashed apart by the clumped group of men, but it bought her a moment which she mostly used to stare at her own hand. That wasn't her barrier techniques. Her thoughts were sluggish, but what came to mind was… a shield?

The individual who lost his spear took one from the man with the broken knee. The one in the rear hopped up, supporting himself with his knees pressed against the sides of the corridor, angling his spear down towards Vari. So now she had to deal with three attacks at once.

A lupine growl tore through her throat, rippling down the corridor. In any other state, using something of such little power against Life Transformation cultivators was useless, but they were just as weakened as her. Or at least, close enough. They all staggered back half a step, knocking into the man wedged in the top half of the corridor. Vari took the opportunity to step forward into her room.

That would make the long spears have even more of a disadvantage. At best one or two could poke around the corner towards her. Vari breathed deeply, feeling strangely… vigorous? With half a moment to think, she recognized the source of the techniques. One was Timothy, the other Fuzz. They didn't really fit her and she had no intention to add such things to her repertoire in the long term, but they fit lower energy so well. No… natural energy? That was what they called it.

When spears stabbed into the room, Vari levered the first one against the doorway to slam someone into the wall across the room. The other she ignored as it simply stabbed into the wall.

Since both Vari and the others had the exact same ten or twenty seconds of combat experience using natural energy, she was confident enough to step back out- one of her feet leading the way. If she was wearing normal boots, the spear might have pierced the bottom of her foot- but what Vari had covered her whole foot in solid metal. It wasn't quiet on the ground, but it was the most durable equipment she owned. The spear skittered off as her foot stamped into a sternum, then she stepped forward to grab the throat of the last uninjured guy.

"You're going to do three things for me," Vari said. "First, go tell Iva I'm not her damn rival or anything. I don't intend to rub myself all over Jafet, so there's no competition there. Second, you're going to bring your door here and replace mine. Third… you'll bring me your meals. Got it?" Vari glared, then some gurgling sounds made her realize she had to relax her grip.

The man coughed as air could once more enter his lungs. "I understand… senior sister."

Ugh. Whatever. Good enough.

"And drag these guys with you," Vari waved him off. A proper cultivator could drag three regular people, even without energy.

The incident was not brought up by anyone. At most, Vari received a glare from Iva if they happened to pass each other. Even with the Harmonious Citadel's skewed justice the four lackeys really couldn't pin any blame on Vari without lowering their own status further by admitting their loss. They might plan something later, but Vari had at least whatever the duration of the trip was.

They were definitely changing direction now, after a full day. It was hard to determine quite the rate of change, but by the end of the day they should be heading back to the upper realms for perhaps four full days 'in' the lower realms. That seemed rather tight on the ship's energy budget, but she had no control over it.

What Vari did have control over was properly expelling all of her upper energy and working strictly with… natural energy. She still found it weak, but not as unpleasant. It was just the newness that threw her off so much. It was like living in a cave then stepping outside to experience the sun for the first time… though that didn't quite fit. Upper energy was still better. Yet this experience of using lower energy was something interesting.

Vari tried to pick through the abilities used by her friends from the lower realms. Alva's archery formed an arrow out of energy, but Vari's oldest memories of that could discern some traces of instability- after all, it was made for use with lower energy and had to be adapted or remade for upper energy. She had no bow nor reason to use one, but holding a Spirit Arrow in her hands even if it crumbled apart under any pressure taught her quite a bit.

If she'd had access to this energy when she was just beginning her cultivation, she would have found it much easier to transcend the early ranks. Was that what determined those who would practice the Glorious Harmony technique? Not talent or skill, but those who were able to afford to practice with lower energy. That certainly fit what she'd seen. And because they achieved their status, they got more resources funneled to them to grow faster. From some perspectives it made sense, and from others it was the best way to weed out those with talent in favor of those with money first and talent second. And since those with the money were already in leadership positions, of course they would deem their own offspring the most worthy.

Despite what she could learn, Vari was looking forward to getting her feet back on a planet. And eating better food. The lackeys did bring Vari their better food, but it was barely soft and flavorless bread with butter sometimes, or if she was lucky salted meat jerky. Sure, it was only so many meals that she had to deal with it, but she also needed those meals. She was ravenously hungry, like she hadn't eaten in years. She did, of course, but her body was trying to produce upper energy in a place that simply wasn't suited to it. And it also had to maintain its normal functions.

The fourth day in the lower realms, Vari felt the energy of the formations powering the ship fade to almost nothing as they nearly ran out of power. The air began to grow thinner as all the energy was focused on keeping the ship going at super-light speed. That was technically correct, but it also made her certain that the Harmonious Citadel didn't know what it was doing- and not just with supply logistics.

Chapter 576

Avoiding people was not simple when the individuals involved could extend their energy senses to the entirety of the allowed area. Their little military outpost only numbered in the thousands, and hardly took up a lot of space. Only the least competent of those present wouldn't be able to sense a handful of kilometers away. However, the great number of people involved made things more difficult- Vari had to focus her efforts on concealment of her own abilities while doing her best not to end up anywhere people could make up excuses for not noticing what might happen.

Vari couldn't fully avoid Iva herself as they trained together under spearmaster Jafet. She was clearly not a fan of Vari, but seemed content to avoid acting… for a while. Whether that would be weeks, months, or years Vari was not sure. Hopefully she did not have to wait around for the latter. Before that point she would prefer to try to make her own way off planet sometime in the dead of night, though she had to admit her interstellar travel abilities were undeveloped. Aside from knowing the basics, she'd always traveled on ships- and who wouldn't, since the option was widely available and better in pretty much every way. Except when it wasn't available.

For the time being Vari was content to make some additional 'mistakes' in training, lowering her status but not so much she seemed like an easy target. Then she simply had to wait… and wait.

Soft ripples of energy woke Vari. Someone sneaking about? No, it was dull from distance. She slowly circulated energy through her head to shake off the grogginess. She was woken up often enough from small things lately, always on edge. Was this just more of that? She waited, trying to take in anything happening.

It came again, a wave of energy. Vari was tempted to reach out for it to learn more, but she kept herself passive for the moment. Until her roommates awoke, at least.

"What is that?" One of them asked, stretching her energy senses towards the source.

Her roommates were individuals the previous Vari would have gotten along with fine. Devoted practitioners of the Holy Harmony Technique. From what she could tell, there were no cracks in their faith- their general lack of experience and isolation had kept them ignorant, as the Harmonious Citadel intended.

"... more recruits, maybe?" Another commented. "It feels like ships."

By that point Vari was reaching out, to finally- blissfully- feel something that didn't fit with everything else. These ships were not part of the Harmonious Citadel, and though she did not recognize any of them she felt behind their barriers diverse cultivation styles.

Then the attack began, with alarms ringing out throughout the outpost moments later.

"We're under attack!" said the third woman. "Everyone get ready!"

She didn't really have to say that. Vari only took a moment to slip on her armor- a lighter flexible variety. With enchantments the difference between metal armor and others was less significant, but this kind was good for exactly this circumstance. Her boots went on next, arguably more important. On the way out, she barely remembered to pick up her spear.

She'd thought about this day a lot, but now that it actually came… she wasn't sure what to do. Obviously she had to fight against the Harmonious Citadel, but she couldn't exactly just attack them by herself. Nor was she a capable assassin. Instead, she needed to find a friendly face so that her own side wouldn't accidentally misidentify her.

That distracted her enough that she didn't pick out the group ahead of her until her roommates stopped in their tracks.

"Leave." Iva's voice was a command for that, and for future silence. If Vari had even attempted to befriend her roommates, she might have tried to convince them to aid her. On the other hand, it was just as well for them to leave.

The corridors they were in were much more open- better for five people to all menace Vari at once. She looked over Iva's goons. "I thought one of you would have been smarter," she said as she hefted her spear. "You get two chances to go. This is one…" Vari looked for a response. "And this is two." Her arm snapped back and then forward, throwing her spear the few scant meters between herself and her least favorite of the goons. Normally there was more windup for such an activity- the Harmonious Citadel's techniques assumed that someone desired to have their weapon back after they threw it. Vari didn't, and as her spear stabbed through one, another bolted.

That left her with two Life Transformation cultivators and one Integration. Better than that, she was not off balance from adjusting to natural energy. This planet was at least modestly endowed with enough for her to return to a proper equilibrium.

"Get her!" Iva called out. "She'll just be another casualty of the battle now."

The woman stabbed her spear towards the unarmed Vari. Rude, perhaps, but not really inappropriate by most cultivator standards- Vari did that to herself, after all. And as it turned out, she wasn't exactly in a worse state.

Her arms reached forward, spinning away Iva's thrust with one hand while doing the same for the other two with her left, a quick circle bridging the timings between the two thrusts. Perhaps it was too early, but Vari presumed most eyes would be on the outside threats… and not on her. She dropped any pretense of hiding her own cultivation. If there had been any saints on the planet they would have immediately clocked her- as it was, any powerful Glorious Harmony cultivators would feel something was off.

"You- I knew it! You're a spy!" Iva held her head high with self-righteousness.

"Don't bother with that," Vari said. "You were absolutely planning to kill one of your own sect mates and it just happened to be me."

That exchange of words was already quite long to happen in a battle- Vari didn't stop dancing around spear thrusts and sweeps, parrying with her own arms. The Life Transformation goons were looking a bit nervous. They had a stronger supporter now but they were the most easily taken out.

Which was why Vari stepped towards one of them, fully expecting the protective stab from Iva. It was one of the textbook moves, and it had a textbook counter- just not one in the Harmonious Citadel's textbooks. Vari was already spinning, ignoring the flinching individual who only managed a worthless jab towards where she appeared to have been moving.

A barrier extended beyond her arm, providing a solid surface for the spear thrusting towards her to slide up instead of directly countering the attack. Then Vari grabbed behind the spearhead. The Harmonious Citadel had techniques to deal with that, of course. Flowing energy through the spear in just such a way could have it burst out on the individual grabbing the weapon, and Iva was good enough to attempt that- but Vari's metal-booted foot kicked the middle of the spear, only a standard defense protecting Vari's hands. If she'd tried to yank the weapon away, Iva would have been ready. But nobody in the Harmonious Citadel fought like Vari- and not just because it was usually beneficial to carry weapons.

The boots probably counted. Certainly, they were tough enough to bend the spear as grips held it tight on both ends. That bend disrupted Iva's flow of energy, causing the burst of energy to only make Vari's hands numb instead of sharpening to try to cut off her fingers.

Instead of pulling away, Vari stepped in further. Two spears thrust at her from behind, but they had to pull back as she stepped aside one of them. Iva was directly past her, after all. The second spear might have injured Vari if the other had been willing to fully commit.

Hands grabbed onto sleeves and then Vari flung Iva towards her remaining lackeys. She was only a fraction of a second behind as they hit the wall together, slamming into them feet first. Her metal footwear also doubled as armor from that perspective, spears deflected to the side. The structure crumbled behind them, but the impact clearly went through.

Iva barely managed to get to her feet in a daze as Vari continued to press her advantage. She could vaguely feel that some of her own energy was being drawn into her opponent in a manner she couldn't stop, but she couldn't understand why. And she never would, as Vari held her head and kicked directly into her chin, a feat of flexibility.

As the two lackeys ran, Vari tossed Iva into a bag- her stuff was worth something, after all- then did the same with 'her' spear for the same reasons. In that short time she could already feel attacks bombarding the formations at the edge of the outpost, and though she could vaguely pick out several familiar energies, the one with the least amount of the outpost between her and it was what she chose. It also happened to be the most obvious one, as it involved not one but two loud wolves.

There wasn't even a gate on that side, but nothing would stop Vari from getting out- but by the time she reached the walls, there was a sizable hole in it. Formations would prevent directly molding the material with energy, but only to some extent. Spikes was quite good at what she did, and the Harmonious Citadel's defensive formations were only so good. There had obviously been some setup for this 'special excursion' ahead of time, but it wasn't the same as a planet that was occupied for decades or centuries.

"Alva!" Vari called out as she approached. "I thought you'd never make it."

The surrounding cultivators seemed to recognize Vari as one of the Harmonious Citadel even as she kicked someone out of the way- but they could also feel that she was an Integration Cultivator, which put her under the purview of Alva, Fuzz, and Spikes.

"Vari!" Alva called back- taking a shot at some people approaching their front lines. "Good to see you! Everyone, this is the one you were told about!"

The Harmonious Citadel had a significant number of Integration cultivators on planet- but not so many that any random spot on the walls could be a match for three together. With dozens of ships either already having landed or flying over, the sudden invasion was difficult to react to. One hole in the walls might still let the formations as a whole remain in place and some people trickle through, but it seemed the alliance had prepared well for this attack. This was a rare opportunity to catch a large group so relatively vulnerable and far from the Harmonious Citadel's territory.

Vari remained in a somewhat defensive position near Alva, preparing to block with her barriers, both so her allies would not confuse her with anyone… and because she didn't really want to kill any casual acquaintances. There were a good number of people in the Harmonious Citadel she wouldn't mind killing, of course, but the random people making up the forces weren't all equally at fault.

Then again, they didn't have to kill everyone. Many were already fleeing around them, and with the advantage of strength in the area around her they could afford to hold back a little bit. Or at least Vari could- though shattered ribs or a blow to the head could still be lethal. That didn't stop Vari, because she already understood that this was war- and the people here had never been her friends to begin with.

Still… "If you surrender we won't have to kill all of you," Vari commented, slamming her fist into her palm. That was a legitimate strategy for multiple reasons- if people stopped fighting, fewer on either side would die. There wasn't a lot of negotiations between the sides, but prisoner exchanges or ransoms still happened occasionally.

Vari tried to sense the rest of the battle. Most of the strongest individuals, the instructors and various leaders, were still alive- and fighting side by side. They certainly hadn't won yet, but the opener was quite effective.

Chapter 577

Falling stars rained down from the sky, targeting anything on the battlefield its masters wished. With defensive formations shattered, they were no longer protected from aerial assaults of any kind. Cultivators fell by the hundreds, two forces that would have previously overwhelmed Ceretos and might still, if they could fight on fair footing. Of course, that was never possible- upper and lower energy did not inhabit the same place. Integration cultivators and their lower realm equivalents were merely in the stage following Life Transformation- it was impossible to say how closely matched they actually were. In the actual circumstances of an invasion, the lower realms would have the advantage of fighting with their preferred natural energy.

The upper realms, on the other hand, had the advantage of drawing from a much larger population, many different planets that could move freely between each other. Even if Integration cultivators had been one in a billion like the Worldbinding cultivators of the Sylanis Cluster, there were many thousands of planets to draw upon.

The Harmonious Citadel itself had far fewer than that itself, but it still had a large population under control of one sect. However, while they had brought a reasonable army for invading a lower realm, if they had expected a possible attack by their enemies they had underestimated the forces they could draw upon. Up to that point the Dark Ring and others had rarely engaged in direct battles, and the Harmonious Citadel had done its best to keep the location of the border planet a secret. They had simply missed one thing.

Hoyt had encouraged absolutely everyone who they could to join them- if they had been wrong and Vari's signal had been for a smaller force of enemies than they currently faced perhaps they would have looked foolish. But that would not have been as devastating to their relationship as bringing insufficient forces.

The varied weapons of the Harmonious Citadel allowed them to cover each other's weaknesses- when they actually fought side by side instead of in their own discrete groups. However, knowing their weaknesses, it was also possible for cultivators to seek out their preferred opponents among the Harmonious Citadel.

Currently there was only one force of note, a gathering of all of the strongest warriors. Hoyt was tempted to work with his grandfather to continuously bombard them, but together they simply weren't strong enough to wear down more than a dozen others. He wasn't sure they could ever be as long as they were in the same stage- and his grandfather had not even reached Integration yet. There was no doubt that Prospero would advance, but he still needed some more time.

Hoyt sought out those devoted to the shield. While he could easily face axes with his own, he was not interested in a match with which the enemy would be familiar. The shield users no doubt also trained against axes, but Hoyt personally found Timothy's expertise with the shield greater than any of these others. Using it as a weapon was an interesting route, but that led to gaps between offense and defense. Not as much as one would expect, but Citadel's Downfall was quite clear about the differences- and a couple centuries hadn't seen any change in that regard.

It was strange to think about sects that had survived for over a millennium. The Order of One Hundred Stars was more than half that age now, but the upper limit upon Ceretos was just shy of eight hundred. Some claimed a longer history, but as all of their strongest cultivators had been wiped out in a former invasion they didn't really have a legacy beyond a name.

A weighty ball of flame built up speed as Hoyt directed it towards his target, intending it to arrive along with himself. The man he was targeting had a century or two on Hoyt but he still didn't appear to have advanced beyond the early Integration stage. Hoyt cleaved down with his axe, a wave of flames washing over the man and sending him a step back. The meteor followed up, slamming into the shield with a mass of momentum. The man deflected it with his shield, but imperfectly. He staggered back, the attack not being negated but simply redirected into the allies he was supposed to be defending.

Hoyt took the opening to swing his axe low, chopping at the man's legs. Of course he was agile enough to bring his shield to bear against something like that- if he was so incompetent as to fall so easily he would likely not have reached Integration at all. But the man was wholly focused on Hoyt's energy, missing the subtly different signature of Prospero who was also honed in on him. His shield blocked low, and he kept enough defensive energy on the rest of his body to protect him from Prospero's attack… but not completely. The momentum of the blow finally knocked him off his feet, and Hoyt spun his axe around, chopping in an obtuse arc that slipped past the raising shield, chopping off the man's leg. It was still the correct choice for him to defend his upper body, because if he'd failed to do that Hoyt would have just cut him in half. But the blow was ultimately fatal either way- it just took him a few swings more to die as his mobility was hampered.

On the other side of the battlefield, Timothy held his own defensive position next to Catarina. "Should I know what you're doing?" he asked.

"I'm just dismantling their formations," Catarina commented. "I'm sure they can be used for something better."

"Right now?" Timothy shook his head. "Of course right now."

"See that battle formation they're in?" Catarina gestured. "I intend to disrupt their flow of energy."

Though their group was responsible for discovering this place, they weren't responsible for the majority of the military forces. The Order having five Integration cultivators- six if they counted Fuzz they were still a significant force with just them and the disciples they'd picked up on Xankeshan over the decades, but they still couldn't match larger sects like made up the Dark Ring. That would take time, though there was some potential in the next generation from Ceretos. It was just at the current moment most were more inclined to advance to Assimilation or simply delay their Ascension until after the invasion.

Thus, they were doing what they could with the forces under their control while the center of the battle was left to others- but with their progress elsewhere around the battlefield, everyone would converge on that point soon enough.

Timothy swept his sword wide as a bundle of pesky cultivators came to attack his wife. When they were attacking separately they couldn't match him, and when they combined their efforts properly he simply had to bring his shield to bear. A great wall formed in front of him, their attacks rebounding towards each other or those behind them. There might be a few handfuls who recognized that a person calmly picking apart 'destroyed' formations was doing something important, but Timothy could handle them. The only annoying one was an archer who'd taken notice, and he had to keep close to Catarina to block those. But Fuzz and therefore Alva and others had taken noticed of that situation, and he expected it to be handled.

Catarina, meanwhile, contributed nothing to the fight. Not because she couldn't, but because she fully trusted Timothy to deal with things… and she really did need to focus on how she was ripping out chunks of blessed iron. She would have called it enchanted, but the Harmonious Citadel was adamant that their methods were blessings. And she was going to show them what a proper 'blessing' could do when dropped into the middle of their formation with the right modifications. Technically, what Catarina was doing would actually amplify the effects of the enemy group. And explosions were just amplified campfires.

She hefted her prize, gesturing with her sword- while also swinging it at a Life Transformation cultivator who tried to slip past Timothy. "Alright, now escort me over that way!"

Their path took them through the group with Fuzz. Catarina remembered when he was a cute little wolf, dying from an infestation of moss. Now he was so much bigger, and cuter! It helped that the flames around him burned away the blood that would otherwise be covering his mouth and paws.

"Vari, if you could help escort me closer to that grand combat formation," Catarina said, "And when I say, stop drawing upon the energy of the others." She nodded.

Spikes came along as well- though Fuzz held back so that he didn't drag Alva to where she could be surrounded in melee. She was capable of skirmishing like that, but staying around the outside was better.

The earth itself, courtesy of Spikes, moved to shove people out of the way, with Vari and Timothy blocking each side. Catarina took care of her own defense, but with one arm carrying a huge chunk of enchanted metal she was a bit less agile than normal. Fortunately, they didn't have to get within the large group of Integration cultivators- just nearby.

"Now," Catarina warned Vari as she tossed the chunk of metal over the heads of a wall of spearmen and shield users. They took note of it, but only the same way they would unaugmented bits of metal. A mountain could have fallen on these cultivators without harming them unless there was upper energy involved. If they took note that it was a bit of 'blessed' metal they still wouldn't have found it had any power. And on its own, it didn't.

When it landed in the middle of them, their battle formation pulsed with energy, the connections between them augmented. That was normally a good thing… but when it came out of the blue, suddenly everyone was drawing more on everyone else than expected. They were unbalanced for only a few moments, but even small openings could be taken advantage of. Vari, Timothy, and Catarina descended on one dagger wielding cultivator who dashed slightly too far forward.

Then a moment later the metal in the middle of the formation melted to slag, whipping people back in the other direction as it channeled more energy than it could handle. Ultimately, the gambit caused more than a handful of the enemy Integration cultivators to be injured or killed within a span of seconds, and the shift in dynamic allowed for the surrounding attackers to push for more. Soon enough another five fell, and within a matter of minutes the battle was basically over- not solely due to that moment, but it sped it up by a step or two.

Word of battles in the upper realms kept reaching Anton's ears, and he was quite glad for that. It was unfortunate that he could currently do nothing from his position. He could not attack the upper realms- and even if he could, it would have only been practical from stars on the border.

Thoughts occasionally passed through his mind- if he Assimilated stars upon the border he could patrol the area. But how many would he need? Ten? A hundred? More?

And that was a pointless attempt anyway. If they didn't have to stop in any of the systems, they could simply go around. 'Above' or 'below' if nothing else. Even if he controlled an entire ring of systems around another, the vast majority of the space around it would remain uncontrolled. Though if he could actually attack between systems, he might have something to work with.

"I can't believe you agreed to provoke them," Everheart said to Anton.

"Got a problem with that? Scared?"

"I'm…" Everheart clutched his hands to his chest. "... So proud of what Ceretos has become. This might be the best trap I've ever been part of."

"Is it a trap if we intend to overpower them in a weakened state…?" Anton tilted his head.

"I think you answered that question for yourself. Of course it is." Everheart grinned, "But can we make them even weaker than just the transition to natural energy? That's the question. If you'd let me dismantle a planet for resources-"

"You'll have to make do with the myriad of asteroids."

"But they're so far apart!" Everheart complained. "I have to go to each one and figure out what bits of it are good. Ah well. I'll do what I can. Dismantling an entire planet would be kind of inefficient anyway."

Anton just smirked. At least Everheart was enthusiastic about causing trouble for the invaders. Though he still didn't know if the man would stay and fight if there was risk to himself.

Chapter 578

With a sizable blow struck to the Harmonious Citadel, Vari was quite happy to return to Xankeshan. "I'm glad the device worked," she said to Catarina, "But it was not pleasant being unable to get a response. What if you didn't show up? What if you didn't bring sufficient forces?" She shook her head. "It was a lot of worrying that I couldn't do anything about."

"Unfortunately, I couldn't think of a way to make it secure otherwise," Catarina said. "If it had more complexity, hiding it would have been much more difficult."

"I know," Vari nodded seriously, "I'm just saying I don't plan to do anything like that again. Not that I could. I'd have to come up with a whole new identity and hope the Harmonious Citadel didn't tie me to either of my previous connections. Though they'd likely found out about myself in particular from our other plans."

Catarina frowned, "We can try to stop it, if it's a problem for you."

"I don't mind them hating me. Especially if it's for a good reason. Releasing so many people from their secret excursion and spreading word of their failures… that's a good cause. I don't know if it will garner sympathy for the lower realms or inspire others to do their own raids, though. People are how they are, many more are opportunistic rather than sympathetic."

"A large number of disorganized groups competing with each other can't be worse than a few that have the strength and cohesion to actually pull it off," Catarina said. "And there are enough people who have ascended that might take offense at their particular world coming under fire. They could flock to our banner or work against people on their own. Even if they just cut down a few people from a faction they come to dislike, it could be advantageous. Ultimately, I think it will be beneficial."

"I don't disagree," Vari nodded. "And I don't mind the Harmonious Citadel finding out about me… as long as nobody expects me to go back there. Though I'd really rather not draw the ire of the saints."

"If they come to attack Xankeshan, we will either have advance warning of vast forces- or be able to hold long enough for reinforcements to arrive. That's even if all the saints attack at once."

"Eight Augmentation cultivators?" Vari asked.

"As far as I'm aware, Xankeshan fell to forces on the level of the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Quadrant. Even with the formations in centuries of ruin and disrepair, it was sufficient to hold off one and drive away Everheart. We're secure here. Outside…" Catarina shrugged. "We'll just have to keep improving ourselves for that."

The ringing of hammer on anvil filled Chikere's ears as she approached the forge. Even where she was, she could hardly bear to move forward due to the heat. She couldn't imagine being inside. Would she burn to death? Unlikely, unless she let it happen. She could blast the heat away, but if she just tried to fend off the heat with her own energy… it might actually wear her down within a short time.

She got to an angle where she could just see Sadiq working on something unexpected. She watched him work, knowing he'd already sensed her and not wanting to throw off his rhythm. Eventually, he took the object on his anvil and dipped the head in a bucket- clearly not of water as that would have flash-boiled just for being in the room. She heard a strange clinking sound in the metal, though she was unsure if that was a good or bad sound to happen in a quenching.

The man stepped out of the forge. "Chikere, good to see you return."

She nodded. "I have brought materials." She leaned to the side to look at what he was working on, "What is that?"

He raised an eyebrow, "I know you've seen an axe before." He folded his arms, "What, did you think I only made swords?"

"... do you not?"

"A good smith has to make everything to understand them. Just because I prefer to use a sword doesn't mean I can't make other things. Just like you understand how to work with other weapons even if you don't use them in battle."

Chikere nodded, pulling out several swords- and jars of blood. "I have brought materials."

He raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Many people would have hesitated."

"Why?" Chikere asked. "Is there something wrong with this?"

"I wouldn't say so. They were going to die anyway. It's not like I'm refining their souls or anything."

"These go together," Chikere gestured to two swords and one jar. "And this with the other."

"Yeah, I can tell," he nodded. "Quite fresh. You've got good storage."

"A formation grandmaster assisted me," Chikere nodded. "You can make good swords."

"You bet," Sadiq said. "I will need some of your own blood though." A blade was halfway to Chikere's wrist before Sadiq managed to hold up his hand to stop her. "Hold on now. I need something to store it in. And just a few drops, mind you. I can remember your essence, but the sword will need some help."

Chikere nodded. "Okay." A minute later and a small prick on her finger and they had collected what they needed. "How good will they be?"

"Hard to say," Sadiq admitted. "Everything I make is good, of course, but I can't guarantee any of these will top that tournament prize you hold. But I can guarantee they'll be in the top ten you've ever had."

Chikere grinned. "Good. I will bring you more… at some point in the future."

"I look forward to it."

After dealing with the Harmonious Citadel's first attempt at a border planet, returning to the Trigold Cluster's operations was difficult. After all, each planet could basically match the forces the Harmonious Citadel had- some were more or less prepared for various reasons, and some like Tatera had multiple outposts of similar strength.

Without the direct backing of the Dark Ring, there were simply too few people to succeed in direct attacks. The excursions across the border to the lower realms were also more defended, so they couldn't do much there. The best they could do there was continue to harass transport ships- but even that would become risky if they ever predicted when an attack might come and set up an ambush.

The diviner Namrata was not much help in that regard- to predict the future with any accuracy she had to be involved, at least to some extent. As she was clearly not enthusiastic about the idea of going into a war zone, and forcing her would be the most likely way to get her to work against them again, they didn't rely on her for that. Her best contribution so far had been to push them towards larger forces going to Vari's location. Other than that, simply keeping her from helping the Trigold Cluster was good enough. They could kill her to remove a potential danger- probably- but for someone with much potential utility who just wanted to continue living it seemed like a waste.

Targets shifted away from Tatera- for the moment- so that the Trigold Cluster couldn't focus on just one place. It was simple to predict the arrival locations of the supply ships- within a reasonable tolerance- and knowing exactly where they had to end up took no effort once they calculated the orbital periods for each planet in question. The Trigold Cluster couldn't change a planet's orbit… or if they could, it would be a massive endeavor just to make sure a few transport ships weren't ambushed en route.

The ultimate solution was that they had a fleet of military ships waiting for each cargo vessel at the border of the system or wherever they would exit superlight speeds. That made it nearly impossible to cause more damage, but it also meant that a single fleet was tying up a handful of fleets between the border planets. And they didn't have to be in the area to force the enemy to respond that way.

The Stellar Wave crept its way into a system- they had to monitor whether or not people were keeping up their vigilance, after all. If they got careless, they'd lose another ship- and though the supplies were of little value, replacing the ships that were supposed to last at least hundreds of trips would add up.

Velvet greatly enjoyed the customizations to her ship, and it felt almost like a natural part of her, the formations following her lead instead of her having to control them. The difference there was how she did not have to make them do anything. That let her fully focus on her task. At the moment, that task was slipping past some sort of sensing formation around a system. She wasn't certain she would be completely undetected, but she didn't intend to stay long. This was a test, after all.

She could only barely sense the formation, a slight inconsistency in the flow of energy in the area. If she had not been looking for such a thing, she might have missed it. But the fact that she could sense it at all made Velvet glad that Catarina was on their side. The Trigold Cluster might have a formation master that matched her- or was better- but would they send them out to each system along the border of the lower realms just to put in a sensing formation? That seemed unlikely.

Velvet kept the vessel concealed while redirecting it along the flow, trying to find the satellites that must have made up the formation. That was not something she could do on her own, not in a short amount of time, and not without slipping up on her stealth. Instead, she had formation masters with her, using devices Catarina made to help track things down. It wasn't quite like the things Rutera had, that didn't rely on the operator's ability directly. Yet they had their own strengths- a better upper limit for those with talent. Catarina had quite a few apprentices now, and with her reputation building she would have her pick of the best. Or whoever she wanted, since 'talent' wasn't everything.

Velvet kept a careful watch for approaching ships. She didn't think they'd been tagged by the formations, but just assuming that would end them up in hot water. If an enemy ship even got within sensory range, they were speeding out of the system as quick as they were able.

It took a full day to follow the signals to find a free floating sphere in the middle of space, detectable from a distance only by how it affected the flow of energy. Each one of these was not particularly valuable or important on its own- thus, tracking them down to destroy them would be a significant risk of discovery for little gain. However, they did contain something of value. To Catarina, at least. Knowledge that she could use to potentially bypass them in the future- and not just with the Stellar Wave under Velvet's command.

Retrieving the device was accomplished without incident. The next step of the plan involved jumping to a system of no particular significance and dropping it. It was unlikely that they could track each and every piece of the formation- they might not even know it was missing- but bringing it back to Xankeshan if it did would make it very clear who was the main perpetrators of the harassment. It was likely the Trigold Cluster at least had some suspicions- they hadn't always killed everyone, and there had been members of the Twin Soul Sect that would eventually reincarnate- but actual proof would be worse.

There was some sort of prohibition against the large factions bringing armies into the Scarlet Midfields, but there might be some unknown limitations- or they might not care, if they were angered too much. Right now, Velvet thought they were akin to a stinging bee- annoying, slightly painful, but not worth hunting down after the damage was done. They hoped to remain in that state as long as possible. Growing into a group that could match the largest powers around them in a single century was simply asking for too much. Perhaps that could not be accomplished even in their full lifespans, as significant as they would be.

Chapter 579

Much could be learned from the rare opportunities to capture ships designed to go to the lower realms. The largest quantity of these belonged to the Harmonious Citadel, as they had taken everything from the border planet. They only had a small handful from the Trigold Cluster, as destruction was much easier than capture.

"I see," Catarina nodded as she looked over the ships. "We have now confirmed they use overlapping formations and materials. Some suited for the lower realms and functioning on natural energy, and some for the upper realms." She spoke mainly to one of her apprentices- a man called Koralo. He was older than her, showing signs of age, but he had humbled himself to ask for a position learning from her. And learn he did.

"It quite weakens both functionalities to mix them," Koralo remarked. "And they don't seem sufficient to reach any systems in the lower realms. What is the purpose of doing things this way?"

"I don't think these are involved in the invasion themselves," Catarina said. "They're just for acclimation. Captured documents indicate that the tides of the world themselves will briefly provide pathways for transport. That matches up with what we saw- cultivators falling from the skies without the presence of ships. And they returned to the skies without them as well."

"If these are just for training…" Koralo frowned, "It would explain the general lack of quality. I don't expect amazing work from the Harmonious Citadel, but I'm surprised by the Trigold Cluster."

"Don't forget that most of them won't be familiar with materials to handle natural energy. You were lucky that your training was an exception, even before you met me. I imagine their best formation masters are focused on other areas, rather than ships that are only needed every handful of centuries on average."

The information they had was interesting, but not necessarily useful. As they didn't intend to invade any lower realms, the most that could matter was the incomplete information on following the tides of the world to the lower realms. That was from the Harmonious Citadel- they hadn't obtained any information along those lines from the Trigold Cluster. Velvet had some intention to make an attempt, but once something went missing from inside their outposts, security there would be greatly amplified. It wasn't possible for an Integration cultivator to bypass every possible roadblock, but she was the best stealth expert available to Xankeshan. The Dark Ring had some, but outside of work that directly benefited them, the prices were too much for information they weren't even certain was present. It was possible the leaders would be the only ones who knew, and the techniques would never be present on planet. That seemed like the sort of thing they would do.

Of course, the information wasn't necessary- rather than descending to the lower realms to join the battle there, Ceretos and their allies would be relying on their own abilities to resist the invasion. They had Assimilation cultivators, after all, and they would either be a match for the invaders, or they would not. Another handful of Integration cultivators from the upper realms wouldn't tip the scales much.

Chikere's eyes sparkled as she held her new swords. The material quality and craftsmanship were both exquisite. It wasn't simply fine materials worked by Grandmaster Smith Sadiq's hands, but a transformation of those materials into something greater. She could already feel their sharpness before she had approached, and now that she held them upon her palm she almost felt as if she would cut off her fingers with the slightest breeze.

The shape of the weapons was nothing special- one was a single edged curved blade, while the other was a larger straight sword with edges on both sides, tapering to a fine point. The design and balance were perfect, but not ornamental. They did have a certain visual flare from the techniques involved. Instead of the silvery-gray of many metals, the inclusion of their former wielder's blood had turned them into a rust color. What looked like impurities in the structure were veins, though there was neither flow nor hollow- nonetheless, this was what remained of their former wielders.

Chikere would be honored should her life result in a blade so fine. However, she also had no desire for it to be over yet. She just hoped that when it ultimately came about, her end would bring something to the world.

"I want more," Chikere said.

"I can make more, should you bring me the materials," Sadiq commented. "However, I imagine you will eventually grow bored of similar results."

"I asked about cultivators slain in the lower realms…" Chikere's gaze focused on the smith's eyes. "Do you think it would work?"

"We still have no way to know. The results could be something disappointing," he shrugged. "Or they could turn into something spectacular."

Chikere nodded, "Then I will find out."

"That wasn't a suggestion," Sadiq said. "There are many other options available for you in your hunt for the best swords."

"No," Chikere said firmly, "I have to try this."

Sadiq shrugged. "It's your time and effort. Do as you please."

Chikere knew she would need to study the available bits and pieces of techniques if she wanted to descend to the lower realms. She thought it would be interesting to be back and see how things had changed. She just needed to do it without setting foot on Tatera. She wasn't confident in sneaking after the Trigold Cluster, and there wouldn't even be a worthwhile reward for her risk. Presumably, she could leave from a different destination- but now she had to study it.

The shift in the tides were obvious now even to those who had not felt the last change. Anton looked up at the sky, keenly aware that only ten years remained before the time had come. Only a decade, as if that were a small amount of time. And perhaps it would be. What could he do in that time? Advance his cultivation a single star, perhaps two if he were fortunate. That was not without value, but it was not as significant as before. He was currently bound to fifteen stars, with one available. He had his eye on several choice individuals for future attempts, but the nature of the stars and their distance made him hesitate.

They were distant enough that he might no longer be able to reach some of the options if he wished to return in time- that was how far away they were. More than a system or two or five. A vast distance even traveling beyond the speed of light many times. His observations had determined there were stars with a radius more than a hundred, possibly even a thousand times that of the stars he was accustomed to. There were also some that were smaller by a significant margin- not as promising in terms of candidates, but still something he would eventually scope out in person. But for the moment, he could only look at them through ever more powerful telescopes, seeing them as they were decades or centuries earlier.

After the observatory had been destroyed in Vandale's death, the best of which Anton had been aware, he had rebuilt it bigger and better. Yet if he were to compare to Rutera, it was almost rudimentary in its construction. Formations had augmented its gaze, but they could do the same without one lick of natural energy- and with their energy augmented technology they could do so much more. In addition to that, the observatory was limited by its placement. The peak it was on was one of the better places upon Ceretos… but out in space was better. There was no atmosphere or particles of any kind that would interfere with the gathering of light there.

It was wonderful. Anton hoped to be alive to take advantage of his newest telescope more, after the invasion. But if he was not… he would not find himself particularly upset. The only thing he would regret when he died would be if he happened to not protect what he cared about. At some point that had been his family, then one sect… and now he had several planets that he could say he was fond of most of. What a strange twist his life had taken over the last two centuries.

Rutera was under the assumption that they were still unnoticed, the natural energy from their planet insufficient to catch the attention of the upper realms. But they were not being careless. Constant military growth was expensive, but they had plenty of reason to go through with it. The advent of 'proper' cultivation among their people was extending lifespans, such that the generation who experienced war with the Sylanis Cluster would not have faded away by the time of the invasions. They hoped to not be a target- but if they were not, their work was not in vain.

General Nicodemo took a look at the model of The Independence in front of him. In his opinion, it was still the best of the warships they had made. Some were bigger and more powerful, but this one represented the most. But he wasn't here to just play with models- though he would be quite happy to. Instead, he had to remind people why they were doing this. He looked upon the room full of executive leadership- which included Aneirin Park, no longer president. Not because a term limit was implemented or because the man couldn't have won, but because he had chosen to step down for a new generation of leadership. And while Nicodemo could say he was not dissatisfied with the man's leadership during the past, anyone who let the military act as necessary was sufficient.

"The time is approaching," General Nicodemo said. "We do not know if Rutera will be invaded. But, if we are not… our efforts are not in vain. Our allies would be glad for reinforcements, and as everyone here knows they have more than sufficient resources to compensate us for our help." He looked over the cabinet members and other general, as well as the new president- though she'd had her position for more than a few years now. President Riccarda Cavaino. "Not that we should approach this as a mercenary endeavor. Ceretos and Weos have been great partners in enlightening us on the matters of cultivation, and with uplifting the state of our planet itself. I would not have imagined an industrialized system like ours could manage such a beautiful and functional harmony with nature."

That was the thing that made it popular. It wasn't making things better for cultivators that had been popular, but the mere fact that crops would grow larger with less visible effort. The fact that that in turn fed back into other things was secondary to many. There were still some who would prefer to capture all of the natural energy around them to power whatever they pleased, but that was limited to specific applications such as power distribution plants. Who would ever have imagined that not solar nor wind but the very atmosphere itself could be one of the most sustainable energy sources? Of course, Rutera still had other options. Fusion plants, once they had gotten past the early hiccups, were quite efficient and safe. Simply absorbing natural energy from the surroundings wouldn't be enough to power the planet, but it could provide a significant part of what they needed.

"We owe them our aid, as soon as practicable. We will be keeping our fleets within our own system until we are certain, after which if there is no invasion upon us we will be joining our allies. It is unfortunate that we will miss the initial, critical weeks- but our own safety is paramount."

"What about the vessels sold to the other systems?" one of the council members asked. His position was… not agriculture. Something to do with animals, perhaps? There were so many, Nicodemo found it difficult to keep them all straight.

"Those can no longer be considered part of our own fleets. Their sale provided the budget to keep production on others going, providing millions of jobs throughout Rutera and our expanded colonies." There were now permanent and rapidly growing settlements on- or around- every major planet in the system. Though some were clearly less desirable, the available space, jobs, and the ease of moving about resulted in at least a modest amount of people living anywhere. Nicodemo tried not to look at the finance minister. This was no time to get into a stupid scuffle- soon enough, nobody would be concerned about the military spending. It was just difficult to sustain it for so long without a specific enemy. But the wait was nearly over- and as regular citizens began to feel the change in flow, they would realize. Though avoiding unnecessary panic would be a whole other job.

Chapter 580

The years were creeping up towards the final days of the shifting of the Tides of the World. Chikere was less than a year from having to depart- though the exact timing of that wasn't clear even for her. She just knew she didn't want to be late.

Before that, however, she thought it was finally time to deal with her arm. Or maybe… too late. She'd find out when she made the attempt. The length of time would make it quite complicated, as was the fact that nothing was left of her arm. Then again, healing it from being split unevenly up the middle was not something viable to begin with.

She went to Catarina to talk about the subject. "You offered to help grow back my arm before…" Chikere said. "Is it still possible?"

Catarina frowned. "There's… something that can do it. But I can't help you directly, not at this point. There's no memory of your arm to work with."

"I remember it," Chikere countered.

Catarina shook her head. "Not good enough. With this long, your body and soul have developed to work without it."

The swordswoman nodded, "I'd been given the idea to use a phoenix bone poultice, but I don't think that will work anymore. Maybe a phoenix noodle soup?"

"If phoenixes were so easy to find, maybe," Catarina said. "But it would require special preparation, not just… chopping it up into a pot."

"Yeah, I don't know how to do that," Chikere admitted. "Anything beyond slicing something up, I mean."

"The other option… I do my best to keep track of valuable materials and unique opportunities, both for myself and others we know," the formation grandmaster began to explain. "What you need is Dubet's Heart. It only grows in the middle of the Bloodsoaked Nebula, feeding off the death of the previous war."

"So I just go… take it?"

"Something like that," Catarina laughed. "Expect resistance. Some will be there, intending to harvest it for their own use or to sell it. And the surroundings are not friendly either. The great quantities of energy in the area grow all sorts of creatures even lacking food sources. They would be quite happy to devour such a thing to improve their healing abilities or recover old wounds."

"So you're saying… I just have to go snatch one. Do you know if there will actually be any?"

"I do. I can tell you where it is, even, and how to prepare it for usage."

Hoyt met her outside Catarina's laboratory area, where she spent most of her time.

"Good day," Chikere nodded to him. "I presume you aren't just leaning against the wall for fun?"

"I heard your conversation."

Chikere nodded, "I decided it was time to get my arm back."

"There's a reason she knows about Dubet's heart," Hoyt said plainly.

"And that reason is…?" Chikere was not great at understanding people, so she's prefer it said straight out.

"She was going to use it for something," Hoyt explained.

"For what?" Chikere asked.

"If she wanted you to know that, she would have told you," Hoyt shook his head. "Maybe I said too much already. I just wanted you to know you should appreciate her doing this for you."

"I do," Chikere said. "And I will remind myself to say that clearly upon my return."

"You're going alone?" Hoyt asked as she began to walk away.

"Should I not? Based on my understanding, getting in and out secretly might be best. And… I don't plan on traveling in a way others can accomplish. Did you want to come along? I can't offer anything except my words and the offer to slay your enemies. Though the latter is pretty much always available for my friends regardless."

"I will admit you're probably effective enough alone. Just know that you can ask if you need help."

"I do!" Chikere nodded. "But here in the upper realms, our only enemies are mutual. The exceptions to that I would usually prefer to fight alone, regardless of the outcome. I think this time, it is best if I attempt it alone. I can flee swiftly, if I need to."

Hoyt nodded.

Chikere finished walking outside. The zone around the laboratory was quite extensive, but eventually she reached an area where flying was possible- no formations holding her back. She walked up into the air one step at a time until she was floating above Xankeshan. She continued her motions until she was further out of its influence.

Then she drew her blade. This, too, was a test. Perhaps it would be better to travel by ship, but being able to move independently was preferred. She raised the sword above her head and swung it down, the entire motion taking more than a full second, many times slower than any normal attack she would make. The tip of the blade dragged and cut through nothing- space itself- opening a seam that she stepped through.

Chikere did not know if she could claim her method to be fast or slow, efficient or inefficient. What it was was a method that suited her. Like when she ascended to the upper realms, she cut open a tunnel in space itself. The difference was that the act of ascension itself seemed to aid the cultivator, making possible an impossible task. Whether it was that the cultivators gained temporary and unfathomable insights or something else, Chikere didn't know- she only knew it was not so easy to repeat the same thing. Moving through the upper realms with a bit more power and perhaps a bit less swiftly, however, she could manage.

She moved forward through a space with only blurred lights of the stars, eventually coming out weeks later… judging by the stars… half the distance she intended to go and a good ten degrees in the wrong direction. Even determining her own position took several hours with special tools- she could not just casually find her position. Otherwise she could have only placed herself in the grand scheme of the Scarlet Midfields due to the flow of energy through the greater galaxy itself, not exactly a precise measure. Though every ten or twenty systems was likely to be occupied, so if she had gotten truly lost she could have flung herself a much shorter distance towards one of them and gotten directions.

Her second tunnel was more accurate in direction, but slightly too far. She was only just barely in the strange pervasive miasma of the Bloodsoaked Nebula. She was aiming for a particular part.

At the end of her final tunnel, she found herself pulled into real space by the massive gravity of a nearby star- an extremely tiny point that she had not even been able to see. She was not so careless that she would end up inside a star or a planet, but she felt it almost dragging her in, despite it appearing almost as small as more distant stars. How big was it? Certainly measured in simple kilometers instead of hundreds of thousands like was proper for a star. Chikere knew there was some name for those. Neutron stars, perhaps?

It was possible for life sustaining planets to appear about them, but this one should not have any typical forms of life. Instead, she was looking for a large ring, a shell of debris that might have once been a planet in the same orbit. Yet according to Catarina, it seemed too uniform to be entirely accidental.

It took some time to find her goal, but Chikere found that like many planets, the strange feature drew energy to it, so it was almost as if it signaled its location. As she descended towards it, she could certainly feel something special about parts of it. The ring was thin in both thickness and width- that is to say, it was only a few hundred kilometers on the flat side, and at most a few hundred meters deep, between the inside and outside of the ring.

Where it was there at all, of course. There were vast gaps, where whatever it was before had not collapsed into its current shape. In short, Chikere could find her way around while exploring the entire thing… she only needed to walk somewhere around a billion or two kilometers. At a thousand kilometers per day that would take… three years. So she would have to keep up a much faster pace than that. She still had to return, after all.

If the place had a proper gravity or atmosphere it would not have been possible. Instead, she more or less flew forward, letting things sweep by and occasionally adjusting herself on the inside of the ring. Most of what she was stone, like a cobblestone road made of asteroids. A few plants existed, forming their ecosystems with bubbles of air and water, growing from the nutrients in the soil and the light of the miniscule sun. And likely a few heaping doses of upper energy. For all that this place clearly did not produce much of its own, this was a powerful location.

The other things she passed tended to be some of the few mobile, living inhabitants. Batlike creatures and worms and many other things. She did not slow her speed, so she could not even begin to react to see what they might regard as important things to defend- treasures, food sources, or anything similar.

Then there were a few people- generally with ships. Her rapid speed gave them little time but to draw weapons and flare their energy, at which point she had generally already passed them by, her relative motion extreme.

Her speed did make her search more efficient, with the downside of not taking in all of the interesting sights… and that when she approached something of value it being very difficult to slow down. The first thing of great worth she felt she couldn't catch with her eyes- and she nearly turned around as she careened past it, except that she was quite certain it had no relation to the particular bloom she was looking for.

Upon thinking about her sense of what she passed, she identified it as a worldheart- or rather, a small fragment of one. There was no chance the complete worldheart would be present in this place after however many centuries it had been in its current state. Even if others were a bit more cautious in their progression, there had to be many who would have found such a great call. That particular shard had simply been sharp, not quite a blade… but not terribly unlike one either. That was why it caught her attention.

Chikere reluctantly slowed herself, though she knew it might mean her mission would fail- regardless of the current existence of what she sought. Catarina's information would be solid, as much as it could be. There certainly should have been at least one Dubet's Heart growing here, both when the information was gathered and in general. The only issue was that even if there were many, they could take decades or up to a century to bloom- a moment of greatness that lasted a scant few 'days' by standard planetary terms.

After that, the building sized flower would shrivel up and leave behind a small bulb, which was the part of the phenomenon known as Dubet's Heart that was harvested.

Chikere didn't like to think about the various things that might stop her beyond someone trying to kill her. It was possible none were in bloom at this moment. They would not grow away from this location or somewhere quite similar- there were other potential locations in the Bloodsoaked Nebula, but they were less consistent. Then there were the people and beasts. They might harvest the plants, and because of their rarity they wouldn't necessarily wait until it was through the full cycle. It would not be nearly as potent, of course- but that didn't mean it couldn't be pawned off as a fully ripe version. And some would have lesser injuries that did not require restoring a long removed limb to perfect working status.

It would require some luck to stumble upon the opportunity- but what Integration cultivator was not lucky? Being born with 'talent' and surviving to use it, learning the right things from the right people or even managing to steal them, growing to this level of power either through Ascension or otherwise. Only a tiny fraction of people could ever achieve that, no matter how much they would support each other or fight against each other along the way.

So it was that after a mere three months of traversing her way along the strange ring that might have once been one or a handful of planets that Chikere sensed something. She did not know what Dubet's Heart would feel like, beyond powerful, but she could certainly feel that. And more than a handful of Integration cultivators and beasts of equivalent strength. No sword cultivators, sadly.

Chikere had sailed above them before either side could properly react, and she took some time to slow and reverse her direction. She had to hurry, as she did not want to arrive at the conflict after it concluded. Once someone had something of value well in hand, it was simpler to flee than to chase after them.

Slight vibrations could be felt through the barely substantial structure of the ring as she returned, though the little light meant it was hard for her eyes to pick out anything of note until she approached closer. It came to mind that she had missed a combatant- the plant itself. Because of course the continuation of its life was in its interests- or those of its kind, at least. That was what living things liked to do, though Chikere herself had no interest in that specifically. Unless swords counted as life? Probably not. Even the one grown on a tree couldn't be considered alive at the current moment.

Chapter 581

Only upon returning to the site of the battle could Chikere confirm with her own eyes the presence of Dubet's heart. Petals larger than a man, a mix of electric blue and the red of fresh blood in veins. The smell was the same, the stench of blood and… souls, maybe? Chikere didn't know if she could smell that. But that was theoretically what this plant thrived on. There was no mistaking it as something else, now that she'd seen it with her own eyes.

Chikere's competition came into vision. A man with a spear, a woman with a large axe. Neither were visibly missing anything of importance. No arms or legs or eyes, at least. Perhaps their damage was internal, or they were simply after Dubet's heart for mercenary purposes.

The third human cultivator was an archer, a young woman. She at first appeared whole. Certainly, the way streaks of light pierced through everywhere Chikere was trying to be indicated her effectiveness. And yet, something wasn't quite right. Her shots were accurate and quick, powerful. But just a little lacking. Then Chikere saw it- the woman's left hand was missing two fingers. It made it quite awkward to hold the bow, but that was only a minor issue comparatively. Because had this archer been whole Chikere imagined those fingers would be holding the strings of her bow.

How unfortunate for her. Perhaps she should have learned to project bows like Anton- or wield additional physical weapons like Chikere. Though the woman was good enough as she was. Not enough to scare Chikere off with a few dozen shots, however- and the woman couldn't remain focused on her because of the other trouble. That would be the two other humans, and of course the beasts.

A dragon- or at least a flying, clawed serpent. It was somewhere over one hundred meters long, its sinuous body winding over a large area. Then there was a bat of sorts, surrounded by a fog of blood. And most strangely, a tortoise. The latter was slowly plodding towards the flower they all sought, largely ignoring the others around it.

Chikere rapidly closed the remaining kilometers of distance. Her ten best blades came with her, one in her left hand and the others floating free. There was no conversation trying to get her to stay away- the archer's shots hadn't worked, so the other two wouldn't bother speaking either.

A single chop of the axe seemed as if it were aimed at no one- it would hit directly into the ground next to the woman swinging it, the others too far to be affected. But that was only the blade itself, as a larger projection of the woman wielded a proportionately larger weapon, her energy that of at least mid Integration. As her axe struck the surface of the strange ring formation, it split open in a fissure aimed towards both Chikere and the dragon.

No amount of confidence in her own blocking would have Chikere remain in the path of that attack. She had to immediately change her trajectory away from the Dubet's heart she had been aiming for, avoiding the zone of death. The dragon, on the other hand, was too large to move out of the way- and yet the attack only chopped through a few scales.

Chikere's blades flickered out, seeking any opponent that might have even the slightest opening. Everyone present was a danger to all of the others. The bat in particular gathered the blood from the dragon, swelling with power as its bloody mist expanded.

Everything except the tortoise, of course. It had shown no signs of attacking anyone yet as it slowly plodded forward.

Chikere had no reason to be polite, gladly taking a swipe at the back of the spearman. His battle senses were sufficient for him to avoid, and not only that counterattack with the reversal of his spear. Though there was no point upon it, Chikere was quite certain it would make a hole straight through her if she was careless. A sidestep and parry adjusted the trajectory enough that she only had a small gouge taken out of her side, the attack continuing on through the full depth of the ring even at an angle.

For having nothing to support it, the footing was surprisingly solid. Not that anyone needed solid ground for their movements. The bat was flying around- but its wings were hardly relevant to that, the same with the dragon. Only the barest hint of an atmosphere remained in this strange place.

There was no moment to catch a break in the battle, but Chikere enjoyed it that way. If only there was a worthy swordmaster to match her skill against, it would be even better. She cut her way through the cloud of blood around the strange bat, forcing it away from her path as she made her way closer to her ultimate target- the tortoise who had so far ignored the casual attacks placed upon it.

Moments later, she was next to it- and only a dozen meters from the goal of the battle. The sword she held in her remaining hand sliced down towards the creature's bare neck, an attack that allowed no avoidance or resistance. Blade met neck… and the force of her blow vibrated back through her arm, up past her elbow and shoulder into the rest of her body. Chikere's arm was numb… and the tortoise seemed oblivious to her attack.

She was glad her sword had not shattered upon impact. Furious that she had failed to cut something. Confused at how that was possible, with what felt like only the upper energy a proper Integration cultivator would wield, not even focused on a single point.

An arrow pierced through her thigh. That was her penalty for her moment of weakness. Chikere slashed out as a counter, her blade crossing the space towards her opponent in line with the woman's neck. Her attack wasn't focused on the archer, however, but the string of her bow. Of course, a woman of that caliber would not so easily let her weapon be rendered useless, her steps instantly bringing her to another part of the battlefield.

With one of Chikere's legs half-dead, the dragon thought it was a good time to take advantage of her weakness. This would be the time where having companions would have saved Chikere. But if she could not save herself, she wouldn't have reached her current position.

This was not her time to die. That was not some sort of divination or even hunch- that was simply what she decided. If she was going to die, someone better be killing her with an incomprehensible sword move.

Her dancing array of swords shifted, following the point of Sadiq's first blade. She thrust towards the open jaws set on chomping her in half, a single larger blade forming from the synchronous attacks of the weapons around her. Jaws snapped closed, but Chikere leapt past the teeth. The rear of the dragon's head exploded outward, and Chikere stood tall inside the creature's mouth. Good. It was not her blade that had dulled, merely that the tortoise was something incomprehensible.

When she leapt out of the creature that had just tried to eat her, she focused on the tortoise… and how it had just taken a large bite out of the Dubet's Heart. "That's not how you're supposed to do it!" Chikere yelled. "We need to stop this thing!"

The cultivators around her didn't agree- but neither did they disagree. Arrows that seemed to simultaneously occupy everywhere along their trajectory struck the creature in the hind legs. A spear aimed directly for the tortoise's eyes. The great axe crashed down on the creature's shell. Even the bat moved forward to bite one of the front legs.

The tortoise took another bite, somehow swallowing a larger chunk of the flower than would fit in its mouth. Chikere thought it looked quite pleased as it munched on its treat.

Nobody so much as scratched it. That was the point at which Chikere swore to herself she would someday find this creature again and cut it. No, that was not enough. She would cut it, and someday she would be powerful enough to cleave it in two.

The tortoise finished its meal and began to plod away. The cultivators and even the beastly bat looked at each other stunned. Then Chikere remembered the thing she was actually there for- at the same time as the others, it seemed. The flower itself was impressive, powerful. But not the core of the Dubet's Heart. Instead, that was the bulb that grew in the rock below.

A sudden flurry of attacks tore apart the ring section around the fighting group. Four cultivators and one beast stood face to face- even the archer. The surroundings of the bulb were instantly destroyed, but fortunately the Dubet's Heart itself was more durable than that.

Everyone aimed to snatch it, but Chikere was the only one willing to completely take her hand off her weapon and stretch her arm into the zone of death. Axe, spear, and arrows all competed to be what tore apart her arm, while blood was tugged out of the open wound in her side by the bat. But with a combination of lacking teamwork and Chikere's own blades, two of which were sacrificed and shattered to pieces, her fingers grasped the prize. Then she stepped forward, her blades cutting open a seam in space for a single instant.

She stepped out on another part of the ring. She was quite glad that had worked, because if it hadn't she was going to be sliced to ribbons and full of holes. But she had been confident enough to do it.

Chikere plugged up the holes in her thigh and side. The bulb of Dubet's Heart went into a special storage container where it would best be preserved until she could bring it back.

She contemplated trying to find another. Catarina wanted one for something, after all. However, she had to judge herself properly. There was no way she was going to survive another battle like that. She'd grow stronger from that battle, but she needed time to rest and rejuvenate. Having two arms would also help.

Now it was time to leave properly before the remaining individual from that battle figured out where she had gone and came to seek revenge. Or worse, that tortoise realized she had the last bit of its snack.

Medicine was miraculous. Chikere had watched as a brownish bloody lump of a bulb had been transformed into both powder and liquid. Xankeshan had medical formations, set up by Catarina of course, and guided by seasoned alchemists. The price of their work was easily covered with Chikere's wealth- certainly less than the value of her arm.

What remained was a small bead, the size of a single drop of water. It was translucent, swirling red and blue. Chikere held it up to the light, watching how it shone through. "So this is it, huh? This can grow back my arm? Or fix basically anything?"

"That's right," Catarina nodded. "It is an extremely valuable medicine that even the saints of the Harmonious Citadel would not easily lay their hands on."

"Amazing," Chikere said honestly. "I can feel the power." Outside of sword combat she completely lacked subtlety, but she did her best. "What did you need it for anyway?"

"Oh, I… something like that is always valuable," Catarina said. "Nothing that would be more important than restoring you arm."

"I see. Oh, Timothy!" Chikere waved her arm. Catarina turned around, even though she couldn't feel her husband's energy. Or perhaps because she couldn't.

Chikere's movements brought her next to Catarina in an instant, causing the other woman to snap her head back in surprise, her mouth hanging open slightly. The fingers Chikere was holding the bead of medicine with stabbed towards Catarina, tossing it into the opening. Catarina stumbled backwards, swallowing in surprise as she fell onto her rear.

She coughed several times, looking up at Chikere. "What did you- you need the full potency of the-"

Before Catarina could even think about pulling the medicine out of her stomach, Chikere had a sword to her throat. "Just digest it."

"... This was for you."

"You didn't look it up for me. You wanted it. For yourself, otherwise you would have told me who it was for. Any of our friends, your husband. You would have made it quite clear. So the only option left was you." Chikere stood there with her sword out, then frowned, "Right? I'm not that good at social deduction."

"... I did want it," Catarina admitted.

"Good, now that that's settled," Chikere sheathed her blade. "I have to get going. There's a war to fight in the lower realms, and I need to see if I can get a cool sword out of it."

Chapter 582

The techniques Chikere had available to her to reach the lower realms didn't involve swinging a sword in any way. However, she was also supposed to wait for the flow of the tides of the world to reach its very peak and basically just pull her along. That would be great if she wanted to arrive with the others, but she had the feeling that the Trigold Cluster wouldn't want her along for the ride. She also didn't want to arrive late.

So from the edge of the system on the border of the lower realms she accelerated forward, surging towards a particular tide that should bring her where she wanted. Then she added a bit of her own flare, slicing through a portion of space to properly cross the border.

She was swept up in the flow, upper energy leeching out of her. She could have tried to hold onto every drop of that, but instead she chose to let it go, while at the same time drawing in the lower energy to replace it.

The process wasn't quick- neither travel nor replacing her energy. Both sped up as she reached further into the lower realms, such that after a week she was almost entirely filled with lower energy. Or natural energy, as she was used to calling it. It wasn't clear if the energy in the upper realms was any more or less natural, but it was certainly different.

If Chikere had wanted to divert her course, even if she were willing to expend all of her energy she was unsure if she could. The partial techniques put together didn't give any explanation on how one would wind up in a different flow, so she just let it carry her along.

It seemed there was no particular problem with diving in early. She was being pulled along swiftly and there were no problems until teeth tried to bite her in half. They didn't come from anywhere, they were just not there, and then present.

Each tooth was like a spear, a full cube of them chomping in on her, the teeth passing through each other as they closed the space around her. Chikere had never bothered to sheathe her weapon after departing on her journey- holding it was comforting. She half drew most of her others by the time she counterattacked with a sweeping strike, her blow not hitting just one side of her but all of them, the pattern replicating itself to each side of the teeth-cube.

Recognizing danger, the teeth pulled back, disappearing. Chikere wasn't sure if she injured the creature. So to make completely certain, she finished her motions of drawing every blade. The field of blades around her combined their potential into a single slash, cutting apart space to strike at things beyond.

An ocean of black ichor leaked from beyond space, flowing along with Chikere along her path. The creature likely wasn't dead, but at least it was injured. And she was fairly certain it wasn't following her. She didn't let her guard down, though.

The black ichor floated towards her, attracted to the only source of anything within the tides. Cutting liquids was easier than cutting space, so she chopped into the goop, killing its momentum and preventing it from coming along with her. She didn't want to know what would happen if that stuff touched her.

Further weeks passed. Overall, it seemed that moving ahead hadn't been too dangerous. A single attack by a void beast? She was honestly expecting worse. Though perhaps the smell of it on her blades warded away the others.

Having transcended an entire stage since the previous time, Anton was able to feel some of the more complex subtleties of the tides of the world. There was one current that passed through several systems, specifically curving around Ceretos, through Weos and to the Sylanis Cluster. A winding route, but it at least touched upon all those places.

Not that they thought it would be any different. News from the upper realms indicated each of the different outposts on Tatera had been gearing up to attack a different location, and though the names for the systems didn't match, other details did. It did seem that Rutera was outside of the path of the current, though not much. It wasn't clear how difficult it would be to discern their existence and pick them as a target. Hopefully the Sylanis Cluster would be the third target. It would be interesting to see how each of those systems fared. And if the Trigold Cluster was foolish enough to split their armies between them. It wouldn't matter how many forces they brought if they had to face the still nearly one hundred Worldbinding cultivators there. And even if they focused on one system, it would only take a matter of a week or two for reinforcements to arrive from the other.

Anton kept at least some portion of his attention on the skies for anomalies at all times, so when he sensed something he was ready to act. Though he was quite surprised at what he felt.

He flew up above the atmosphere, trying to get closer to what he was sensing. A source of power was hurtling towards Ceretos at a great speed. That was fine- they were prepared, after all. They had ships in the skies if necessary, and great barriers over the continents that would devastate anyone who crashed into them. Which was perfectly fine if they wanted everyone to be torn to shreds.

"Eulogius!" Anton just barely managed to shout the proper name as he stretched his energy towards the man to shout at him. "Soften the blow for that one!"

Anton had heard that Chikere was coming. He just hadn't heard that she was coming months ahead of the rest.

It did see that 'scholar Eulogius' heard Anton, because the barrier didn't counterattack as Chikere fell into the atmosphere. She hit it and bounced several times, Anton striving to keep up with her position where she ultimately landed above Facraona.

"Everything is fine!" Anton called down to those below. "Just an ally arriving a bit earlier than projected!" He caught Chikere as she was slipping down the slightly curved barrier towards the ocean. "What are you doing here already? Why didn't you send a message?"

"I did!" Chikere countered. "Also hello again, Anton."

"Yes. Hello. When did you send the message."

"Just before I left!"

Anton felt a slight pulse on his belt. He pulled out a communication device, getting the message, 'Coming early'. "... For that to be useful your message has to arrive ahead of you."

"Oh." Chikere frowned. "... Aren't messages faster?"

"Through a massive phenomenon that reshapes the flow of energy between the upper and lower realms? One could presume there are some difficulties there." He took note of Chikere's missing arm. "I heard you were going to regenerate that. It doesn't feel like it's growing back. Did something go wrong?"

"Nope!" Chikere said. "Catarina needed it for something so I made her eat it."

Anton frowned. "Strange. I hadn't heard about her sustaining any injuries."

Chikere shrugged, "Me neither, but she was looking for it before I even asked about the thing."

A powerful presence approached. "So this is the swordmaster Chikere," Scholar Eulogius smiled. "Good to meet you. I'll adjust the barrier to allow you. It seemed wise to blanketly prevent anyone above Life Transformation we did not vet."

"Yes this is here," Anton nodded. "Scholar Eulogius, this is Chikere, swordmaster of… oh, I don't know quite what title would be appropriate. Chikere, this is-"

"Everheart," Chikere said, suddenly drawing her blades, dozens of them instantly floating around her. They all angled towards him.

"No this is-" Anton tried to salvage the situation, but he should have known better given those involved.

"You know me and dare to draw a blade against me?" Everheart suddenly had a spear in hand, pointed back towards Chikere.

Anton did his best to conceal the situation from those below, covering up the ripples of energy. "Can we please just-"

"Uuuuugh," Chikere's jaw hung slack. "Really? A spear? Didn't you steal like, a trillion sword techniques? Use a sword or it won't be any fun, old man!"

The barrier cracked as Everheart exploded with anger. "Old, am I? Fine, I'll show you how to use a sword, brat!" Though he said that, his first move was to toss the spear at Chikere. It pierced through the air behind her, scraping over the continental barrier to end up in the ocean, stabbing into the ocean floor below. Then Everheart drew two long, curved blades. Then he drew more, and even more, as he split apart into a dozen projections. "Don't blame me for this, I'm just trying to match the number of blades."

Anton just backed up and sighed. Obviously nothing he said would help. He did make sure his bow was readied just in case he could actually do something helpful.

It didn't even take a moment for space itself to begin to strain as hundreds of sword moves began to cross each other. Some movement on Anton's shoulder reminded him of the presence of the Great Queen. He saw her sign something.

"No, I don't think you need to interfere… yet. Chikere wants this, and I'd really like to have Everheart alive for the war. I can't imagine him stopping from a small wound, or you surviving if you didn't directly go for the big moves."

The Great Queen nodded. She could still be cut apart or crushed- it was simply that the great power of cultivators, their natural energy, would be only minimally effective.

Anton did his best to transmit messages to everyone who would be concerned about this sudden outbreak of battle. He could at least try to keep things calm. And he was fortunate the two were edging out over the ocean, either on purpose or by coincidence.

Chikere didn't seem concerned about the dozens of blades, matching each with her own- parrying and counterattacking as she saw fit. Surprisingly, neither side had gotten any wounds in the exchange.

Even more surprising was that Everheart was sticking to sword techniques. He wasn't the sort to actually focus on one thing, and adaptability was his greatest strength. Perhaps that was why Chikere was still alive. Anton also had to readjust his understanding of Everheart's power. Either he was fully recovered from his injuries instead of mostly recovered, or he was a step stronger than Anton anticipated.

"Ten Thousand Sword Stances. Basic, but good," Everheart said as they exchanged blows. "And do I detect the style of the Million Sword Vault?"

"Of course," Chikere said as she thrust with her single sword, intent on piercing through his heart. Only a particularly excessive use of Star Steps that instantly changed his motion saved Everheart from some sort of wound there. "I sense Swords of Heaven and Earth, the Harmonious Citadel, and something else. What is that?"

"I imagine you're talking about Flickering Moonlight. Impressive, isn't it."

"Yes," Chikere nodded. "Except-" at the same time, each and every one of Everheart's projections was pierced through the heart, one of the two swords Chikere was matching each of them with slipping past their movements. She used the same move against Everheart, her blade scratching his cheek. Then she looked down at her chest, where a blade had slipped between her ribs and pierced her heart. "Oh." She managed to speak that single syllable. "A feint."

Then she fell backwards, Everheart not following up his move- though that blow was sufficient to kill most people. However, it was a clean cut, his energy not exploding out to tear her apart from the inside.

"Don't worry," Everheart said, "I don't intend to cut off the geniuses of the younger generation."

Anton, with his bow drawn fully back carrying the maximum amount of stolen Ascension energy he could maintain, just looked at him.

Then Everheart was blasted into space by an entire lake's worth of water as Paradise interjected his own thoughts on the matter.

Anton sighed and moved to catch Chikere, doing his best to keep her blood inside her body as he rushed to the nearest teleportation station, so he could get to Aicenith and take her to the Million Sword Vault. They would be the best equipped to fix the nearly bisected heart, at least of those he was familiar with.

He couldn't say things had gone too far- not by Chikere's standards at least- but it sure felt like it. Anton could only hope these two combatants would be as eager to battle the invaders.

Chapter 583

It was a good thing that Chikere was young, otherwise even with a clean wound and good treatment it would have taken her more than a few months to recover. Any advantage she got from her early arrival was negated by the foolish battle she got into with Everheart. And the fact that she knew it was him, though Anton was more concerned about her revealing it by accident rather than out of some form of grudge.

Regardless of the circumstances, Elder Vasu seemed quite pleased to see Chikere again. "She's an inspiring figure to many of us," he explained to Anton. "And it will do those from the last century some good to see that she is not an exaggeration."

Chikere's eyes fluttered open, "Are we talking about my sparring with people."

"Don't stand up," Anton said. "You have to at least wait until it's safe to walk around."

"Tch." Chikere rolled her eyes and folded her 'arms' across her chest, though with only one it was a strange gesture.

"Who did you fight that could do this to you?" Vasu asked.

"It was-"

"Scholar Eulogius," Anton cut her off. "He has quite a variety of techniques under his belt."

"I hadn't thought much of him," Vasu said. "He doesn't give off the aura of a swordmaster. Perhaps I should change my opinion. I suppose I could-"

"No fighting until the war's over!" Anton declared. "Just… wait a few more months, alright? And the faster you win the war, the faster you can go back to nearly getting yourselves killed."

Truthfully speaking, it was these sorts that were the least of his troubles. They were itching for growth through exertion, and while that often led to violence that didn't become their only way of life.

Everyone else he hoped would behave until the invasion. They should- at least most of the leadership was reasonable. The best cultivators were those left over from the previous invasion, which meant any upstarts had big ideas, they couldn't be in Assimilation just yet. After the war, hopefully anyone with big ideas would focus them externally instead of aiming for any sort of internal conflict.

The flow of the tides changed, in Anton's estimation, from a river flowing wildly to one carrying an incoming warship. Minus the actual ship, as far as he was aware. Previously they hadn't seen any, and their spying didn't indicate intent to construct any that could function entirely in the lower realms. If they did have any, Anton expected Ceretos to be better in that regard, having learned from both Weos and Rutera.

As expected, there were two Augmentation cultivators among them, one that Anton recognized. Having advanced from Integration to Augmentation in the previous invasion, she had felt unbeatable. Though having just advanced, she had not been willing to lead an attack against the armies gathered around her. Now she was more established in the Augmentation stage… and Anton wasn't that impressed. But he knew that for someone like her, even if he could defeat her in single combat it wouldn't be a fair judgment. Which was exactly why he wanted to find the opportunity.

Unfortunately, she carried a large portion of the incoming forces with her. There simply weren't many of Ceretos' Assimilation cultivators who could rally against her, and they couldn't afford to just abandon the continent and hope they stopped people. That was why they had huge, expensive defensive formations to begin with.

It was not Anton's responsibility to deal with the second group, headed for Aicenith… but his first shot went to that bundle of cultivators regardless. Things were already on a course where the enemy could not choose to withdraw, the tides of the world moving in only one direction until at least months if not a full year or more down the road when they would begin to reverse. Likewise, he didn't expect anyone to push the boundaries of his maximum range ever again, so it didn't matter if they learned it.

He didn't have to attack Juta, and might have been served better trying to pick off someone under Fajra, but the less familiar Augmentation cultivator was still mostly a mystery. He had to see what the Fearsome Menagerie could do.

His attack came near the limits of his range, but he restrained himself slightly on speed. The approaching cultivators were already somewhat on guard, in anticipation of impacting the atmosphere if nothing else. Thus, he needed a bit more in the way of power instead of trying for a surprise. Though they might encounter surprises later, if they got careless.

For this matter, it seemed entirely appropriate to use some of his pilfered ascension energy, as that was not only stronger but could also throw off their balance. Chikere mentioned how difficult it was to re-adapt to natural energy, and she was from Ceretos. Juta may or may not have been in the lower realms before, but she had certainly not been to Ceretos.

Anton flew with his arrow, out into space and rushing against the current of the tides- a strong force, but only due to how it crossed such a significant span of the galaxy. It did little to slow his assault.

A thin point of energy flew towards his target, who would no doubt have sensed it coming already. It did take over a second to arrive, since this particular one was traveling below light speed and they were still approximately the distance of Ceretos' moon. In that time, Anton saw a transformation from a relatively peaceful and calm woman into a giant lizard, a great roar shaking him as the arrow. The creature's claws covered a sufficient area he could not go around them as he approached- and he was interested in testing a head on collision regardless.

That was one his arrow lost, but if he'd won that exchange then he wouldn't need the rest of Ceretos behind him. His arrow turned into specks of light, but he was quite certain he'd made a small scratch in the scales of that palm. And learned that Juta was capable of overreactions. Both useful pieces of data.

Then he focused his efforts on Fajra's group. It was a simple barrage of shots, but it would never end. Shooting at only the rate he could replenish energy from the connected star seemed like a minor assault, and it was… except that the biggest weakness of the invaders was that they could not recover ascension energy. Even if they fully converted to use natural energy they would be weaker, so while Fajra blocked his arrows purely with her aura… Anton didn't care.

There was a reasonable time of that before the groups fully dropped out of the tides, splitting towards the two continents. Anton had Brogora to worry about first, and would wait to assist Aicenith until Brogora was completely handled or they specifically called for aid.

Anton sensed something from the northwest- though only after the attack was launched. He was standing outside the atmosphere, his senses focused mainly on the approaching invaders- not their own stations.

An arrow flew towards Fajra, though calling it an arrow was almost an insult. Anton gained nothing by increasing the size of his shots, unless he was incapable of further condensing the energy- but the other archer above Ambari had different restrictions. The hunk of metal was thicker and longer than a spear, sized as it was because that was required to get the mass and volume for optimal power and enchantments.

That was, of course, Nthanda- and the unexpected all out attack almost won the war right then and there. It tore through space, covering the distance between Nthanda and her target in an instant. Because the attack was more kinetic energy from Nthanda's tempered body and bow than natural energy, it hadn't been telegraphed. Even so, one of the crowd of invaders managed to react in time, throwing himself in front of the arrow.

A burst of heavy energy exploded from the man as the arrow struck him- and passed through him- but he slowed the attack enough for Fajra to focus her defenses, raising her hand to block the incoming projectile. Something broke there- Anton hoped it was more than just her wrist snapping, hopefully a crippling injury, but unfortunately she was not dead. And Nthanda didn't have arrows that powerful just sitting around all the time. If Anton was not wrong, it came with some void ant chitin interlaced into its structure, but there was only so much energy even such material could resist. Though Nthanda had killed a cultivator of the same 'stage' in a single blow and nearly taken out one of the biggest threats. If there were only a single Augmentation cultivator among their enemies, Anton imagined the battle would be over immediately.

As the enemies were still rapidly approaching, and Fajra sadly not dead, Anton dropped into the atmosphere instead of continuing to fly above the planet. No point in exposing himself when they had perfectly good formations in place.

Instead of splitting up, Fajra impacted the barrier with the whole army she had- which meant dozens of Integration cultivators as well. They landed vaguely over Estary, the same place they had successfully invaded last time. Their combined might strained the barrier as they began to attack, Fajra's aura pushing against it… but it also let the barrier reinforce a single point.

Anton was surprised at how quickly a continent had turned into a 'small' area from his perspective. Along with himself and Nthanda, who had no trouble making shots from hundreds of kilometers inside of atmosphere, the area was also close enough for many others to move in to fight.

Elder Tola of Infinite Wisdom Forest was in her element, but even Lev, Anish, and Annelie from Ofrug to the southeast would be able to join the battle soon enough. As for Everheart… Anton felt the way the barrier was reacting, more intentionally that it might have otherwise. Clearly he was making contributions in his own way, which might be for the best.

Attacking through the barrier had some loss of efficiency, so Anton instead remained just atop it, assaulting the group from afar. He specifically aimed for what looked like some formation masters throwing out flags to try to break through the formation. He wasn't allowed to just strike them easily, Fajra's aura hindering him and empowering her followers to block. Now that she was no longer protecting them from their travel and fall, she was more effective in that regard.

In addition, her aura seeped through the barrier, incapacitating many of those below who would be contributing. Much of Infinite Wisdom Forest, Tranquil Cloud Palace, and others from Estary were obviously keen to contribute to their own defense. However, many of them were unable to act because of the aura- either because it was too overpowering or because they were protecting their weaker allies. The power of such an aura could easily kill people below Spirit Building if left unchecked.

But Ceretos wasn't a planet where just a few people cultivated. Beyond the sects and clans, the cities themselves were forces to be reckoned with. Even if the individuals there were weaker, they could combine their power into siege weapons. The barrier lowered the power of those as well- as selective as Everheart could make it, nothing could pass through freely without some disruption.

A hole opened up in the barrier, and Anton clenched his teeth. Once they were inside, they could wreak havoc… even if he was quite confident they couldn't win a war. People began to drop through the barrier around the formation masters.

Then the barrier snapped closed, including crushing those partway through. That didn't even require active flow, that was just how it worked. Anton smirked. Of course people couldn't break through Everheart's barrier in just a handful of minutes.

But, at the same time, he felt something break. Far to the north, where none of the invaders were present, the barrier weakened. Clearly Fajra and her army noticed, and as if they had been waiting for that moment they were swept up in a great wind, moving together in that direction.

What was it? Who was it? Anton's senses spiked in that direction. Internal traitors? Were there more than just the Twin Soul Sect?

When his senses locked on to the area, he realized that was only half right. They were definitely traitors, but note quite internal. The Exalted Archipelago. Even the Soaring Air Sect, which he had graciously allowed to continue existing. So, they were working with the Trigold Cluster. That might actually be the only thing to tip the balance, with their Assimilation cultivators. Except… Anton didn't sense any he would consider friends or allies among them. Perhaps Treloar and the Worthy Shore Society were traitors, but none were present. Though if Treloar was working with them, he had to know Anton would have shot him first.

For the moment, he'd have to remain cautious of his 'allies' there… and begin pruning those who thought it was a good idea to come to his continent. Because while Anton didn't believe he could take on the whole enemy army alone, he could pester them continually for at least a week. Two, if he was willing to push himself.

Chapter 584

The tactics for the assault upon Aicenith were somewhat different from the assault on Brogora- but they still involved the assistance of some from the Exalted Archipelago. Instead of audaciously crashing into the barrier above the continent, the groups led by Juta instead focused on the coasts, intermixing their attacks with the Archipelago forces and hitting multiple pillars that provided the backbone for the continental formations. It was clear that someone had informed those from the upper realms about the locations ahead of time.

The western coast had Marvelous Rabbit Mountain and the Rising Waterfall Sect, among others. The Rising Waterfall Sect's position on Redfin Reef had allowed them to provide advance warning of incoming ships from the Exalted Archipelago- and to flank those same ships when they chose to bypass the area instead of taking them out first. That was good for them, as they would not have survived a direct assault even with some of their members dipping their toes in the Assimilation stage.

"These vessels now appear rather… quaint," Elder Paula of Marvelous Rabbit Mountain commented to the others with her. "It's surprising how slow they have been to adopt flying vessels, considering one among their number had them previously."

The Soaring Air Sect still existed… but their involvement in the war had come with steep penalties for their survival. They hadn't fully recovered, even after a hundred and fifty years. The sects of the Exalted Archipelago didn't have much in the way of natural resources they weren't already making use of to the maximum, their growth coming over thousands of years. Perhaps they had recovered and even grown in power slightly, but it was nothing compared to the continents and their Assimilation cultivators. Though it did seem more sects of the Exalted Archipelago had produced Assimilation cultivators than had made that information public. Perhaps they should have been monitored more closely.

But it was too late for that now. They would just have to deal with how things had ended up. So Paula focused on her legs, springing forward out over the harbor. Instead of picking an individual target, she aimed for a ship, foot rising from low to high and blasting it into the sky- towards the descending invaders. Though she supposed she could consider both groups invaders now. In a way, at least part of the Exalted Archipelago had always been, even if they weren't active.

The north coast. That was the location the Whispering Watchers, comprised mainly of Twin Soul Sect members, had previously occupied. Now, the Silver Rhino Legion had moved into the area, and Elder Sudheer had been instrumental in securing the location.

Jura herself was involved in this particular attack, charging over the seas at the barriers in the guise of a great bull. She'd already broken through in multiple places before Sudheer had managed to arrive on the scene, where he came upon a half destroyed harbor.

The balance of cultivators was not as much in the favor of the locals as much as could be hoped- none being quite certain where the attacks would come, cities and sects had been defending their own. They would join up, of course, but instead of the defensive formations giving local cultivators a significant advantage, they were only doing well enough to make up for the enemy's strength.

Besides Sudheer, there were several other Assimilation cultivators. Not all of them were in optimal locations to battle, but anywhere upon Ceretos was sufficient to overpower an Integration cultivator. Unfortunately, there were slightly more of those… and Jura herself, one of the enemy's two Augmentation cultivators.

As Sudheer watched, Jura toppled a tower. Then there was nothing between them but a mostly unoccupied main road. Their eyes met- one a towering, twenty meter tall bull with flaming eyes and golden horns. The other a tenth the height, encased in gleaming silver armor but no less confident in his own strength.

Sudheer lowered his head, not in deference but in preparation. His body covered in its spiked armor dug into the paving stones for greater traction, more than just what spreading his energy wide along the ground could provide.

Perhaps charging headlong into a cultivator of a higher stage than himself while the other clearly did not mind that method of combat was a mistake, but it was his mistake to make. Someone had to stop Jura, and they simply didn't have the forces to match her with multiple combatants.

He could have waited for reinforcements, both humans and the nearest void ant colony were en route. But by the time they arrived, this nice city would be flattened, and the enemy would have a permanent hole in the barrier to stage further attacks from.

So Elder Sudheer charged, his spike-covered armor cutting through the wind as the ground shattered under the feet of himself and his charging opponent. His armor was overloaded with impossible enchantments, now as much a part of himself as anything else as the basis of his Assimilation.

Elder Sudheer leapt between the golden horns to impact head to head, the point of their impact became the epicenter of leveled buildings as shockwaves met. Metal warped and bones cracked as the impact overwhelmed the structure of Sudheer's armor, then one of the combatants was sent flying backwards.

But it was not, as one might expect, the figure that was two meters tall. Jura's transformation broke as she was sent flying backwards, flying out over the sea. Sudheer, meanwhile, fell straight down into the city streets. Blood pooled around him, most of it his own, but he could not help but grin widely. He slowly pulled himself to his feet, everything blurry through the worst concussion he had ever had.

It was a shame, really. He'd intended to pierce through Jura rather than knocking her backwards, but what could he expect? It didn't matter that the woman wasn't able to make full use of her energy if she was a stage ahead of him. But… he cracked his neck, popping as many bits of bone back into place as he could. He wasn't dead. And it would take her a few minutes or a great amount of effort and half that time to return. Long enough for reinforcements, perhaps.

When beams of energy began to rain from the sky, Sudheer was shocked and confused- until he remembered. Sure, he'd traveled to other systems on ships meant for space travel, more than a couple times, but it still felt fake to him. Maybe another century and he would be used to it.

Funny, though, how the first reinforcements to show up had probably been the furthest away by sheer distance.

The evening sun reflected off of the blade in Chikere's hand, and she couldn't help but comment on it. "This one is honestly not great," she sighed. "Hopefully it will be more usable later."

The individual who thought he owned that sword seemed to take exception to Chikere's comment, lunging towards her. He actually managed to slip past the barrier of blades to reach for 'his' weapon. Of course, that was what she wanted, as the blade that seemed carelessly held had its point redirected into his heart. But instead of the relatively light wound Everheart had left on her, her energy spread out and tore everything apart while pulling out any convenient blood. That was much less recoverable, and the man fruitlessly clutched at his sword for a moment before his body shut down.

The Million Sword Vault was covering the southeastern part of Aicenith, but word was that further to the north the invading forces were performing better. It was a shame, really, that the Exalted Archipelago was making this harder than it had to be. Then again, Chikere didn't mind some extra battle.

Fajra's attack on Brogora had been swift and an excellent distraction for their true purpose, but Anton thought they likely underestimated how strong the barriers were. They had likely intended their initial descent to actually break through in addition to the attack at the north of the continent taking out some components. That failure was totally understandable, because they didn't know Everheart was back. Or if they did… their invasion force was totally undermanned.

If they weren't concerned about things like Ceretos itself surviving the battle, Everheart could have probably taken out the entire army with a single formation. Or perhaps that was untrue and simply a false impression of power Everheart cultivated to throw people off. But Anton knew better than to underestimate him.

"How many of their formation masters did you get?" Anton asked.

"None," Everheart said.

"... Are you sure? I thought I saw at least a few get crushed by the barrier when they thought they'd broken through."

"Oh," Everheart nodded, "Those guys? Yeah, I got four. But they weren't masters."

"I do believe they were by the standards of a lower realm. Not grandmasters, certainly, but still…"

"I disagree. People who need to work in groups are not masters," Everheart held his head high. "Now, what do you plan to do next? They all scarpered off on their ships."

"Nthanda and I made that as costly for them as possible. As for our response… I plan to call for the fleets to be readied. We'll leave a defensive force behind, of course, but we need to deal with the Exalted Archipelago for good."

The Great Queen added her own words to the mix, signing next to Anton. "The void ants resolved ourselves to only get involved in battles against foreign invaders. However, the Exalted Archipelago has chosen to add themselves to that category. We will fight with you against them and those they have chosen to join with."

"Thank you," Anton said. He'd known she would personally support him, but not having to limit how the void ants could affect things would be very helpful. "That will be quite useful. It's unfortunate that we will have to contend against the Exalted Archipelago's Assimilation cultivators, though. They've clearly been hiding things… planning this for some time."

"That's why you should never trust anyone. Wipe out your enemies to the last, that's what I say."

"You can say that, but… you didn't do it."

"Only when I don't have the power," Everheart shrugged. "I have to admit that I cannot yet match the great powers all on my own."

"Perhaps I made a mistake," Anton admitted. "But I respect at least the lives of my allies. It would have been too costly at one point, and then we were at peace. I don't think it was wrong."

"Well, it's your live, kid," Everheart shrugged.

Ships meant to travel both the stars and the seas gathered on and above the oceans north of Brogora, angling west towards the Exalted Archipelago. Their first goal was conveniently on the border of the region.

Anton stood at the prow of the leading ship, looking down on the Worthy Shore Society. They had not been seen to be part of any attacks… but neither had they helped or sent warning. All that Anton received was an apology after the fact, that they were unaware of what was happening. And in any other circumstance, that would have been sufficient. But not this time.

As they approached, Anton moved slightly ahead of the fleet, the flying ships cruising around the area in a wide circle while the others anchored. There was no way they had not been noticed coming- scouts of all sorts would have seen them, and there was little subtle about their movements.

To his credit, Sect Head Treloar stepped out from the sect's barrier formations to speak to Anton- if not terribly far from them. "I will repeat what I said in my message. We had no knowledge of the attacks… though I will admit that in retrospect, our limited communications with the upper realms seem to have been probing for our willingness to go along with such a thing. Clearly they understood that we would not. We have no intention to interfere."

"I believe you," Anton said. Coming here, seeing the man he called a friend in person, he could sense fear, uncertainty, but no dishonesty. He even admitted his failing in noticing the potential signs. "But remaining neutral here is not good enough. If I trust you now, will others? What about in five or ten decades?" Anton shook his head. "We will need more than neutrality. Join us against those who attacked us."

Treloar contemplated in silence for a time. "The other option is be destroyed, I presume?"

"I don't think you're stupid enough to take that one," Anton said. "So no. The alternative for you would be leaving Ceretos entirely. I doubt that would be any better for your relation with your sect in the upper realms, of course… but if you won't fight with us the option is still there."

"There's very little choice, really," Treloar shook his head. "I hope this doesn't reflect poorly on Gelens, but it seems they have chosen to exclude us already. We will join you. Though I appreciate the alternative option."

Anton had been fairly certain about what the man would choose… though still nervous. There were others he was less clear on. The Hardened Crown Sect could go either way, depending on where their stubbornness landed them. But with the inclusion of the Worthy Shore Society, they might sway more to their side.

Chapter 585

Considering there was an invasion from the upper realms currently going on, Paradise was being surprisingly calm. Erin wished he could speak, but Paradise did not speak. He probably couldn't, though he did seem to be able to understand speech to a certain point. She could only try to determine what he was planning by the feeling of his energy. Strong and focused. Purposeful.

She could only go along with his flow, not if she wanted to fight at maximum effectiveness. It was odd, how Paradise had been so eager to interject himself into battle a few months back, with that old man and Chikere. An old man Erin was fairly certain was Everheart, given his first appearance near Paradise.

Then something appeared in Erin's sight- hidden from her senses by its very nature. Or perhaps she should say her very nature.

"Well hello there, Queen of Paradise," Erin said with as much respect as she could muster. It wasn't that she didn't respect void ants, but this one she'd seen grow from a tiny larva to… a still very tiny form. Nowhere near the palm size of the Great Queen. Then again, they had a couple centuries of growth between them. "You were looking for me, I presume?"

Though in relative terms this queen was fairly young, she was still a few decades old and thus had grown to a humanlike intelligence. The queens were generally faster to develop in that manner. Erin had learned to understand the sign language of the void ants- it would have been rather foolish to not keep up with it when there was a colony on Paradise. The Queen of Paradise signed her message. "Paradise wishes to go to battle. However, we face foes of great power. He hesitates because of concern for our safety, and thus has gone to seek an old acquaintance. We must aid him."

"What can I do to help?" Erin asked.

"You can easily contact the Great Queen's favored individual, correct?"

"Anton?" Erin asked. "Yes."

"He knows the one that Paradise seeks."

"How do you know all this?" Erin asked. "What Paradise wants, I mean. Do you understand him?"

The Queen of Paradise nodded slowly. "Paradise's head reveals much of his thoughts."

"... you can read his mind?"

The void ant waggled her antennae in a 'no'. "We merely like to sit atop his head. Looking where he looks. That tells us much."

"Oh," Erin nodded. "Perhaps I should find more time to do so."

"What a time for Scholar Eulogius to get called off," Formation master Naid Conaire of the Worthy Shore Society shook her head. "Together we'd take apart these formations in an instant."

"Don't concern yourself," Treloar said. "Some day, you too will be an Assimilation formation master."

"Some day," Naid nodded. "But not yet."

If the invaders moved in force, it was difficult for Ceretos to bring an effective counter in a short time. At least, they had not been easily able to predict enemy movements in these first few days of the war. Nobody besides Anton had such prodigious sensing range, and Anton couldn't be everywhere. Flying ships were the next best option, but they had to be cautious about where they would travel. For the most part, however, the enemy forces had been contained in the Exalted Archipelago after their initial retreat. Given that they were prepared for that eventuality, it didn't seem likely to stay true for long.

But Anton hoped they would not be prepared for groups like the Worthy Shore Society to join the continental forces. Certainly, it didn't seem as if they had sufficient numbers for that. "If they knew we were ready for them…" Anton looked to Treloar. "Why are their forces barely adequate?"

"The answer is simple," Sect Head Treloar nodded seriously, "We haven't updated our communication methods since our branches were placed here. The information is likely decades old. At best. Frankly, I would expect a force of this size to have been planned shortly after the contact with Rutera and the following war."

"They should have known about our Assimilation cultivators, though."

"Here's a secret about the upper realms," Treloar said knowing full well that Anton had more frequent contact with them, "They're big and some of them like to stomp on the little guys. They just assumed you were all ants." Treloar grinned at the Great Queen, "Which will be extra startling when they encounter your ants."

"We will devastate their strongest," the Great Queen confirmed. "If I am able to approach this Fajra, I will chew my way through her glamours and then her vital organs."

"Too bad thousands of people would try to stop you," Anton shrugged. "But we'll find you an opportunity. Fajra was here for the previous invasion, though. She'll probably be on the lookout."

"I could have Nthanda toss me," the Great Queen signed pensively. "That might be sufficient to arrive with haste."

"I have no doubt in your ability to kill her," Anton said. "It's just surviving afterwards that might be an issue. And you're both a friend and a valuable combatant, so I'd really prefer not to lose you. Our current plans are fine."

The formations that Naid was still pondering- from a distance- were those of the Eternal Glamour Sect. The same disadvantage that the continents had in their homeland the enemy had here- having to defend every location they claimed. And since the Exalted Archipelago had possessed their lands for thousands of years, they weren't exactly willing to just give everything up. Even if they had been willing to uproot everything that they could, that would have tipped someone off to their plans, if every sect or even a majority of them suddenly began carrying large amounts of goods to a few better defended locations.

That said, the Exalted Archipelago had swift ships, and it would take some time to siege this place. Anton knew that a large fleet would be incoming, ready to take them on. And if their defensive formations were a good as Everheart's, he wouldn't have even tried. However, even with the long history- or perhaps because of it- the formations were merely high quality rather than exceptional. They simply wouldn't last without maintenance, and formations of great complexity weren't necessarily stable. Everhearts had only lasted a few centuries with special tricks involved, both a long time without upkeep and a short time to some cultivators.

"I've got it!" Naid finally clapped her hands. "Unfortunately, it would be better with greater firepower- and yes, I know that you're here, Anton. You're not the best for structural damage. We could really use someone like that Nthanda… or…"

"Paradise?" Anton asked.

"If Paradise were here I wouldn't have bothered looking at the formations." Naid looked around, sweeping her energy, "He didn't show up while I was occupied, did he?"

"Not yet," Anton said. "Though I suspect he'll arrive eventually."

"Well, in that case, I want you to aim for that gap there, at the inside corner of the parapet. That's the easiest part for a destructive entry, I think. If you can get inside and through the structure, just go for the runes on the lower floor. Any of them, really."

"That might take a bit…" Anton frowned. "Look sturdy. I'll see what I can do before we have to leave."

"Enemies incoming?" Treloar asked.

"Almost immediately since we arrived."

"How close are they?"

"Still about a thousand kilometers."

"... oh. Of course."

"That only gives us a couple hours," Anton said. "Less if some people break out ahead. They've certainly got quite a clip going. They're even diverting the flow of water in front of them to manage that speed. I'm impressed."

"Not as fast as the spaceships though," Treloar said.

"Close, if they're in atmosphere," Anton shrugged. "I suppose I'll get started."

He took one shot just to test things. The formation held easily.

"Half a centimeter to the left," Naid said, "And one down. Yes, that's it."

"You have good eyes," Anton commented.

"Well," she shrugged, "It's a requirement for me to function without walking up to a formation myself to slice it apart."

Arrow after arrow sequentially hammered into the same spot, almost a continuous flow. A few adventurous fellows on the walls tried to block or shoot down Anton's arrows, but it was an awkward place to reach and his arrows were small and fast. The best they could do was extend a screen of energy, which would just wear them out.

"I'm feeling it," Anton said. He had been trained for this part of formations, after all. He changed the rhythm of his attacks, timing his arrows to strike when the formation was bouncing back after absorbing the impact of his attacks. It was only a small motion, but a mere couple of kilometers away it was as easy as seeing the blood pulse in someone's veins. Which didn't look like much before he was in Essence Collection but now was quite obvious.

Each time his arrow struck, the formation bent slightly further out of shape, until finally a small hole was broken. His arrow punched through, striking the durable material beneath. The hole patched itself, but this would be draining the reserves of the defenses.

"Looks like they've got a formation master working against you now," Naid commented. "I could counter their efforts if I could approach safely."

Timothy would have been Anton's first choice, but there was the whole thing with him being in the upper realms. Sudheer was part of Aicenith's defensive forces, or Anton would have just asked him to charge the wall with the support of others. Chikere was present but her defensive abilities were best suited to protecting herself, and she didn't always consider puncture holes through her body as relevant damage.

"I don't suppose you can cut it from here?" Anton asked.

"Can I… cut it from here…" Chikere went into a daze, her hand gripping her weapon white knuckled. Anton hadn't really intended it to be a challenge of some sort, but he was willing to let her do her thing. Chikere actually sheathed her blade, then stepped towards Anton. He stepped back to give her room, and she stepped towards him again. "Stand still!" So Anton did, as she wedged her sheath between the two of them. Then she drew and slashed with her blade in a single motion. There was a rush of wind, and Anton saw a gouge appear in the formation. "Nope," she shook her head. "I'm not even sure I can consistently cut apart space here…" she frowned. "Which is weird because I did that to ascend when I was way weaker and less well equipped."

"Ascension is special," Anton said.

"... Why?" Chikere tilted her head.

"Uh…" Anton shrugged, "I'm honestly not the best person to ask about that." But it seemed she wasn't actually listening for an answer anyway. Anton looked to his next option. "Devon, do you think you could escort formation master Naid to the walls? Do you need further backup?"

"I can, though I'd appreciate some others attacking to draw their attention to different points."

Chikere was, for the moment, out of commission undergoing some form of enlightenment- or at least potentially. There wasn't always something that came from such things. But they had more than a dozen Assimilation cultivators with them, more than enough to deal with any Assimilation cultivation cultivators a single sect might have in a quick manner. And enough to put up a fight against a moderate portion of the total invasion forces, if they had to. Though not the current incoming group.

Anish and Annelie were present, and of course Treloar- this was a good chance for the Worthy Shore Society to show their commitment instead of just standing next to them. Though Anton had accepted it as true when Treloar said the words, it would also be wasteful for him to just stand around doing nothing.

The assault was short, made of Assimilation cultivators and a few times as many supporting Life Transformation cultivators. They all made shows of attacking the walls in various ways- which was actually quite useful for weakening the barrier while Anton shot it- and it made Naid less of a priority target. Anton actually managed to damage some of the internal mechanisms by the time he called for a retreat- lingering too long would risk the approaching force reaching them, especially if Fajra was willing to forcefully bring just their Integration cultivators. There was too much risk involved with fighting them and dealing with the Eternal Glamour Sect at the same time.

Nothing said Anton had to stop shooting, though. By the time the forces arrived, Anton had leveled that whole corner of the walls, the parapets and tower beneath crumbled. Next time, they would bring down the rest- if the enemy didn't take up residence there.

Anton wondered why Erin had needed to talk to Everheart. Hopefully that led to something good. Or at least… effective.

Chapter 586

The time was rapidly approaching to determine if they could afford to defend the Worthy Shore Society. Of course, there was no question about the people. As an island sect they had ships aplenty even ignoring the continental fleets. However, the sect itself was a small foothold in enemy territory. Valuable in some ways, but extremely difficult to hold.

Ceretos' fleets simply couldn't match the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Archipelago's combined forces- not if they moved as one unit. That was simply because they had to leave a sufficient amount of their forces to defend their homelands.

Treloar's face revealed nothing of what he felt at potentially having to give up not only their history of connection to the Exalted Quadrant in the upper realms but also the land every generation had grown up upon. Anton knew that he would have been extremely reluctant to give up the Order's land, or any piece of Graotan. Though that had grown to extend to most of Ceretos. And as they were allies, Anton even felt some of that for the Worthy Shore Society.

"To have a chance at this, we'll need everyone possible to join the fight," Anton sighed. He was specifically thinking of Everheart, who had run off at the earliest excuse. The troublesome part was that there hadn't been any word from Erin about what was going on with Paradise. "What do you think about engaging?" Anton asked. "Is there anything to be gained from attempting more complicated tactics here? A direct confrontation would be too risky."

"Hmm," Treloar stroked his chin. "It would give us an opportunity to assess the forces of… the Exalted Archipelago. Which I guess we aren't part of now."

"They managed to foster more than a few Assimilation cultivators among them- without it being obvious, even. I thought I would sense such advancements, but apparently I was wrong." Anton shook his head. "What could we learn?"

"Their quality," Treloar said. "There's a huge difference depending on how long they've been in Assimilation and the results they produced. Should we count them as equal to each of ours? I would be surprised. Though we did not completely lock down the knowledge, none of them received personal guidance from you."

"I'm not the only one who could have done it," Anton pointed out.

"Well, I didn't guide them. And neither did Lev, or I imagine anyone of note on the continents. They all had… reasons to be cautious around them. The worst case for us would be Naamah having guided them."

"She hasn't responded to inquiries, either…" Anton frowned.

"I'm not saying I suspect her, necessarily. The important part is that we don't have a long history of Assimilation. Our techniques were all meant for optimal Ascension. Changing that with only secondhand information would take… someone of sufficient genius."

"The Exalted Archipelago has many people. Surely you have geniuses among you? You consistently produce Ascension cultivators after all."

Treloar shook his head, "Geniuses? Sure, we get some. Every few centuries. But in truth, most of us are simply average or slightly above and rely on the extremely refined techniques that push us towards one goal. I could not have hoped to alter the Worthy Shore Society's techniques without your aid. I would still not have broken through," Treloar held up a hand, "Don't bother with politeness. I know my own skill well enough. And more importantly… I know my own connection to Ceretos. I gave up Ascension for a different path… but I can't believe all of the others truly wished to give up Ascension. They should have been instructed on what they should do… and nobody can make another's cultivation choices for them. Not and expect the same results."

"So that means, what?"

"I expect them to be individually weaker… and less advanced. Comparing yourself now to you when you first completed Assimilation? It's not even close. Your power now could have managed that entire war with the Exalted Archipelago alone, no need for support."

"So we try to make them display their power… but we can't fully commit to a battle." Anton pondered. "Still risky, but it is important information. Unfortunately, that means… likely giving up on your place here."

"I'm hoping that they will leave things intact with the intent to occupy our sect," Treloar shook his head, "But I can't say they won't just level the place. I have people clearing the libraries and treasury. We can at least take all of that with us. And I hear you know a talented formation master. A sudden appearance, I mean. Similar to your granddaughter, who was also of an amazing caliber before she moved on to the upper realms."

"Similar in caliber…" Anton said. "Well, I'd have to fully comprehend what either of them could do to be sure of that. But we can certainly rely on the formations of both."

There was one simple reason Anton chose to position himself on one of their flying ships rather than anywhere else. That would allow him optimal mobility while still giving him the solidity of somewhere to put his feet. He was able to perform his archery well enough without his feet on a solid surface, but he would be somewhat more effective if he took the opportunity. In a battle where they needed every advantage they could get to avoid casualties, that was the best option.

Besides, nothing restricted him from flying away for his own defensive needs or to draw fire away. Surely he could get a few individuals interested in chasing after him if the fleets were in a tight spot.

The difficult part would be keeping certain individuals from going too deep into the enemy fleet. Then again, Chikere could deal with the consequences of her own decisions. Though it was morbid, Anton knew if she got herself killed she would at least take a few powerful foes with her. And she probably wouldn't regret it. Though he would prefer minimizing casualties and sacrifices as much as possible.

As the enemy fleets approached, Anton instructed his pilot to keep a wide arc from them. No point in getting within ten kilometers. Most important was staying outside of Fajra's aura. Though it was her greatest contribution to battle and her personal combat prowess was less relevant, preventing their entire army from fighting at full capacity was something that couldn't be ignored. Some would even drop comatose.

Anton didn't hesitate to harry the incoming fleet, looking for weak targets. Even if he only caused annoyances like minor punctures in a ship that could be repaired, taking advantage of his range was important. And if he could break down a barrier without exhausting himself, the lesser combatants could say goodbye to their lives. Life Transformation cultivators from the upper realms could be killed as he pleased, many at a time, if he could fire freely.

It was not surprising when some enemies were able to fire back at around a hundred kilometers of range. They had Integration cultivators and some in Assimilation as well. A few archers were of little concern to Anton- the only thing they did was force him to counter their arrows. A more complicated situation arose when the ship was attacked by spikes of ice, seemingly appearing from nowhere above them.

But though Anton hadn't expected the Exalted Archipelago to join the war, he had studied their sects in the past. This was a technique from the Falling Clouds. It seemed one of the Assimilation cultivators was theirs, able to turn the moisture in the air and especially clouds into deadly projectiles. All he could do was try to keep them from forming anything immediately around the ship with his own aura and ready himself to shoot down projectiles when they formed.

"Be careful of the clouds!" Anton called out to the pilot. "Anyone with air styled abilities, blast the clouds out of our path… and if possible wring out the moisture." The latter was rather difficult directly above the ocean, but the others on the ship were there just for such supporting moves. The pilot twisted and turned, avoiding incoming attacks while predicting future danger zones.

That at least forced the hand of one individual which Anton could pick out, while the battle elsewhere was just beginning.

There were sometimes conflicting orders given to Chikere. She had been told to not dive deep into enemy forces. She did have the self-restraint for that to work, so she could have complied with that. However, she also was given the direction to fight in the manner she thought was most efficient, and it was simply impossible to do that at the same time.

Taking the spirit of the orders to heart, Chikere decided she should at least not go too many layers deep into the enemy forces. For example, there was a pretty decent sword on someone next to Fajra herself. She would have to leave that one for later, even if it was the best one present. Her allies were counting on her, after all.

Nothing stopped her from dashing across the water towards the oncoming ships, however. That did leave her alone, but she would be more effective without worrying that her dodging would leave allies vulnerable. She did have to pull out every blade she had to cut down the hundreds of arrows, spears, javelins, harpoons, and everything pointy or edged coming at her. And a few cannon balls, though in her estimation the Exalted Archipelago was about a century behind in that field. It was surprising they bothered at all.

The first ship she came to, she cut in half- from the side. Though ships didn't function if you cut them in half on any axis, so it hardly mattered which angle it was. But the front and rear halves did provide her a good amount of shelter as she dashed through it.

Then a heavy aura focused on her. Chikere turned to see Fajra. The woman probably thought she was beautiful or awe inspiring. That was certainly her intent, but as she was not a sword she couldn't really be either of those in Chikere's eyes. She could be a hindrance though. Chikere glared back, cutting through the woman's aura with her own. It seemed Fajra didn't find her important enough to devote a greater amount of her attention to overcome Chikere's resistance, so she was free to move around mostly unhindered.

Chikere couldn't help but glance over that was occasionally, tempted by the sword. And while she was there she might as well cut down Fajra. But no… not today. She couldn't do it entirely alone, and today's battle was just a test.

Devon found some joy in entangling enemy ships with his chains, slamming them into each other. That would damage the formations and hulls of both, a quite efficient use of his own efforts. The greater danger were the cultivators on the ships, but they would need their vessels to chase after the group en masse, so he was simply preparing for then. Others were engaging with Integration cultivators and the Exalted Archipelago's Assimilation cultivators, but Devon focused his efforts on the fleet.

Because of that, he also paid attention to their sea fleets as a whole- with only half an eye on their flying ships. He could feel Fajra suppressing their cultivators, but something was missing. Then one of their ships was lifted from the water and snapped in half by giant crab claws. That was Juta, then, in yet another form. She had only been in a few battles, but she didn't seem to have a preference for anything specific.

Devon supposed he'd better go help with that. What was the best method? Perhaps binding closed the claws, or drawing allied ships into the area so she could not so easily target one fleet. He would also have to keep himself safe, but he was not the only one moving to head off Juta. Anish and Annelie were closest, and Devon would be able to coordinate with them quite well. Though it did seem that they should be pulling away soon, as it seemed unlikely they could take out one of the enemy's leaders without preparation and a bit of luck. Trying to force it would only result in more losses for their side.

Chapter 587

About half of Anton's focus was on his opponent from the Falling Clouds, with the other half reserved for the rest of the battlefield. Enemies who left the safety of their ships' defensive formations found themselves in very real danger from volleys of arrows.

Trying to recall information about the man he was fighting took a moment. Anton did keep track of the best prospects, but there were many… and the Falling Clouds hadn't been exactly eager to have visitors. He had been willing to respect their privacy, but obviously he should have been a bit more cautious. Anton didn't intend to dictate everything that could happen upon Ceretos, but he should at least make sure people didn't help out invaders. Not that he was certain to last until the next opportunity.

Suhash. That was the name. Unfortunately, Anton had no more relevant information about his capabilities that he hadn't been able to discern in the time they had been fighting. Early Assimilation stage- clearly the last couple decades at most. Experience wasn't everything, and in some ways overall training time was the inverse of how dangerous someone was- those who trained quickly were often stronger. But Suhash wasn't a young genius who breezed his way into Assimilation. He should have been cultivating for a few hundred years now, changing his focus from Ascension to Assimilation.

As for his domain… he seemed to be bound to the planet's water. Both that of the skies and the seas- though of the two he seemed more comfortable with the former. That would provide wide-ranging utility, and he had decent power… but not enough to take out Anton's ship with the crew defending it and only a small amount of direct defense from Anton. He was a threat not because of anything in specific, but merely by the fact that he was an Assimilation cultivator, making him worth the same as a highly coordinated squad of Life Transformation cultivators.

His ship's defensive formations would have fallen long before if not for forming a barrier of water around it. Anton could have likely broken through both that and the formations if he solely focused on the task, but it was better to leave the battle with fewer casualties throughout the rest of their forces.

When Juta, who had been concealing herself, appeared as a hundred meter crab snapping a ship in half he reacted with covering fire. The loss of a ship and the lives of some of those unfortunately positioned was unfortunate, but he could at least allow them a chance to retreat to other vessels where they could combine their efforts. The continental fleets were currently disengaging, but the sea vessels couldn't just break away whenever they pleased. Neither side would be able to completely outpace the other.

They needed more. Something to shift the battle in their favor. Unless the enemy planned to make this their final battle they wouldn't pursue forever- but Anton didn't like the casualties he was predicting now. Juta especially was a dangerous force- though she was being held back by Devon, Anish, and Annelie. Unfortunately, that meant they couldn't affect the battle elsewhere.

Anton had a few tricks up his sleeve. Unlike the Sylanis Cluster these ships didn't have adaptive barriers, so it wasn't terribly difficult to break through them all on his own. He might even be able to cause serious damage to their flagship, though the methods he would use he preferred to save for an important kill. Once it was revealed it would lose some effect.

Then Anton had the most frustrating thought anyone could ever have. He wished for Everheart to be around. Both fortunately and unfortunately, such wishes were the type to be answered- and they of course came with consequences.

Devon's chains were powerful, but not enough that they could match up to the crushing claws of a massive crab. The lack of finesse in the claws didn't matter when they could simply sweep through the vague area. That didn't mean he had no recourse- it just meant he couldn't completely control the situation alone. Not that he should have expected to be able to. He was just one man, a single Assimilation cultivator.

But his chains were meant for the protection of Ceretos, so he would at least do his best. The joints behind the claws were a reasonable place to wrap his chains, and with the aid of his niece they were frozen into the joint, preventing Juta from squeezing the joints together to snap his chains as had happened on his first attempt. Of course, holding onto said chains meant wrestling an Augmentation cultivator- and even weakened by her presence in the lower realms Juta was far stronger than Devon.

So he counted on the lack of leverage and wrapped his chains around the most convenient leverage in the area- ships. Not allied ships, of course, but instead the enemy. That came with the downside of both ends of the situation trying to break the chains off, and he had to continuously add more, but he slowly increased the number from two to six that he was maintaining, Annelie adding her ice while Anish tried to boil the torso of the crab. He was certainly causing some damage but it wouldn't be a quick kill- and some enemy Integration cultivators would no doubt join their part of the battle if it looked as if Juta would truly be taken out.

Devon slipped between the claws- ironically enough, directly in front of the mouth was fairly safe- he threw chains to both sides, wrapping around the middle joints and then fusing the chains together in the middle. That would further limit the range of motion of the crab. In theory, anyway. In practice… a surge of energy came from Juta, the claws swinging outward to snap his latest chains then reversing to pull inward, snapping some chains while dragging a couple unlucky ships on one side. That claw was fortunately slower, so as the two converged on him in the middle he was able to dodge them sequentially, diving down into the water.

Why he chose to dive into the terrain of a giant sea creature he could not have explained, except that it felt right. When he almost went directly into the maw of a giant turtle he had a brief moment of panic, but a familiar energy calmed him. Pushing down his hesitation, he continued to dive, passing below.

He looked back over his shoulder just in time to see one of the crab claws reaching for the neck of the turtle- only to be repelled by an almost indistinguishable figure standing atop it. The energy of both Paradise and Scholar Eulogius had been hidden up until that moment, but now he clearly felt both. Paradise paid no mind to the attempt to crush his neck and continued towards his goal, his mouth stretching past the left crab claw to the base of the right. Then he chomped down.

In that instant, the whole dynamic of the battlefield changed. The massive turtle jaws snapped cleanly through the armored shell, breaking the limb clean off. Devon didn't understand Juta's transformation mechanics- it wasn't a simple projection of a form, however. That became extremely clear when the crab disappeared and she turned into some sort of silvery fish, darting away- but leaving behind the claw which Paradise munched on happily. Devon could see a trail of blood behind Juta- though the speed with which she moved made it impossible to catch her. There hadn't been more than a single moment between her forms to react.

The sudden arrival of Paradise and Everheart was great news for the continental forces, and shifted the flow of the battlefield. The sudden damage to Juta shifted the balance of the battle against the invaders, and it was they who turned to retreat moments later. Unfortunately the continental forces couldn't immediately turn about to chase them, being in the middle of their own retreat. But neither was that necessarily the right call.

Yes, they had struck a blow to a powerful cultivator- but the forces were simply closer to balanced now, not sufficiently in their favor to chase after an enemy who could easily reform to crush those first to catch them.

Anton didn't have to follow to continue his bombardment, but in truth his efforts were not fully focused on that. Instead, he was concentrating on merely observing Juta. A fin was missing on her temporary form, and when she boarded the enemy flagship her arm. Determining fine details through the defensive formations was difficult, so he had to focus his efforts. He couldn't sense anything directly but he at least heard enough cursing to know that it wasn't so easy to regrow the limb. Or Juta was an extremely sore loser, which would also be valuable for them. A sore loser on the side of the enemy when they had Everheart? If that was actually the case they could make her life hell. Or just kill her.

As the enemy fleet pulled away, a few more ships sunk- and Anton wasn't merciful to the unprotected soldiers. Invaders from the upper realms- old or new, whether they had actually seen the upper realms or not- would not be given mercy. And those of the Exalted Archipelago who chose to join the Trigold Cluster's assault were going to regret it. Especially since they should have known what they were getting into.

It seemed that the Worthy Shore Society would not be forced out of their sect just yet… and the foothold they represented in the Exalted Archipelago would remain.

A message was waiting for Anton not long after. Not one from anyone on Ceretos, but rather from Rutera. Since the invasion began, they'd been keeping in touch with their allied systems. As expected, forces had arrived on Weos shortly after Ceretos, based on the tides. It was difficult for them to say the war was going well. Weos had an entire system to defend, and some of their outlying outposts and less populated moons had been taken over. But they were ready to fight.

Rutera's message was simple, relaying what forces would be coming as reinforcements and where- it was now as certain as possible that they would not be under attack themselves. All of the remaining forces they were aware of had ended up in the Sylanis Cluster. Anton didn't have many contacts there- at least not compared to elsewhere. But out of a hundred billion, he could hear from more than a hundred- though not every Worldbinding cultivator would want to speak to him.

"Can the Trigold Cluster really afford to lose all these forces?" Anton asked, looking specifically to Everheart.

"They can afford many things," the scholarly guise of the man nodded. "Even these forces they can recover from the loss of. But obviously they don't intend to lose them."

"None of them are leaving this time," Anton declared.

"Agreed," Everheart said without even a wry smile, though he generally seemed to be in a good mood. "They come to take from us, and we will take everything from them. Too bad it's limited to just what they brought to the lower realms…"

"If it makes you feel better… those in the upper realms are going to scout their outposts."

Everheart sighed, "It's just not the same, having someone else do it. I should be there to crack open their vaults, taking their treasures and secrets with my own hands. But that business a couple centuries back left me below my peak performance." That was his confident way of saying he was nearly dead.

"You seem strangely happy about something else," Anton said. "What is it?"

"What, can't I just like a good victory atop my turtle?"

"Ah. It's because Paradise let you ride him."

"Because he asked me to do so," Everheart said. "Soon, he shall follow me and support me as he was meant to."

Anton shrugged. He did find the situation odd. Paradise didn't exactly speak, but even so Erin made it clear that he had agreed with the interpretation of the void ant queen about that being his desire. The turtle had been quite unhappy with Everheart when he first returned. Was there some buried fondness there… or was there something else? That part was unclear.

At least Rutera would be sending reinforcements. Their ships were a whole step ahead of most of what Ceretos had access to- and their aid could shift the war from vaguely even to dominant. Though Fajra would be a concern for them in particular, as even if their fighter vessels could match a Life Transformation cultivator, the actual individuals were somewhat weaker and thus would be more susceptible to her aura.

Chapter 588

There were a couple weeks of stalemate as fleets maneuvered around Ceretos, between the Exalted Archipelago and the continents. Neither side found many good opportunities. There were a few more swift assaults on the shores of the continents, breaking bits and pieces of the formations apart and then retreating, leaving everywhere more vulnerable. On the other side, some minor groups in the Archipelago were forced out. The outlying sects weren't stupid enough to just wait for an army to assault them and hope that reinforcements would come, and there was simply too much to defend. They were mostly stripped of valuables, and there were plans to return to the Eternal Glamour Sect for a proper victory, but there simply hadn't been a good opportunity yet.

"Fight me."

Rutera's forces had arrived, and Anton had thought there was no reason to rush to meet them. At least this time it wasn't Chikere who had made the statement- but she was still involved.

"Okay," Chikere responded about the time Anton glared at her. She turned between him and Ty Quigley. "I mean, um… I can't get in any serious spars until after the war."

"Yeah, sorry," Ty bowed his head. "Instinct. Also, I should probably break through to Assimilation first…"

"That would be optimal," Chikere agreed. "You appear to be close."

"Any time," he agreed. "A war like this… well, I can't say I'm glad it happened, but it's a great opportunity." His eyes couldn't help but drift around Chikere, stopping in one particular place. "Are you, uh, left-handed?"

"I am right now," Chikere said without concern before he could apologize for his question. "But if I had both arms I would be right-handed."

"It's difficult to recover, I presume?" Ty said awkwardly. "I mean, uh, obviously. I'm sure you can get anything you want, with your power. What I meant to say is… you can just replace it?" Even he sounded unsure of his words. "We make arms. Prosthetics. Combat prosthetics."

"A replacement arm does me no good," Chikere said. "It would be just as simple to form an arm out of my own energy for similar results."

"Oh, but these aren't just hunks of metal," he said. "I don't really know how they work, but they respond to your body naturally and energy flows through them just like living flesh. So I've been told. I've been lucky enough to keep everything."

Chikere turned to Anton, then looked up into the sky. "Excuse me. I will be taking a short trip."

Anton grabbed her shoulder before she actually tried to move. "You can't just show up in Rutera and ask for things," he sighed, "You'd at least have to know who to talk to."

"Good point." Chikere nodded, "Who should I talk to?" she asked Ty Quigley. "And can they infuse a blade into the structure?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure… on either, really," Ty Quigley admitted. "But I'm sure General Nicodemo could get you in contact with the right departments. And you're, uh, allied military so it should be possible. I don't know if it will be done fast enough to matter, though."

"I see," Chikere nodded, "I hadn't considered the craftsmanship time. Direct me to General Nicodemo."

"I thought I heard my name," General Nicodemo was already approaching- though probably with the intent to see Anton. Not that he would be uninterested in meeting any cultivator of Chikere's strength. He looked at Ty, who still had a hand on his sword hilt. "This man isn't causing you any trouble, is he miss?"

"No," Chikere said easily. "He did mention that I might be able to get a combat capable prosthetic arm. If possible I would like to take that opportunity, because I just gave up my previous opportunity to have my arm restored."

Anton added some more detail, "Chikere is a great combat asset. I'd be glad to contribute funds or materials if necessary, though I don't know if you can finish it for the current troubles. At least… I hope the war doesn't drag out so long."

"We won't let it," General Nicodemo agreed. "I'll see what I can do, but unfortunately you'd likely need to be present in person to get the process started. With travel time there and back…"

"I can accelerate that," Chikere said. "But I can also wait. It is not necessary to rush."

"Won't you be weaker without your arm…?" Ty Quigley said cautiously.

"Then I simply have to become stronger to make up for it."

"Oh," he nodded. "I suppose that makes sense, yeah."

Anton pulled aside Nicodemo. "Make sure she gets an opportunity. If you need more favors or political clout to do so before she has to return to the upper realms, I'll provide my full support."

"Really? Well, I knew the two of you were sometimes companions, but this seems like even further than you'd normally go."

"I learned… she helped one of my granddaughters with an old problem, giving up her own opportunity to regrow her arm. And Chikere didn't even mention it. So beyond all the practical reasons, I'd like to do this for her."

"I'm sure I can manage," Nicodemo nodded. "And with your support we can probably get something more than just 'functional'. Maybe even better than what she had, assuming she's not a body temperer like Nthanda."

"Not to any significant degree, no," Anton shook his head.

The arrival of Rutera's forces were significant. Though they only had a small number of ships that could match The Independence- and thus just one each they could spare for their allied systems- the quality of their fighters and mid sized ships were still exceptional. They'd been fully functional even without their pilots having access to proper cultivation- neither techniques nor a world with sufficient natural energy. Now that they had both necessary components, Rutera was a significant force to reckon with.

Though the portion of their power they were able to send was only able to slightly shift the overall power dynamic, they provided important opportunities. They could cover large amounts of ground or sea scouting, and arrive pretty much anywhere for a precision attack when they pleased. As long as the Exalted Archipelago didn't gather their forces wherever they were planning to assault, they could hit and run, causing significant damage. And if the enemy did gather their forces, that meant they left other places open for the continental fleets and kept them from harassing the shores. Keeping them fueled wasn't terribly difficult either, as they recharged quickly in places with high density of natural energy- and Ceretos was practically overflowing with the stuff.

The Isle of Falling Clouds. Ty had thought it was a pretty bad martial style to count on there being clouds around, but it seemed these people could make their own clouds. They had the sea to work with too- though that just limited where he could safely fly. No skimming the water. Unless he had a reason, at least.

Fighter pilot formations were already optimized as well as possible to not have wingmates get taken out by an attack aimed at another, so it didn't matter as much where they might come from. More than that, Anton had determined that with sufficient speed the Falling Clouds would likely have trouble forming their attacks. Ruteran ships were great for that. Given their adaptive shielding as well and this sect would regret throwing their lot in with the rest.

They weren't one of the outermost sects, so they likely thought themselves safe. That was old thinking, though. They were going to realize that they had to worry not just about fliers, but space ships that could use all of three dimensions. They could come in from directly above and leave the same way. While some of the enemy cultivators could match that, as well as a few ships, one sect alone wouldn't be sufficient. And a simultaneous attack would be happening elsewhere- already was happening, actually. That would be some place they'd softened up first.

"Command," Ty spoke into his radio. "Did we receive info on friendly fire results for the Falling Clouds?"

"Negative. That will have to be determined mid-combat."

"I'll make it happen," Ty grinned. "How about their barrier durability?"

"Nothing conclusive. Assume class 5."

At least as difficult to break through as it would be killing an Integration or Assimilation cultivator, then. Ty would be fairly confident in causing serious damage after he broke through, but before then there was only so much his fighter could elevate his ability. On the other hand, it shouldn't be adaptive… so he didn't have to do it all in a single pass. And he wasn't alone. Though in the strictest sense he would be, as he didn't have a squad that would be following his movement.

Everything else Ty needed to know had been discussed during the briefing, so he waited patiently for their orbit to carry them into position, then they dropped. The fleet descended at a sharp angle, cutting into the atmosphere. The Sylanis Cluster's shielding technology almost completely mitigated problems from re-entry, especially when combined with Rutera's advancements. Ty didn't know how it worked deep below, he just knew it worked. As long as he avoided big hits, he shouldn't be whittled down unless the enemy had a very wide array of attacks.

Ty Quigley was the first to arrive, though only by a fraction of a second. That wasn't out of any sense of self sacrifice or intention to make himself a target. He simply needed to go faster to be the most effective he could. His guns flashed, propelling ordinance that would have already been supersonic with even more velocity. It was like a hundred tiny swords slicing at the enemy's barriers. He didn't break through- but there was more following after him.

He pulled up just slightly while tilting onto his side, dangling a wing towards the dome of the formation barrier. That both served to reduce his profile- extremely useful given the sudden barrage of ice from above- and allow him to focus his energy on one point. His whole ship could be a blade if necessary, but using just one wing was more conservative. He didn't want to fully commit to crashing through a barrier and find out his force was insufficient.

Ty's wing cut a line in the barrier like a knife through plastic wrapping. He could feel it restoring behind him, but with all the other damage happening together it was destabilizing. Either way, it would be eating through power like mad.

Ty took note that the falling spears of ice dissolved before striking the barrier- which must have taken conscious effort. That meant the barrier would be damaged by them as well. Good. He continued on, only to spot the sea having risen up in front of him. Sure, he was the only one who had gotten right up against the barrier but he was surprised anyone was ready and capable to pull that off less than a minute into the attack.

Preparing himself to cut through what would no doubt turn into a solid barrier of ice, Ty's knuckled turned white on his controls. Then he just pulled up and to the right, realizing that he was just that much faster than they could move any significant amount of power.

But he wanted to cut the sea apart. Maybe on the next pass?

For a moment it seemed like the barrier would hold after the squads of ships bombarding it passed by. It tried so hard, Ty almost felt bad for it. But when The Independence's attacks arrived from orbit, it simply couldn't hold on. The barrier shattered, the rest of the bombardment landing directly on the building and the people trying to defend, frantically rushing out of their buildings.

It was their own fault for not having proper long range detection. Nobody had even reacted until they were halfway done with the descent, and clearly they had been unprepared. That wouldn't work quite as well a second time, but that was why they'd carefully chosen this target.

Ty wheeled around, using his eyes, energy senses, and knowledge of flight formations to avoid running into fellow pilots- though he was lower than everyone else anyway. It seemed that everyone was working together to pull the ocean itself to cover their sect- that was likely supposed to be the first layer of defense, softening blows outside of their formations, but they were simply too late.

Good. He'd get to cut through it this time. He didn't care if it was liquid or ice or something in between. He'd pierce through that, take a few shots at the Assimilation cultivator- and maybe more- then come out the other side. He imagined his move, the level of synergy required between him and his ship. Difficult, but nothing he couldn't pull off. Sadly, that meant he probably wouldn't be breaking through right away. He needed something more.

Chapter 589

It was only a few weeks before they returned to the Eternal Glamour Sect, but they had already finished repairing their wall and renewing the formations. An impressive feat. At least, that was how it appeared. Given their abilities with illusions, however, Anton was not willing to accept that at face value.

Not that it would matter. They had sealed their fate when they remained instead of fleeing to be sheltered by others in the Archipelago. Perhaps they thought they could weather another attack. With allied fleets in the area, reinforcements would arrive in short order. Less than half an hour, most likely.

If they had to lay siege to the place, there was no guarantee of it being quick… except for certain mitigating factors. Most notably, Scholar Eulogius- Everheart.

Riding atop Paradise, a mobile island comparable in size to the one the Eternal Glamour Sect called home, the man fearlessly approached. A massive turtle head ignored the attacks raining down on it as it approached. Instead of moving towards what Anton suspected was still a hole in their defenses, Everheart approached from the rear. He had not signaled for the attack to begin yet, so Anton conserved his energy.

Everheart wielded a spear as he stepped up to the walls, thrusting once, twice, three times. It looked like each attack was repelled… and then Paradise lifted his head, a stroke of his powerful fins sending him forward dozens of meters. The tip of his chin crushed the walls, the buildings behind them, and those upon them who were too slow to avoid the movement. No formation reacted.

Now, Anton could only feel a formation in one corner- the part they had destroyed. Deciding that Paradise was enough of a signal, Anton began to launch his own attacks. It was simple to target any point of the sect from where he was, so he chose a particular panicked individual using some sort of communication device. No doubt they already had a message through, but inspecting what they had might let them intercept enemy transmissions. He had been assured that such a thing was possible.

The person in question lost a hand, while whoever had been maintaining the illusion in the one corner of the sect dropped the pretense once other portions of the wall began to fall. People began to flee, but they were far too late. They thought they would be safe, but clearly they were not. They were simply too weak. Someone had to know that. Perhaps they were bait? But if so, Ceretos had been underestimated once more. Or perhaps it was more reasonable to say that nobody expected Everheart to be present and capable of bringing down a formation in a mere few moments.

The only one who seemed as if he might actually be able to get away was the sect head. As soon as everything began to fall apart, he split into a dozen separate bodies, all fleeing in different directions. Anton had to admit that they all felt real enough, such that discerning which one was real in the heat of combat was nearly impossible.

So he didn't. He had more than enough capability to shoot them all. There was a small chance the man was none of them, simply invisible, but Anton should be able to discern that before he got far. Maybe a kilometer, maybe ten… but he could certainly not pass one hundred.

Spirit Arrows formed of light shot into each of the illusions, arriving in practically the same instant. Each shot was sufficient to slay a Life Transformation cultivator- but the man was an Assimilation cultivator, if a new one. He would not perish so easily. Each arrow targeted a different body part- head, heart, shoulder, thigh, wrist, and many more. Only one stopped its motion. The other targets reacted- but too slowly. The arrows weren't quite properly the speed of light, but they still moved at hundred of thousands of times the speed of sound. They lost a bit of impact for the speed, the density of power within them limited.

The man wasn't particularly injured, his defensive energy protecting his shoulder. But the following hail of arrows filled him with holes, targeting limbs, joints, and his stomach. Or more specifically, his dantian beneath. The illusory copies fell, though Anton did not fail to continue sweeping the area with his senses just in case the man managed to pull off something with his lesser cultivation. But there was nothing, and the real sect head fell to the ground, unable to move. Energy bled from him, held back only like water in a sieve- which was to say hardly at all.

But the man was not dead. He would live, for a while yet. Until he could be interrogated. Then executed as an enemy of Ceretos. There could be no other option for those of the Exalted Archipelago who chose to be part of the war.

After that, the Eternal Glamour Sect was quickly razed- Anton noticed that Everheart got into the vault somewhere around the time that the sect head fell, barely into the attack. But whatever he took, his contributions likely were more than worth it. They didn't have time to properly level the place, instead destroying the most important parts and then they were on their way, not having brought sufficient forces to engage the whole enemy fleet.

After the defeat of the Eternal Glamour Sect, more members of the Exalted Archipelago withdrew into their theoretical safe zone. That left the path clear for Anton to reach the Hardened Crown Sect with a small group that wouldn't be easily detected. They didn't entirely conceal themselves, revealing their energy to the sect itself. Sensing their approach, Sect Head Naamah came out to meet them.

"I noticed your people have not attacked ours," Anton said. "That is appreciated." Naamah merely nodded in response. "I come to offer a chance to join us against the invaders, and the rest of the Exalted Archipelago."

"No," Naamah said immediately, without consideration.

That was somewhat unexpected. "Why not?"

"Some of those you fight against are our brothers in battle."

"So you will fight against us?" Anton asked, keeping a sensible distance and speaking through the amplification of voice.

"No." Naamah said, "We will not support their current actions."

"I see." Anton frowned, "If you will not support us against them, I am afraid we cannot trust you, despite our personal friendship. You will not be able to remain on Ceretos."

"You will force us away?"

"You can bring with you everything you please, from the buildings to the ground beneath your feet. But you will have to leave and never return. During the course of the war you will still be able to join our side- or commit suicide by attacking us, which I would not recommend. Afterwards, you would have to depart." Anton turned away, "I hope you will change your mind for the better." Though he said that, he knew the Hardened Crown Sect was not known for changing their minds. More importantly, earlier messages to them should have already informed them and given them time to think through their options. But they truly could not be allowed to remain neutral, not and remain upon Ceretos for a later chance to betray the planet.

Tiarhogo still had a great many ships going in and out, even during the war. It was an important time to continue trade, even if there was some risk. Supplies of all types needed to move about, and the teleportation formations were far too expensive for most uses. But they were at war, which meant constant patrols to keep away attackers, and inspections on everyone entering port.

Elder Paula found herself on inspection duty, and it was immensely boring. Unfortunately, while there were others more qualified for the parts where they were reading papers, having her present was still important.

"You may pass," she said. "Everything is good." The next person. "Your papers are out of date. Check in at the office for a more thorough inspection." More and more, as she swept her senses over people and their goods. One was nervous, and trying very hard not to show it. "This is probably the stupidest time to smuggle drugs into the country," Paula noted. "Guards!"

The poor fool didn't bother to resist. He would rot in jail unless he could provide information on someone higher up in the chain- which he would, if he was smart. Usually, they weren't. Even though any threats to life or family were easily dealt with, if the right people were just told a name or two.

Next was an older man. "All your papers look good," Elder Paula said. "Very neat." As the man passed by, she twisted, supporting herself with one hand as both feet lifted from the ground. Her toe kicked the back of his neck, severing his spinal cord while her other foot found its way to his lower back, her energy blasting into his dantian. He'd have internal bleeding, but she didn't care. "Men, take him in. I'm inspecting the Blue Swan personally." Honestly, despite how well the man hid his cultivation… did he really think a member of the Twin Soul Sect would get past her in her own domain? Then again, he likely didn't understand Assimilation cultivators. There was going to have to be a thorough sweep after the war. Fortunately, Marvelous Rabbit Mountain had kept up with their training, even with no members of the Twin Soul Sect on the planet in a century and a half.

The continental forces continued to have more victories than defeats in the coming weeks, but Anton felt it wasn't enough. With Rutera, they would definitely win the war. There was no question of that. However, they had hardly taken out any more Integration cultivators. Juta's injury level was unclear, and Fajra was still able to suppress most of their army if they had a head-on confrontation.

Their victories were only forcing the enemy to consolidate their remaining forces- something they would have done eventually anyway, but it had been hoped more damage would be done along the way.

The upper realms truly had limitless numbers, if they could afford to send such forces to invade them. But Ceretos had not overestimated itself. They would win, even if their losses would take decades or centuries to recover.

Without the Exalted Archipelago, the Trigold Cluster's forces would have been defeated already. They simply could not fight at full strength in the lower realms, and that grew more and more obvious. But the Augmentation cultivators were still a problem.

At least they had one of their own- and one with much more development than Fajra. Everheart himself. After watching Paradise, Anton had determined why the turtle would choose to call upon a former master he almost certainly hated. The answer to that was… Everheart was strong. More than that, Paradise didn't spend a single instant attempting to defend the man. Strong and expendable. That let Paradise focus on supporting the Island Tenders and the void ants during battle.

Speaking of the latter, the void ants had not yet been able to display their full capabilities. Since the enemy forces hadn't made their way onto the continent, the various colonies there had little to do- though there had been a few exceptions, and some very surprised cultivators. Even if the Exalted Archipelago knew about the void ants, they'd never really worked with them, so they didn't fully understand.

And though Anton was quite certain the Great Queen could take out Fajra or any specific enemy, she was not invincible. To make the best use of the void ants they had to be in a pitched battle with overlapping battle lines, where the void ants could join the fight unnoticed- or at least not be bombarded with attacks from range. They were very resistant to energy, but they could still be killed. Soon, though, their opportunity would come.

Chapter 590

After the first handful of skyships from the Exalted Archipelago got shot down, they lost any willingness to mobilize them. Despite what improvements the Soaring Air Sect and others had made since their first assault on the continent, they had not worked as closely with Rutera to learn their secrets. More importantly, the ships they did construct had to be made in secret so their plans wouldn't be obvious, limiting their number and restricting quality to some extent. The continents, especially with Rutera's fleets, maintained superiority over the sky- that left only the cultivators who could fly, which were vaguely matched on either side.

Fairly quickly the pressure had shifted to the islands, unable to secretly maneuver fleets of any size sufficient to damage the mainlands. Nor were they interested in assaulting fortified locations if the continental forces could properly gather their defenses to resist them. Thus, they maintained their own defensive posture, centered around the Soaring Air Sect.

The Soaring Air Sect's island was unnatural in shape, standing tall out of the oceans around it. A nearly unbroken pillar of rock- with one exception. A reminder of the previous war, and a symbol of the Soaring Air Sect's shame. A hole shot through by Anton, near the waterline. They hadn't forgotten that, nor had they failed to learn their lesson about extending their defensive formations to cover everything, deep into the water.

Sect Head Rodolph trudged across the bridges separating their highest towers, towards what was supposed to be his offices. Those offices had been snatched away by the Augmentation cultivators. As if they were better than him, somehow. While he had to admit their strength was somewhat superior, that was only while it lasted. With the few conflicts they had been in already, they were showing signs of wear.

"You're late," Fajra said as he entered.

He wasn't, of course. They'd only just informed him that they required a meeting. "Apologies, lady Fajra," he bowed his head and kept his feelings bottled up. "What do you require?"

Juta was present as well, her arm bandaged. There seemed to be more to it than it previously had, but Rodolph didn't let his eyes linger. The woman placed her whole arm on the table, leaning forward. "We need commitment. You 'Exalted' fellows aren't willing to throw yourselves into the fight."

Of course not. That was what they'd tried to work with the Trigold Cluster for. With proper forewarning, they should have brought enough forces to win handily. That would have left the world for expansion, and previous humiliations would have been overcome.

"We were there for the initial assaults," Rodolph said carefully, "And we have made our resources and experts available to you." They simply hadn't taken things seriously enough. The information provided to the upper realms had not been exaggerated, but perhaps they thought it had been. Though Rodolph himself could admit he'd underestimated the continued growth of the continental Assimilation cultivators.

"That's not good enough," Fajra returned the focus to her. Her features appeared more beautiful than humanly possible, but the results were offset by the fact that Rodolph knew she maintained that image with her abilities- and her personality certainly didn't help him feel anything but uncomfortable. "We need all of your… Assimilation cultivators to move out together instead of huddling on your little islands. We need a proper victory to begin the march of progress."

"Going on the offensive loses us one of the great advantages of Assimilation…"

"That is a failing of your own, is it not?" Fajra raised an eyebrow in a manner that was more insulting than Rodolph knew was possible. "I hear the leader of the enemy forces roams as he pleases. Even to other systems."

"He somehow bound himself to stars. That is not… something others can achieve."

"Then you will all have to do what you can. We're moving out tomorrow."

"Understood." Rodolph waited for some signs he was dismissed, then left.

He pursed his lips. He didn't like the way things were going at all. Not one bit. Though personally he could maintain his power wherever the winds blew, many of the others were more limited. Fajra seemed to think he was bound to the island of the Soaring Air Sect, which had suited him just fine.

He wondered if it was supposed to be his job to inform the others. Being chosen as the 'host' of the Trigold Cluster had been a dubious honor at best. But he couldn't afford not to go along with them- and neither could the others. Not since they'd come this far.

"It has to be a trap of some kind," Anton said. "They all appear to be moving together. Not even attempting to take back any islands… though admittedly only our allied sects are of value there. But they're leaving themselves open to flanking- ignoring our space fleets."

"Sometimes," Everheart shrugged, "People just make bad moves."

Present along with them was Merve. She no longer clung to Anton as her only source of balance, but it was still useful for her to remain nearby, in case a battle came about. "Shouldn't the two of you be holding opposite opinions? Eulogius is usually the paranoid one."

"It's not paranoia when everyone is out to get you," Everheart replied. "When you have enemies plotting for your downfall through any available trick. Unfortunately for them, we were prepared for their tricks a century ago. And in terms of strength… they made a poor bargain, coming here."

"They should have some plan, though," Anton frowned. "They're just heading towards Brogora. Do they expect us to teleport reinforcements from Aicenith? They could swap locations, leaving us no choice but to have drained cultivators teleport back…"

"They're just heading for the easy hole in the formation," Everheart shrugged.

"... hole? I thought you had been repairing the formations."

He shrugged. "Sure. But someone left a hole at the northwest corner of Facraona. Maybe some spies could have found that out, in which case an invading army would gladly focus there."

"... So when they arrive you'll suddenly return the formations to full functionality, trapping them inside?"

"Oh!" Everheart nodded, "We could have done that, yeah. I'm getting bored of waiting around though, so I kind of just left it… vacant. It's still on the continent though, within prime crushing distance for more than a few local Assimilation cultivators."

Everheart intentionally put a hole in their defenses. That was… extremely believable, actually. Why not fake it and have something for backup, though? That Anton couldn't help but wonder. Maybe he did, or maybe he thought that something hidden could be seen through. Or he was just so confident.

"Paradise will be cold," Anton said for lack of other comments.

"He does pretty well up north with the help of those nice people living on his back," Everheart shrugged. "Also he could swim through the arctic seas and be fine."

Anton supposed that was true. He just didn't prefer to be in those waters when he didn't have to. "I don't suppose we can change anything about the situation now. Though I would have preferred a warning."

"Well, you know what they say. Not even the dead can keep a secret."

"I… don't think that's a thing people say," Anton countered.

"They should."

Even without defensive fortifications or any particular terrain advantages, being able to anticipate a battle location was excellent. Brogora gathered their Assimilation cultivators while Anton himself watched the enemy fleet. The combatants most effective on land would be positioned there, while those better at naval combat would be harassing the incoming fleets and preventing the enemy from landing everyone at once. Even if ships were destroyed the cultivators would swim- or run atop the water or fly- to shore, but it would be less organized and some could be killed along the way.

As long as they didn't commit their fleets too early they could keep them safe. And their aerial forces would be able to engage at any point. Even if the enemy fleet suddenly shifted their trajectory, with their forces mobilized their fleets would have enough time to pick up their forces on land. Cultivators could bypass many of the restrictions others might have to concern themselves with.

Of course, even with all of that the continental forces could expect many casualties. If they could commit every last warrior from both continents and the archipelago then their forces would be overwhelmingly more powerful, but they simply couldn't abandon everything. Even now the allied forces from the Archipelago were probing their former companion's islands for clues.

Not willing to underestimate the enemy, Anton didn't bother politely waiting for them to be within a 'reasonable' distance. Instead, he began his assault once he was within range of both them and his allies, a distance he was confident in retreating before the two Augmentation cultivators could catch him, should they immediately give chase. Though if they actually came for him he might have different plans. The Great Queen certainly had some ideas about what she would do to Fajra.

Instead, when his first arrows arrived, they took on a full defensive stance. They were prepared for that at least, augmenting the defenses of Anton's targets with help from their surroundings. That meant Anton caused little damage, but he had nearly an hour to pester them. His minor victories were sinking one ship and killing some of those on board, and forcing Juta to block several attacks for the flagship. That was what they knew about, anyway. The whole time he was relaying information about how they were arranged, informations that the fleets and ranged attackers would use to pick targets once the battle actually started.

And after an hour of shooting, Anton was still nearly full on energy. As for his arm getting tired? It would take more than that. Thousands of arrows per day was his minimum. Of course, there were some differences when he was going full out in combat… and as this was clearly going to be a pivotal battle he wasn't planning to conserve himself.

The true start of the battle came with an exchange from both sides. First it was Nthanda from land, then a return of fire from the enemy's skyships, including a particularly impressive specimen he had only sensed moored at the Soaring Air Sect. They had their own archers, as well as other forms of ranged attacks. The Sect Head in particular had a metal ring, bladed on the outer edge. That was thrown, only to return to his hand after.

Perhaps someone should try to catch it mid flight. That wasn't Anton's job, though.

The sea fleets came in from the west before the enemy made landfall, with the flying ships having circled around behind. They focused on the Soaring Air Sect in the skies, as those were both the easiest targets for them and the ones that it would be most effective to remove. Especially with Juta and Fajra on board.

The latter of course released her aura across the battlefield. Having experienced it before, some were more resistant- and others prepared to counteract it for their brethren. Merve fulfilled that role for some of those on land. Though she would have preferred to fly with the Ruterans, she would be too vulnerable at her current strength.

Without waiting for things to become desperate, Anton made a decision. It had been a very long time since he attempted to make use of Candle Wax, and for good reason. Unlike Fleeting Youth which merely took advantage of his age and pushed him towards a place where he could not ascend or expect to reincarnate, Candle Wax burned away his lifespan.

He was not sure how much of that he had left, but he could not think of a more important time to use it than now, when they could expel all of the invaders to their world- those who had remained in occupation for centuries, and those who came and went like raiders. Every individual from Ceretos he could save was another who could potentially replace him. Fire burned within and without, but Anton only smiled.

Chapter 591

Two armies crashed against each other like great waves. Chaotic violence filled the area, forcing everyone to focus on the area around them. Ships and people clashed. Fire and ice, the epitome of which were Anish and Annelie, clashed with lightning and illusions and weapons of all kinds. There were even plants- mainly from Lev. He wasn't quite as dominating away from Grandfather Willow, but he still had great power on the same continent. Actual waves swept over the invading ships as Paradise introduced himself and those upon his back to the battlefield.

On the other side, Fajra maintained her aura, a significant contribution to the battle even if it appeared as if she were simply not participating. Juta, on the other hand, had not yet left the command ship, seemingly looking for an opportunity. Rodolph of the Soaring Air Sect continued to menace the battlefield with his ring weapon, while others of the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Archipelago all had their own disparate fighting styles.

Since the most powerful cultivator seemed content to stay out of things, Anton focused on smaller targets- though not insignificant. There were hundreds of Life Transformation cultivators present, but each second he pared down the enemy's numbers. He also picked out Integration cultivators, weaker for not having access to Ascension energy. The latter he couldn't necessarily kill as he pleased, but with additional effort and the fires burning inside him he still managed to take out two in the first minutes of the battle.

Anton felt strange. It had been a long time since he last used Candle Wax. That was intentional. A forbidden technique that devoured one's lifespan was not something to use casually. Here, in this battle, it felt necessary. As he struck down enemies, he understood each of them could cause no more harm to Ceretos. The power of Candle Wax helped that. But… strangely, while it certainly empowered him, it didn't have the same impact. It was expected to be a proportional increase in his power, but he didn't feel it was as significant. Was it because it didn't work the same way in the Assimilation stage? Certainly, it was an Everheart original and quite good at what it did, but not practiced or refined. Everheart hadn't even known of the existence of the stage when he made the technique.

One of Anton's arrows pierced through a ship, leaving rings of flame rapidly spreading from its trajectory. His next one immolated the sails of one of the enemy skyships. The power was there, certainly. But not as much as he hoped. Perhaps he was running out of lifespan. That was a straightforward possibility. This could be his final battle, so he had no intention to hold back in any manner.

Paradise repeatedly focused his attacks on the flying ships above, even as he sunk enemies all around him with his simple movements. Each time he dipped his head, he rose up with a lakeful of sea water and propelled it with immense force at the enemy flag ship. Everheart stood upon his head, fending off individual attackers who thought to assault his head or neck from behind. The Island Tenders, meanwhile, covered the whole of his shell and the surrounding area- while the phoenixes he had adopted flew the skies around him.

Void ants joined the battle, their first major opportunity since the start of the war. If the continental forces had been badly losing, the enemy successfully infiltrating their countries, that would have been quite different. However, they were doing well enough that the void ants simply didn't have many chances to act before now. The enemy was quickly experiencing regret. The Exalted Archipelago was aware of the void ants' strength, but even they found themselves surprised.

Ants swarmed cultivators, and whether they left behind a bloody corpse or an otherwise healthy individual devoid of energy, it made little difference. The stronger individuals moved in smaller groups, nearly impossible to detect in the chaos of battle with them being invisible to energy senses. The ants weren't invincible- they could be cut or crushed like anything of their various sizes, though they were more durable than actual ants. Many died, but so did their continental allies- no matter how quickly Anton worked his way through enemies.

Then the moment came. Juta finally descended from her perch on the flagship, transforming into a gargantuan flying raptor- though with unbalanced wings, one clearly severed along its span. The rest was a mix between an eagle and a hawk, or perhaps some specific creature that did not exist on Ceretos.

Anton immediately switched his target, bombarding her with arrows that barely served to slow her down. Yet the instant after that, something nobody expected happened. The oppressive aura dominating the battlefield was withdrawn. No, not withdrawn. Erased, as Fajra perished.

In a moment of shock Anton's senses snapped to the scene. All he saw was Fajra's head falling to the ground. Rodolph of the Soaring Air Sect held in his hand a bloody ringed blade- and the storage bag from her waist. A sudden and unexpected event, unbelievable to the point Anton stopped everything he was doing to dispel potential illusions affecting him.

Yet after a few moments, he found there was nothing at all, or he was so deeply affected as to be completely unable to resist. In which case, there was nothing he could do but accept this as reality. In the middle of a climactic battle, the joint enemy forces had one leader kill another. Nothing could have been better for the natives of Ceretos. It was enough that Anton almost forgave Rodolph for participating in the war.

Almost. As the man broke away from his own flagship- where a dozen Radiant Beauty Sect cultivators were charging towards him with the intent to kill- Anton followed him into the skies. Beneath them, Juta gave a flabbergasted and enraged look over her shoulder. No doubt she would have charged after them both, but she was immediately engaged by a half dozen Assimilation cultivators.

Instead of immediately turning Rodolph into a pincushion, Anton took the reasonable approach. As Anton followed him into rapidly thinning atmosphere, he projected his voice through his energy. "Why did you join in the attack?"

Perhaps sensing a chance, Rodolph turned to regard Anton- though he did not slow his flight, even as he left the winds that empowered him. "They threatened us with destruction."

"I understand," Anton nodded. And if he had believed Rodolph, he would have not shot him through the heart. But though he senses fear in the man, that was not what had driven his actions. Rodolph feared Fajra. He also feared Anton. But greed had overcome both- now loaded with regret. Not at his decisions, but that it hadn't worked.

None of Rodolph's torso survived Anton's shot. The Soaring Air Sect had once chosen to declare war on the continents, and been forgiven. Now, a man who was present had chosen to try again, even leveraging mutual foes. There would not be a third chance.

Anton did make sure to grab Fajra's storage bag. Though he doubted it would contain all of the vast wealth an Augmentation cultivator would possess, it should at least contain many practical things- medicines for healing or training, for example.

It only took a moment to kill Rodolph, a short time to have his focus drawn away from the battlefield. Yet in a battle, a single moment could change many fates. Fajra had died in a moment of poorly placed trust.

A great explosion covered the battlefield, flames that scorched some while merely licking the faces of others harmlessly. That was a power Anton recognized as coming from Anish, but as it faded away the man himself had nothing left. Juta's great talon pierced through his chest, dangling him in the air- while behind him Annelie had a bloody wound of her own.

Juta did not live long after that moment. The burst of Anish's energy had scorched away much of her defenses, and the combined attacks of those who had come to hold her off came with great fury. Devon's chains wrapped around her wings. Annelie summoned a spear of ice radiating the icy chill of death, piercing it into the raptor's abdomen. Even Everheart added his own attack to the mix- though he displayed little emotion in doing so. A cut severing the tendons in the one good wing, sending Juta spiraling downward towards Paradise where she was crushed in his jaws. When she reverted to her humanoid form, Paradise's tongue crushed her against the roof of his mouth- then spit her onto the shore. Or what had once been Juta, and was now little more than mangled bones.

Anton's arrows added nothing to the vengeance, but they did contribute to quickly resolving the rest of the battle. Without their Augmentation cultivators, the remaining enemies were hopelessly outmatched. Yet there was to be no surrender for them. The Trigold Cluster were invaders from the upper realms, and those of the Exalted Archipelago were performing exactly the same function over a longer time frame. Had they started another war on their own, perhaps they would not have had to be exterminated, but this was clearly an attempt at extinction. One that did not go their way in the slightest.

Fajra's storage bag did indeed contain some miraculous medicines, but as Anton came to land on the shores next to Annelie, he knew they would not help. Anish was already dead, and without a stomach they could not hope for the medicine to restore his body without his own consciousness. Yet seeing his granddaughter with tears frozen on her face, he could not stop himself from presenting a pill regardless. It burned with flames reminiscent of a phoenix.

Annelie wasted no time breaking it down with her energy, distributing its power throughout Anish's body but focusing mainly on his ruined chest. Miraculously, Anton could see his flesh growing back as they watched. A minute later, Anish's body was whole.

But that was all. Between the attack infused with the energy of an Augmentation cultivator and Anish's own last-ditch counterattack, his soul was already gone from his body. There was nothing left to make him alive, his intact body having no meaning.

Seeing this, there were many things Anton thought to say. Anish was a powerful cultivator. Perhaps, like Prospero Vandale, he would reincarnate and retain many or even all of his memories. Assimilation did not prevent that- Anton was a special case in that regard. Anton could also speak of the value of Anish's sacrifice, how he saved many others and Annelie herself at that moment.

But instead, he simply laid his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know what it is like to lose the one you love." Though his time with Janina had been less than Annelie and Anish, Anton couldn't have imagined being closer. They still spent a full lifetime together.

Anton didn't say anything stupid like the pain fading with time. It might, but that was not useful to know in the moment. It still hurt to lose a spouse or child, or a brilliant grandson-in-law. Anton had drifted away from family that didn't cultivate, so their passings hadn't hit as hard. This was the first death in some time that hit so hard. And yet… Anton felt inside of him. Though he'd had the conviction to die in this battle, he had not.

He tried his best to not let his mind linger on the possibility that he might have saved Anish, had he not chased after Rodolph. Whether or not it was true was irrelevant- the past was the past and he could not change it, so it didn't matter what could have been. They had to live with this.

The same as all of the others, mourning their fallen. Companions in battle, human, void ant, and phoenix alike.

Chapter 592

The conclusion of the war had come sooner than anticipated. With Rodolph of the Soaring Air Sect backstabbing Fajra, a battle that would have otherwise merely precipitated the end of the war became the final one… with some minor exceptions throughout the Exalted Archipelago. However, with all of their strongest cultivators having joined the assault, any Assimilation cultivator could clean up the region alone.

Anton found himself looking at the monolith island of the Soaring Air Sect. It would be easy enough to simply finish what he started, so long ago, severing the base of the island and sending it all crashing into the sea. Most of those living atop would die from the fall, or the sea beasts. It would also be a strong symbolic gesture.

Yet he hesitated. The war had already brought enough death. On the other hand, was not the Soaring Air Sect the cause of that?

Cries for mercy came from above. Anton could hear each and every one. He hadn't made his arrival subtle, and there was likely no soul upon Ceretos that would not recognize him directly or indirectly. Mercy, they asked for- but it was previous mercy that had led to them joining the war with an Assimilation cultivator, their sect head finding it more tolerable to team up with the Trigold Cluster rather than continue to peacefully coexist.

"You want mercy?" Anton projected his voice upwards. "You shall have none of that from me."

Filtering the sounds of dozens of voices into actual comprehensible sentences was rather simple compared to aiming a hundred arrows at different targets in the midst of combat. "... the women and children…" "...we've not acted personally…" "...offer everything we have…"

Anton hardened his heart. "You think your wealth is worth anything, when I could simply take it? You think that just because you were too afraid to fight, you are not equally responsible? Your women fought and bore the spawn of those who would seek to wipe us out to the last, even though I previously spared you. And those children are the ones who were intended to profit most from the offenses. Innocent? Not one of you is." Anton clenched his fist. "You will receive no mercy from me. However…" Anton paused. "There might still be a path for your survival. Seek the aid of those who chose to truly abstain from the war. Perhaps you can convince them to take you away with them. But we shall provide nothing… and none of you will remain here and live."

An ultimatum. Perhaps one that could have used the touch of those who were experienced with contracts, but ultimately there was no point in having anything official. That was only useful where one side did not have total control, possessing all the power and even justification to do what they wished.

Anton truly wished them all to perish… but he also did not want to kill those who could not even attempt to defend themselves. Guilt lay upon them, despite their denials… but death might not be the correct punishment. Though it would certainly by typical of cultivators.

The Hardened Crown Sect was the first to be prepared to depart, even if they were one of the more powerful sects- and thus had the most loose ends to tie up. It was simply that they had begun their work immediately upon Anton's ultimatum.

Looks were exchanged between Anton and Naamah. Both sides had enough stubbornness that it had been clear from the beginning neither would change their minds. The Hardened Crown Sect had remained true to their word, staying out of the conflict on both sides. But there was no place for those with any sort of sympathy for their enemies. Ceretos had allowed their presence for too long.

Anton looked at those boarding the ships. It was more than just the Hardened Crown Sect, but others from defeated groups. None from the Soaring Air Sect- they had not been so closely knit- but those with whom they'd had close enough ties to refuse fighting. Personally, Anton would not have supposed those with such terrible judgment- about both the morality and viability of their attempts. Then again, what could a century or two of uneasy peace do to overcome millenia of propaganda from the upper realms? Most of them had thought themselves better than all of those 'from the lower realms', despite them all having been born and raised therein for uncountable generations. Some still had such thoughts. Now they would have to have them elsewhere.

It was an arbitrary decision on Anton's part- one he should have consulted others about, even if they would have ultimately gone along with his advice. But it had simply happened without planning.

Rutera, at least, was supportive. Though they had the capabilities for war, they were much more fond of exploration and settlement. Weos felt differently, which was why none would be settling in their direction. Instead, they would be shipped off to a system to the east. The various sects had been given the option to be planted in different locations- a number of planets viable for life were available- but it was also clear it would be reasonable to actually form a proper ecosystem with as many people contributing as possible.

The initial years would require isolation as the atmosphere of the planets were adjusted, and things would continue from there. Rutera and Weos had colonized many planets within their systems, and they had knowledge for how to make it work- though the latter had primarily relied on formations sealing them off. Anton had gathered myriad information about how to build up a world's natural energy in particular, and he had never been shy about sharing it. Even so, he knew it would be difficult for them. It would take some time, and they would still be reliant on Ceretos to bring in shipments of new animals and plants at various points. But that was all years down the line.

"Good luck," Anton said. "I ultimately wish you well."

"We will not need fortune," Naamah replied, "But I appreciate it nonetheless."

"What should we call it?" Anton asked Treloar.

"A good question. The simple answer is just 'The Archipelago', but that seems rather dull." Treloar stroked his chin. "It's not really northern, and given it's between the continents eastern and western wouldn't be appropriate."

"How about redeemed? Sanctified?" Anton shook his head. "No, too… pompous. It could just have a name, like Aicenith and Brogora. It doesn't have to have a meaning."

"Or, we could give it a name with meaning and then wait long enough for the meaning to be lost to the ages."

"The best possible result," Anton grinned. "Whatever the case, I'm glad to have you as part of Ceretos. A true part, instead of merely visitors waiting to leave as soon as they can. On that topic, have you considered how you will avoid being caught up in the Exalted Quadrant after ascensions?"

"We were hoping for help on your end there. You know some in the upper realms. They could put together formations to guide us there, and even if they were somewhat less extensive… we should be able to make it with some intentionality. In fact, you should already be doing that for far more people. I can't believe you're just letting them show up anywhere."

Anton shrugged, "That's not my responsibility. And my granddaughter has been quite busy with other things. I will make the suggestion, though it is quite possible she is already working on it."

"What do you mean empty?" Anton said in a manner that the already terrified messenger couldn't help but reel back from. That wasn't his intent, but with power like his any small annoyance could wash over someone like a wave in a storm.

"T-that's just it. Empty. Except for a letter. For you, apparently," the man cowered back while holding it out for Anton.

It was plain looking, but written in a familiar hand. Anton sighed as he read it. It wasn't particularly long, so it only took an instant.

"Hey there kid. Sorry I didn't say goodbye properly, but I had to set up this whole thing. I mean, I had to get paid for my contributions to the war somehow, right? Don't worry, I left all your secondary reserves. Your planet is so prosperous you'll hardly miss this in a century anyway. -Everheart"

It wasn't long afterwards that Anton started being bombarded with messages. It seemed Everheart had cleaned out almost every major sect, somehow. And now he was gone… probably.

Anton did plan to check something on the moon though. Anton couldn't help but get a wry smile on his face. "That old asshole."

The 'battle' between Ty Quigley and Chikere was short. One was a talented Life Transformation cultivator, but he was a century and a phase behind. A dozen swords stabbed through his body in a pattern that should have absolutely killed him instantly if not for great care pushing organs out of the way. He looked like a porcupine, while at the same time a porcupine's victim- sharp things both going in and coming out of him at all angles.

And of course, he was smiling. "Oh wow. So it can be like that, huh?" Then he grimaced. "... It's really hard to breathe with all of these in me."

Chikere nodded, withdrawing her weapons in a spray of blood- and then immediately pulling out a salve that was placed not only on the surface wounds but pushed inside, filling the gaps. It was specially made for the body to absorb and repair clean cuts and stabs- a product of the Million Sword Vault. Following that up with stitches to seal the wounds from the outside, and the survival rate of the Million Sword Vault disciples was shockingly high. Considering their vigor in training, at least.

"I need to get that arm now," Chikere said.

"Didn't they say it would take decades of research to make one that can withstand you?" Ty asked.

"I'll wait."

"I'm… pretty sure the pathways to the upper realms will be cut off with the shifting of the tides of the world. You might get away with a couple years, but longer than that…"

"I'll just have to ascend again," Chikere shrugged.

"Can you do that?" Ty asked.

"I can do anything," Chikere said with confidence. "It just might take me a try or two. Or a thousand. But I'll figure it out." She couldn't barely cut open a small slice of space now, and the circumstances around ascension being what they were made it a special case- but she had confidence nonetheless. That confidence was justified solely by the fact that, so far, Chikere had been right about such things.

Two children were born on the same day- if such could be declared between two different systems- though nobody was aware of how close the timing was for quite some time. One boy, and one girl. Opposites in many ways, and in others much the same. For one mother, the child was her first- the other, her last. Both born to cousins of the same blood.

The boy was held aloft by her mother, smiling with her husband nearby. "We will call you Chidi, in honor of the one who gave us the hope of your existence."

The girl and her mother had many around them, but no husband or father. "Anishka," her name was declared. Little meaning was shared with the origin of her name, merely the sound.

One was born into a world where war had just come to an end, and a long age of recovery would be followed by another of prosperity. The other was born into a world that had not felt the same sting of war in centuries.

Of those born the same day, perhaps they would be no more important than the many millions born throughout the galaxy around them. Then again, what individuals could hope to be relevant on such a scale? Very few indeed. But to each of their families, they were of great value regardless of what future events might or might not bring for them.

Chapter 593

Strong pillars and a roof surrounded the burrow leading into a nearby hill, a burrow that was clearly not constructed by human hands- or any hands. Yet it was intentional and solid, even reinforced at various points by humanlike support structures. It was not a small burrow, but rather massive merely to allow its denizens to fit inside. A small and curious child walked into the darkness he did not understand, feeling his way along the walls and floor just as he would any other place.

Vertical shafts poking through the top of the tunnel to provide a modicum of light and air didn't affect Chidi's journey in any regard. They were just as mysterious as everything else, and less tangible since his arms didn't reach anywhere close to the ceiling.

He continued onward until he heard something. Breathing. The clacking of something on stone. A strange whine. Then he ran face-first into a mountain of fur. Arms probed, feeling upwards. Traces of wetness along an edge led to something hard, a narrowing pillar of stone nearly the size of his arm. Not just one, but many overlapping similar shapes. Some pointed up, some down.

Then the teeth clamped down on his arm uncomfortably, and he found himself lifted off his feet. "Uwah! Help!" Chidi called out, forgetting that he had specifically snuck away from the sources of help.

The creature with his arm began to move, bouncing his body as they went. His arms were trapped, and wriggling rubbed his upper arms uncomfortably against sharp points so he remained limp.

Then he was set down, but not expecting the motion his legs were not prepared to catch him. He fell backwards onto familiar dirt and grass. "Grrr," an unfamiliar voice said.

"I don't know grrr," Chidi said. "What's your name?"

Then Chidi felt a familiar feeling wash over him, and knew his time was up. As expected, a moment later his mother appeared next to him, lifting him to his feet and holding his hand in hers. "Thank you for bringing him, Spikes. As for you, Chidi, what have I told you about wandering off?"

"Don't wander off." But he wasn't wandering. He was exploring. "You're big, mister Spikes."

"Spikes is a lady."

"You're big, missus Spikes."

"Rrah," Spikes replied.

"I don't know that word either," Chidi admitted. "What does that mean?"

"It means be careful where you go."

"... That's a lot of words for one word."

Catarina looked down at her son, "How do you keep getting away?"

If Chidi had been craftier, he might have kept that knowledge to himself. But he'd gotten used to answering questions truthfully. "I move when you aren't looking at me."

"How can you even know when I'm looking?"

Chidi shrugged, "I just know. You aren't looking now."

"Of course I am. We're talking."

Chidi tilted his head in confusion. "No. You're not."

"Of course I- ah. How about now?"

Chidi felt the warm fuzzy blanket that was both comforting and restrictive. "Now you're looking."

The grip on his hand squeezed tighter for a moment. "I see. You can sense energy already… I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Be careful, okay?"

"I am careful," Chidi countered.

"You stuck your arms in a wolf's mouth."

"What is a wolf?"

That lack of knowledge was her own fault, given that they had some good friends that were wolves. But they couldn't take Chidi over to their den without constantly guarding him from playful but overly zealous wolf puppies. Fuzz and Spikes had pups that were only slightly larger than normal, but that meant they had teeth sharp enough to cause serious damage to a child like him.

At least her worries that Chidi wouldn't be able to cultivate were unfounded. Though they had been foolish worries to begin with. Everyone could, to some extent, even if it was more difficult to get started in the upper realms where there was only upper energy- more powerful, but more difficult to control.

"Do you think we're being too restrictive?" Catarina asked Timothy later.

"Your grandfather said raising children for the first time is just as difficult as reaching Life Transformation. Maybe we'll make some mistakes but… we are trying to keep our son from getting hurt. Everyone should protect their children. Chidi in particular just… has fewer ways to predict those dangers."

"... Is this my fault?"

"No," Timothy answered quickly. "Of course not."

"But I- all our troubles should have told me it wasn't meant to be. We finally had a child, and he was born… like this."

Timothy wrapped his arms around Catarina, pulling her face into his shoulder. "It's not your fault. We both wanted it to happen… and this just makes things a little bit harder. It could be worse."

Catarina leaned her head back and furrowed her brow, "Worse than being born without eyes? No medicine can help that, because there's nothing to fix."

"That's right," Timothy said. "There's nothing to fix. He's our wonderful son. And if he had to be missing something, we should be glad that it is not cultivation ability."

"You're right, of course," Catarina admitted. "But it's still hard. For him, and for me to think about. Also… did you know we have blind spots?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that when I intend to fill my entire surroundings with energy for sensing, there are places that are less complete. And I can't even tell. But he can, apparently. He always slips into them, even if he's not sneaking off."

"The constant observation probably makes him uncomfortable," Timothy noted. "What if we hire someone to watch him… normally."

"What do you mean? We can handle him."

"We certainly can," Timothy admitted. "We can watch him across the city, and no doubt we will adapt to him trying to sneak off. We can arrive in an instant to protect him. But except during the evenings we spend together, the rest of the time our focus hasn't really been on Chidi. Having someone always there watching in a way that is less bothersome for him in particular… might be best."

"Couldn't it be one of us?"

"It could be," Timothy said. "But what we do is important. Can either of us afford to give up several years for that focus, especially right now? We can still keep up our current schedule, except the time when we would be watching from afar we can have someone wholly devoted and attentive."

Catarina sighed, "I feel like you're just saying we're bad parents. And who would we trust with that?"

"Why not Spikes?"

"... And leave him with wolf pups all day?"

"Some of the day," Timothy reminder her. "And Spikes is just as capable of shielding him from an aggressive nibble as we are preventing him from stabbing himself with a fork. Besides, we also wanted to find some way for Fuzz and Spikes- and their children- to be more included in the community here. They are big and scary. We could get others involved and improve Chidi's social situation as well."

"... We are overprotective," Catarina sighed.

"He's four years old and lives in a house with a dedicated armory. We had to be careful." Timothy shook his head. "Of all the things that cultivators excel at, however, that list is never raising children. Then again, most people in general are only passable. We just have to do our best. And keep him from being completely isolated."

"It's official," Hoyt announced to the Xankeshan council. "Everheart is back in the upper realms- and active. We anticipated that, of course, but now it's confirmed."

"Do you think he'll return here for revenge?" Zazil of the Dark Ring asked.

Catarina shook her head, "Attempting to predict his movement is pointless. However, I do believe Xankeshan itself is secure from him for the moment. He was not able to take control of the local wards in his long duration occupying the planet, that should not change with them being better able to function. And I believe I can at least manage to keep him from having the time to figure them out."

"More importantly," Hoyt said, "We only angered him indirectly. So we're… probably not at the top of his list."

"What did he do this time?" Prospero asked. "Wipe out a fleet?"

Velvet had been the one who brought this particular information. "It was covered up but… he drew mustaches on the statues of the saints. On Rouhiri."

"That's… underwhelming," Prospero admitted.

"He was on Rouhiri," Velvet countered. "And he set up formations that prevented them from fixing the statues. Currently the whole central square between their towers is covered up for 'renovations'. They had to toss a huge box over the whole thing. Then they disappeared most of the workers and disciples who saw it."

"Most?" Prospero asked.

"The disciples that reported it were dealt with in various ways, but some others saw it and didn't make themselves known. But the information is reliable. I think the whole thing is just informing people that he's back."

"Wouldn't it be easier for him to operate in secret?" Zazil asked.

Hoyt shook his head. "You know he only functions in high profile. And when he wants to be secretive, he can be. Like sneaking onto the main planet of a powerful sect with a kingly bounty on him."

"Could it have been someone else?" Zazil asked.

"Someone that would do that and then could set up formations that weren't easily dismantled?" Catarina shook her head. "I can't think of anyone that such things would align for. There are other formations grandmasters, but none with a conflict with the Harmonious Citadel and the inclination to pull a prank."

"It's more than a prank," Vari said. "The Harmonious Citadel would see it as sacrilege of the highest order. It's a declaration of war, whether he intended that or not."

"It does not seem that he is the type to do things by accident," Zazil replied. "Based on what we know of him."

Kseniya had been quiet up to that point. "So, what? Is there something we should do about this?"

Hoyt shook his head. "I don't think so. We just need to be aware of his presence. He could show up at any time to cause trouble."

"I don't know how that's different from any other time," Kseniya said. "Even when we knew he was in the lower realms, I expected he could show up to cause trouble at any moment."

To shift the topic away from Everheart being from their world- something not all of the council was aware of- Hoyt brought them to the next topic. "Our current troubles are the ongoing conflict with the Harmonious Citadel. Our growth outpaces theirs for now- at least proportionately- but we'll still need to gather more groups to work against them. In addition, there is some possibility of the surrounding powers moving against us. Velvet, were you able to gain any information on that?"

"Only a small amount," she admitted. "Neither the Trigold Cluster nor the Exalted Quadrant are exactly open in their motives. We don't know how much they understand about us and our connection to certain places in the lower realms. It's not exactly secret, but they might not have looked. The good news is they still hate each other. Apparently along the southern border they had a few skirmishes as their armies returned from the shifting tides. That's nothing new, exactly, but they'd mostly been ignoring each other's presence there."

"Could that also not be bad news?" Zazil asked. "If they go to war with each other again, we'll simply be caught in the middle. The Scarlet Midfields can't functionally resist either of them."

"That is true," Catarina admitted. "But if something is to escalate, it will be over decades or centuries. We will have some opportunity to improve our strength before then."

"What can happen in just another couple centuries?" Zazil asked.

Catarina exchanged glances with those from Ceretos. "We can get hundreds of Integration cultivators and, perhaps, a handful of Augmentation cultivators."

"A handful?" Zazil frowned. "That's both extremely ambitious… and insufficient. How long do you mean?"

"Three centuries. Maybe two or fewer," Catarina said confidently. "I'd personally place myself in the mid Integration stage right now."

"Is that really possible?" Zazil asked. "I have witnessed your growth potential, but… it seems too fast. Can anyone even reach Augmentation in less than a millennium?"

"How old do you think Everheart is?" Catarina asked.

"... maybe nine hundred?" Zazil frowned.

"Less than six hundred," Catarina said. "Which meant he reached Augmentation before he was four hundred. I'm only saying I shouldn't be much older than five hundred."

Zazil shrugged, "I like your confidence. I hope it's justified. We could use that sort of boost to our alliance's power."

Chapter 594

Given the circumstances around her birth, Anton had been somewhat concerned that Anishka might have ended up overprotected. However, he'd underestimated both the amount of experience Annelie had being a mother and the amount of trouble her daughter was capable of finding. Ultimately they struck a perfect balance of protection. For example, the girl was currently attempting to touch lava flowing around the sect, having unsealed various doors along the way, and Annelie was at this very moment yanking her back.

When Anton arrived, Anishka was clearly upset- not because of the burns on her face and hands, but because of her mother. "Let me go!"

"You're not allowed near the lava until you can control the heat," Annelie said with the practiced patience of a mother of more than a few children.

"How can I control it if I don't get near it?" Anishka complained.

"You can learn to practice with something smaller. Like a candle."

"But candles are boooring!" Anishka's eyes lit up as she turned to regard Anton. "Grandpa Anton! Mommy won't let me play."

"Nice try," he said as he landed next to them. "But I don't tell your mother what to do. She's much older than that."

"But you tell lots of old people what to do!" Anishka complained.

Anton smirked, "And yet hardly any of them listen. So perhaps I should get more practice ordering people around."

"Noooo~" Anishka complained. "I don't want to listen to orders. I just want to train."

"Well… I suppose we can spend some time together doing that. That's why I'm here anyway."

"Yay!" Anishka raised her blistered hands high. "Ow."

"Why don't you head in and get some salves rubbed on you? I'm sure it will make you feel better." Anton said.

"'Kay."

Both adults watched to make sure she properly arrived in the safer parts of the sect. "So what are you actually here for?" Annelie asked.

"A visit," Anton said. "Nothing else. But… that's because I'll be gone for a while."

"I haven't heard about anything going on with the trifold alliance…" Annelie prompted.

"Nothing to do with them. Or the Sylanis Cluster. Or even Gnadus," Anton said. "I have a… secret meeting I should get to. In general, I'm going to be spending more time away from Ceretos."

"Why?" Annelie couldn't help but ask.

"Because I'm not needed here. And I would prefer things to remain that way. Letting people rely on my power is fine, but I don't expect to be around forever," Anton explained. Though his lifespan was still uncertain, Anton had the feeling he could last a while longer as long as he continued cultivating and binding new stars- despite making use of Candle Wax. "Besides, there's no way I could settle for just a few victories in the lower realms, when those arrogant bastards up above haven't been paid back in full."

"Don't forget to drop by at least sometimes, then," Annelie said. "Anishka has grown used to seeing you regularly."

"I can't say I'll be as frequent of a visitor as I am now," Anton admitted. It turned out that being able to fly anywhere on the planet in under an hour was quite useful for visiting people. "But I'll be back regularly. As much as I can, considering."

"I understand," Annelie said. "And I suppose Aniskha will have to get used to it."

"She'll be alright," Anton said. It wasn't like Annelie needed his help. Parenting was hard, but nothing that was impossible for an individual of Annelie's caliber, despite her other responsibilities.

In some ways, Anton was already late to his meeting. In others, he had already waited nearly a century for the chance- a couple years here or there wouldn't make much difference. This was still more or less right after the end of the 'cycle', especially since the tides of the world flowed differently in different parts.

Space travel was still long and lonely, but Anton did his best to pass the time with cultivation, mainly focusing on strengthening his connection to existing stars. Even away from his bound stars, his strength continued to grow- though he certainly didn't have much in the void of space. The only positive thing was that as he traveled more, he incrementally increased his speed as his strength and proficiency grew. He could travel to Rutera and back faster than most of their ships could make the trip in one direction, which cut weeks off of visiting neighboring systems.

Reaching the Hidden System- or rather one of its neighbors- was still a matter of months. When he arrived, he considered binding the star- he had more than a handful of available systems, though he tried not to maintain too many for the sake of his growth. However, even if this system was unoccupied, its neighbors and thus the ones with the best claim to it might not approve. Since Anton wanted to remain in their good graces, it was best not to risk anything.

A quick trip around the system and he arrived at the barren planet where he'd left a note. That had been read and responded to, and now it was time to use their communication device. He gave the code phrase and… waited.

He didn't expect an immediate response, but after a week he wondered at the technology they had available. To his understanding of such things the formations were lackluster compared to Catarina's latest designs. Slower. It… had to transmit faster than light speed though, right?

Perhaps not. If they had recognized his arrival immediately, coming back years later and finding a response might have meant just barely missing someone. Even the upper realms had difficulty transmitting between upper and lower with great speed and capacity. He'd finally learned the details there after the Worthy Shore Society officially split from them.

A month passed.

Anton practiced cultivation, not willing to leave the planet in case he missed something. The fire burned in his dantian, but he also did not neglect his archery. Without targets of interest he had to provide for himself puzzles and challenges- like shooting two arrows in opposite directions around the planet and having them hit without altering their trajectory along the way. If the planet had an atmosphere his range would have still been significantly short of that accomplishment, but without it simply meant keeping the energy solid and understanding the pull of gravity.

As it turned out, what he thought to be very minute inconsistencies throughout the planet were significant on that scale. A bit of high density under the ground followed by a low spot and his arrows were off target by kilometers, let alone striking the sub centimeter profile they required. The adjustments were easy to do, but the point was to not need it.

Six months passed. Anton was now attempting to shoot three arrows, all of which would converge on a single point. He could manage handfuls of arrows aimed at opposite sides, as any that began close together would deal with the same fluctuations, but that was more like shooting two wide arrows in either direction. Here, he split the planet in thirds as his arrows circled around.

One year. He was learning to target any point on the planet, which required fine control over each projectile's velocity and how it would change. He was also beginning to think he'd never get a response.

Then a figure appeared next to him. "You're very patient."

Anton very nearly shot the thin old man, with his pale blond hair fading into white and silver in most places. He certainly raised his bow, his reflexes going that far before being taken over by a level of conscious control. It wouldn't have mattered, but it wasn't a good sign. "You're… not particularly fast," Anton said.

"How do you know? I could have been here for months."

Anton shook his head. "No. I would have noticed. Besides, you're implying that you're here now. But not just yet, I think."

"Well," the man shrugged, not bothering to deny he was an illusion. "Depends on how you count it. I didn't want to surprise you… too much. I take it, then, you left the message?"

"And you the response," Anton nodded. "Since nobody else comes here, that's pretty certain."

"I'm surprised you're here alone," the man admitted.

"You wanted it to be secret. So I kept it that way."

"I appreciate it. Are you… actually alone?" the man asked.

"There's no one else here."

"I mean, do you have allies? A planet?"

"Yes," Anton nodded.

"And you didn't bring anyone?"

"If you had ill will, and the ability to defeat me, I couldn't see the point in bringing anyone to die."

"Confident in your strength, then," the illusion nodded. "Though I suppose you should be, living without air. Or… any visible source of sustenance."

"I manage simply through natural energy. Are you going to be long?" Anton asked. "I'd rather have this conversation in person."

"No. Not long."

Fortunately, that didn't mean another year or even another month. Instead, the man arrived within an hour, leaving behind a ship and crew away from the planet. This time, the man touched down with his own two feet- or an exceptionally convincing illusion. "I realize we did not introduce ourselves," the man said. "I am Caradog of Doruma, head of the Wandering Heart Sect.."

"Anton of Ceretos, head of the Order of One Hundred Stars," Anton inclined his head. "We just finished repelling the upper realms from our planet… for the second time in as many centuries."

Caradog raised an eyebrow, "Two successes? Impressive. We managed just one, eight centuries ago. Even now, we are still recovering."

"Then I should give both my congratulations and my condolences," Anton said. "The damage we sustained was… tolerable." Anton looked the man over. His appearance was the same as the illusion, which perhaps indicated honesty, or just consistency. His cultivation was a mystery, though Anton could say he was at least at the peak of Life Transformation. It was unclear if he had made the step beyond, however. "The Trigold Cluster lost three Augmentation cultivators, between us and one of our neighbors."

The man whistled- a fully artificial noise without an atmosphere. "Really? I'm… more than impressed. It certainly doesn't sound like bragging, either. Tell me, did you take them down with your own hands?"

"One fell to the betrayal of a foolish alliance with the Exalted Quadrant's permanent residents," Anton said, looking for a reaction to the name. If Doruma was a subsidiary planet of them, he would prefer to just avoid them. "The other was killed by a turtle."

Caradog certainly showed interest and recognition, but nothing suspicious. "That sounds like an impressive turtle."

"He is," Anton nodded.

"Have the members of the Exalted Quadrant… caused any trouble for you?"

"Quite a bit," Anton admitted. "And we no longer have any residing in our system."

"Good," Caradog said. The whole time, he was clearly studying Anton- and Anton did the same in return. "Since you are no friends of theirs, I would like to extend an offer for you to visit. We must stay secret, of course, so if you would find that difficult we can continue talking here."

"I would hope that someday you would be comfortable in the open, but I can keep your existence secret. I simply need to limit my coming and going. Though if we could speak at a distance…" Anton gestured to the communication device left for him.

"That is not possible, I'm afraid."

"Ours might work," Anton shrugged. "But I understand if you don't trust them. My granddaughter developed them before she ascended."

"I see," Caradog said the pale haired man as he led Anton towards the ship. "Perhaps we will reach that level of trust some day. Though it is unlikely it would work through our… concealments."

"It might," Anton shrugged. "Maybe a few modifications would be needed though. Not my specialty."

"So," Caradog asked, "Do your people have news of the upper realms? We cut ourselves off to maintain our safety, so any knowledge is over a millennium outdated."

"Some of those who ascended to the Scarlet Midfields have managed to maintain contact," Anton said, slightly obfuscating the truth. "Though I'm not sure what will interest you. Have you heard of Everheart?"

No reaction. Good. He certainly shouldn't have, but nobody who knew Everheart had no reaction. "Should I have?"

"No, I suppose he showed up after your isolation," Anton explained. He wasn't sure if he would gain anything out of this except confirmation that there were others who had resisted the upper realms, but that was really all he wanted to begin with. And he could perhaps provide some hope for the Hidden System- Doruma.

Chapter 595

As expected, the space faring ships of Doruma didn't differ all that much in design from seafaring vessels. That was the baseline understanding for cultivators, though isolated systems in the lower realms seemed to have their own quirks. The ship belonging to the Hidden System had formations woven directly into its sails, drawing in power as it traveled. There might have been further features, but Anton knew his understanding of formations would always remain behind specialists.

Inside was the usual cramped arrangement of ships, as more weight and size in general took more energy to move and protect. Even the captain's quarters barely had room for a few chairs around a table. It was far from the most opulent arrangements Anton had seen, even in vessels that were supposed to be practical.

Caradog sat and gestured for Anton to do the same. "Though we kept ourselves cut off, I am quite interested to hear about what is happening in the upper realms. Whatever you can say."

"What can I say? There is much, and yet so little we actually know. But I will do my best," Anton nodded. He covered what he knew, especially with relation to the Trigold Cluster and the invasions. The pale haired man obviously approved of Ceretos' successes.

"Impressive, if rather… bold."

"We did not consider hiding our whole system. It would have likely been impossible, with Catarina ascending to the upper realms." Anton considered for a moment. "Speaking of which, do your people ascend?"

"What choice do we have, to continue advancing cultivation?"

Anton grinned slightly, "More than you'd think." He wasn't going to begin teaching the man about Assimilation immediately, having known him for less than an hour- but if Caradog and Doruma as a whole were worthy of a certain level of trust, he wouldn't mind sharing. "Since you have people ascend, perhaps you would be interested in coordinating efforts in the upper realms." It was possible some might have already signed up with Anton's allies- he didn't have a list of every single person and the planets they came from in the lower realms, after all. But perhaps that would be of interest, coordinating between the realms.

After some time getting to know Caradog and the crew, Anton determined them to be at least as trustworthy as he could expect any human to be. Where goals aligned, they could certainly be allies- there were no huge philosophical differences that had to be overcome. The weaker members of the crew were still treated well enough, whereas many cultivators got into the habit of treating them as something lesser. And there was one goal large enough that they could share it for the length of any foreseeable future.

While Doruma might have hidden themselves, that did not necessarily make them cowards who would not fight. Indeed, the only correct choice when faced with the potential of being wiped out was to hide. Surviving and enduring was an admirable success.

The only area Anton found himself disappointed was speed of interstellar travel. But they could hardly be blamed for that, likely having engaged with even their neighboring systems very little. "There are techniques available for quicker travel," Anton said to Caradog, "Though perhaps they wouldn't be used enough for the expense."

"We have indeed have very little opportunity," the man admitted. "We might be interested in purchasing such knowledge, however."

Anton didn't say anything silly like they could have it for free. Perhaps once he knew their world better, but he could learn much from what they were willing to trade- and perhaps they might have unique resources. However, he had given no training or anything but safe information about the upper realms and cultural discussion. It was a shame to waste potential months like that, but he wanted to know their world as a whole first. Caradog had his own insights to meditate on during travel, and they couldn't exactly do any serious training in the void between stars, without room or a way to replenish much energy.

Anton had feared they would spend an entire year in transit- though a single year wasn't that much compared to his total life, he still would not consider the time insignificant. However, as they were approaching the six month mark Caradog came to him.

"We are approaching our system now," he said, "But I realized I left out some details of our system. I spoke of the Wandering Heart Sect, and others… but the system itself I did not describe."

"You mentioned a number of the planets," Anton replied.

"Perhaps, but I did leave out some of the most important details. Doruma is somewhat of a unique system with how it is arranged… features we leveraged to empower the concealment formations. Though perhaps it would be better to see it with your own eyes. Come up on deck with me."

Together, the two of them looked at… nothing. It still appeared to be empty space, which was exactly the point. As they drew closer, however, Anton could just make out the layers beneath. Knowing that something was there certainly helped, and there was something else that drew him in.

Then the veil slowly peeled back, as they crossed the threshold. Revealed in front of Anton was the system's star. They were extremely close, which was odd because Anton felt the bubble was much larger than it should be. And off center. However, as they passed by the star, Anton was able to pick out more of the system. Focusing on his eyes, he could pick out the most minute details- a necessary feat when the sun was attempting to drown out all other light.

He saw them, minute points overshadowed but slowly more visible as they passed the star, until the ship shadowed them just enough. Five other stars, arranged as if on the faces of a cube. Their relative motion seemed nonexistent, which was very odd indeed. Furthermore, Anton could just pick out the closest planets, orbiting in strange ellipses that never went around any of the stars, but rather between them as if there was one massive star in the center so far out as to be almost. Which there wasn't. Nor was there a black hole, though that would have certainly explained something.

"Amazing. How do they remain in equilibrium?"

"We don't fully know," Doruma admitted. "You can… sense them?"

"I can see them," Anton said. "Though I do have some ability to pick out stars in particular."

They had to pass through most of the system to reach their destination- the planets orbited close to the extreme limits of the concealment formation, approximately as far from the center as the stars.

"With differing orbits like that, how do your planets not crash into each other?"

"Good luck," Doruma said, "Though that was more due to the formation. They synched up with each other in a way that they do not intersect at the wrong time, ever since their formation. Though there is evidence that perhaps a few did, consuming each other. It is quite stable now, however."

A fascinating place. The stars were closer together than he would have expected as well. As they passed through the center, Anton couldn't help but think about how strong he would be if he bound all the stars. But as tempting as it was to just try it would also be rude- and potentially risky. Binding Okloi's two stars had gone well, but this was a great step from there.

Their destination planet of Itholla was the home of the Wandering Heart Sect, and it also happened to be a gas giant. With moons orbiting the gas giant, the entire balance of orbits had to be extremely complicated. And perhaps not completely natural. Anton couldn't think of any way for the stars themselves to remain in their relative positions. A truly amazing place to visit, even if nothing else came from it.

The moon they headed towards had its own atmosphere, if thin. As they approached, Anton appraised it with his senses. It had life living wild away from the cultivators, plants and animals and all the sorts of things that didn't fit into either category. Yet they were sparse, leaving the whole thing feeling somewhat barren. And that was where there was anything except craters or other scars on the surface.

As for the population… the density of humans was not terribly high. However, he could sense buried under what seemed to be hills the remains of other sects and cities. Ruins. "Is it like this everywhere?"

"More or less," Caradog shook his head. "From what I understand, we were quite prosperous even with the invasions. Many and varied natural resources to support our populations spread throughout our planets. But the last time we were even more so. Stronger, enough to resist… but that led still to a great destruction. In some regard, it is possible more of us died than would have had we simply let them kill and loot as they pleased. However, we kept our cultivation techniques and traditions intact, along with enough who could teach the next generation."

"I imagine much effort was also focused on establishing the formation." Anton added.

"Yes. It took most of that cycle, in fact, leaving us with just two centuries since then."

To Anton's eyes, it didn't look like fourteen hundred years of growth- counting their surviving cycle. They truly must have been on the edge. But also… they seemed to be missing several critical components. Things they might not have considered all that important.

"Do you want to increase your population?" Anton asked.

"We certainly don't dislike the idea," Caradog replied, "But growth is slow."

"Are the ecosystems of other worlds similar?" Anton questioned. "What sort of crops do you grow?"

"For… medicinal pills?"

Anton nodded. So they were missing what he thought. All sorts of mundane and perhaps slightly better than mundane things to fill in the lower levels. Things that could fill bellies, and once things had developed properly, also fill dantians with natural energy.

"I'm sure I mentioned how we developed Ceretos. I am willing to offer my expertise… for quite reasonable prices." Anton honestly just wanted to see everything overflowing with natural energy, but just giving everything away for free wouldn't necessarily sit well with Caradog. Anton wasn't here for charity purposes, but rather they met as potential allies. And even if that went nowhere, Anton could at least make people's standard of living greater.

Everheart looked at himself, and the other one of himself, and the other other one of himself. He had already learned his lesson about leaving projections around for centuries. However, after setting up basic formations to distribute the necessary energy, he could have many temporary projections. That was all they were ever meant to be to begin with, but he'd grown lazy and made them perpetual. He wouldn't ever do that to himself again, for fear of his own retribution.

He'd picked out a nice little system to the north. Close to the border with the core region- a place that even those in the upper realms did not travel. There was little chance of anyone stumbling across his operation regardless, but best to be certain.

This time, instead of limiting himself to a single moon or planet, he thought he might truly cover the whole system. That seemed more appropriate. Of course, that would take an immense amount of resources. He'd gotten a reasonable jump start from Ceretos' sects, but he'd need more. The Harmonious Citadel would be on the list, obviously, but now that he was recovered he could pay visits to the Trigold Cluster and Exalted Quadrant as well. They had huge piles of resources they were squandering, might as well take them into good hands.

He might need more projections, though. And maybe a century or two. But that wasn't too much of a concern. A year or two scuttling about wouldn't be enough for the projections to diverge horribly, and while remaking all of them every time would be a pain, it would be even a worse pain if any of them got stupid ideas. And unfortunately, he couldn't prevent them from knowing about the successes without potentially screwing up and leaving them missing some of his genius.

He'd also need a lot of energy. Maybe he could disassemble a star or something. This sort of work wasn't going to be cheap. Or fast, because he couldn't make infinite projections. He might even hire some people to help out.

What a weird thought. Working with others? He'd hold off on such drastic measures until he knew he needed it.

Chapter 596

A sleek metal shell filled with wires and all sorts of artificial bones, muscles, and tendons began its journey from Chikere's shoulder. Comparing to her left arm, she could feel more than a few minor differences, besides the obvious one of it not being made out of flesh. But while she could absolutely dismantle a human body, and knew how it worked on a basic level, she didn't study anything below the scale it was relevant to cut. So despite not understanding her new arm either, it wasn't that different.

She flexed her arm, and then her other arm. That felt odd, mostly because she could feel anything at all. Anything good, anyway. She'd had memories of her arm being destroyed, and the details of that weren't exactly pleasant.

Despite how long it had been since she possessed the limb, it was extremely natural to move 'her arm' again. She bent her elbow and wiggled her fingers, feeling how they moved. It was quite fascinating.

"How does it feel?" the doctor who attached it asked. His name was… Escarra. She should at least try to remember helpful people.

"Good. Strange," Chikere admitted. "It's missing some things I hoped for."

"Well, your requirements were quite… extensive and specialized. There's only so much that can be put together at once. The materials required for your performance requirements took quite a bit of work and tuning to put together," Doctor Escarra explained while Chikere marveled at having her main hand again. Despite how much she'd used her left, for some reason she was still clearly more proficient with her right. She tightened her grip on a hilt just feeling it. "There's still some work to do so today we're just going to do minor tests. Try not to-"

Chikere drew number one and slashed forward. Normally, that would have chopped the building in half- or at least made a nice slice all the way to the outside, depending on the arc of her swing- but she could hardly be a grandmaster if she couldn't control what she wanted to cut. Her sword flashed, and a speck of dust split in two. Then her arm fell limp at her side.

"- to push the natural energy intake by rapidly flooding it," Doctor Escarra sighed.

"Oh. Sorry." Chikere's arm was numb. But, it was still there. There was a tingling sensation as feeling returned, though the whole thing was a bit less responsive afterward and Chikere smelled smoke coming from it.

"The intention was to get some data on how it reacts and what you can do, then slowly iterate on the design until it meets our standards. Since you are going to be returning to the upper realms at some point, we would eventually move onto testing with ascension energy…" Doctor Escarra shook his head. "If we can get that."

"Anton can get that," Chikere said.

"So I've heard. I thought to practice Fleeting Youth myself, but I'm too old to make many strides in cultivation."

"Or not old enough," Chikere countered.

"Perhaps," the doctor shook his head. "Even if I could reach the cultivation required I wouldn't be interested in ascending. Reincarnation seems interesting, but it is apparently difficult to decouple the different energies." The man shook his head. "So very few have had any success at all with the technique. But that's not what you're here for. We'll do… what tests we can. Then it will take some time to get things to the next stage."

Chikere found it odd how Ruterans tended to make things they knew wouldn't work. Did smiths do that? She sort of assumed they made their impressive projects as they pleased once they had enough experience, but perhaps every sword before then counted as prototypes for specific features. She couldn't say, because she wasn't in the sword creation business. "What do you need me to do, then?" Chikere asked. Feeling her arm, even for a short time, had been quite interesting. She would have to thank Ty for suggesting it- and of course Nicodemo for getting her access to Doctor Escarra and the rest of the team.

Everheart was running into a problem. It wasn't a matter of having limited options, but having too many. He had his initial plans, of course, setting up for the future. But what else could he do now? And if he happened to be obtaining resources from a larger faction, which ones should he focus on and what else should he do while he was there?

If he simply snuck into the Harmonious Citadel's vaults and took their most precious objects, or the original copies of their techniques, or their miraculous medicines then he would have merely increased his own wealth. Valuable, but only to a certain extent. Their influence would at most decline a tiny amount, while his would remain basically the same. It wasn't as if he could ever inform anyone of exactly how much wealth he had. That would only invite concerted efforts to remove him, instead of improving his position. So if he couldn't improve his own security outside of developing his system, he had to lower his enemies. By taking out a saint, for example.

But that was a bit difficult. Despite their greater power, he had his eyes set on the Exalted Quadrant and the Trigold Cluster. They had power, but their cohesion was weaker. They had grown too large, and the factions inside of them would vie for power regardless of what they tried to display outwardly.

However, simply destabilizing one wouldn't do. Oh no, not at all. If the Exalted Quadrant got in a civil war and devastated half of their population, the Trigold Cluster would take that as an easy option to move into the Scarlet Midfields and maybe even consume the Exalted Quadrant. No, they both had to experience sufficient disruption, if he were to do that. That would require some research. And if he robbed a few former emperor's tombs while in the middle of that, all the better.

The Wandering Heart Sect occupied one single location around Itholla, which was simply part of the wider Doruma system. For the past few months, Anton had been introduced to various high-ranking individuals. Not all had been as eager as Caradog to receive a visitor like Anton, but they were eventually assured that he was not present with hostile intentions.

Eventually things came to what Anton could do for them, and what they could do for him. Anton began with an exchange of seeds. Simple ones that grew well when tended but would not easily become invasive species, crowding out natural vegetation. Some animal diversity would be preferred, but between every planet in the Doruma system enough variety had survived. There simply hadn't been many people determined to deal with those particular issues. Much of it was preserving their cultivation traditions, making sure new generations were raised and the concealment formations maintained. Everyone was responsible for keeping the system safe, and they had their own ships to inspect and potentially repair some of the free-floating anchors that formed it.

Sweat dripped down Anton's brow as he tilled the soil. This brought him back to memories of long before… but also more recent memories. His life as a farmer had of course been filled with such work, but even as he began energy cultivation he had performed similar labor to temper his body and grow crops suited for cultivators to consume- though nowadays he would say the particular specimens were subpar. He hadn't stopped there, however. In the process of building up Ceretos, Anton had contributed work with his own hands frequently- both as demonstration and a sign of solidarity.

Anton couldn't tend an entire world's crops… or if he could, he wouldn't want to. However, he could toss together a field in a short time. Rocks in the soil were crushed with his energy or removed in the same swings that he moved entire rows of dirt.

He wiped his brow. "For this kind, you'll want larger rows than you might expect," Anton explained to Caradog- and more importantly the elders and disciples focused on agriculture for the sect. Most sect focused them on medicine, but the right combinations of crops could provide growth in many ways, from nutrition to cultivation growth to improving the soil and the ambient natural energy. "These tubers were first cultivated in Ambati, found wild in massive tangles. Since then we've developed them to stay more separate, but they still can grow clusters a meter across, nearly a single ball. That's why you want to make sure the mounds are sufficiently sized and separated for that growth. You should still plant them in half meter increments, as some won't immediately begin to grow, and even if they sprout adjacent to each other it will be relatively efficient." Anton demonstrated by tossing the seed tubers into a row, then waving his hand to settle the earth atop them. After the whole field was settled, he released some of his energy to feed them their first meal.

One of the farming elders asked questions on everyone's minds. "Is it really worthwhile to provide them with our own natural energy?"

"For a single harvest, perhaps not," Anton shook his head, "You could simply absorb the natural energy in the surroundings for yourself, and let them fend for themselves. These tubers would still survive and grow, and eating them would be valuable for cultivation for those in Body Tempering or others with low energy requirements. You could maintain that year after year, pretty much indefinitely." Anton grinned, "Or you could look to a decade or century from now. If you are willing to restrain yourself a bit, you can look forward to two or three times the ambient energy, maybe more depending on how vigorous you are. That energy will be suitable for training Essence Collection or Life Transformation cultivators. And of course, you are not actually losing much by giving of your energy. You will still absorb some energy for yourselves, while properly feeding the plants can be training."

Caradog took over there. "Sect Head Anton has experienced the transformation of his own world over centuries, so he knows of what he speaks." Though Caradog hadn't personally observed Ceretos, he could determine Anton was trustworthy. He did not ask for great payment upfront, but rather would wait until people could observe several years of results. And simply having him around was helpful, as he was not shy with giving cultivation advice to those who asked. The man seemed to have studied a great many techniques, such that he didn't even need to see the Wandering Heart Sect's core cultivation manuals to determine important features.

Caradog was tempted to have Anton transform the Wandering Heart Sect into the most powerful within the system… and perhaps they would be if he was able to put Anton's methods into practice. However, he couldn't be so selfish as to keep this man just to himself and one moon.

Chidi wrapped his arms around a wolf's neck as he rode her around. Unlike humans, most of the pups had no names yet. They would gain them as they grew older, given to them by either their parents or perhaps some human cultivators.

Communication was limited with his new friends. They could not speak, he could not read something scratched into the ground- though they were working on that. If the gouges were deep enough to not wipe away, he could trail his hand across and get some sense of it, but certain letters blurred together. Not that the wolf pups did much writing anyway. No, their main forms of communication were still yipping and wrestling. They were sometimes a bit overzealous, but while Chidi sometimes found himself with scratches he never felt actually in danger. Though his mother and Spikes had watched intently for some time.

"When can I learn to cultivate, mother?" Chidi asked. He knew she was listening, with her senses on him, but he couldn't trace that back to the source.

"Not until you're older," his mother said. "And don't think just because you try to talk like an adult I'll think you are one."

"Auntie Alva began cultivating when she was not much older than ten," Chidi said. "Surely you won't force me to wait until I am an adult?"

That didn't quite get the response he wanted. "Wait another five years and we can talk about it."

Disappointing. But there was also something hidden behind the words he couldn't quickly discern. Was she hiding something? There were always things his mother didn't want him to know. Or any adults. And while he wasn't able to see their expression, slight changes in tone could reveal at least that he was missing something. But wasn't he always?

Chidi couldn't wait. But five more years… that was basically forever.

Chapter 597

Runes made of precious gemstones inset into carefully carved rocks filled the floor. Layers above and below repeated the same pattern, a cylinder with inbuilt spiderweb patterns. Someday it might be a giant tower. If it were buried underground, it would be like the Harmonious Citadel's formation upon Rouhiri, where Alva first arrived in the upper realms.

Such things were slow to build and massively expensive in both time and resources. Add on the additional power usage, and only large sects could afford to use them. The entire alliance that worked with Catarina was not as much as the Harmonious Citadel, but someday they would match them. And before then… they could take advantage of specific connections they had, and their communications with the lower realms.

It was unfortunate that the formation couldn't yet grab everyone ascending- on the other hand, that was only because of the high frequency of ascensions from Ceretos… and now Weos and Rutera.

Currently the formation could only be tuned to a few styles at a time. The ability to exchange more complex information such as full techniques between the upper and lower realms was the only thing that made that possible- or Catarina would have only been able to set it for the Hundred Stars and maybe a couple more. They didn't exactly have a flood of people coming in, but retuning took about a week for each component it was trying to find.

Currently, Catarina was expecting someone from Rutera- sometime in the next few days. She checked the available power levels. Xankeshan was producing a good amount of power now, but it also had to expend much of that power for the sake of the formations surrounding the planet. The current iteration of the arrival zone only lasted a few months at a time- which was barely enough to get a handful of specific individuals. First, they had to predict their ascension- which wasn't always possible. That might have a month of variability especially if one considered message travel times. Then once they actually ascended, it could take a month to arrive. The last was just some leeway on the back end, and to account for multiple individuals.

It was amazing how such a relatively small formation took so much power, but it did have to sweep a vast region of space and bend individuals towards its own location. Even then it only worked because of the special circumstances involved with ascensions.

"This is boring," Catarina sighed, "I hope he arrives soon."

"You know you don't have to constantly watch it, right?" Timothy asked.

"Sure, but he should be coming soon and I need an assistant."

"I'm pretty sure Uzun isn't coming to be your assistant. He's supposed to lead the technologizing efforts."

Catarina shook her head. "He'll need to work with upper realms formations, which means with me, which means he'll have to be my assistant."

"On some matters, sure," Timothy shrugged.

Enes Uzun found that the novelty of stars whipping by faded quickly after the first day. They should really come up with a faster way to do this. Unfortunately, the process of Ascension wasn't always peaceful, so they couldn't just stick people in a pod and line it up with the landing zone. Supposing that people only did it once, it wasn't that bad.

The only real change had been the transition from the lower realms to the upper realms, and then a tug shortly after that which redirected him towards his current destination. There was a whole lot of time to think.

And then he appeared in a room. He didn't land, because there was no deceleration. He was simply yanked out of his position into a room full of formations. He vaguely recognized some of it, but there were deeper complexities that he'd only gotten rare glimpses of anywhere in the lower realms. Usually things made by Everheart, though nobody liked that guy.

"Hello?" he looked around.

"Engineer Uzun?" two individuals at the mouth of the room began to approach him.

"Yes, that's right," he nodded. These two guards… powerful. No, perhaps that wasn't right. Certainly, they were more powerful than him- but they were simply Integration cultivators who hadn't just broken through. Enes stepped forward, "I'm supposed to meet Formation Grandmaster Catarina?"

"She will be here shortly," the guards explained.

Enes nodded, "Alright. Should I wait somewhere or-"

The doors swung open- only their design kept them from smacking into the wall. The woman who burst into the room didn't have an imposing demeanor- and the child on her shoulders didn't change that. However, he felt a restrained power from her. "Engineer Enes Uzun, you finally arrived. I hope your trip wasn't too boring?" She grinned, "Just kidding, I know there's nothing to entertain you."

"He's weak," the child on her shoulders said.

"That's rude, Chidi."

"It's true though."

"Regardless of whether or not it is true, one should not make such comments about people to their faces," Catarina said. "Apologize."

The child bowed his head, eyes still closed. No, that wasn't quite right. Eyelids closed. There were no eyes to speak of, that was simple enough for Enes to sense. He wasn't going to mention it though. "I'm sorry, mister."

"I accept your apology, young man." The kid was just a kid, and there was no reason to be insulted. From Chidi's perspective, he might actually be weak. Compared to many he met, at least. Especially with his parents being who they were.

Catarina set down her son, "Chidi, go to your father please. I need to show Engineer Uzun around."

"Can I go to auntie Alva instead?"

"Sure," the mother said. "She's also nearby." Then the woman turned back towards Uzun, "Sorry about that. We couldn't know exactly when you would arrive, as much as we would like to."

"Maybe we can figure out a way," he pondered, "But I suppose there's a lot to do before that."

"That's right," Catarina nodded, "Today I'll be showing you the location set aside for you. It's a bit remote, but there is plenty of transport available and we expect you will prefer to have as much space as possible. It is likely we'll build up around there as things develop."

"Good. I've got a whole factory in my pocket waiting to be set down," Enes grinned. That wasn't quite true, but it wasn't quite wrong either. It was in a storage bag, and he would need some things made locally. On the other hand, he also had many complete machines to begin his work. Hopefully his theoretical assistants had learned what they needed to from the information sent.

They walked along at a quick pace- Enes was a cultivator so he was capable of keeping up, but he was used to Rutera where they would have taken some sort of machine, even with the rise of cultivation starting slightly before Enes was born. Enes knew he would have had a place on Rutera for his technical ability even without cultivation, but with cultivation his mind worked so much more quickly, allowing him to absorb so many more topics. And being young past the age of one hundred was also great for expanding his capabilities. It was a lot of pressure to be the lynchpin of a massive undertaking like this, but he hoped he was only the first of many. He might have enough knowledge, but he certainly couldn't teach everyone everything necessary and do any actual work.

After getting on a ship, Enes couldn't help but comment, "I see what you mean. These designs are simply ancient."

"Is it that different from Ceretos?" Catarina asked. "These aren't much different from the skyships."

"... it's obvious you've been away for more than a century," Enes said. "Most are much more modern, vessels properly designed for flight instead of seafaring. None of the interstellar ships keep the old designs unless their designers were going retro."

"Well, I'll admit I missed the majority of the technological boom," Catarina said. "I basically just have what I've read, and I haven't had the time to attempt to develop any of it when pure cultivation works for what we need." She shook her head, "Don't get me wrong, I understand the benefits it can have, but since I don't personally need it I didn't bother."

"Don't you have to travel?" Enes asked. "This ship could be so much faster…"

"If I were not with you, I would not be using the ship," Catarina pointed out.

Oh, right. Pure cultivation types were like that, huh? And she might really beat out a good jet.

Enes just watched the planet pass by beneath them. They were high in the atmosphere to avoid friction, but he could see that most of the planet wasn't occupied. A few large population centers, but the rest didn't even have roads for the most part. Except for a few places, but some of those led between ruins of some sort. He thought he saw a giant leg from a statue that must have been immense. As for the location picked out for him, it wasn't much to look at. Just a giant empty field, surrounded by other giant empty fields. Which was, in fact, exactly what he needed.

"Looks good," Enes nodded. "I was kind of hoping for a foundation though."

"We can have one set up for you by tomorrow," Catarina said. "Just indicate the dimensions you need."

One day? That was fast, even for… actually, since there didn't seem to be an abundance of people doing construction projects, perhaps it made sense. Everyone who was getting anything done probably had the work decades prior. And it wasn't like there were billions of people living on this planet. Not yet, at least. Maybe in another century.

The engines of a nearly flat ship pushed it forward at an astounding speed. Yet it wasn't limited in mobility, able to turn one direction's momentum into another's. Chikere knew that well, and she prepared her blade accordingly.

Her thrust extended forward several kilometers, and the ship twisted away from its intended trajectory, where its wings would slice her in two. It was, after all, just another kind of sword. She could control that and its wielder in the same manner.

A moment later the ship circled back, attacking from another angle- though most were equivalent in the void of space. However, there were subtle distances due to the flow of energy and the gravity of the planet nearby. In a large scale battle, the orbital defense platforms would be involved as well as a greater number of combatants overall.

A hundred swords sliced apart a continual barrage of weapons fire. Each bullet was like the deadly thrust of a sword, though each could only carry so much behind it. They were a potential danger, but alone they would never touch her. The ammunition and the wielder's energy would be exhausted long before that point. After all, he was a swordsman. He just also happened to be a pilot.

This time, the ship maintained no steady orientation to her, rolling so that she couldn't know what angle the wings might be when they arrived, and thus where she might have to defend from.

Chikere could have forced him back again, but she wanted to finish the battle. Her swarm of blades rushed out in front of her, swinging as one and deflecting the vessel ever so slightly off course. If she had been in atmosphere she would have felt the wind of it passing by her as she chopped her blade at its belly. From there she could have cut it in half, but she did something harder. The force of her weapon passed through the vessel, leaving only a small but important mark and securing her victory. It would have been shame to destroy such a fine blade, though perhaps she could have sliced through the cockpit. But damaging a friend's Assimilation target seemed rude.

After they landed, Ty Quigley came to see her, a small dot of blood on the tip of his nose. "Well, you got me again. Not that I'm surprised."

"It's difficult to make up for a hundred years of experience," Chikere said. "Though as I cannot make use of Ascension energy here, you might have a chance."

"If I can keep learning from you, perhaps," Ty nodded.

"Of course. It is a delight to interact with any devoted disciple of the sword… even if their chosen form is a bit abnormal."

Ty shrugged, "What can I say? I was a pilot first. Then I met elder Intan, and this is how things developed."

"Good," Chikere nodded. "You should always follow what feels right."

"Anyway… maybe in another decade I can take you down," Ty pondered. "Except your arm will be done by then."

"I'm willing to take you on as much as you wish until I ascend again. Perhaps you can catch up after that point," Chikere said. "I will likely be here another… century or two. Before I can ascend again."

"You're confident you can?" Ty asked.

"Most assuredly," she nodded. "I just need more practice."

Chapter 598

Eight towers stood tall in a ring. It was ironic, because the Harmonious Citadel traditionally had seven styles. Bow, sword, spear, axe, dagger, morningstar, and shield covered a wide range of cultivation… but just weapons. When one among their ranks gained great power of light, they couldn't help but support him. Apparently they'd finished the man's fancy, extra big tower. It made the whole place seem lopsided.

Everheart wondered if it would look better after he took down the Spear Saint's tower. It wasn't directly across, so probably not… but that was the Harmonious Citadel's issue to deal with.

A lot of expense had gone into building the structures, both for defenses and energy gathering formations for training. And of course there were the luxuries. Everheart understood why people would want such things… he just didn't get how they could focus on them so much as to miss out on other important features.

But he wouldn't mind having heated baths filled by fountains. He wondered if he could steal it. The tower, of course.

"Admiring the work?" a nearby spear disciple asked. "The invincible Spear Saint is one of the strongest pillars of the Harmonious Citadel."

"Invincible? Yeah right. Even now he's at best half as strong as the previous one."

"Previous…?"

"Oh yeah, there have been loads of saints. You think they never die, with how many enemies are made here?" Everheart grinned. "The last one was an amazing woman, and her sister nearly as strong. It took five of the other saints to take 'em out, and only because I- I heard they were missing a critical ally at that moment. That guy later came to seek revenge and destroyed the usurper's spear."

The disciples shook his head, "Now I know you're making things up. The holy spear has been in the hands of the Spear Saint for millennia, its design unchanged and unbreaking. I have felt it myself, and it is far too powerful to be easily replaced."

"Yeah, the spear that was destroyed was also not so easily replaced," Everheart nodded.

He decided that it would be too much work to steal the whole tower. He had better things to do than set up a complicated exercise like that, which would also require getting everyone out of the tower. So he'd just plan how he wanted it to fall. Towards one of the adjacent towers, or to the still-covered statues, breaking through their vandalism shield? Choices, choices. Now that he thought about it, there was someone he should probably get in on this.

The planet Ukast was a frozen wasteland with nothing to offer. Everything frozen there could be more easily peeled from a gas giant without having to freeze anyone's butts off. But Vari was there anyway, following a stupid mysterious message.

"If you would like to learn more about your mother, come to Ukast. Alone."

It was a stupid message because planets weren't good meeting locations. It didn't say anything even as useful as the north pole or even vague like the equator. Just Ukast. And she was stupid for listening to the message at all, and even more for coming alone.

She didn't even know where the message had come from… or what time frame she was supposed to be here. She'd shown up as soon as possible, and it was only after a day on planet that she really thought about anything.

Her more reasonable mind's thought that it was a trap- if a clumsy one- was justified when an arrow flew towards her through the swirling snow, cutting a trail with its shockwave. She raised her arm, solidifying a barrier like a shield and deflecting the arrow. Powerful. But she couldn't trace the attack to its source. There was no immediate follow-up, either.

The dagger came at the back of her neck, and she knew she'd been found out. Why did she even make friends if she didn't bring them? Her hand just barely managed to slap the wrist away as she spun, automatically performing one of the counters in Citadel's Downfall.

The snows made it possible to track her opponents, and somehow her energy senses couldn't find anything but snow and ice.

A spear attempted to pierce her guts, and Vari kicked upwards, spawning a trail of fire as she did so. They were mainly suited to resist fire, but she'd learned to activate some of the element as they were suited and she had a few sources to learn from.

Even as she began to melt away the snow around her, a sword tried to chop her in half at the waist. Her gauntleted hands slapped down on either side of the blade in a counter inspired by but not actually part of Citadel's Downfall. Surprisingly, instead of attempting to wrest their weapon free that opponent simply let go.

That was around the time Vari realized there was but one enemy, well versed in every style of the Harmonious Citadel.

The world around her began to unravel beneath the power of an axe, but it was a simple vertical chop. She could dance around it and throw out a counter, punching towards an unseen midsection. Her fist met the metal of a shield and she was thrown backwards.

The spiked morningstar came for her as she was still on her back, and she kicked it upward and away. She managed to spin to her feet and tried to predict which weapon would come next, drawing upon all her knowledge of Citadel's Downfall. Her hand thrust out, seeking something to grab onto. She clasped around something… while at the same time a hand closed around her own wrist.

Cross-body punches connected between them, and Vari felt her bones shatter. Her opponent wasn't just a little bit stronger than her. They was so much more. Probably toying with her the whole time. And then pulling out a grapple and punch? The Harmonious Citadel spurned those simply because they did not fit the image they had cultivated.

"Dammit, who are you?" Vari cursed towards the unseen figure who had not let go of her arm. She was melting falling flakes as they approached her, but it wasn't enough.

"Who am I?" A masculine voice came in return. "You already know that, don't you?"

"... I really don't," Vari said.

"... Wait did I forget to put my name on the note?"

"You didn't put anything on the note!" Vari said. "Just this whole stupid planet!" She was trying to maneuver the man to where she could see him, but she couldn't pull him closer nor could she step towards him with how he was holding her arm.

"Can't you guess at least? You should have heard of me."

"I don't know. The mysterious saint of light?"

"Wow. Rude. You think I'm one of them?"

"You've only been using the Harmonious Citadel's weapon techniques!"

"That was to make sure you'd been practicing Citadel's Downfall," the man countered. "Obviously if I were serious I would have used something better."

"How is that obvious? I don't even know you!"

"Oh yeah?" The figure finally came into view, a bearded man with salt and pepper throughout his beard and hair. "What about now?"

"... No?"

"Huh. I could have sworn I used this depiction commonly," he muttered. "Well, whatever. I'm Everheart."

"Hah." Vari deflated, "Nice try, but I know he's bald."

"Which bastard told you that, huh?" the man narrowed his eyes. "I'll kill him."

"This is news from the lower realms. The world he was born on, in fact," Vari said. "But I suppose an imposter wouldn't know which one that is."

"It was Anton, wasn't it? That traitor." Vari did her best to not react to that, but she wasn't a very good liar. Fortunately, the man didn't seem to care. "Well, fine." The man suddenly changed, from the way his hand gripped her wrist- still strongly, but now with thinner fingers. And his hair faded away. "Anyway, I really am Everheart. Your uncle. Kinda."

"What."

Feeling the soft yet durable fur ahead of him, Chidi made his way over the rough stone and past the scratchy grass to his best wolf friend. "Someday we'll get you a name, buddy." The wolf barked once in response. "I'm finally allowed to cultivate. It's… really hard, actually," Chidi sighed. "Everything aches. I've been working most of the day and I keep having to switch to new tasks any time I'm getting used to something. You don't have to train hard, do you? You just grow big and strong naturally."

An offended bark was followed by a tackle. Chidi felt the distance between them close but couldn't react when he was shoved onto his back. Sharpness tore towards his neck. Then stopped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I'm sure you work hard in different ways." The jaws withdrew and the sharpness faded away as the wolf's mouth closed. A wet nose poked Chidi's hand. Then again, harder. "I uh… what do you want?"

Sharp teeth pressed gently against his skin, clasping his hand as the wolf's head shook back and forth.

"Oh, you want to wrestle? I'm kind of tired, but alright. I guess I can ruin a whole other set of muscles."

Chidi's first move was to kick his knee into his friend's belly. He wasn't gentle about it either- at least not by human standards. By the lupine's standards, anything that didn't draw blood was fair game.

The wolf flipped over backwards, and Chidi navigated how he charged by feeling the sharp claws digging into the loose dirt, as well as the intent of energy flowing through the body.

Ten minutes later, Chidi was lying on his back once more, groaning. "Alright, arlight, you win. I'm already tired anyway." Not that it would have made any difference. "So… you train by sparring with your siblings?" An affirming growl, but Chidi detected there was something more. "I heard that real combat is the best for growth. Do you… actually fight things?" Chidi knew the former location of the Gardens still had many beasts, and it wasn't that far- though there was a wall keeping beasts away from civilized areas.

Another growl. Affirmative again.

"I think I'm beginning to understand you," Chidi said. "Is it weird for me to use words? Should I growl back instead?" Chidi attempted to replicate some of the sounds.

He hadn't known that the wolves could laugh, but the sound that followed was definitely that, and came with a lot of fur rubbing against dirt as his pal rolled around. So… maybe he didn't sound quite right. But that was fine.

"So," Catarina said, "What material would be best for this ascender catching net?"

"I'm not sure," Engineer Uzun admitted. "We'd have to try dozens of combinations to narrow down the desired properties…"

"Yeah, that's no good. You get three material attempts, tops. This is already an expensive project, and we can't afford to dismantle and replace it." Catarina shook her head. "What about power sources?"

"Well, it would be optimal to have this orbit around the sun. You'd never have to worry about power. The only problem is it would be kinda… exposed. And I suppose the gravity might interfere with the transfer."

"Let's set that aside for the scenario where we've expanded enough to build a second one," Catarina said. "We've got an area with high volcanic activity, but since… we took over… it hasn't been consistent."

"That might do it," Uzun nodded, "Or we could attempt a nuclear generator."

"Don't those explode?"

"Only if you do it wrong. You've never had any of your energy generation or storage blow up?"

"Alright," Catarina nodded. "Fair."

"And the radiation is easily shielded from by lead, which is… basically free."

"Yeah, we could bring an entire lead asteroid over if we ran out."

"To increase efficiency, I would suggest using high conductivity elements like silver. The whole formation is losing at least ten percent of its energy to waste. It might not sound like much, but you could extend the effective duration another month without needing to add energy storage. It's easy to mine from asteroids as well. We've got scanners if you don't want to send people to manually take a look."

Catarina nodded, "That sounds good, but the increased flow would actually throw off other components. We'd have to account for that. But I appreciate your knowledge of… mundane materials."

"Once we get computers operating," Uzun added, "We can monitor and regulate the flow. It wouldn't require a cultivator to handle it, and it might even be more efficient than manual operation."

"I'm not sure about that," Catarina said.

"Well… okay, you might be an exception. But I can guarantee it would be better than the vast majority of trained individuals if properly programmed."

"And that will take…?"

"Decades, probably," Uzun sighed. "If we're lucky."

"So not long at all then. I'm glad we brought you in," Catarina grinned.

Chapter 599

Inside a small room cut off from upper energy- cut off from the world- Chidi placed a tiny pellet on his tongue. It instantly began to dissolve, turning into soft strings of energy that tasted like dirt. Contrary to popular opinion, Chidi didn't think dirt tasted bad. It was simply the way it clung to the tongue, the dry powderyness that made it terrible. Not that he particularly liked it either, instead it was tolerable for the sake of results.

Chidi did not swallow the pill nor the energy it contained, instead guiding the strings outward, into the walls of his mouth. He wove them into himself, tempering everything as evenly as he could. The rest flowed out, through his lips and over the skin on his face, slowly moving down his neck, to his torso and out to his arms and then legs, ending with his extremities.

His parents had given Chidi many options for how to temper his body, not forcing him down any particular path. The second tempering was the first prime tempering in the One Hundred Stars, and thus key to a good foundation. Many people chose to temper muscle, improving power greatly in the early term and a tolerable amount at later cultivation stages. The other popular choice was the meridians, where the flow of energy took place and the foundation of cultivation itself. In general, people would temper one or the other for their prime temperings.

That made sense, but Chidi couldn't really feel his muscles or meridians. Sure, he could poke his muscles- but what did he touch? Skin. Inside of him, using the energy he had absorbed, his meridians were definitely there, but they were still sort of distant and weird, like something just out of reach. Fingertips brushing against the tips of blades of grass instead of sinking in between them.

After consulting with his parents to explain his reasoning and get their approval- they did happen to know a thing or two about cultivation- Chidi settled on what he felt would be best for him, a progression that more or less went from external to internal. Thus, after the first foundational tempering his second tempering- the first prime- would be his skin.

He'd already been cultivating for several months now. He knew that some people progressed faster- and with less advantages than he had. However, most began when they were at least fifteen years old, many closer to twenty. Chidi was not yet even ten… so he had to be cautious. His parents wouldn't have let him even begin cultivating if he didn't properly understand the risks.

Once he was finished with the single pill, he took stock of himself. His skin tingled all over. Any more, and it would probably hurt. Pushing through the pain to cultivate more quickly wasn't necessarily an admirable trait, as he might simply injure himself. So for the moment, he would be done. As he stepped out of containment, upper energy washed over him, terrifying and oppressive in its power. He could certainly have begun his cultivation with such a thing, but it would be like trying to beat Spikes in wrestling before any of the cubs. Though they were, by lupine standards, just normal adults now.

Anton looked down on Itholla. He had nowhere near as much attachment to it as he did to Ceretos, Rutera, or any of Weos' planets- but it was where he'd spent the most time in Doruma. Now he was interested in seeing how it might grow in the future. Sadly, that would have to wait. Literally, as that was the only way Anton had to get to the future.

Held in Caradog's hand was a communication device Anton had given him. "It should be able to reach me anywhere. Though it does seem you'll need to be outside of this bubble." Anton tried to keep in regular communication with people, which meant he'd noticed messages not arriving after some time. "I understand the reason behind your isolation, but if you choose to end it let us know. We have many who would be interested in exchanging formation insights with you, among other things."

Caradog nodded. "I am glad I took the risk contacting you to begin with. I don't think we should hide forever… though we're certainly not ready yet. Perhaps once we have Assimilation cultivators. Either way, interested ascenders will seek out your companions in the upper realms."

"Well then, I should be on my way."

"Are you sure you don't want to be escorted out?"

"Your ships are… way too slow."

Caradog chuckled. "Until you came along, we thought they were exceedingly fast."

Anton nodded, "Exchanging construction techniques is quite valuable. Sadly, I don't know any of those. You'll have to settle for those few documents."

In the end, Anton did not bind to any of the six stars in the system. Not only were they supporting a delicate formation- and even a slight disruption in the flow of energy might throw that off- he had no actual need. Nor had he endeared himself to the whole system in a way that they would simply allow him to do so without some sort of additional exchange. That wasn't a small decision that should happen over just a few years. Rutera and Weos had come in times of crisis, and obviously Anton would not ask permission of enemies, but he did want to respect local ownership.

Flying out of the system, Anton knew he would return. Simply watching the planets orbit was fascinating, and Doruma could easily become something special. Not that any place with people needed anything beyond that to be special, because even with influence from the upper realms nobody was quite the same.

Anton flew, the peculiar arrangement of the system meaning he did not have far to go to reach the border of the system, and of their great formation. Traveling outwards was easy- and after a few moments, Anton felt nothing behind him.

With stars available everywhere in front of him, Anton picked one he had wished to journey to long before, though it was quite distant. It would likely take more than a year, even traveling at top speed. However, he didn't simply want to bypass every system along the way, so he'd plotted out a route that would bring him to many stops. Whether they would be of interest Anton couldn't be quite sure.

"Now remember," a finger waggled in Vari's face. "Don't trust anyone. Not even family."

"I trust my friends," Vari said. "But not you."

"Could be worse," Everheart admitted. "But if you get too many people involved, someone will be a traitor."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Happens every time," Everheart nodded.

"How often is it you?"

"Listen, small details like that aren't important," he waved her question away. "What is important is that we're going to kill the spear saint."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? Don't you hate the Harmonious Citadel? Besides, the spear saint was involved in killing your mother."

"Well… probably," Vari said. "We don't know that for sure."

"I do," Everheart grinned, "I did a test and you're certainly Kullike's daughter."

"I didn't agree to that."

"Doesn't make it not work," Everheart shrugged. "So, you don't want revenge?"

"I do. And I suppose you want revenge for your… lover?" Vari tilted her head. "Or whatever my aunt was to you. I just don't know if that's a good enough motive to trust you on this."

"Good, you're learning," Everheart nodded seriously. "But it's definitely sufficient. And the training will be good for you even if you don't go along with the plan."

"I don't like the sound of that," Vari admitted.

"You know what they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"Who says that?" Vari asked. "Because that's frequently untrue."

"I won't let my niece permanently lose a limb," Everheart said. "Don't worry."

That didn't even come close to preventing Vari from worrying.

The first star was a familiar class, and the only planet of note around it was unsuitable for life. Temperatures that ranged from just below the boiling point of water to a good bit higher. A sky filled with yellowish clouds that had very little water vapor, instead being made of toxic gasses. If anyone was going to survive, it would have to be underground where there was a reasonable amount of water and vaguely survivable temperatures. Anton didn't sense any signs of that, however.

The next? A green gas giant. No less toxic than the terrestrial planet, with massive gravity as well. It was around a dim red star, which wasn't of interest to Anton for Assimilation due to its size. Though his goal was a particularly miniscule star, if information was correct.

There were other planets in those systems, but they were basically rocky with no features Anton hadn't seen many times before.

The third system, not counting the ones immediately adjacent to Doruma, came with a white star approximately twice the radius of Ceretos' sun. It was significantly hotter and many times brighter, but the planet of interest was far enough that it fell in a 'reasonable' temperature range. More importantly, the natural energy of both sun and one particular planet were exceptional.

As Anton approached, he was quite surprised. At least on his side of the planet there was hardly a speck of water- a couple things that might be called lakes, but nothing nearing the level of an inland sea. Clouds were sparse as well. Yet Anton felt life, and not just a little.

Once Anton was close enough to properly sense the ground, he felt plantlife. Cacti and succulents, as well as the other sorts well adapted to the desert. Skittering creatures under the surface of the hot sands, along with reptiles soaking in the sun of the day.

More than that, however, Anton felt himself being watched. There wasn't anything specific- an enemy cultivator or the like. Rather, he felt like he'd passed through an unrecognized formation. Strange, as there was no large flow of energy.

Anton still found none of the most typical signs of human life. No roads or cities, at least. Not formations he was actually certain existed. However, there was one sign he would absolutely recognize. The regularity of intentionally sewn plants, even if they weren't in perfect rows but rather followed the curves of the dunes, stood out to him. He landed nearby, taking care not to step in the fields. He didn't want to ruin someone's hard work, after all. Or many someones, given the extensive signs.

He expected someone to be out and about at this time, but still sensed no people. That was odd, until he noticed the temperatures that he had estimated to be moderate were rapidly climbing to dangerous levels. That made the heat little more than a mild discomfort for Anton, but it affected the behavior of the local wildlife. Even the basking reptiles burrowed into the ground- or returned to homes they had dug before.

Soon the temperature was surpassing boiling, but the local life seemed quite suited to deal with it. Sheltered underground, they kept their cool. Plants, meanwhile, stubbornly held onto their supplied of water, their energy heightening as their internal processes sped up. This was, as far as Anton recalled, relatively normal for desert plants. They wouldn't intake air during the day so as to not leave a path for water to escape, but they still needed the light and heat of the sun. This was perhaps a bit more extreme than normal examples, but these weren't simple plants. He could feel them growing as power filled them, converting it for their own uses- and presumably for humans use as well.

All he had to do was find them. They shouldn't be too far from their fields. Were they hidden behind formations? Perhaps they had the ability, but Anton supposed there was another option- they could simply be deep enough that his casual probing wouldn't notice them. Indeed, when he extended his energy a hundred meters into the ground he found the first cultivators… and felt their reactions.

Working his senses through their hallways- they certainly were well enough put together to not deserve to be called simple tunnels- he found his way to a surface hatch, which happened to have a good number of guards nearby. And it was gathering more. It seemed his presence was causing more than a bit of fuss. He didn't intend for that, but he couldn't really help it. Hopefully nobody would overreact. In the worst case scenario, he would just leave and not cause any further trouble.

Chapter 600

The hatch leading further into the arid planet had a defensive force behind it, waiting. Discerning just the surface of their cultivation methods, Anton felt something strange- more than a few felt like water cultivators. That seemed like it would be extremely limited in such an environment, but perhaps he was seeing a period of drought. There could be significant rainy periods… but the life in the area didn't seem like something expecting rapid change.

Since they didn't come out- there was little point in having a defensive barrier if one simply opened it- Anton projected his voice inward. "Greetings."

Most of the cultivators drew back- while it was easier to slip the relatively weak power of voice past a formation, it could still be expected that it would block it. One man retained his position towards the front, responding. "Who are you? What clan are you from?"

Just like projecting his voice in, Anton had to pull the sounds out of the barrier. "Anton. I'm not from any clan." He had descendents, of course, but they could hardly be called a clan. Especially not since he suspected this man meant something specific.

The man spoke with bravery- which was to say, Anton could sense the fear behind his voice and he still chose to respond. "If you do not have the backing of a clan, we will have to refuse your entry. We don't accept exiles."

"I am not an exile," Anton responded calmly. How should he say it? Well, the direct manner was easiest. "I am from off-planet."

The man stiffened at that response. "Even if that is true, we will still have to refuse you entry."

"I understand," Anton said. "Do you know of any who would be willing to speak to me?"

The man hesitated for some time, before responding. "No."

Anton had the feeling he meant that, though he might have been considering sending Anton to some enemies. People did not build security where they expected no danger. Anton couldn't think of anything else to say that wouldn't sound like and perhaps even be a threat, so he just turned to leave. "Goodbye."

His luck was much the same elsewhere, and while there were regional variations the entire planet still remained extremely lacking in moisture, just as he had felt from above. He didn't detect anything buried beneath the surface either, though he didn't probe terribly deep as he passed by various locations. No more than a kilometer or so, where he would have expected to find anything.

He did find something interesting that was not water. In several places, concealed by exterior camouflage and stored deep beneath the surface, there were ships. He only recognized them for what they were because of the Ruterans. They didn't particularly share many similarities, being constructed in large part from glasslike materials, but the main feature was they were different from typical cultivator vessels. Not that he expected this planet to be able to put together wooden boats, unless they were skilled at knitting together scraggly branches.

Those vessels should at least be able to fly, and perhaps more- though he couldn't do much without inspecting them up close, without barriers blocking him.

Anton didn't find the locals to be friendly… but at least they were not overly aggressive. He ultimately left without seeing anyone face-to-face, even when he went to the other side of the planet where it was warming up from the cold nights instead of at its overheating phase. People had to go out at some point, but it seemed they all noticed him ahead of time. He was tempted to rush as quickly as he could to catch someone out, but that seemed like it could cause more trouble than it was worth. Perhaps he would come back later and someone would change their mind about further interactions.

Everyone expected Anishka to be an amazing cultivator- even Anishka, at first. Her parents were Assimilation cultivators, the peak of the world. Most of her older siblings were elders of the Fire and Ice Palace, and if they weren't they would be eventually.

It wasn't an issue of talent- whatever that was. Anishka found she could control the elements of the sect with ease, though she had tried some things that were too hard early on. The stories about her father had been an early inspiration. The same with her grandfather. Or great-great-maybe-more-greats grandfather.

Ultimately, however, Anishka didn't want to be a cultivator. She didn't know what she did want to be, but it was something else. Of course, everyone was a cultivator. Whatever she was going to do, she would be better at it if her body was tempered by flames and ice and her mind flowed with power. So she would still be a cultivator, but she wouldn't be a cultivator cultivator. Fighting was… uninteresting. She had no desire to delve into forgotten tombs or manage resources.

Nor did she have any desire to tell anyone any of that. How would she even do that?

So she just silently continued, ice and fire alternately flowing through her meridians. It was surprisingly comfortable, heat coming to warm her about the time she thought she would freeze, to be replaced by coolness when she was on the verge of overheating.

When she was finished she was met with a relaxed mental clarity that brought a strange thought. If she didn't actually know what she wanted, maybe nobody else did either? A terrifying thought.

Anton continued to pass through new systems, but he found himself growing fatigued. Distance wasn't supposed to be an important factor once he was out of a system, but he found that being away from Assimilated stars for a long period of time as well as being the furthest distance he'd ever gone- now somewhere over a hundred light-years- he simply felt empty.

He didn't want to get in the habit of choosing random stars to Assimilate, but he had to make use of his available connections eventually. Perhaps that was another factor as well.

His next stop found himself around a tiny- though nowhere near as tiny as his target- lone star. A red dwarf with no planets surrounding it, less than a third the radius of Ceretos' star and thus proportionately much more miniscule. He named it Zed. Anton didn't think it had been cataloged from Ceretos, and if it was it hardly mattered. The name only mattered to him, and if it didn't he could have pushed for his name over another.

Binding to it didn't take particularly long- Anton was already familiar with the process, and he was able to be as close as he wanted. Since he'd even bound to Rutera's star at least partially from the neighboring system it was simple enough.

Surprisingly, Anton didn't feel that this star, despite being smaller and dimmer than others, was any less powerful. However, as he pulled away he felt it faded away more quickly, giving it a smaller area of influence. Not that it mattered terribly much. Anton felt refreshed after a short time near a bound star, replenishing his body and spirit before he moved on.

Anton continued, impatience driving him forward to the end of his journey of more than a year. Finally he reached his destination, though it was only once he approached the star's influence that he was certain he hadn't gotten off track. The star had no planets, and he couldn't currently see it even with his exceptional vision.

He approached closer and closer. He could feel the power of the star, and soon enough he was nearly touching it. Or rather, where it would have been if it had the same radius as Ceretos' star. Power vibrated through Anton, yet he couldn't even make out the star without augmenting his eyes.

Azun was a star less than twenty kilometers across, smaller than some sects, and nowhere close to matching a planet or even other stars. Discovering it, even after centuries of searching the stars, had come down to Rutera's advanced telescopic technology and people like Matija. They called it a neutron star, formed from the death of a much larger specimen.

Its properties had been uncertain except for some typical features- and its massive density. Simply approaching it was filled with great danger, as its rotation spewed a massive amount of power from its poles. However, approaching from the correct angle had brought Anton to where he was now, and he felt like his body might rip apart not from gravity but instead the powerful magnetic field. He had stored his bow as he approached, leaving everything actually metallic inside his storage bag.

Anton had wanted to get closer, but moving any further was risky without binding it to him. Anton very carefully 'sat', meditating in a comfortable position and focusing on the power in front of him.

If he simply opened a channel of power he could easily see himself being torn apart. First he had to understand this. Still a star, but not a star. A dead star, yet filled with more vigor than many that truly lived. Not collapsed into what appeared to be nothing like a black hole, but filled with a strange mystery.

Anton meditated, feeling the spinning density and the great power, significant amounts of radiation spewing out of the poles at any point. Cultivators could be quite resistant to radiation, but Anton had no qualms imagining that he could withstand it for long. It was much less than what would happen during a supernova- the event that could lead to their formation- but it was enough to detect hundreds or more lightyears away despite the phenomenon being miniscule in size on an interstellar scale. The magnetism formed a great field on a scale Anton hadn't felt before.

This time Anton reshaped himself before the connection was formed. If he had tried to describe the process of acclimatizing himself to unfathomable amounts of magnetism, he would have lacked the words. It was simply a matter of becoming part of it.

Slowly and intentionally, he drifted closer to Azun. It was not particularly hot- on the level of stars- where he was, but he could feel its surface was hotter than any of the suns he had visited, once again by a great many times. This was great power packed into the smallest spaces imaginable.

Insights drove Anton, bringing him ever closer both internally and externally. By the time he touched down upon its surface, he was part of it and it was part of him. It took more than that understanding for him to not be incinerated, but it was simple enough to counteract with that power.

It wasn't limitless… in fact, Anton was much more aware of how such a thing was fading, even if only on massive timescales. It was simply a matter of extremes. If an Augmentation cultivator were to challenge Anton here, next to the neutron star Azun, Anton wouldn't fear them even if they had their full expected power in the upper realms. But of course, he would only maintain a small part of that power further away. At the more familiar radius of a star it was both more and less powerful. At what Anton had come to judge as the edge of the system, it was much the same as anything else. Just… different. The magnetism was one thing, but the beams of radiation might also add power to Anton's arsenal. Power he wasn't sure he needed.

Well then. Time to set up all of the machines the Ruteran scientists had pressed onto him. It would be a shame to come all this way and not get measurements 'up close'. None of them would survive anywhere close to that absurd magnetic field, but he could certainly get something usable. Certainly even his own observations would be better than what machines could measure all the way from Rutera. Though they would be filled with far fewer numbers and measurements. Rutera was going to be simply flooded with measurements when he returned. Maybe before, if the communications devices worked here- something Anton would absolutely not bet on. After setting them up and making sure that at least the lights were green- though the devices had no external readout other than that- Anton began to familiarize himself with his new abilities and wondered how he might include them in his abilities elsewhere.

Chapter 601

Above Xankeshan stood an all-encompassing barrier, a shield as close to a sphere as the planet beneath. Not perfect, but following the easiest curves it could. A queue of ships flew in orbit until they were authorized one by one.

There had been a point in the past when Catarina or one of the others from the lower realms had to personally approve every entry. Over time, with even a small amount of growth, that would have become infeasible. At the current time the planet wasn't among the largest populations, but it did have many people from the alliance moving through.

The loss of control over the flow of ships in and out was necessary, and if something went terribly wrong their enemies could only infiltrate with a couple of ships. It wouldn't be so easy to sabotage the formations from inside- the old formations combined with Catarina's repairs and improvements could defend themselves against almost anyone. The only enemies worth worrying about were Augmentation cultivators, and nobody had piles of those just sitting around. More importantly, they would stand out wherever they went.

The enemy actively at war with Xankeshan was the Harmonious Citadel, and their cultivators of that caliber were well known. Those were the saints, eight of them and possibly a few spares. If they didn't kill each other off when jockeying for position, which happened at least as recently as three centuries prior, and potentially more often in ways that hadn't been discovered.

Vari had just returned. She'd been away quite frequently recently. Everyone had their own things to get up to, especially in relation to the war, but there was something…

Catarina went to catch her getting off the ship. One advantage of traditional cultivator flying ships was that they were buoyant because of formations and didn't require forward speed like technological vessels- though once outside of atmosphere those points were moot regardless. Rutera had developed methods of landing and taking off that required less space, and Engineer Uzun was implementing them on the new developments. For the moment, however, technological ships required a bit more than just a landing pad. By the time they were in active use, there shouldn't be too many issues with accommodating them.

"Welcome back, Vari," Catarina said. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, you know, this and that. Advancing the war against the Harmonious Citadel."

For all that Vari had briefly infiltrated the Harmonious Citadel, she wasn't much of a liar. It didn't take a genius to know there was more to be said. "What in particular?"

"Just… training combat techniques."

That was true. But still not everything. "In secret?" Catarina tilted her head.

"... yes?" Vari shrugged. "We can't be certain there aren't spies here."

That was an unfortunate truth. Though the Dark Ring should have been free of spies, considering the Harmonious Citadel's inability to deal with them, it was entirely possible for some individuals to have snuck in now- though not core members of the Harmonious Citadel who would have been recognized by their cultivation method.

Catarina sighed, "Listen… I trust you, but I'd also like to help. If I couldn't, others of us would no doubt be suited. We can't help you if you don't ask."

"I'm fine, really," Vari said. "I've just been training with my uncle."

"You don't have an- dammit have you been visiting Everheart?" Catarina surrounded them in an auditory bubble before she spouted the second half of that comment.

"No!" Vari said, looking guilty. "Why would I…?" Before she even finished fully denying it, she changed tracks. "How did you know he was my uncle? Why didn't you tell me?"

"My grandfather was almost-friends with Everheart," Catarina reminded her. "And I wasn't really sure. As for telling you, I assumed nobody would want to hear that they had a steaming pile of horse crap for family."

"He's not that… bad…" Vari frowned. "I… have learned a lot."

"Good. Wring every bit of knowledge from him that you can," Catarina said. "That, at least, he's good for. So, what's he planning? If you know."

"... We're going to kill the spear saint."

"That sounds suicidal," Catarina pointed out. "And while I don't think anyone should bet on Everheart dying in such a thing, you absolutely could. He might even sacrifice you to complete the mission."

"I… don't think he would," Vari said.

"Maybe we didn't tell you enough about him, or how he literally just robbed the major sects in the lower realms after they were working together," Catarina sighed. "But… if you insist on continuing with this, at least let us know when you're going to act so we can do something in the inevitable chaos."

"Right," Vari nodded, "Of course."

Anton began his journey back towards the worlds he knew, finding it went slightly faster. Part of that was spending less time exploring the nearby systems. Another part was ever-increasing proficiency with interstellar movement techniques. The last… Anton felt like his stars were calling to him. Drawing him closer, if only a small amount. It was a phenomenon he'd vaguely been aware of when traversing his home systems, but he hadn't been certain. His speed was increased more from being near the sources of his power than the connection he had trying to bring him back. Perhaps some day he might make use of that in a more relevant manner, but for the moment he basically just had to spend slightly less time than he would have thought.

He wasn't in a rush anyway. There were other systems he wanted to check out on the way back, especially considering he had some information from the upper realms considering some of them. A few potentially friendly systems that had ascenders.

The closest one, nearly a neighbor to Azun just a dozen lightyears away, was obviously the first one Anton would check. This one didn't have any ascenders, but during his time connected to Azun he had picked up minor fluctuations from the system.

It was nearly the opposite of the last planet he'd spent much time on- this one nearly covered in water. Then again, that wasn't terribly different from Ceretos. By his estimates it was a similar amount of land on a slightly larger world, the difference of a third larger radius making the surface nearly twice as large. That meant proportionately a similar amount of landmass covered half as much, percentage wise. It was mostly spread between smaller landmasses, though there were a few he could reasonably call continents.

Knowing nothing of the inhabitants except that they definitely existed- confirmed as he approached- Anton picked somewhere to land and hoped people wouldn't be too upset. He wouldn't be breaking through any formations, but he would be intruding upon someone's territory by default.

Rather than conceal his presence, he went for a high population area. Or rather, what should have been a high population city not terribly long in the past. If he had to estimate, it was somewhere bordering on a decade- the exact time frame depending on the tides of the world in the area. His assumptions that the damage was from an upper realm invasion could be wrong, but it would have been a serious coincidence.

Anton was extremely disappointed that nobody seemed to have noticed him landing. Not because he wanted to cause a commotion, but because there were no cultivators of much power around to sense him.

"Ah, not quite…" he turned to regard a young man possessed of a largish nose. He had dark skin, with scruffy black hair spilling over his ears. "Hello."

"... Are you with them?" the youth asked.

"I am not associated with anyone you've seen or met," Anton indicated as he felt around. His senses covered the whole island-nation with room to spare, at least a slice at a time. He found more than a few signs of what- and who- he had feared. "And definitely not those involved with destroying this building," he waved his hand towards what had once been a tower- maybe close to a skyscraper.

"Yeah right. You came from the sky, like them. I- I won't let you cause any more trouble." The young man drew a sword at his waist, a fine make with slight enchantments that he absolutely should not have been able to get possession of. Not with his complete lack of cultivation. And training, apparently, as his stab towards Anton was lacking in every regard. Anton could have literally let the young man strike his bare skin and he didn't imagine he would have been scratched.

The tip of the sword stopped, pressing against his chest. Anton gently lowered the point of the sword with his finger. "I'm not here to cause trouble," Anton said. "But if you want to be able to prevent it, you'll need more power than that."

The young man was breathing heavily, his eyes wide in panic. "What are you?"

"Did you not see the war? With this destruction you should have seen many cultivators who could withstand something so simple." Anton frowned, "How old are you? What is your name?"

"I'm not telling you anything," the young man said stubbornly.

"I'd guess around fifteen. Perhaps you were too young to truly remember the invasion?"

"So what? I heard about it. And I… won't let you do what you want!" he pulled back his sword, swinging it back behind him in a completely uselessly exaggerated overhead chop. Anton let it come down on his head, where it nestled softly in his thin hair.

"Perhaps you think that stories of cultivators were exaggerated, then?" Anton pinched the sword between his fingers, preventing the young man from moving it. "It is unlikely many of them were completely untrue. There is great power in cultivation. Did you not see me fly down?"

"T-the invaders could fly too, but only because of… uh… something."

"The tides of the world," Anton offered. "That would carry them here and back, in a manner certainly just like flight. Now then," Anton said. "If you were a cultivator yourself you could easily verify that I am from the lower realms, just like you. Obviously, a different planet. I am an enemy of those same invaders. The Trigold Cluster." Seeing no spark of understanding in the young man's eyes, Anton sighed. "They really did a good job of covering up the information, didn't they?" No doubt more of the work would be done by the agents of the Twin Soul Sect Anton sensed around, sewing confusion and uncertainty into the following generations.

"You… the city guard will stop you!"

"I won't stop you from going, if you truly think they will help. But I hope you might be interested in actually listening." Anton cleared his throat. "Let's start over. Hello, I am Anton Krantz. Sect Head of the Order of One Hundred Stars, from the Ceretos Sector. And you have either great potential as a cultivator or you'll get yourself killed moments after first reading a cultivation technique." Anton pulled out a scroll from his storage bag, one that was too large to fit inside to make his point clear. He let it unravel. "Interested in learning?"

"I…" the young man hesitated, looking down. "I can't read."

"I can also teach reading," Anton grinned. "What's your name?"

"Varghese," the young man said.

"Nice to meet you Varghese. Any friends and family you'd be interested in giving this opportunity? I can't personally teach everyone, but I do plan to give this planet a nice little push in the right direction."

"I…" Varghese frowned. "I can't trust you with others, yet."

"Fair enough," Anton admitted. "What do you call this place, by the way?"

"Aspin."

"Is that the city, nation, or planet?"

"... This whole place." Varghese said. "Planet's In'istra."

"Thanks," Anton said. "Say, do you happen to have any food? I haven't eaten anything in over a year. I can pay."

"With what?"

Anton rifled his senses through Varghese's pockets. He had a few coins, and Anton could easily fake the design. Not that it would be a problem, because his would be at least as valuable, and probably higher purity. "Copper. And of course cultivation knowledge, but I understand that doesn't put food on your table until you get good at it, so I'd be happy to ease your financial burden."

Varghese just looked at Anton, confused. Surprised. Hopeful. Anton planned to have more of the last one as they went along.

Chapter 602

A simple overhang stuck out of the side of a row of buildings, providing shelter for customers approaching. It was little more than a small kitchen with a front-facing counter to pile fried foods in large bowls, one man busily swapping between cooking and serving.

"Jai!" Varghese plopped two small coins down on the counter. "Something to eat for me and my friend here."

Jai turned around, swept the coins up in one hand and tossed two triangular pastries from a pile, one to Varghese and one to Anton. "I didn't know you had friends," the man grinned. Then he regarded Anton. "A bit pale, isn't he?"

Anton's skin hadn't faded beyond a dark tan since he was young, but his natural skin tone was lighter so comparatively he still stood out. "I'm from afar," he shrugged. Presumably In'istra had more variety elsewhere, even if Aspin was most commonly darker skinned. Anton did his best to tailor his accent to not stand out too much, taking in the voices of those around. Whatever it was that kept language from diverging too much, Anton was glad for it.

"Oh? You're braver than I, dealing with the perils of the sea," Jai said, then he was back to frying and serving others.

Though Anton had offered to pay, Varghese had done it and Anton intuited that attempting to pay him back directly would be construed as rude. So instead he took a bite of the pastry, stuffed with some sort of meat, potatoes, and spices. It was hot. Scalding. And, of course, completely irrelevant compared to the temperatures Anton had dealt with in the past.

Jai seemed to have been hoping Anton would show some reaction besides a pleasant smile, and he more cautiously bit off the corner and blew into his pastry to cool it a bit. "You ate that fast," he said as they walked along. "Almost makes me believe you didn't eat anything in a year."

Anton shrugged, "It was tasty. I couldn't help it." Of course, there was very little about himself that Anton actually couldn't control. He just didn't want to hold back. Recycling his body's nutrients didn't scratch the same itch as actually eating, even if he didn't need food. Technically he had a pile of rations in his storage bag, but they tasted like dirt so they were only for emergencies where he didn't have sufficient natural energy to sustain himself. Anton wasn't sure if that situation could actually happen, but he didn't intend to be careless.

Varghese watched Anton as he finished his own meal, then frowned, "Wait, why am I letting you lead the way? You don't even know the area. Actually, do you even have a plan?"

"I do," Anton said. "You aren't busy right now, so we'll start with learning. I want you to climb this abandoned building," Anton gestured before they stepped around the corner.

"How did you know that was there?"

"I flew in," Anton said. "Remember?" Though he'd technically seen it from the air, he'd actually just picked it out as they were walking around. "When you get to the top I'll give you a reward."

"What if I-" Varghese stopped talking as Anton leaped four stories into the air- though for the sake of what remained of the street he spread his pushing force out over a larger area with a blanket of energy. Flying was probably easier, but didn't look as good.

"Well?" Anton said. "Come on then."

The building was fairly easy to climb up. Lots of mortar missing between the bricks, some window sills that were sturdy enough, and Varghese was a fairly fit young man- if perhaps a bit malnourished like many in the area. He only had a few more of those copper coins Anton saw him pay with. Though it was possible he had a stash wherever home was.

Anton could see Varghese's determination, and the young man didn't make any other attempts to protest. Maybe he thought Anton wouldn't have heard anyway.

Aside from snagging the hilt of his sword on a sill, the climb went smoothly for Varghese, though he was a bit winded when he reached the top. There he found Anton sitting with a scroll containing a single word. Anton tossed it to him, and he fumbled to catch it.

"There. Your reward."

Varghese frowned. "What is it?"

"The word 'climb'. Didn't you want to learn to read?" Anton grinned as Varghese's brow furrowed more. "Not enough? Well, I do have something else." Anton tossed him a blank scroll and a pen with no ink. "You're going to copy that word. I'll teach you the letters and how to write them."

"... Okay." The young man reluctantly accepted the situation- he did want to learn to write, even if he had probably imagined a more fanciful reward.

"Passable," Anton said. He'd vaguely copied the shapes, but his writing form was still bad and the word was still… poorly formed after a dozen attempts. "Try another time."

"There's… no more room," Varghese admitted.

"That's because you made your first attempts too large," Anton said. "Normally, you will work smaller. However, that's not a problem. Simply roll up that second scroll… and then unroll it."

Varghese did so, and when he opened it again it was blank. When he wrote on it, instead of the ink coming from his pen, the paper itself produced the ink. A simple trick, useless in most situations except for practicing writing. And while Anton hadn't been sure he would teach anyone how to write on this trip, how could he not carry as many different teaching tools as he could pack?

Varghese finally scratched out a successful attempt. "Good," Anton nodded. "You'll want to practice more, of course. And I'll teach you more than just a few letters and a single word later. But we need to move onto the next step."

"Which is?" Varghese tilted his head.

"Cultivation, of course. I did say I'd teach you. I have a good sense of your fitness now, so I can put together a plan for body tempering. And of course, you must learn to sense energy." Anton tossed him a scroll. "This is the One Hundred Stars. The same technique I practice. You can't read it yet, of course, but consider that a goal. I'll verbally teach you the first layers, but you'll have to read if you want to advance beyond Body Tempering." If the young man had some reason he couldn't learn to read and write that would be another story, but he'd done just fine.

The instruction began with simply familiarizing Varghese with his body, and feeling for his dantian to spark his internal energy. It was a slow process, taking several hours for him to refine just a single strand of energy. But… he had started, and the first step was the most important.

"Well then," Anton said. "I imagine you have other things you must get to." Specifically, he'd noticed Varghese glancing away- and not because he was bored. "Come back and meet me here later."

"When?" Varghese asked.

Anton shrugged. "Whenever you're free. I'll know you're coming."

It might have been the slightest invasion of privacy to follow the young man with his energy senses, but Anton was at a point that he did not care. He didn't eavesdrop on the conversations Varghese had with his family- father, mother and a couple siblings it looked like- but he did need to keep track of that cultivation technique, and Varghese's safety. He'd keep an eye on both.

Now then, what else should he do in the meantime? Meeting some of the local cultivators might be good, but it could also cause a panic. Anton wasn't exactly hiding his power, but that might make his sudden appearance in their midsts more concerning.

Falling Stars was an excellent technique with a fatal flaw- it relied on the power of gravity to accelerate attacks and provide power. Except for rare planets without gravity or that were particularly low, it was still quite usable, but away from there- and especially in the midsts of space- it required something more.

Hoyt and Prospero faced each other. The former was more powerful, but only by virtue of reaching Integration earlier. Now, the younger grandfather had surpassed Life Transformation, so they were separated by only a smaller gap. Given he was the progenitor of the Falling Stars- and Hoyt, less directly- his ability was sufficient to make up for the difference in power.

If the technique relied on the acceleration of gravity, Prospero would simply have to make his own. He could, of course, simply inject more energy, pushing the attacks faster. But the whole point was to conserve energy. Taking a slightly different approach would be more effective.

Prospero reached out his hand to his right- Hoyt's left- though the fact that he and his grandson were sharing the same orientation was more habit than necessity. A great ball of fire appeared, building up momentum as it arced towards Hoyt.

At the last moment, so as to not give away which direction he intended to dodge, Hoyt ducked under the attack and created his own counter, beneath him. He gestured with a kick, fully unnecessary to the process the same as Prospero's outstretched hand.

Prospero's second falling star clashed directly with Hoyt's, the two attacks negating each other. Then Prospero's first came back around.

Hoyt couldn't be fully surprised by that result- there was nothing else around them as a distraction, so he must have sensed the energy of the attack still existed- but perhaps he hadn't expected quite the speed it had built up. He had to smash it apart with his fist as it homed in on his position, which was the same as a loss in their particular dueling style.

However, taking one loss didn't mean things were over. Hoyt retaliated, immediately learning from Prospero's modification. He formed his own attacks which instead of maintaining a straight line trajectory curved back around. But Prospero grinned. That was the core of the technique, certainly, but Hoyt had missed some of the essence.

Soon enough they were no longer exchanging single attacks, or even small handfuls. Instead, they had dozens of attacks flying about, each sufficient to cause serious damage, especially if followed up. But they knew each other's limits, and had sufficient ability to make things safe. Neither wanted to lose, though.

Hoyt began to tire, while Prospero still looked fresh- despite having lesser energy reserves from his lower cultivation. "How?" Hoyt asked.

Prospero could have chosen not to answer, but they were already beyond the tipping point- and he did want his grandson to learn. "I'm not pushing or pulling them into a curve. They are properly orbiting around me." Not in a simple circle, of course, or even an ellipse that nearly approximated it. Instead, they had their own eccentric motions that suited the current combat placements.

"How is that any different?"

That was a question worth contemplating, but the answer was simple enough. "Insight," Prospero said, "And form. Just like they are falling stars when it would be technically more efficient to simply make a beam of condensed energy for all purposes. A cultivator's understanding feeds into the form of their attacks. Here, they orbit around me within my aura, treating me like a proper source of gravity. With that, I am able to maintain the energy within an attack even on different trajectories." Of course, as he was not an actual planet, he could only approximate such a thing. He still had to contribute some amount to keep up the effort- but not nearly as much as would take to actually redirect something around him constantly. And as his understanding grew, so would his efficiency.

As for how that solved his problem, it meant that the energy put into an attack was never wasted if and when he missed- he maintained the majority that would come down for another attack if someone dodged, providing a constant threat of danger and allowing him to continue accelerating his attacks manually. So it wasn't the same as the 'free' kinetic energy he got dropping an attack into a proper gravity well, but it was efficient, which was the whole point. If he simply hit someone with the initial attack, then it was a success- otherwise, he had most of the same power ready for another with little loss.

No doubt Hoyt would pick it up soon enough, and Prospero would have to think of another way to outdo his grandson. He was proud of him. And when Hoyt came up with an improvement of his own or a different technique, Prospero looked forward to learning from his older grandson in turn.

Chapter 603

It was a difficult decision, not going around and simply destroying every member of the Twin Soul Sect who had wormed their way among the people living on In'istra. However, that would only be a short term solution. If somehow Anton missed any they could rebuild. And during the next cycle, In'istra might just have more infiltrators. He couldn't just go around eradicating every problem and assuming things would be alright from then on. No, the people needed to be built up to handle things on their own.

But it sure was difficult with a place as desolate as this. Cleaning up the area after the invasion was an ongoing and slow process, with little motivation. They didn't need the space- there were enough deaths that they weren't hard pressed to replace buildings. It just looked bad, and would remind them of what happened. That part was actually good… if the history didn't get twisted.

That was another reason Anton didn't just kill all of the Twin Soul Sect. Here, he could watch them and how they worked. He didn't enjoy allowing the people to be test subjects, but he had enough reason to leave the problem for the moment that he had to deal with those feelings.

After two months, Varghese had fully formed the first star, taking his first real step as a cultivator. That wasn't particularly quick, but he also wasn't in any rush. He had family and work to deal with, and though Anton made him cultivate even during manual labor the young man didn't suddenly no longer need to work. Nor had his performance yet increased to the point he could do the same work in a significantly reduced time and ask for a higher pay. So for those two months, things had been hard. He'd only just begun to actually grasp reading.

"Master Anton…" Varghese said dejectedly. "Have I actually grown over these past two months?"

"I will answer your question with another. How long did it take you to get up here?" Anton gestured around him at the same empty rooftop.

"I don't know," Varghese admitted. "A minute or two?"

"Was it difficult?"

"Not particularly. But I could do it from the beginning."

"Did you use natural energy?" Anton asked.

"Well, no," Varghese admitted. "I've been saving it to temper my body, but I'm unsure how much it helps."

Anton shook his head, "In that case, I would suggest paying more attention to such things. Come, I'll give you some tests of strength so you can know for certain how much you've grown." Sometimes, Anton forgot that people could be young. As someone who could not quite be called a full man, Varghese had probably been changing constantly for the past years but if he wasn't tracking that he might not notice. Different students needed different methods.

After the tests, mostly pointless but clear measurements like how much weight he could lift, Varghese frowned. "Master. How come you haven't taught me how to fight?"

Anton frowned, "Do you want to fight?"

"Of course, isn't that what cultivators do?"

Anton sighed, "I will admit that is often the first focus of those who gain strength. But not all of it has to be used for martial prowess. On the other hand, now that you have a clear aura of natural energy about you, any other cultivators will expect you to be capable. So I will teach you about combat. Where did you get your sword?"

"... I found it," Varghese said defensively.

"I was just wondering if it meant anything. Do you know how to use it? Have you tested your aptitude with various weapons?"

"I've got some experience with the sword," he said.

Anton had the feeling the sword meant more to him than just something he found. Perhaps it was from dead family, or a friend. Or maybe it was just a symbol of strength he was lacking. "Weapons training will take time. In addition, I'll need to be certain you will use the knowledge appropriately."

"Are other cultivation masters so… particular?"

"All the sensible ones," Anton replied.

"Yeah, I don't care how you use this," Everheart admitted. "I mean obviously it will be against the Harmonious Citadel, but you can use a lot of this stuff against others."

Vari nodded seriously. "I will properly respect the power I have."

"I just said you don't have to do that. The only thing I expect from you is to cover up any flaws you find."

"That's… I cannot comprehend any flaws in them."

"Sure, not now. But you're young still. You might find the flaws eventually."

"Why not teach me without the flaws, then?"

Everheart clicked his tongue and leaned in conspiratorially. "Here's a secret. I'm not actually perfect. As far as I know everything I use is without flaws. And then I always improve and find a flaw in previously perfect fighting styles. Or worse… someone else finds the flaws." Everheart made a face. "That kid Anton did that an annoying number of times. And at least in terms of archery, he vastly surpasses my understanding. Speaking of which, don't make that guy mad if you're planning to be anywhere in the lower realms. The range he has…" Everheart shook his head. "I mean, I can cover the distance in a few hops, but I'd never match him at a distance. Without formations."

Vari hung her head. "I'm sorry to say I have little talent in that regard."

"That's fine," Everheart shrugged, "Honestly I could do without the competition. I already have to worry about Catarina. A person that young should not be covering a whole planet with formations laced in sub-runes. It's totally unfair." Then Everheart grinned, "But I guess that's all due to me being such an amazing teacher."

Vari kept her reaction to that internal. Everheart had great understanding, and could spot flaws well enough that she could correct mistakes. But a good teacher? That was debatable.

"When are we going to make our attack?" Vari asked.

"Unfortunately, we have to wait. We can't just go to Rouhiri and expect to take the guy out. But it won't be long."

So anywhere between a week and, what, a decade? Vari knew Everheart had a skewed sense of time. "I'll be waiting." She did want revenge. But she also wanted the opportunity for her allies to make some progress in the war.

In the void of space, upon an unassuming asteroid, sat a man who was amazingly young for his level of power. Personal power, at least. Tauno Heinonen could be considered influential in the Scarlet Midfields, but only by those who knew he existed. And even then, he'd only recently grown into his power as an Augmentation cultivator. If he had been an Augmentation cultivator a few centuries ago, then the Dancing Slayer Sect would probably still exist. Though to be fair, they still sort of existed. They had simply folded into the banner of the Dark Ring, where they nursed their wounds and were raising new generations of disciples for the time they could once again claim territory.

Xankeshan was a great boon in that regard. Though nothing was truly unassailable, the planet served as enough of a deterrent that many people were able to live there in peace, instead of being constrained to remote asteroids like Tauno. He could go there- but if the Harmonious Citadel caught wind of his life and current strength, they would seek to annihilate him. So he trained patiently, and waited.

Today was a good day, as he had a visitor.

"Sect Head," a pleasant woman inclined her head as she approached from the ship that landed on the other side of the asteroid that was only a few kilometers across. "I come bearing news."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow. "Not just making sure you haven't lost me?"

She didn't respond to that, instead continuing with her official duties. "Word comes from the alliance that there is going to be an attack on the Harmonious Citadel. We plan to launch an offensive of our own, occurring more or less simultaneously. At least, before they can react."

"And who can be launching such an attack?" Tauno asked. "I don't know of many sects with Augmentation cultivators, not nearby or willing to join. Could it be they have angered the Trigold Cluster somehow?" He shook his head, "No, in that case we would not need to act."

"It's Everheart, Sect Head," the woman explained. That alone was sufficient.

"I see. The only reservation I have is… actually presuming we can predict Everheart's actions."

"We have a reliable source, though I am unaware of the details," the woman explained. "It is also my understanding that we will not be launching truly simultaneous attacks. We have an advantage in communication speed due to the Formation Grandmaster. Once we hear of Everheart's attack, we can be confident in making another strike. With losses in two areas, the Harmonious Citadel should be less able to retaliate as they wish."

"And if there's no attack…?"

"It is my understanding that we would simply withdraw. It would come with some risk of revealing Augmentation cultivators, but Everheart seems to have a grudge with the Harmonious Citadel."

"Who doesn't? And the other way around."

"Our alliance is presumed to not be on the top of his grudge list," the woman stated.

"That'll have to suffice," Tauno nodded. "Am I planned to return with you?"

"You will be taken to an outlying base. Less obscure, but sufficiently secret."

Tauno followed her back to the ship, where he noticed something. "The design of this vessel is strange."

"It has been augmented with Technology from the lower realms. Rouhiri, specifically. I have only heard that such modifications come with an increase in efficiency. Five or ten percent, at least by the numbers I heard."

"Hmm," Tauno stroked his chin. "It's a strange design. However, if it is reliable and comes with no drop in power, it's actually quite remarkable."

"Their vessels require more maintenance, but those who are versed in such things indicate they are ultimately superior. Though they still rely on the power of traditional formations, the designs can vary significantly and work towards specialized purposes."

Catarina wished this war could wait a decade or two. Engineer Uzun had barely begun his work! Given sufficient time, their fleets could significantly change the balance of the war. In addition, though the Harmonious Citadel was constantly spreading, it was actually slowing its overall growth, while Xankeshan and the alliance were accelerating their pace of growth. They even had gotten in contact with individuals from the lower realms, and while the cultivators from Doruma were not a large sect, each ascender was another Integration cultivator, and those could not be discounted.

It was just difficult getting in touch with them. Anton and others would be getting in contact with further groups, improving their alliance through diplomacy rather than having to raise new members.

So if the war would just wait ten or twenty years before reaching its peak, then-

The door swung open, revealing Chidi. "You sound like you're thinking hard."

"What does that sound like?" Catarina asked.

"Your breathing becomes slow, and your head muscles tense up."

"My face?" Catarina asked. She supposed she could have been frowning.

"Not just that," Chidi said. "Around the neck, and even your ears and stuff."

"How can you hear all that?" Catarina asked.

Chidi shrugged, "Spikes can. She knows when the pups have strained a muscle even if they don't walk with a limp. I can hear it now, a little bit." He held up his fingers, waggling them. Then he flexed his arm. "Hear that?"

"Not really," Catarina admitted. "Try asking auntie Alva about things like that. She's trained her senses better. She might even have some hints for you." Unfortunately, sight was always going to be Alva's primary sense. "I do have some work to do."

"Okay, I was just stopping by to say hi. Go back to your thinking stuff," Chidi waved.

Yes, her thinking stuff. It was too bad the war couldn't wait. Actually, Catarina changed her mind. This was the best timing they could hope for, now. Unless they could wait a full century.

Chapter 604

It was unclear whether anyone could truly read every cultivation technique developed upon a world, even after practicing the Ten Thousands Scrolls. Anton had certainly read through most of what Ceretos had to offer, but there could have been some unappraised gems that he missed. However, with the inclusion of techniques from the upper realms made possible by improved communications devices Anton had a steady if perhaps not infinite stream of options. He didn't have the equipment with him that would actually print out a copy, but he could read things as they arrived.

Anton was contently looking at the device in front of him as a sword chopped down towards his head… then curved away, stopping just short of impacting the roof as Varghese pulled his blow. "Dammit. How are you doing this?"

"The point of the training is for you to figure it out," Anton said. Deflecting the attacks purely with his energy would be trivial and perhaps unfair. His current technique was new and undeveloped with one obvious flaw. For the sake of the training, at least, Anton intended to keep that flaw even if he determined how to remove it.

Varghese struggled to pull back his weapon, though Anton wasn't actively interfering. The young man took his sword stance, a textbook form that had at least the image down if not the essence. But what could be expected after a short time? Varghese had sufficient drive to continue his training. He also didn't uselessly repeat his favored attack, swapping through thrusts and slashes and even moving around Anton despite the man remaining still in his sitting position. None of his attacks approached Anton, but it would be good practice for him regardless.

Now if only he would realize that it wasn't a problem with his own techniques, but Anton's. None of the attacks would slip through Anton's defenses because they were swift or confusing or otherwise clever.

A booted foot kicked towards Anton's face, not simply an expression of anger but part of a proper movement. Anton stopped the boot with one finger. "Half a point. You'll only get full marks if you can hit me with your sword."

Taking note of his success, Varghese immediately shifted his strategy. He flipped the sword in his hands, holding onto the blade and using the pommel as a bludgeoning instrument. Another real technique, and a reasonable enough variation to attempt, if rarely useful in battles between cultivators. It was only for when crushing force was required, and that could usually be accomplished with a clever application of energy. And in this case, it didn't stop his attacks from being deflected.

Varghese stepped back, lowering his sword. "I have to go for today. I won't be back for at least a few weeks. I have a mission. One with a decent enough reward to sustain my family for a while, giving me more time to train."

Anton nodded. "Practical experience will be good for you as well. I cannot be anything more than a daunting sparring partner." Properly winning a fight would be good for Varghese, building his confidence- and understanding. Assuming he survived, of course. Because he liked the young man, Anton was willing to put his finger on the scale should it prove necessary- but if he couldn't manage to some extent on his own, he'd never go far.

The mission didn't involve just Varghese. He was going along with the Iron Plate Mercenaries. It was both a mission and sort of a trial phase to see if he meshed with them. For cultivators of a certain power, they might accept them even if they didn't quite fit- Varghese had just finished his second star, tempering his muscles for his first prime tempering. Even in the world's current state, that didn't make him anything special. He was just another early Body Tempering cultivator.

He met the group outside the mine they were supposed to clear. He recognized Captain Sharma, who had introduced him to the mission. "Greetings, Captain. I hope I'm not late…"

"Just on time," the man said, leaning on his spear. His black hair had spots of white throughout, especially visible in his beard.

"This the rookie?" said a somewhat older woman. To Varghese she looked pretty ancient, except for by comparison to Captain Sharma. "He doesn't look like much."

"I just reached the second star in the One Hundred Stars cultivation method," Varghese politely inclined his head. "It is nothing astounding, but my master said it is sufficient to begin my career as a warrior." Taking stock of the other two, they were in early Spirit Building and late Body Tempering respectively. The other handful of mercenaries were spread throughout Body Tempering, mostly early and mid.

"One Hundred Stars? Never heard of it. Can't be that great," the woman replied.

"He's still young, Vasudha. Cultivating at his age is still admirable."

Varghese kept his thoughts about Vasudha's ability to himself. He could have retorted by speaking about Master Anton's power… but he was supposed to rely on his own name. It still irked him though, knowing that Master Anton was much stronger than all of them.

"Alright then," Captain Sharma declared. "Formation masters want us to clear this cave of its inhabitants. Bears, among other things. Might be a tiger, or other cave dwellers. And don't assume that they'll be normal beasts. These likely have some cultivation, living in a zone of this density. And their muscle power will outdo most of you regardless."

Captain Sharma led the way, his spear leveled in front of him. Then they came to branching paths. "Should have figured it would be something like this. Vasudha, take the rookie and explore the right path. I'll take the middle. The rest of you go down the left."

"Really, captain?" Vasudha sighed.

'What? It'll do you some good to have someone to take off the pressure. You don't have to sacrifice yourself to protect him," Captain Sharma's eyes settled on Varghese. "Speaking of which, if you can't handle something better retreat before you get hurt. Doesn't help you look brave if you're just dead."

Varghese nodded. "Yes, captain."

He silently followed Vasudha down the tunnel, keeping his eyes on her weapons. Two katars, clutched in either hand. A bit less reach than what his sword allowed, but if she was swift it hardly mattered. The most important was their quality or it suiting her style.

The mineshaft opened up briefly into a natural cavern. It wasn't terribly large, but it did fit two bears. Though when they stood up, Varghese felt they fit less.

"You take the little one!" Vasudha said, charging forward.

Comparing the two and her trajectory, Varghese figured one of them was a bit smaller. But still quite intimidating. He readied his blade, pulse beating heavily in his body. This was it, his first real fight, outside of childhood scuffles. He'd seen some real battles at the end of the war, but he couldn't even remember which parts were dreams or childhood fantasies.

Instead of rushing in, he let the creature come to him, using his sword as a barrier. When the bear tried to bat aside the intruding weapon, he tilted the blade to catch the paw, performing a draw-cut as he stepped back. The paw was a bit bloody, but it wasn't as deep as he might have liked. It seemed to only serve to make the bear mad.

With a roar, the bear charged him- and something odd happened with his weapon. It was yanked towards the creature, almost pulling out of his hand. But he'd felt something similar in training recently, and the pulse was only momentary instead of continuous.

He stepped to the side, making as much use of the space as he could. He cut towards the bear's neck, mostly digging into thick fur. The blood on his sword wasn't enough for him to determine he got another cut or just the first one. As he wound up for another attack, his sword brushed up against a nearby stalagmite, sticking to it. The pull was strong enough that it took him a moment to pull free, earning him a claw across his shoulder even as he kicked against the bear to separate them.

Varghese focused, calming himself. He had stances meant for larger opponents, and for beasts. He just had to fight smart- and watch the room itself.

He called upon his natural energy, augmenting his muscles as he performed his strikes, staying on the move and making life as difficult as possible for the bear. He saw an opportunity to stab deep into its side, but didn't want to risk his blade getting stuck. He went for a cut around the thigh, dancing and moving. Everything felt more real, using it with his life on the line. Finally, he felled the beast.

"Pretty slow, kid," he looked up to see Vasudha leaning against the wall, the only visible wounds on her opponent directly on the neck, and not a scratch on her. "Come on, let's go."

Varghese nodded. "Say, Vasudha? What do they mine here?"

"Fancy rocks. This is an old mine, but the formation masters want some of the less practical things here. I think they called it magnetite? Pretty awful as any sort of weapon or armor."

"It's a rock?"

"A rock, an ore. Can be a metal. Gets other metal stuck to it."

Interesting. And odd, because Anton didn't wear any metal. And Varghese's weapon didn't stick to him, exactly. It was deflected, though also pulled into the area around him? It was difficult to explain, yet clearly related somehow. "... Do the bears eat the rocks?"

"That sounds dumb," Vasudha remarked. "Why would you think that?"

"The one I fought did the magnet thing. Pulled on my weapon."

"Weird. Well, I guess they might. Or it's from living here."

The young man returned from his first mission, alive and vaguely healthy. Anton didn't even have to tip the scales, at least not for Varghese. He did for a couple others, determining that if he did nothing while watching and they died, he was responsible. Nobody should notice a needle-thin hole in anything, and the near death experiences would be sufficient for people to make their decisions between growing stronger or quitting combat.

"Where'd you go? How was the mission?" Anton asked, though he knew the answer to both.

"Up into the mountains. I think I learned something, but I can't be sure."

"Show me, then."

Instead of starting with taking swings, Varghese carefully pointed his sword at Anton, negotiating the area around him. His sword quickly was drawn into the flow and pulled towards the ground, but he began to trace out the area.

Finally, he held his sword above himself, pointing down in a reverse grip and stabbed towards the top of Anton's head. Anton caught the blade between his fingers. That was the weakness of this sort of field. Even if he caused it to work in a certain manner, it had a 'low point'. He could move it around as he pleased, which might be the solution, but he was unsure if he could erase it entirely. "Good job," Anton said. "I doubt you'll run across this particular technique often, but scoping out your enemy's defenses is an important skill. Sometimes you just need to swing harder to break through, but sometimes you can ignore it entirely."

"That's… surprising," Varghese admitted. "Still, this technique seems good. Can you teach it to me?"

Could he? Anton supposed it would be possible. It would also be much more difficult without the benefit of being bound to a neutron star, but there was nothing incompatible with One Hundred Stars as a cultivation technique. People focused on many different aspects- light, fire, gravity, or just power. Why not magnetism? It was a part of stars, though often overlooked from afar.

"This technique is still in development," Anton said finally. "However, I am sure it will not take too long to have a version you can attempt, if you are interested. Though it would take much of your natural energy." Perhaps Anton could find a way to make it efficient. If it wasn't constantly activated but momentary, that might be reasonable. And he could apply the same to himself, creating a powerful burst that was much closer to his inspiration, rather than this field that was weak enough a Body Tempering cultivator could almost stab through it. Though Anton was holding back there.

Chapter 605

On the scale of an Augmentation cultivator's lifespan, one year of waiting was practically nothing. Tauno had been waiting in near isolation for much longer than that, so when he heard that things were going to come to a deciding point 'soon', he expected it to take somewhere around a decade. It was nice to spend the time somewhere with more upper energy, as that made training easier- though at Tauno's stage the greater limiting factor was insights into his cultivation style and the universe rather than sheer quantity of power.

Then the opportunity came. The Bow Saint, Tisiphone Tassaiades, had shown herself on a nearby world. That wasn't a random coincidence- the alliance's spies had known the Harmonious Citadel was interested in the area.

Thus, Tauno and a number of others readied themselves on ships both familiar and strange, preparing… and waiting for one particular message.

In her hands, Vari held Luminous Heartpiercer, the weapon of the Spear Saint. That was an extremely strange position to find herself in, both because she had not spent her life training with the spear, and because the current spear saint was supposed to be in possession of the weapon.

"... Did you steal this?" Vari asked.

"No," Everheart flatly denied.

What an odd response. Usually, he was quite happy to admit to any form of shenanigans. "Really?" Vari frowned. "I would understand if you did, considering the factors…"

"I didn't. Your aunt specifically bequeathed it to me." He sighed, "I should have known something was off. She said she was going incognito, then… well, you know."

Vari did. Sort of. Something about Damjan killing Silvija and Kullike, but without the details. Maybe Everheart didn't have them, or like to speak of it.

There were further questions to be asked. "How can this be here and also in the hands of Damjan?"

"I think the answer to that is pretty straightforward. One of them has to be fake," Everheart pointed out. "Also, first names, huh? You close to that guy?"

"Obviously not," Vari retorted. "He doesn't deserve a respectful title, is all." Taking a look at the spear in her hand, she would be hard pressed to call it fake in any capacity. It was simply impossible to deny its power. "This should be the real one, then. But what point is there in placing it in my hands?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Everheart asked. "You're bait."

"... You mean the spear?"

"Sure."

"I am significantly less on board with this plan," Vari grumbled.

"What are you worried about? With that weapon in hand, you can't lose to anyone below saint level."

"I don't use spears!" Vari exclaimed. "You know that."

"But you can," Everheart said. "And it's a very good spear."

"I don't suppose there's another version of the plan?"

"Don't worry," Everheart said. "The spear guys will rush after you once you appear with that but likewise the other branches will either stay away or get in conflict with them. Because it would be a shame if someone else was responsible for returning that to its 'rightful' place."

"What if they work together?"

Everheart furrowed his brow, as if he hadn't even considered the possibility. "I guess you toss the spear and run."

"You want me to just throw away my aunt's spear?"

"It's not important. Besides, I thought you didn't like spears?"

"That doesn't mean I want to throw away my only connection to family!" Vari retorted.

"... This is why I don't work with people," Everheart sighed. "Look, it'll work out. Just make sure to lure them to Ye'sin."

"I also have concerns about going to the most toxic planet in the Scarlet Midfields."

"It's not the most toxic planet," Everheart said. "Just the most toxic planet people know about. Which means people have survived there before."

"If I die because of this I'm going to haunt you."

All Vari had to do was go to a particular well trafficked planet, challenge a prominent disciple to a duel, drop a leaf of the Purifying Moonflower behind her as she fled for her ship and obviously set course for Ye'sin.

The plan went smoothly until the completion of the first step.

"... Where the hell is Marnis?"

Everheart's information was usually reliable. Which was weird, because he wasn't good with people. How did he get it? Vari didn't know. Some sort of special spying capabilities or something.

The problem was, this planet was huge and asking people… well, it wasn't that useful.

"You want to know where Marnis is? Good luck with that."

"Marnis? What, you think you're worthy to speak her name?"

"... You mean my pig?"

The last one was a non-cultivator resident of the world. Vari quietly advised not advertising that name for the near future.

With things like this, she might just stab the next person she came across out of frustration.

Actually, wouldn't that help the plan? Not literally the next person, but if she went around dueling various spear wielders… well, it was better than nothing. And she didn't exactly have anyone she could ask for advice.

So she did that, finding the first Integration spear user she came across. There was no way anyone in Life Transformation would accept a duel, nor would it mean anything to anyone if she won.

The man had a large build, which was basically meaningless. The amount that muscle power contributed to a combat at their level was nearly insignificant, especially in styles that didn't continue to temper bodies beyond the basics.

Speed was more important anyway. Vari had to admit that holding Luminous Heartpiercer made her feel powerful, so she didn't mind taking it for a spin. The duel started with a simple stab. She returned in kind, intending to knock aside the tip of her enemy's weapon and drive past. Instead, the tip of her spear cut into the man's, and as she continued to push forward it split it in two down the middle. Her motion stopped with the point of the spear by the man's throat. She wasn't exactly the sort to be merciful to disciples of the Harmonious Citadel- especially not those of the Glorious Harmony Technique- but he could hardly spread the word if he perished. And she wasn't interested in bringing a manhunt down on her for killing her 'fellow disciples'.

"H-how…?"

"That's the power of Luminous Heartpiercer," Vari said truthfully. She would have won anyway, but the way it happened was totally unreasonable. She wondered what it could do in the hands of someone with the right focus.

Apparently the disciple she challenged had been a big shot in the local area, and she was soon swarmed with challenges of her own. However, Vari only accepted those from other spear wielders. She could defeat the others, of course, but her current persona was one 'pursuing the mastery of the spear'.

Subsequent duelists were more cautious, fortifying their weapons with more upper energy. That kept their weapons basically intact, but Vari was still quite capable of countering their moves, understanding them quite well and having specific counters. Technically if they incorporated Citadel's Downfall into their styles any of them could improve, but Vari wasn't planning to teach any of them. She liked having known weaknesses, and these had lasted for a good few centuries. Seeing them exploited for a few days wouldn't suddenly make everyone overcome them.

At the end of a week, Vari was finally approached by Marnis. Vari recognized her from portraits and descriptions, having never previously interacted with her.

"So you're the one who claims to be wielding Luminous Heartpiercer?" Marnis said, somehow looking down on Vari even though they were the same height.

"That's right," Vari declared. "I want to challenge you to a duel."

"I see." Marnis looked around at the group who came with her. "You do, huh?" She lowered her spear. "Look, I don't really believe you're wielding Luminous Heartpiercer. But saying you are is just admitting to a crime. That belongs with the Spear Saint. So just peacefully hand it over."

Vari shook her head, readying her own spear. "I can't do that."

"Then… everyone, attack!"

Vari should have anticipated that. Even without being prepared, her reaction was sufficient to do something. However, something took over her body. Instead of breaking out of the encirclement, kicking through someone like she intended, she held her ground. As over a dozen attacks came towards her, Vari's body twirled Luminous Heartpiercer in a way she'd never moved before. Her energy extended beyond the tip of her spear, the pointed blade slicing into the jugulars of everyone surrounding while deflecting their attacks. Only Marnis remained, having leapt backwards.

"You… you…" Marnis stammered.

"Me what?" Vari asked. At least the words were her own.

"You won't get away with this!" Marnis turned and ran away. Vari's body tried to throw the spear into her back, but she managed to stop it this time.

She watched as the woman ran. Then she remembered what she was here for. "You'll never catch me!" Vari shouted after her. "There's no way you'd be able to find me on Ye'sin!"

Well, that was it. Plan ruined. No way anyone would believe that. Leaving behind a Purifying Moonflower, rumored to be the only thing that could counter the toxins of Ye'sin, was now just a token gesture.

The fleeing to her ship part was real, though. It turned out a large number of people took note of the event, and while they were mostly not dumb enough to get in her way… if they actually decided to swarm her they would doubtless win. Even with that weird spinny spear trick.

When she got on her ship- a personal sized one- Vari tossed aside the spear. Luminous Heartpiercer or not, she didn't want anything controlling her body. Sure, it helped but… it wasn't pleasant. She was going to have to have a talk with Everheart about that. If he even showed up as planned.

Anton looked at the vines growing around 'his' abandoned building. They were a variety of Western Creeper, complete with energy-piercing thorns. Sufficient to keep people from snooping too much, and a decent challenge for Varghese to get past. They would also eventually provide a net benefit to the area's supply of natural energy. The same was true for various things he had sold to local markets, seeds or whole fruits and plants specially tailored to catch people's interests. Of course, they would probably do the typical cultivator thing of putting them in a little formation controlled garden and making them grow big, strong, and with maximum potency- and not let them spread their matured energy elsewhere. But it would be a start.

Another thing Anton had to get the ball rolling on was dealing with the Twin Soul Sect. He'd been watching their movements, but if he wasn't going to eradicate them all himself- something he could have already done, if he thought it was the best move- he had to get others learning. Varghese was too weak to do anything relevant even if he learned. Sadly, one of the best candidates Anton knew of was Captain Sharma. He was also looking into a few sect heads and the like, but he had no trust built up with them.

Technically, Anton hadn't meant Captain Sharma either… but he was about ready to introduce himself. The man was back in town after a mission, so now was the best time to find him.

Instead of approaching him normally, Anton decided he should make a big impression. He wasn't going to leverage his full power, as that would just cause problems, but he didn't have to hold back so much as he leapt from his building and strolled down streets towards the man.

"I hear you've been taking good care of my disciple," Anton declared without any sort of introduction.

Captain Sharma turned. "And who is…" a somewhat annoyed expression softened and then shattered. "Who might that be, senior?"

"Varghese. Obviously. Can't you tell?" Anton displayed the feel of the One Hundred Stars clearly.

"Of course, I was simply surprised. He has spoken of you. I thought he must have been exaggerating your stature, but clearly I was incorrect. What can I do for you?"

If Captain Sharma actually wanted to do things for Anton, things might have been different. Instead, he clearly just assumed Anton wanted something and that it was better to do it than… be disintegrated, or whatever he thought would happen.

"I don't need anything from you," Anton half lied. "As I said, I heard you were taking good care of my disciple. Challenging him and letting him get in sufficient trouble to grow is just the right thing." Anton didn't want them to suddenly coddle Varghese. That would be pointless. "As a reward, I came to offer you this technique. Nothing particularly mysterious, and perhaps it will never be of use to you. However, there are a certain group of individuals who pose as members of other sects. Individuals not to be trusted. This can reveal them, should you practice it." Anton casually tossed him a copy of the scroll. "Do try to keep your group clean. You can even trade that to others… just make sure you know who they are first. Wouldn't hurt to practice it yourself."

Captain Sharma opened it and looked it over. "Where did you come across such a thing?"

"In truth, it was made to lessen the impact of the invasions from the upper realms," Anton sighed. "Unfortunately, it was not available." Because he hadn't come to this world yet. "I know your company is clean of this particular menace, and I would prefer it stay that way. Do make sure to practice it. Oh yes," Anton said, pretending something else was an afterthought. "And for you." He produced a scroll of spear techniques. Not the very best he had- but it would be hard to explain where he got something combining upper and lower realm techniques. Either way, it would be better than Captain Sharma's current learning. Hopefully, that would also encourage him to spend the time learning what Anton actually wanted, indicating it to be of similar value. Though Anton thought it was actually worth more.

"Thank you, senior. I will studiously learn these gifts." And the man meant it- at least at the moment. People could always change their minds.

Chapter 606

The small one-person vessel Vari had used to reach Ye'sin orbited around the noxious yellow-green planet. It was not a place that hid its foulness behind a smokescreen. The very obscuring gasses were also the main toxins the planet had. Vari looked at the Purifying Moonflower in her hand. Now that she thought of it, she didn't know how she was supposed to use it. Crush it up and eat it? Was there some process required to refine it into something usable?

It hardly mattered, because she really shouldn't be landing anyway. This whole thing had been stupid. Working with Everheart? Really? Just because he claimed to be family? Sure, they had a mutual enemy- but Vari wanted to survive after them.

"Hey, niece!" the aforementioned individual appeared suddenly inside her ship. "Good, you haven't taken that yet. I forgot to say that you shouldn't ingest the moonflower."

"So it's just a fake, then?" Vari asked.

"Oh no, it will expel most of the toxins this planet has. Rather quickly, even," Everheart nodded. "Opens your pores right up and practically explodes the toxins out. And then…"

"And then?" Vari raised an eyebrow.

"And then it does nothing," Everheart finished.

"... so?" she tilted her head. If it worked, she just had to save it for when she needed it. So maybe that was why it was best she hadn't ingested it.

"It specifically doesn't close the pores," Everheart pointed out. "And once the initial push happens, it doesn't do anything further to remove toxic gasses. So they can seep into the body. And yes, they can seep through energy defenses as well. Otherwise this would hardly deserve its title of the most toxic planet in the Scarlet Midfields."

"You sure know a lot about it," Vari frowned. "Did you… make this place?"

"Oh, please," Everhear laughed, waving his hand. "As if. That's far too much work. No, I merely found it mostly like this. And then I might have augmented it a teensy bit." He took a deep breath. "Ah, it's nice to have real air for a few moments." He clapped his hands. "Well, we'd better get down there. The trap has been set."

"What if I don't want to?" Vari asked.

"Want to… what? Kill the spear saint? Of course you do."

"Not like this."

"Is it the poison?" Everheart asked. "It's mostly natural. Nothing wrong with using your environment against your enemies!"

Vari shook her head, focusing straight on the man. "I don't want to be used as bait. Or fight alone. Or… with that spear."

Everheart's brow furrowed. "What's wrong with the spear? Should make you stronger."

"It controlled my body!" Vari exclaimed. "You can't convince me it wouldn't try to take over eventually."

"... Huh," Everheart looked stumped. "That's… unexpected?" He walked over to pick up the spear- Luminous Heartpiercer. "Looks fine to me. Hasn't changed." He paced around the minimal room available. "You're certain it controlled your body?"

Vari nodded. "Absolutely."

"It's not the formations," Everheart declared. "None of the enchantments can do that."

"It still did. Also…" Vari knew she probably shouldn't push things- Everheart was much stronger than her, so she couldn't really make demands. But she also couldn't ignore some things. "Is this really Luminous Heartpiercer? While on planet I heard it was destroyed. A rumor that had spread recently in a very suspicious manner."

"So?"

"I know that had to be you. Otherwise it wouldn't stick. So which was it, was it destroyed or is this it?" she pointed.

"This is it, of course," Everheart said.

"And I'm supposed to believe you because…?" Vari shook her head. "You're a notorious liar. How do I know you didn't just make up the part where you're my sort-of-uncle? You could have been lying to Anton, too."

"Could've," Everheart admitted. "Anyway, you don't trust me. Good. You can just leave. But things will go more smoothly here if I have a bit of backup. I can't exactly use Luminous Heartpiercer."

"Why not?" Vari asked. "Do you have a better weapon?"

"Nope," Everheart said. "But if this thing is possessing people, no way am I wielding it." He tossed it towards Vari, who ducked out of the way.

"I don't want it either then!" Vari retorted.

"Don't worry," Everheart said. "It could only be one of two people possessing that spear. They'd both have your best interests at heart."

"And those would be…?"

"Your mother and your aunt, of course. I could probably figure it out with some effort, but enemy ships have just entered the system. So we're going to have to hurry this along. Go ahead, pick it up. You'll need it."

"How would I know it's as you say?" Vari frowned.

"It's simple. Pick it up right now. And let your body act as it will for a moment."

"... If dead people can possess weapons, I'll figure out how to possess the thing most annoying to you if this goes wrong."

"It's just lingering will, so it's not quite the same, but the terminology was fami- whoa there." Vari had picked up the spear, and immediately tried to stab through Everheart's midsection. "Yep, it's definitely one of those sisters."

"Wouldn't this be my mother, if you were my aunt's lover?" Vari asked, the spear moving her on its own, in practiced maneuvers her body could not keep up with.

"Hah, if only that meant she wouldn't want to stab me…" Everheart laughed. "Can you please resist now?"

Vari resisted, and her body stopped. She just felt an itch. "Maybe I should let them."

"Can that wait?" Everheart said with annoyance. "This whole attack thing is happening. We need to get down to the surface."

"I'd just die," Vari pointed out.

"Oh yeah." Everheart pulled out a small, spiny fruit. "Chomp on that. It'll protect your internals for a day, approximately. Speaking of which, I should refresh." Everheart did as instructed with one of his own. "Now it is a bit-"

"Bleergh," Vari nearly lost the previous day's lunch because of the taste.

"Bitter and sour," Everheart continued. "But once you get it down your stomach will settle."

"Wait why did I eat that?" Vari asked. "I don't even want to help you."

"So about the formations I set up," Everheart said, completely ignoring her comments. "Sometimes the spear will be good. Use it then. And when it's bad, use your normal techniques. Pretty simple."

Vari had to make sure she was controlling her own body, but it seemed she was in control. Just stupid, for actually going along with the flow. Maybe it was a genetic flaw. Either way, she wasn't willing to abandon this crazy old asshole just yet.

"Oh right," Everheart said. "Make sure to slather your pores with the mud when we land. That will complete your protection."

She could feel him, well before the incoming forces landed. The spear saint, Damjan Atanasov. The name was not known publicly, but Vari wanted to distinguish him from her aunt as much as possible.

It was crazy that she was going to fight him. Well, presumably Everheart was going to be the one fighting him. Wherever he was. He was the Augmentation cultivator, after all. Vari was just… actually, she was past the mid stage of Integration. Not necessarily a match, but beyond where she thought she'd end up. That was the fault of the Holy Harmony Technique.

"False saint!" A voice rang from above, tearing through the toxic atmosphere. "You will surrender your demonic weapon, then you will be judged fairly so that harmony might reign! Your filthy appearance merely cements your inner foulness!"

Vari almost threw up- again. Not from the stupid thorny death fruit- though it didn't help- but from the thought that she would have once gone along with this guy. This was the time that Everheart should show up and provide a response. But he didn't. The filthy appearance thing was just dumb, but she was covered in dried mud now. It felt awful, but she also didn't have toxins seeping into her pores, so that was something.

"... I'm a false saint?" Vari retorted. "You're not even the original spear saint. I'm sure there are plenty of people alive who recall the spear saint being a woman mere centuries ago, before you slew her in an ambush." Apparently, there were lot of thoughts inside Vari that wanted to come out. "And another thing… all of your saints, and this separation of techniques to suppress those judged inferior… no forced to be inferior… it's garbage!"

Her spear stabbed towards the sky, and though a shockwave pierced a hole in the atmosphere, it did not clear the all-pervasive fog. After all, it was the atmosphere. It wasn't possible to get rid of it by pushing it around.

Vari thought there was going to be more shouting. Instead, she felt herself being pierced through with a spear. A figure was in front of her, covering the distance between them in a fraction of an instant. She couldn't stand up. Except, Luminous Heartpiercer parried his blow. She only felt the killing intent, not an actual wound. More importantly… had not her advancement to Integration been for this very purpose? To go against the saints?

And to… draw power from them. "You swore protection, but you intended only to drain people dry." Luminous Heartpiercer moved with Vari's intent, but not her understanding. Instead, the spear fought on its own, making use of her power. That meant Vari could focus on pulling on that thread as much as possible- because no matter how good her weapon she simply could not stand up to an Augmentation cultivator. The first blow had been casual, she could tell that now. The following dozen moves were testing her power.

"You." Damjan narrowed his eyes. "You dare steal the devotion that is rightfully mine? And your face… hmph, a mere trick."

A dozen insubstantial spears appeared around Vari, locking in her movements. In what seemed like slow motion, the spear saint stabbed forward- and Vari's body didn't move. Closer and closer, until finally… Vari kicked aside the incoming spear. The phantom spears attempted to pierce her, but they were likewise slow and awful.

Spears were… bad now? She really wished Everheart had been clear about what that meant.

Regardless of the mechanics, it only provided her a moment of safety, as dozens of others swarmed down around them. Most wielding spears, but a few others gathered from different parts of the Harmonious Citadel. And now she was going to die, because she was stupid and trusted Everheart to help her, or fight her own battle.

Damjan took a deep- and painful- breath. "Looks like it's time. I don't know who you truly are, girl, but you're not the only one who can get their hands on Purifying Moonflower."

Vari watched him take out the white flower, chew on it, swallow. She could both see and feel the toxins pushing out of them. Was that why he was suddenly weaker? But why had Luminous Heartbreaker stopped fighting?

She didn't have time to ponder that, as she was rapidly being pinned in. She should have already turned to run, but the whole situation was weird. The spear saint raised his weapon.

"Hey! Pinprick!" A voice echoed from nowhere. "Still like impaling the young ones? Well too bad, it's axe time!"

None of what the voice said made any sense. Well, Vari had some idea. Clearly, Everheart was trying to make the spear saint mad. Wouldn't really change if he killed Vari though, he'd just do it while angry.

Then the world was cloven in two, starting just in front of Vari until past the spear saint. For an instant, she could clearly see, including the small but very real line on the spear saint's shoulder. Then there was a sonic boom as the momentary vacuum collapsed. Everheart landed in front of Vari, holding an axe with a blade nearly his size. She hadn't seen that one in their sparring.

Vari still wasn't sure how to react, but as the enemies collapsed inward most of them focused on Everheart, rightly judging him as the true threat. Vari couldn't do much except protect herself, batting away spear and sword and a pair of daggers. There was also an axe, which she found disturbingly difficult to block. It almost tore right through her bracer as she blocked. Then, it suddenly lost momentum.

Behind her, she could feel Everheart suddenly swap to a pair of daggers himself. And then Everheart and the daggers turned into a half dozen more of each. The extra projections moved to block the extra incoming enemies, so Vari was left with only four opponents, but one of them was strangely augmented. Did that mean it was dagger time now? And why would Everheart augment any of these people to be stronger?

Chapter 607

The flow of the battle soon became clear to Vari, and though it meant swapping her combat priorities constantly, she could see the value in the rotating weapon augmentations. From spear to axe to daggers to morningstars, the priority weapon shifted- and with it Everheart's weapons. This allowed him to drive away the members of the Harmonious Citadel, bombarding the spear saint with a variety of attacks. The rest of the time, every other sort of weapon was weakened- or rather, the styles used by the Harmonious Citadel.

Vari's own style focused on unarmed strikes and grappling. If one considered that a technical weapon style it might be boots and gauntlets, but either way it was neither augmented nor weakened by whatever formations Everheart had set up.

None of the four Vari had to deal with were currently augmented, and she took advantage of the situation, swinging the spear wielder into the one with the sword. She did have to deal with a small portion of the bow cultivators targeting her, forming barriers to block their arrows.

A sloppy spear thrust let her grab and counter. Vari had the feeling that her normal move, disarming the weapon and using it to stab the man, would be met with some difficulty. Instead, she simply held onto it with her free hand and kicked out, a burst of fire surrounding the man as he was knocked away. She dropped the spear, still holding Luminous Heartpiercer and waiting for its moment.

Another shift. Shields seemed to be the next in line, though the Harmonious Citadel hadn't been ready. The few minutes of combat so far had left them off balance, and even though they defeated some of Everheart's projections he seemed able to make more at will.

More than that… Ye'sin's toxins were getting to them. Vari was protected due to a layer of now-dried local mud, plugging the pores of her skin. As for her breath, the awful spiky fruit Everheart forced her to eat seemed to have created a layer of protection inside her as well. So while Vari had to expend more of her energy to fight multiple opponents, all of them were weakening. Including the spear saint Damjan, though the man only had the single thin wounds from Everheart's surprise attack.

Vari truly didn't know who was winning or losing, and perhaps that was by design. But regardless of the current state, she just had to do everything she could. She had no doubt that fleeing now would result in her death, one way or another. Everheart was holding strong, but several more Integration cultivators free to target him might push him beyond his limits. Or perhaps Vari shouldn't be here at all.

But she needed to be, to test herself if nothing else. She drew upon the power of those around her, their promises of protection strengthening her regardless of their actual intentions. Devotion streamed most readily from the spear saint, and the man would no doubt attempt to kill Vari if he found an opening. According to the pattern, his strength should return soon.

For a moment, Vari could do nothing as bows became the weapon of choice. Then, suddenly, masses of weaker cultivators fell. Up until that point, Everheart had been mostly using styles Vari recognized, the best bits and pieces stolen from the Harmonious Citadel. His bow style bore only the faintest resemblance, instead reminding her more of… Alva and Kseniya. Which was odd, because he'd never interacted with them.

Though it only took a moment to realize what that meant. Kseniya was Anton's master, and Anton in turn taught Alva. Though Vari had never met him- and probably never would- she heard great things about his skills. It would make perfect sense to adopt his style.

Suddenly, each Everheart not only began to fire their bow, but had a twin pair of purely energy weapons floating next to them, the cause of the weaker cultivator's demise. Each of the projections could focus on more than one enemy during that time, and despite being attacked in melee they continued to fire their weapons with little care for the theoretical disadvantage.

Then a sword swept towards Vari, its power augmented. She blocked with both bracers together, holding her ground. This individual was fairly skilled, so she couldn't do much but defend against it as well as the axe and dagger wielders. The one with the spear hadn't stood back up, and the continuing flames indicated that they never would.

Once more, Vari lost control of her body- no, she gave it up. The weapon's great power and the skill of former wielders, combined with the augmentation of the formations, allowed her to quickly strike down the surrounding trio. That left her free, just in time for Damjan to break past Everheart.

Vari watched as her own body fought, spears clashing. Spearheads scratched against each other, their shafts rattling with power. Vari couldn't win this, even with a superior weapon and the man poisoned. It simply wouldn't weaken the Augmentation cultivator fast enough, and he wasn't holding back.

The spear swept down, an overhead chop that would certainly kill her. Her spear came up, blocking with its side- and being severed by the attack. The explosion of energy sent Vari flying, even as she somehow tossed the broken upper half of the spear towards Damjan.

She landed on her back, and for a moment she forgot to stand up. Her body was once more hers. And the spear… Luminous Heartpiercer was destroyed. A spear connecting her to an unknown mother and aunt. It had been with her only for a short time, but it hurt to lose.

Her eyes rose to find the tossed half of the weapon, though it was barely visible through Damjan. On the other hand, she could see through Damjan. He seemed just as surprised as her. Maybe more so.

The weapon should not have broken so easily, even in the hands of a mere Integration cultivator like herself. Perhaps that was the intention it had all along.

Damjan's head was lopped off with Everheart's axe a moment later, and the remaining combatants quickly turned to flee. Everheart was not normally the type to let people go, but he did not give chase.

"... Are you alright?" Vari asked Everheart.

The man just sighed. "That's one out of eight. Hopefully they have trouble suppressing this."

That reminded Vari she had a message to send, as soon as possible.

The message Tauno Heinonen had been waiting for finally came. He had never doffed his dragonscale armor, and his dragon fang sword hung by his side, ready for action. He was the only Augmentation cultivator taking part in this particular mission, but hearing that the spear saint was dead filled him with confidence. They didn't have time to ask for confirmation- they were already relying on their communications traveling faster than the Harmonious Citadel's. If they hesitated, the news might reach the local area somehow.

Aside from those he knew from the past, Tauno saw that some of the catalysts for this new wave of action were participating. Individuals from the lower realms- a rather large quantity of individuals from a single planet, even if they had ascended over the course of decades and centuries.

The two most relevant were those who matched their target, the bow saint. One was an old woman, though her attitude showed her as anything but. The other was young- her path of cultivation must have begun early and progressed continuously, to look as she did. She rode on the back of a wolf, one that gave off a strange energy. It also had formation runes glowing across its body. Kseniya and Alva. And the wolf had a name too. Fuzz? That was probably wrong, as it was entirely too cute of a name for such a fearsome warrior.

"Well then," Tauno grinned, "Time to hunt a bow saint."

The old woman- Kseniya- approached him. "You should have some knowledge of them. This woman's ability to kill at a hundred kilometers, how accurate is that?"

Tauno shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure. It was reasonably accurate some time ago. Now, perhaps, that number has increased."

"She was an augmentation cultivator, though?"

Tauno nodded. "Yes."

"What a pathetic thing to brag about. For her sake, she'd better hope she's an excellent skirmisher to make up for the range."

Tauno tilted his head. "And she would have to make up for it because…?"

"Because I could do that in Life Transformation. Easily." Kseniya gestured vaguely towards Alva, "And she's far from a sniper, but that's within her range."

The youth known as Alva had to be able to hear their conversation, but she had no reaction. Interesting. Tauno made a note to pay attention to whether or not they lived up to what they said. Were they braggarts, or as amazing as he heard?

Tauno had a whole speech prepared for Tisiphone. He would make statements about how careless the bow saint was to come out to the border of the Harmonious Citadel's control. Perhaps mix in something about how foolish it was, after the death of the spear saint- though she would likely not believe that. How the Harmonious Citadel would pay for their actions.

Then Kseniya happened. "I'm getting off here," the woman declared before they got anywhere close to the planet. Then she began taking shots with her bow. Tauno would have chastised her for wasting her energy… but the confidence she exuded made him reconsider his first instinct.

The ship he was traveling on only took a minute to approach the planet, but by that time Tauno could sense chaos down below. In truth, it was only a handful of Integration cultivators dead- but those below had been able to provide no response.

As the ship slowed at the edge of the atmosphere, Tauno felt the bow saint finally locking onto a target- a nearby ship in the fleet. Time to act. He burst forth, slicing the woman's first shot out of the air.

Next to him leapt Alva and her wolf. "Let's get 'em, Fuzz!"

So that was his name. The wolf turned into a ball of fire as he fell, the arrows shot from his back formed of pure energy picking up the fiery power of his descent as it bombarded the area below.

Tauno had to cut apart the atmosphere to make himself fall faster so he could keep up. No way was he going to be left behind on an opportunity like this. Besides, he was the only Augmentation cultivator among them. Alva might not be many steps away- a realization that made the relatively youthful Tauno surprised- but there was still a major difference to be had in their power.

The bow saint, in turn, recognized Tauno as the greatest threat, rapidly approaching from above. Arrows streamed through the air towards him, propelled by her mighty bow. He had every intention to sunder it with his first blow.

Each arrow that came for him was cut apart by his quick blade, crafted from a dragon he had slain himself. That connection made it greater than it seemed, though it was not a legendary artifact passed down like the weapons of the saints.

One minor adjustment to his fall, and his blade met with Tisiphone's bow. Surprisingly, the bow held- though her arms trembled with the strain of holding back his blade. He wondered what fabulous material it was made out of. But it hardly mattered, as he began to weave together his attacks, continuously forcing the woman back. She was miraculously able to continue attacks of her own, drawing back her string and firing towards his chest.

Tauno angled his body so that the arrows would deflect off the scales of his armor, reducing their impact. He had to admit, if this woman had been free to attack him as he raced towards her across the land, she would have been a dangerous opponent. As it was, however, she was without support- the vast majority of her compatriots being shot down by the two specific archers.

Realizing she could not win, Tisiphone fled. If the situation were different, Tauno would not have been so confident chasing after her. However, after hearing of the death of one saint…why not go for two? It was clear Tisiphone had forgotten that she was mortal. Time to remind the Harmonious Citadel what they truly were.

Chapter 608

Waving half of a spear vaguely in Everheart's direction produced no results. Vari supposed she could stab him herself, but what was the point? Her opinion of Luminous Heartpiercer had swung about wildly after it first controlled her actions followed by her learning why it might do so. The remnants of people she'd never had in her life, actual family. The Harmonious Citadel had tried to replace her family with its structure, but after truly experiencing the world she knew it hadn't even come close. Alva and the others, on the other hand. They were as close as she would get, unless she made a family of her own.

"Heh. Hahaha. Bwahaha!" Everheart's chuckling turned into full on maniacal laughter. Right, there was that asshole. "Excellent. We've killed a saint without even having to get to any of the backup plans! This is great."

"I thought it would feel… better."

"Really? The exhilaration of annihilating an enemy and the power pouring into you aren't enough?"

Vari looked down at herself. It was true that a sizable quantity of energy was being drawn into her dantian, improving her cultivation. But while she should have felt something at that, she could only really acknowledge it on a technical level. "Yeah, this is good. I suppose."

"Man," Everheart said. "You're awful at relishing your revenge. At this rate you won't even be motivated to get the other seven."

"Or six," Vari said offhandedly. "But it's not like I have a personal grudge against the rest. I've caused more than enough damage to make up for what was done to me."

'Listen, uh…" Everheart mumbled to himself, "What motivates people? Aha!" He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Vari, don't forget about all of the others harmed by the Harmonious Citadel, including their own people. Those who, like yourself, were forced into the subordinate Holy Harmony Technique."

"Wow, you're uh… really bad with people, huh?" Vari raised an eyebrow. Then she reached up to grab his hand.

Everheart pulled away. "Anyway," Everheart said. "If you want your share of this crap you'd better take it. I'm taking Damjan's head impaled on his own spear to display somewhere, but you can kind of have your pick of anything."

Aside from some gloves the spear saint had, Vari didn't find much of interest. She did take with her the broken halves of Luminous Heartpiercer, though. She didn't have any intent to use it as a spear, even if the enchantments along its spine could be reforged to return it to full power. But as a memory, it was of some value. Whether or not it was actually the legendary spear of the spear saint, which was still in question due to Everheart's lack of reliability.

Then she left without even a proper goodbye. As a planet, Ye'sin wasn't the least pleasant one Vari had ever visited, but it was the least likable due to the planet itself and not the individuals upon it. It hurt to breathe, whether or not she was technically protected from the toxins.

Upon her return to Xankeshan, Vari received confirmation that a second saint had fallen. Two out of eight in basically a single moment. The bow saint's demise was fairly public, but people would miss the spear saint soon enough. Rumors of two saints dying had been prepared to spread immediately, to make the Harmonious Citadel's ultimate suppression of the knowledge that much more difficult.

Some of those in deep like Vari had been would likely disbelieve it, but the fact of the matter was that the Harmonious Citadel was down two Augmentation cultivators. That put them a major step closer to losing an all out war with the alliance against them, and the loss might attract some neutral factions previously afraid of them to fight against the Harmonious Citadel.

After some thought, Vari did still find herself motivated to continue the fight. Even if her personal reasons were basically satisfied, her friends were in the conflict to the end. And she did want to help out those who were unable to make a choice about being part of the Citadel. She was a step closer to Augmentation, as well. If she was involved with the deaths of a couple more saints- and didn't die herself- she thought she could reach it. Or, the more sensible way was training for another century or so. There was no guarantee she could actually reach Augmentation, but she was surrounded by people working towards that goal.

The two halves of Luminous Heartpiercer she brought to the best smith she was aware of, Grandmaster Smith Sadiq. He was a busy fellow, even being somewhat selective in his work. And apparently quite expensive, in some cases. On the other hand, bringing him interesting materials could help. All this Vari knew from Chikere, except the thing about expenses. Vari presumed Chikere had been charged, but she also collected a large amount of wealth from people she fought and didn't use it for anything except swords.

There was no long line or anything stopping Vari from just walking up to the man- just a few people standing around hoping to learn something from watching him. In general, people's requests were quickly accepted or rejected. Being straightforward was apparently the right thing.

"What can you do with this?" Vari said, holding the two halves of Luminous Heartpiercer in front of the man as he hammered on a sword.

He didn't look up, but she felt his senses sweep over her and the broken weapon. "I can fix up the shaft, apply new enchantments. But I can't say it would be as good as before. Or, I could scrap it for you."

"Scrap it?" Vari frowned.

"Scrap it, melt it down, maybe turn it into something else. The material is good. Could provide a basis for something." Sadiq's senses lingered on Vari, and her equipment. "Some bladed gauntlets, perhaps."

"Why blades?"

"Because I'm good at blades, and the materials should take a profoundly sharp edge even before enchantments. I don't think it would restrict your style, either."

That seemed reasonable enough to her. She just needed to see if she could afford something like that. Looking in her storage bag… there was a significant quantity of things she didn't remember. Weird. However, it also still had everything she had expected to be in there, so she wouldn't concern herself with it too much.

Foundation was first. That wasn't an option. Skin had been next. Following that had been muscle, tendons, then bones. Chidi's next step was marrow, then the organs in his head and torso. His meridians were the very last on the list before the second full tempering that completed the Hundred Stars' Body Tempering training.

He couldn't claim it was the best method, but the order made sense to him. Outer to inner, performing each step as he could feel it. Muscle and tendons were weird and stringy. Bones were hard- obviously- but the marrow inside was squishy. Each organ felt different, as they all had different things to do and different physicality.

Meridians were the oddest of all. They were only sort of there, concurrent with the veins and arteries that carried his blood but more metaphysical. They felt soft, but not fragile. Like the air itself, only able to be redirected but never really destroyed. At least, not by anyone vaguely around Chidi's level. As he stepped into Spirit Building, he had a better sense of how such a thing might be accomplished, but it was still just a pipe dream.

Somewhat around two years were spent in Body Tempering, not the fastest by any means but he was instructed to cultivate carefully. His father helped him push his limits without causing permanent harm as he involved himself with various practical jobs to grow strong.

Plowing a field was both dry and wet. Soft from the dirt and hard from rocks that were dug up. As for the taste… well, he could say he preferred not to taste it. Dirt still tasted like dirt. The sound was crunchy, and the smell could only be described in reference to the ground itself. Earthy, but more when he was working the ground.

Planting seeds was comfortable, feeling them all snuggled up against the surrounding dirt. It was both shelter and food. As a plant, at least, that was a pleasant idea. As a human, he would not particularly want to live in bread, potatoes, soup, or anything of the like. Candy was an even worse idea, because it was sticky. And constant sweetness would become cloying.

He carried old-style crates, splintery and rough constructs of wood. He worked with a tailor on his manual dexterity, feeling the softness of the cloth and the sharpness of the needle. The smell of leather at a cobbler. All of the old style professions had their own sensations.

Meanwhile, the fancy new technology Engineer Uzun was implementing fit into a smaller range of sensation. At least, on the production side of things. The end products were as diverse as anything else.

Machines were smooth metal and oil. Sometimes a heat, but that was exactly what the oil was supposed to prevent. His parents had been concerned about Chidi getting close to some of the machines, but he knew where not to be. He could feel their great crushing weight, the sharpness of rolling cutters. The pinching interconnection of gears. They fit together like great organisms with more clearly understandable internals.

Chidi didn't have to actually touch something sharp to know to avoid it. He got the feeling that most people didn't really get what sharp was from a distance. Apparently seeing could tell that, but he didn't know- and since other people got hurt more than Chidi did, perhaps seeing wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Though apparently it was helpful for longer ranges. On the other hand, his parents could sense him from a great distance around corners, so sight hardly mattered unless he was outside on a roof. Maybe getting into space battles.

On that topic, Chidi was very excited to go with his lupine friends to experience battle for the first time. Real battle. Not wrestling with the wolves or sparring, but real battle in The Gardens. Sure, he would be watched over- but that didn't make it not real.

Chidi's best wolf friend still had no name. She was just his friend- and he was very careful not to somehow make that her name. Many of her siblings had names. From the same litter there was Fang, Big Paws, Ember, and Brick. The first two were named after physical qualities, while the latter two shared some of their parent's cultivation traits.

Likewise, Chidi had learned from his parents how to fight with a sword, which also went along with his namesake. She was supposed to have returned after going to the lower realms, but she was apparently still there. Maybe forever, unless she could figure out how to ascend again. Lots of people didn't seem to think that was actually possible, and Chidi would never really understand because he was born in the upper realms.

"What are we looking for, buddy?" Chidi growled. It was apparently Fuzz that formalized an actual language for the wolves, and it had been impossible for Chidi to speak before body tempering. Now, he just used some energy to replicate the vocal chords, lungs, and head shape of a wolf until he had all the components to make the right sounds. He wasn't crazy enough to try actually transforming his body.

"Boar," his hunting partner replied. "There are too many here, rooting too much and destroying the growth."

Boar. Chidi sniffed. He knew the smell, both as food and as something in the wild. Auntie Alva had brought him along on a hunt, but he hadn't participated before now.

He wasn't the first to pick up the scent- as it turned out, being able to put your nose to the ground was a huge advantage there. He could get down on all fours, but his body wasn't made for that. And while he could make up some of the difference with his use of energy, the wolves also knew how to use energy to augment their senses.

"This way," his companion said. "One appropriately sized for us to hunt. Father will deal with the larger ones."

How exciting. Chidi made sure he kept his hand on his sword, and his ears open for sounds of movement. Though he would probably smell the boar first. Their scent was not something to take lightly.

Chapter 609

Two individuals traipsed through The Garden on their own. At least, if Chidi were to ignore his aunt's senses lingering in them. He couldn't exactly complain, since this was his first real mission, and he wasn't even a teenager yet. More than that, despite how strong he felt, he knew that each stage between himself and Alva was a massive gap. Chidi was only in early Spirit Building, with all of Essence Collection and Life Transformation between himself and the beginning of Integration. A journey of a century or more, whereas his entire life was barely more than a decade.

His lupine companion was sniffing around, looking for something. It shouldn't be the trail, nor did Chidi think she would mix up the various scents. "What are you looking for?" Chidi asked, his vocal chords straining to growl in the right manner. All of the wolves would understand common speech, but it just seemed polite to speak in their own language if he could.

"Assurance. I sense our opponent is not trivial. No, he should be a true test of strength…" the wolf snuffled. "We need any advantages we can get."

"Like what?" Chidi asked. He felt the sharpness of his blade- still sheathed, but not for much longer. He also felt the fangs and claws of his companion, the only weapons she needed. Likewise, Chidi had light but durable armor to match the tough hide of the wolf, powerful due to her parentage and tested in previous battles.

"I will know when I find it," she replied.

Chidi nodded, keeping his ears open for the sounds of other creatures. Just because they were hunting a boar didn't mean there wouldn't be anything else. They would avoid the trail of the larger boars similarly causing trouble, but The Gardens were still a notoriously dangerous area, intentionally set up that way by some crazy guy. Apparently, there were still some hidden treasures deep within, but Chidi wasn't stupid enough to think he had any hope of getting them at his current strength.

The feeling of Alva's senses withdrew, though not far. She was ultimately still tracking the two of them, but they would have some technical privacy. There was no way to pass outside the range of her encirclement. Chidi had tried in the past, but Alva was much better at catching him than his mother and father. Not that he had reason to sneak off much. He just didn't want to be constantly looked at. Unless he couldn't tell it was happening, then it didn't bother him. Though he'd gotten pretty good at judging where people were looking from how their eyes felt in their head, the angle of the bumps on the front bits.

The forest floor was rough with pine needles and underbrush. They had long since gone off of what roads had been worn into the forest, and now they were simply following the path of the boar, uprooted saplings and sliced bark on the edge of trees. Plus the stench.

"Something smells bad," Chidi said. "Not the boar," he had to clarify.

The wolf nodded. "That is what we're looking for, I think."

"Are we going to stuff the boar's snout?" Chidi asked as they approached an area where the woods thinned. Rough grasses filled the area, along with tall stalks covered in blooms of oddly shaped flowers. A clear trail was crushed through the meadow, juices leaking from the plants.

"Of course not. You will spread this plant on your blade. But don't touch it."

"Poison?" Chidi asked. "Won't that make it troublesome to eat the boar?"

"Yes," his wolf companion agreed. "It will make us sick. But we need to stop the boar from devastating the area more than we need to eat it. And if you are cautious, you can grow resistant to poisons."

"Have you?" Chidi asked as the wolf ground her paws into the whole of the stalks and flowers. He set about doing the same- except more carefully lifting the floofy flowers with his energy and wiping them along the blade of his sword.

"Of course."

Confident words, but perhaps not such a confident response. There was certainly some caution taken, only the front paws and primarily the tips pressed into the plant.

A snapping twig. "Something's coming," Chidi said. Each step was heavy, and as his senses stretched out he felt prickly fur. And of course, sharp tusks. It seemed the boar had doubled back, perhaps hearing intruders in its territory or possibly simply out of coincidence. It was taller than Chidi, and also bigger than his lupine companion. Nor was it simply a normal boar, but one that had some measure of upper energy within it. "I'll split left!" Chidi called out.

Simply standing still in front of such a creature, especially one that was beginning its charge, was foolish. He held his blade in his hands, trembling. The anticipation was the worst part as the ground scattered apart, heavy thuds approaching and a being of pure power approaching.

Chidi leapt forward and to the side, aware that the boar would lower its tusks and try to disembowel him from beneath. That he knew from the other wolves, and his studies about various beasts.

His blade was held towards the boar, slicing towards the snout. It caught on the tusks, nearly ripping out of his hands as it was pulled back before chopping forward. He had just enough energy gathered to cut through the boar's defensive energy, but he barely cut into its hide, leaving a bloody trail only a few fingers in length on the multiple meter stretch of its side. At least he had moved quickly enough that he'd been safe. He didn't want to find out what happened when his own defenses had to fight against those natural spears.

On the other side, knowing his intentions, his still unnamed friend leapt forward, claws grazing the hindquarters of the boar. Neither of them managed a deep wound… but with the poison, perhaps the creature would fall quickly.

Or it would be enraged, its furious cry causing Chidi to shudder. Could he hide before it turned around? Perhaps he should duck down into the field. He tried that, uncertain of the boars senses. He felt the wet orbs of eyes, so it would rely on that first. As a wild creature, it would make frequent use of its scent, but that would hopefully not be precise enough to run down Chidi.

He was debating running for the trees once it turned and passed again. That would provide some cover, and some were thick enough to stop its charge. Hopefully. His wolf friend did the same as him, crouching low among the tall stalks of a bulbous and apparently poisonous flower.

If the poison was affecting the boar, it at least showed no signs on its next charge. More than that, its aim at first appeared to be off- but as it was nearly past Chidi it flicked its head, tusks driving for him. He was prepared for something like that, but his response was anything but perfect. His sword stabbed out, grazing the boar's cheek as the tusk tore enchanted cloth armor, skin, and muscle from his elbow to his shoulder.

The boar's momentum still carried it past him, but Chidi was momentarily stunned.

"Run for the trees!" the insistent barking of his friend snapped him out of it, and he stumbled forward, his feet barely finding purchase until he could stabilize his senses, feeling the plants ahead and more importantly the ground beneath. He was too used to flat and even terrain, it seemed.

As he reached the treeline, Chidi realized he didn't hear his companion running after him. Instead, he heard some chomping and squelching sounds, a strong scent filling the air.

He couldn't do anything but listen, behind his tree, as he heard the boar charge again. He was not close enough to sense anything. He only heard the growl of his companion, transforming into a bark.

The sounds of collision, ripping and tearing flesh- much worse sounds than he'd previously experienced in training. Chidi was astounded, and afraid. Why hadn't Alva done something?

Why hadn't he done something?

He clutched his sword tightly, listening. Heavy thuds, snorting. Elsewhere, ragged breathing. He crept forward, aware of every blade of grass and stalk in front of him. He couldn't avoid them, but he could minimize how much he collided. But soon enough he couldn't take the slow route. He felt his companion, fur matted with blood. Teeth filled with not only a few hunks of bristles and a bit of different blood, but also squished flowers and stalks and even bits of roots stuck in between. She didn't seem able to stand, possibly from the wound- maybe from the poison. But the boar was hoofing the ground, a line of dirt being torn apart.

Chidi charged forward. The boar had some intelligence, or perhaps simply wished to finish off the wolf- angling for the same place he was. Chidi was small and quick, and closer- but they would arrive at nearly the same time. Knowing he had to do something, he tossed his sword, the blade barely nicking the boar above the eye. But that caused it to turn slightly away, and left his arms free to scoop up his companion.

Like a sack of potatoes, except this one covered in blood and grunting in pain. With a burst of speed he removed himself from the boar's trajectory and charged towards the woods on the far side. "Alva!" He yelled, "Senior Fuzz! We need help!"

Who cares if they failed the mission by needing help? That wouldn't matter if he died. If either of them died. Chidi wasn't going to lose a friend to something stupid like 'proving himself'.

He felt the arrows first, then heard them. Sharp points of powerful energy, raining down around the boar. Yet strangely, they did not drive through its body as he expected. It could have been filled full of holes, instead it was trapped in a cage. Only for a moment.

Chidi lay his friend behind a tree, then moved to stand in front of another, a thick pine. He had no weapon, but he found a nice rock nearby. He hefted it, listening for the boar's approach. Slow, plodding feet. It came towards him, squealing. Heavy steps.

Rough panting from the wolf filled Chidi's ears.

Strained breaths from himself.

And from the boar. A snort came with a wet bubble of blood, and a pop. Chidi didn't know what exactly that meant, but it was close enough to feel and he chucked the rock. It broke on the boar's skull, but the boar made an awful noise and emptied its guts on the ground next to it, collapsing in pain. Not from the rock, obviously.

Chidi ran back to his friend. "Are you alright?" he asked, unable to form any sort of wolven sounds and instead just speaking normally.

A deep draw of breath. A low growl. "Told ya…. Resistant…"

Chidi didn't really believe that. On that note, he reached into her mouth and began to remove the bits of plant matter, so that no more poison got into her.

What even was this plant, anyway? He vaguely recalled the description, though usually there were useless descriptions available to him like color and whatnot. The shape stood out though, and the poisonous properties.

"Aconite," Chidi declared. "What do you think about that for a name? You can choose between that and Reckless Idiot."

A snort from the wolf. And then a much bigger one from another wolf. Towering over Chidi was Fuzz. And miniscule by comparison, on his back was Chidi's Auntie Alva. "You're going to name her that?" Alva laughed. "Well, I suppose it is appropriate. And not as bad as the other name that plant bears in some places."

"... Do you have medicine?" Chidi asked. "An antidote?"

"No!" growled Aconite. "I will… do it… on my own."

"Alright," Chidi said. "But next time, stay with me, okay?"

It was too bad he failed his first mission. His parents probably wouldn't let him go out for a while, but he wasn't sure he would want to anyway. Especially not if it involved a friend getting seriously hurt. And his own arm wasn't exactly a light scratch, either.

Chapter 610

There were significant oddities with large magnetic fields that Anton hadn't experienced when viewing it on a small scale. Before attuning to his latest star he had not encountered magnetism on a relevant scale to hinder or help a cultivator. Rutera had some experience with how they worked, as they were a source of power that did not rely on natural energy- Anton would have to study with them at some point. But for the moment, he remained on In'istra, training Varghese and generally looking for places to spread the anti-Twin Soul Sect techniques.

As promised, he was developing techniques Varghese could use. Instead of simply attracting materials along a path, with sufficient power other behaviors could be observed. That included odd behavior where all movement was resisted, though that generally affected large and regularly shaped materials. That didn't mean he couldn't apply the same effect to weapons, but it was more complicated.

The important thing was, if he could apply such a thing it would be a powerful way to resist most weapons in a way that couldn't be directly overpowered with greater quantities of energy. Anton wasn't quite certain yet, but the way movement was resisted more strongly the faster an incoming object approached didn't seem to cause him to expend more energy sustaining the field. At least, not significantly. Instead, the object fought against itself. If that was true, he could greatly improve his combat effectiveness. At high levels of magnetism, more things were affected than casual observations would indicate.

Varghese wouldn't be able to achieve such effects, not early at least, but any way to affect an enemy's weapons or movements in general that went outside of the expected channels could be powerful. It only took Anton a week to provide a basic version either he or Varghese could develop later. It would serve him throughout Spirit Building, at least.

"Now remember, you almost certainly don't want to draw attacks towards your body," Anton said, halting a sword he was holding for the sake of training the young man. He felt the force pulling it closer, but did not let it move. "At your level, I would focus on a shell around you. That is the least likely to result in… critical flaws."

Varghese nodded, "I'm trying. However, I can't do as much as I would like throughout the day, with my energy otherwise occupied. You being here to train me whenever I want is already a miracle, but if I could get some of those lodestones for myself…"

"You want a permanent magnet?" Anton asked.

"I think it would be useful for my studies."

Anton pulled out a bar of iron, reshaping it with his energy and then charging it. The internal structure was realigned to flow in a single direction, unlocking the material's innate magnetism. "I'm not sure how long it will last," Anton admitted as he tossed it to his student, "But it should suffice for some time. Don't fret if you manage to ruin it while experimenting."

Varghese touched it to his sword and found himself almost unable to pull it away- it involved sliding it to a point where it had less contact with the blade. "This is… quite strong. I can just have this?"

"Some things of great value to you are not worth so much to others," Anton said. "All I ask is that you maintain your principles, continue your training, and pass on knowledge to others once you have a proper understanding."

"All, huh," Varghese frowned.

"You find that unreasonable?" Anton asked.

"Not at all. It's just strange. Everyone's holding tightly onto their scraps of cultivation knowledge, and here you are giving out astounding knowledge freely."

"I will admit," Anton said, "It's not an entirely fair comparison. I am wealthy in knowledge. Nothing I do here can give anyone an advantage over me. So it is rather simple to provide whatever I see fit."

"I suppose," Varghese admitted, "But I have the feeling you would be doing the same if you were much less powerful."

"Like anyone, I look out for family and friends first. I simply have the luxury of expanding the field of the latter."

Varghese flipped the iron bar over in his hand, manipulating his energy to have it briefly float before it crashed into his hand, jolting his arm back. "Thank you. I can learn much with this and your technique manual."

"Do keep it secret," Anton said. "For your own sake, really. As you say, people are holding onto their scraps of knowledge. They would take that from you, if you are careless. However, I think you can trust the Iron Plate Mercenaries more than others."

"How can you tell?" Varghese asked.

"Insight. And centuries of experience. I'm not going to tell you they are ultimate paragons of virtue who will never harm you. But if you treat them well, they will do the same in return. Captain Sharma recognized your potential, along with Vasudha- though she'd be less willing to admit it. Unfortunately, it is here that our time will have to come to an end, for a while."

"What do you mean?" Varghese asked.

"I've traveled to other parts of your planet. The Twin Soul Sect infects it all. I must spend more time observing people elsewhere, to find others worthy of learning what they need to know. And then I have to return home for a time."

"Where is home?" Varghese asked.

"There," Anton pointed to a particular spot in the sky. Ceretos' star was not visible from within the atmosphere, but he had a perfect sense of where all of his stars were. "Ceretos. If you are inclined to visit it… well, expect it to take some time. Probably centuries, for civilization to recover to a point you have hope. But maybe less, if you contribute to your planet's growth."

"That's a lot of responsibility for just me."

Anton shrugged, "You don't have to. Just do your best. Work towards what you want, as long as it betters the world in some way. You know my guidance. I might direct others towards you, or I might not. But I can't always be here."

"I know," Varghese sighed. "I'm also sure your other duties are important."

"Damn right!" Anton nodded, "I haven't seen my latest grandkid in years now." Anton grinned, "And of course there are likely other worlds similarly situated to your own, around other stars."

"How many?" Varghese asked, looking at the stars.

"Who knows?" Anton shook his head. "In this region of space? Hundreds, at least. Perhaps not all were devastated by invasion for one reason or other. Perhaps they simply had nothing of value, or hid themselves, or perhaps they even managed to resist. But I want everyone to be able to develop and grow. I won't stand for this oppression from the upper realms. Especially not when they're weaker than they think."

"... How so? They completely devastated In'istra."

"I know some who could do that alone. And they grow weak here in the lower realms. If I manage to advance to the next stage… I don't think anyone could match me. Perhaps a domination cultivator who would be willing to risk themself by being here."

"Domination?"

"Once one surpasses Life Transformation, the first step after Ascension is Integration. Then Augmentation, and finally Domination."

"And that's the peak of cultivation?"

Anton shrugged. "How should I know? I haven't even heard a single reliable report of Domination cultivators with names, not in thousands of worlds. It might be the end of that path, but perhaps there is more."

"That path?"

"Of course. As you can clearly see, I am here. Not ascended." Anton grinned. "If I don't return to tell you about Assimilation in a century or so, maybe try to find Ceretos. Someone there can help. But having the information available to you now wouldn't help your cultivation." Anton paused for a moment, thinking. "Once you are secure in Spirit Building, I give you permission to instruct others on the One Hundred Stars. However, you must test them first."

"For cultivation talent?"

"No," Anton strongly refuted the answer. "That hardly matters. Test their character. Rely on your judgment, perhaps after training Insight. I don't care how strong the people you teach become. I just care that they won't misuse whatever strength they get."

"I will take this responsibility seriously," Varghese said.

"You don't have to spread," Anton reminded him. "Oh, and if you find others practicing One Hundred Stars, do try to get along? You don't have to join up into one sect, but as long as they maintain reasonable principles you don't have to worry about other details."

"Of course," Varghese said, his face turning down. "You will train others."

"Hey," Anton caught his attention, making him look back up. "Don't forget you're still my personal disciple. I chose to train you. And training others is just basic math. Even Vincent, our most prolific recruiter, only pulled in some hundreds of individuals. You'll hardly get a world-spanning sect in any reasonable time if it's just you."

"A world-spanning sect…" Varghese said dreamily.

"Or multi-world. If we weren't so far, I would happily consider you a branch. And perhaps some day, if the reach of both of us expands, we will unite. Or stubbornly refuse to agree because of the color of drapes we prefer."

"...What?" Varghese frowned.

"Look, kid, sometimes sects break up over stupid crap."

With that, Anton really did need to get back on track. It was a long journey back home, and he did want to sow more seeds along the way.

Watching a wolf puking its guts wasn't particularly fun for Alva, but Aconite was the one who chose to recover 'on her own'. Alva was of course going to monitor her- stopping Fuzz from butting in was difficult enough. Spikes was willing to go along, as the stone wolf came from a background forged in trials. Not that Fuzz exactly had things easy. He was first found nearly dead, and then unable to control his own body for a while.

"So," Alva said to her nephew. "What did you learn?"

"... That's I'm not ready for a hunt."

"Pick something else," Alva said.

"... Don't chew poisonous plants?"

Alva laughed, "Hey, I'm pretty sure you knew that one already, unlike someone."

"I don't know," Chidi said finally.

"You're supposed to say something about teamwork."

"More like being saved by someone way stronger," Chidi sighed. "We couldn't do it."

"You think so?" Alva raised her eyebrow, a gesture Chidi might not pick up. The kid was good at sensing movement, but despite how much it seemed like it sometimes he still couldn't actually see. "Because I didn't scratch that boar. That was all the two of you. I delayed it for a moment… mostly to remind you that I would support you. Just to be clear, I was watching the whole time and I thought you were doing fine."

"We almost died."

"That's how you grow," Alva shrugged, "In my opinion, you were always on the side of things where you were going to live."

The newly named Aconite grunted in response. Alva had learned to understand Fuzz and his kin- how could she not?- but nothing understandable came out of the young wolf. Well, young by the standards of a wolf with cultivation. More than a decade would put her well past adult age, if she were simply a normal beast. But the intelligence developed by her parents caused her and the other pups to have different growth. Aconite had the physical maturity of and adult wolf, and she likely surpassed them mentally- but with that intelligence came all sort of other problems. Like coming up with ideas to use poison by coating her own fangs with it. That was a move of desperation, but even coating her paws had let some seep in through her pads and the skin beneath her fur.

Alva shook her head. The wolf was now named, and perhaps appropriately. Because while locally aconite or sometimes monkshood were appropriate names, back on Ceretos Anton had introduced it to her as wolfsbane. And given how the wolf almost killed herself, what name could be more appropriate?

Chapter 611

In the council chambers upon Xankeshan, Velvet gave the report for spies and other informants in the Harmonious Citadel's territory. "The reaction has been… strong, as expected. Two saints dead practically at once has been difficult for them to cover up. But putting aside their internal situation for the moment, it seems the remaining saints might be taking this war seriously. They won't be moving independently, and seem to be preparing for a proper war."

"Xankeshan can withstand a direct attack," Catarina declared.

"I'm sure it can," Tauno agreed. Now that he had been revealed, he would be staying upon Xankeshan for the most part. "But outlying planets controlled by our alliance can still be attacked. We can give them up, but the Harmonious Citadel is not above scouring planets for petty revenge. A mass harvesting of resources and slaughter of the people would lose us more than resources, but also support of our allies. And we don't have enough Augmentation cultivators to match them."

The Harmonious Citadel previously had eight known Augmentation cultivators, though there was potential they had kept another secret. Now they would be down to six or seven, with the alliance having only three they could count on. Moves were being made to sway two of the extremely sparse Augmentation cultivators not tied to either side. They were hoping the recent deaths of saints would factor into their decisions, but even if they got both they still wouldn't be able to match them straight up.

Vari shook her head, "We also can't count on Everheart to contribute any further. He's just as likely to cause trouble for us, though I don't think he has any motivation to assassinate our Augmentation cultivators."

Timothy added his own thoughts, "He still maintains a grudge with them, does he not? If we can provide an opening, I imagine he would snatch that opportunity to do something that would harm them."

"That would be best," Zazil of the Dark Ring agreed. "But perhaps we should return to the internal situation of the Harmonious Citadel. They might be focused on a united goal now, but their stability should be at a low point. If we could get a single one to act against the others in a bid for power," she shrugged. "Or pierce through their propaganda to cause other internal strife."

Prospero nodded. He had advised the council from his experience even before reaching Integration, and with his advancement there was no excuse for anyone to keep him from an official position. Some people did not like the number of individuals from Ceretos involved, but they did provide Xankeshan as a staging ground. "We could also encourage more recently conquered planets to rebel against them. They could suppress any such rebellions with the saints, but that would occupy two or three of them, leaving the rest more easily manageable."

"Just as the saints cannot afford to hold back," Tauno added, "We cannot fail to take advantage of this opportunity. Waiting has been on our side, with the rate of our development, but now allowing them to fully stabilize would be disadvantageous. I can imagine it wouldn't take more than a few decades, far too little for us to grow to match them in power. Even with certain optimal projections," he looked over the individuals from the lower realms.

"At least everyone will have something to do…" Zazil said. "Simply hiding and training is not what cultivators are meant to do."

"Agreed," Tauno said. "It was a terribly unpleasant time."

Shikoba looked down upon Bavore. The gas giant had undergone much turmoil in the purging of the Twin Soul Sect. The war with the Sylanis Cluster had not been good to the system either. However, both were necessary steps in reaching their current form. Shikoba had been a Life Transformation cultivator for both, participating in the fighting. For the latter, he felt more than a bit inadequate compared to the Assimilation cultivators that had developed. Now here he was, an old man with no insights into how he would even make such a step.

If the knowledge had been kept secret from him, that would have been one thing. However, Ceretos had been generous with their knowledge as much as with what had been acquired from the Sylanis Cluster. He knew he required a connection to something, but nothing felt right. Perhaps he simply had no talent. This could be the end of the line.

Or, maybe, Assimilation was not for him. Bavore had been his home for his entire life. He was born in a city floating inside the storm of the great gas giant, swirling colors and monumental storms filling the skies of his childhood imagination.

He found he loved the planet, and those like it in other systems. He wanted to see more… but he could not. The Sylanis Cluster was not exactly open for tourism, and he had no qualifications to explore. Even if he did, he felt he would be lonely.

So now, here Shikoba was, looking off the edge of a floating city. He could not see the depths below, but that only made it more enticing. He wanted to take a look, but he also didn't want it to be his last.

But there was another option, wasn't there? It was even the norm, both before the knowledge of Assimilation and still afterwards. Was it easier, or simply more fitting for most? That, Shikoba didn't know. But Ascension was still an option.

He could fail though. But he didn't let that thought stop him from stepping over the edge. He knew that even if he'd achieved Assimilation, binding himself to Bavore, what he really wanted wasn't Bavore itself but the kind of thing it represented. A planet technically accessible in its entirety, should one be able to survive it. Perhaps the same was true of terrestrial planets, if one were inclined to burrow- but Shikoba loved to fly.

His control of gravity allowed his descent to proceed at a measured pace. He was pulled slowly deeper, where pressure increased and all sorts of interesting phenomena occurred around him. He would occasionally pass solid isles, natural unlike the mostly artificial cities flowing through the planet.

He knew he couldn't withstand the greatest depths. His strength simply couldn't keep up. So he brought him ever closer to his limits, reaching for the world beyond. Ascension. His instincts told him this had some chance to work. Or he might perish like many others who made the same attempt in their own ways.

Shikoba found himself growing closer to his goal as he descended… but it wasn't fast enough. He would run out of energy and be crushed by the pressure first. So, going against his cautious instincts, he reversed his efforts. Instead of limiting the effect of gravity on himself, he increased it, shooting accelerating more rapidly into the depths of the gas giant.

Pressure was not his only problem. At the speeds he was going, the swirling gasses resisted him, strengthening the effective pressure beneath him. Shikoba grit his teeth as he continued to fall, his energy running low. But he reached out for something, a greater energy he felt beyond.

Before he could touch that energy, his legs broke, a momentary lapse of control that would lead to a catastrophic collapse if he could not salvage the situation. But instead of dealing with that, he instead focused all his efforts on reaching out. And then suddenly the pressure and resistance was gone. He was moving through nothing. Subspace, perhaps, but a unique form of it that was only easily accessible to those ascending. He felt himself being drawn 'upwards', happily following the flow. This was a time of peace and serenity, during which he felt his body and soul filled with ascension energy- upper energy. Many new worlds, more interconnected than the lower realms. He could hardly wait.

Thinking back to her first attempts at controlling natural energy, Anishka wondered why she cared at all. It certainly wasn't about a desire to grow stronger. At that age, she hadn't even understood the concept. She simply did it because she could.

The lava itself was something she was particularly fond of. It was part of her home, and much different from anything else. She didn't really want to control it, to harness its power. Even now, that wasn't her intent.

She shielded herself from the heat. Then she stretched out her hand, curling her fingers about the molten rock, pulling it upward and watching it drip through her fingers. Then she backed off.

Anishka could only do that in short bursts, but it was so satisfying. Nothing else moved quite like that. A goopy yet almost solid thing. The fact that it was hot… she could take or leave it. Who cared?

Then there was ice. Famous for being slippery, yet in some situations it was oddly… sticky? There had been a time when Anishka got her tongue stuck on the frozen walls of the sect, the ice freezing the moisture on her tongue. She could at least disentangle herself from that problem now.

If that was where her fascinations ended, she would have still been a perfect child of the Fire and Ice Palace. But that wasn't the limit.

Aniskha moved away from the lava flow, until she found untainted land which seemed to have nothing of note. At least, that was what people claimed. A bit of ash coating the surface- powdery, yet oddly full of life. Plants were poking through it, and she dropped onto her belly to look at them. A poky little weed. A stalk of grass. Both quite different from each other. How did plants even work? Anishka didn't know, even after it was technically explained to her.

But beneath that was the dirt. To some people, that was the most boring thing in existence. Literally nothing at all. But to Anishka, they couldn't be more wrong. Dirt was something. Everything, maybe. The remains of dead plants and animals, or ground down rocks. Lots of ash, of course, but also little bugs and even littler bugs she couldn't see yet. She learned about microbes from Ruteran books, which were much more detailed on the subject than most books from Ceretos.

Anishka blew a little puff of air, stirring dirt and ash. That was another thing. Air. Wind. Her lungs. She could keep getting distracted with everything, but Anishka knew she needed to cultivate. Not because her mother was the head of a powerful sect, or because her great-and-more-greats grandfather was really important. But because she couldn't possibly live long enough otherwise.

What did Anishka need to live longer for? To learn. What did she want to learn? Everything. Actually everything. Maybe not as much about machines and technology and fancy cultivation stuff that didn't extend her lifespan, though she could see such things interesting her at some point. But also about plants and animals and things that weren't those and everything that wasn't alive. The closer she looked, the more questions she had. There was always a closer view she could look at things.

And once she knew everything down to its smallest bits, she would look bigger. Planets and solar systems and galaxies and probably just one universe but there were so many of all of those other things that it hardly mattered. She would need to live actually forever to study even a small part of them. Anishka had some moon dirt which was totally different from the dirt outside the sect or the dirt from Sect Head Lev's tree or the dirt from Nthanda's country, and that didn't even count the other continent or the Archipelago or anything that wasn't dirt.

This was going to take a while. So Anishka prepared herself by circulating the power of fire and ice inside of her, two opposing elements that might just be the same thing if you looked at them at the right angle. And maybe that was true of the whole world. Or maybe not, but Anishka planned to find out. Eventually. Sometime after she was allowed to travel on her own.

Chapter 612

The Third Peak had once been called that because of the relative level of natural energy it possessed. Cultivating atop the peaks had been the only way to escape Gnadus, a planet of eternal cold. Now, it was a challenge seldom faced except by the natives.

Marlene barely remembered the time before the contact, where a visitor from another world had come. After the following troubles, ultimately Matija and her people had offered a chance for those on Gnadus to leave- and many did. They weren't leaving behind lives and family, because most went with them. The planet was harsh, and undesirable for living. Even now, only a handful of decades later, it barely felt alive.

It had changed in some ways, though. The natural energy had grown from almost impossibly thin to actually useable, with the introduction of a number of frost-loving plants. Gnadus would never be hospitable, especially below the icy fog, but it was more tolerable. Still the sort of place only cultivators choosing to challenge themselves would live. The records of the original settlers and their reasons had long been lost, just like most of its admittedly very minimal residents.

The planet was mostly empty, but rather than discouraging Marlene it had inspired her. She did not begrudge those who had left- even cultivators seeking easier routes to ascension or power. She hoped that someday everyone could leave behind Gnadus. That was the same hope of her mistress, though Mistress Janae would actually remain regardless. She had chosen the path of Assimilation, and guidance. Perhaps someday she alone would remain… or perhaps the planet would always have its visitors, some of which might choose to remain until their ascension.

Marlene could not say, and she would not be around to observe for much longer, because she was going to ascend. Today, in fact. She felt it strongly, though it wasn't as if it had snuck up on her. She had plans, for when the Third Peak pointed at just the right section of the heavens. Instead of merely escaping Gnadus, she had the goal to meet up with a group in the upper realms. The cold ice around her was not a hopeless wasteland, it was merely the frozen chill outside of a warm home.

Around Marlene swirled the icy fog of the world below. This was the power she would wield, the path through which she would lift herself to the heavens. Her will solidified the mists under her feet, raising her up. As she reached the edge of the atmosphere- thin and tenuous as it was- she drifted off into a place between as her ascension took hold.

Xankeshan was a busy place, especially bustling around the main settlements. This was where most of those from the lower realms lived, both those of the Order who had first gathered together and those who joined after. It also included the newly ascended, of which there were frequent arrivals. They weren't daily or weekly, but over the course of time their numbers swelled.

In addition to Engineer Uzun, there were a few others from Rutera. There were a number from Weos, most recently Shikoba. There might have been more, but many from Weos chose Assimilation rather than Ascension. Ceretos had quite a number as well, even after the initial waves. Among them, the most unique was Rhoda from the Worthy Shore Society. As a former subsidiary of the Exalted Quadrant in the upper realms, it was risky for them to ascend- but Rhoda had still taken the chance. It seemed the ascension guiding formations of Xankeshan were sufficient, along with her intent to arrive there. She had still felt the pull on her cultivation, however, and if the Worthy Shore Society had not slightly altered their technique she might not have been able to overcome it. She honestly thought they should diverge more, if possible.

There were over a hundred individuals just from the triad of systems who had ascended over the last two centuries. More than a hundred integration cultivators made them as powerful as a mid-strength sect in the Scarlet Midfields, and that was not counting the fighting force of lower tier cultivators. Those had to be from the upper realms, disciples joining them- of which there were many.

Even so, they could not be counted among the top sects without Augmentation cultivators. There was hope for some to reach that level 'soon', within a century or three, but to go up against the Harmonious Citadel they needed the strength of the Dark Ring and other local groups. That included smaller groups that weren't even planetary in scale. They needed as much cooperation as possible to overcome the Harmonious Citadel.

Everyone was expected to do their part, and for many of them that meant fighting in the war. No one who had Ascended would complain about such a thing- they understood that their strength came with responsibility. If they wanted peace, they would likely have done better staying in the lower realms. Not that the earliest Ascenders had much information in that regard, except a general idea of how cultivators operated.

Hoyt was the individual in charge of coordinating those from the known lower realms and various other groups. He didn't work alone, of course, but every group needed an official commander. "Thank you all for gathering here today," Hoyt said. "As you are aware, the war is increasing in intensity. Previously, we were unwilling to occupy territory adjoining the Harmonious Citadel, but it had become clear that it will be more necessary in the future. We intend to make a strike on one of their planets, with the intent to fortify it." Hoyt held up a hand, "I know you have questions, just know that other groups will be coordinating to share the burden with us. The details of the assault will be kept to a select few for security reasons."

"You think we have spies?" someone asked.

"It would be stranger if we did not have any among us," Hoyt replied. He did expect them to be below the Integration level, however he would not say that. They kept more careful track of those in Integration. They could fairly easily trust all of those from the lower realms, and the others would be too big of a risk for anyone. It wasn't easy to hide where you were from, after all. "But leave that for us to worry about. If you have suspicions you can back up, you can make a report, of course. But we intend to have you focus on those outside. The forces here are sufficient to occupy a world."

"How will we deal with the saints?" another asked. "We don't have the power to fight against Augmentation cultivators."

"We are carefully tracking the saint's movements," Hoyt said. "And the recent improvements to our fleets will allow us the necessary observation and maneuverability to respond if there is an incident. Though the Harmonious Citadel is large, they cannot trivially field a hundred integration cultivators. They would likely need more, with us in a defensive position. If they bring only saints… we have tactics to take them out with as few casualties on our side as possible. They can just be killed, after all. We've shown that."

The following time was filled with him explaining what he could, without giving away the key details. Though he could instruct everyone not to tell family and friends, not all would listen- and eventually details would spread. Velvet would be watching the manner in which that happened to attempt to catch or at least determine the aforementioned spies- though they might leave them operating to feed false information, if it seemed feasible.

Anton went out of his way to visit the surprisingly vibrant desert planet whose name he did not know once more. They were still just as insular, but repeating contact with them without escalating to violence would hopefully result in changes eventually. Sadly, Anton could not visit regularly. It was simply too far.

His route back, except for a few stops in the same manner, intentionally went through different systems he found notable for any reason. Most were unoccupied by humans, which was expected. Anton was ready to discount the current system he was flying through, circling each of the planets once but finding no plantlife- the most basic requirements for life of any kind. In the end, everything ate plants or something that ate plants. Humans were no exception.

The natural energy on the particular planet he was currently circling was strangely high, above the background levels. It had nothing of note, the surface merely rocky and bare like Ceretos' moon, though larger than Ceretos itself. Anton almost passed it off as the gravity attracting the natural energy, but then he saw a ship. A flying ship, approaching a mountain range and diving into what Anton realized to be an artificial tunnel. He followed after it, slowing as he approached the mouth.

Weapons faced him there, well concealed. They felt almost like a natural part of the planet itself, only a slightly higher level of background energy giving them away. And the individuals manning them, of course. The concealment wasn't perfect, but for those with less developed senses than Anton it should have done.

But weapons or not, Anton approached. Heavy bolts flew through the air towards him, and he smoothly dodged them. "No need for that," Anton projected his voice towards them. "I come in peace. May I speak to someone?"

The attacks did stop immediately. Anton heard some discussion about 'spy from Shrenn'. Normally he would have allowed some privacy, but he needed all the information he could get. He wondered where Shrenn was. Perhaps another settlement? He could have missed some. Or, given that this ship descended from outside the atmosphere, perhaps it was another planet entirely.

"You may approach," called a feminine voice. "Understand we will hold you to your promise of peace."

He didn't expect any differently. And with what felt like three Life Transformation cultivators approaching, they clearly meant it. He flew in, following the ship to a hidden hangar not far beyond. There was an inconvenient- for any flying vessel- ninety degree turn before that point, though he supposed it was more secure that way, not directly visible from outside.

"Where are you from, stranger?" the woman in the lead asked. She was flanked by another woman and a man.

"A planet called Ceretos. You are capable of traveling between planets, correct?" Anton looked at their ship.

"Yes," the woman said.

"I thought so," Anton nodded. "I am Anton Krantz, sect head of the Order of One Hundred Stars. May I ask who you are and where I find myself?"

"I am Anatu," the woman replied, "The commander of Rolis outpost. You find yourself on the planet Tenoun'a."

Anton could tell she was watching him carefully for his reaction. He did not attempt to fake anything. "I am from far away, so I have not heard of this place before." He noted that the flying ship was not the shape of a traditional sailing vessel. It didn't even have wings, instead being more of an oblong block, except for weapon emplacements and viewing ports. "Do you receive many visitors?"

"No," Anatu said. "We do not." That was… mostly true. But Anton did not think it was entirely true. Others had to come, or they would not worry about spies. But he would not be the first to bring up Shrenn.

"I don't intend to intrude, but I was passing by. I am surveying systems throughout the lower realms as part of my training." That was mostly true on Anton's part. Dealing with people was part of his growth, and stars as well.

Anatu's reaction was not visible, but Anton could feel it. Something he said changed her heart rate. "We would be interested in hearing of your travels," she replied. "However, it will take some time to set up a proper meeting, away from here," she gestured to the area around them. It did seem to be mainly a military outpost, though Anton didn't mind that in particular. But perhaps they didn't want him looking at their various ships. Too late for that, but he could understand. And the fact that they needed so many militarily prepared ships was a good reason for them to be cautious.

"I don't mind," Anton agreed. "I can wait as long as necessary. Where would you like me to go?"

Chapter 613

The barren planet Tenoun'a, in Rolis outpost. That was where Anton found himself, waiting. The atmosphere did not become more friendly with time, but Anton supposed he should not have expected it. So far, he had done nothing to make them trust him.

Living on such a barren world, they likely had few resources someone could attempt to snatch from them, but that only made what they had more valuable. And with known enemies of some sort from Shrenn, wherever that was, caution was even more warranted.

He had to wait several hours for any sort of response, though his sudden and no doubt unexpected arrival made that an entirely reasonable timeframe. Anton had heard the communications, but he did his best to seem unaware as the outpost commander Anatu approached him with purpose. "Honored guest, the esteemed Aleksandra Payne has invited you to visit Rolis proper. Follow me."

For some reason, Anton felt less pleased with the polite formality that he was now receiving compared to the brusque responses he had previously received. However, he was pleased to find he was now being treated with the respect he deserved- though his pleasure was immediately followed by wonder at why he should deserve such respect. In other places he had contributed much. Here, he had done nothing yet. How easy it was, to think highly of himself.

Anatu showed him through the outpost towards the one place Anton had not been easily able to sense. He had still poked his senses through, of course, but it took some effort and he found little of interest. It was simply a box. Or rather, a boxlike structure that he had first experienced upon Rutera. Beneath the box was nothing- from outside, he had only sent his senses so far. But the surrounding details indicated it was an elevator. It was large yet only one of several, though currently the only one at the surface level. He sensed others down below, a significant depth. More than just a few kilometers, it should dip below even the base of the mountain outpost the stellar ships had docked in.

Anton pondered slightly. Were they attempting to entrap him? He didn't let his thoughts slow him, stepping onto the elevator immediately. A quick scan told him that it would be easy enough to break through the doors into the large shafts if necessary, and he could fly the vertical distance in a mere few moments. He wondered if his lack of trust was warranted. So far, he had no conscious signs of anything amiss, but he did not find himself able to relax.

As he descended, Anton's senses picked out details of the city below. It certainly seemed more comfortable than the outpost above, yet no more welcoming. Streets and buildings were carved out of the stone of the mountain and earth below. Underground, Anton sensed more natural energy- it was certainly not abundant, but sufficient to support some amount of cultivation. Though that was obvious, or there wouldn't have been Life Transformation cultivators like Anatu present.

Curious individuals turned their heads as Anton passed, or did the same with their energy in an attempt to be more subtle. Even in a place with many cultivators, there weren't so many powerful individuals that people would lose track of them. Anton obviously stood out.

Anatu wasn't a terribly friendly individual, but she did lead Anton to a larger structure, carved out of an area mainly containing marble. Efforts were clearly taken to beautify the visible elements inside and out- as well as mixing engravings with formation markings. As the residence of an important cultivator, it made sense.

"Here we are," Anatu said simply to Anton. Then she spoke to the guards outside the front doors, "This is the guest Aleksandra is expecting."

The guards knocked on the door, and an older man dressed in fine clothes opened it. He was an Essence Collection cultivator like the guards, which indicated quite a bit about the power of Aleksandra. Guards were one thing, but someone acting in the capacity of a butler that was a reasonably accomplished cultivator had some implications. This Aleksandra should be an important individual not just in Rolis, but perhaps influential throughout Tenoun'a.

"This way, sir," the man bowed to Anton.

Inside, Anton didn't find things to be as opulent as he might expect… though there were significant gold inlays. Rather than a sign of humility, Anton supposed that it might be as fanciful as this particular planet could get, with their resources.

A central courtyard had been carved out, one which came complete with a small garden as well as a fountain. In the center of the fountain was a wooden statue, an odd choice of material- though the enchantments kept it in pristine condition. The workmanship was also exceptional. Anton displayed what he thought was an appropriate level of appreciation as their route took a turn to the right, and quickly into a large sitting room. Wood was prominently displayed throughout the manor, and especially in this particular place. The chairs were even left bare of cushions, though Anton found they were still quite comfortable due to how they were carved.

"Anton of Ceretos," a mature woman inclined her head as he entered. "I was surprised to hear of the arrival of someone of your caliber. An individual from stars far away from our own, are you not?"

Anton nodded in return. "Indeed I am. Given the unexpected nature of my visit, I appreciate you making the time to see me. I happened to be passing through the area when I noticed one of your ships. Ceretos has gained interest in exploring the lower realms after recent developments. Knowing our neighbors, both close and distant, will be of benefit to us."

"I see," Aleksandra nodded, "And you came here without a ship?"

"Interstellar travel is possible with the use of certain techniques," Anton said.

"I don't suppose you can share them?" Aleksandra smiled. She was asking sincerely, but also didn't expect Anton to agree.

"Unfortunately not," he confirmed. "Such a thing is not so easily distributed to new acquaintances." Star Steps would barely be usable by Life Transformation cultivators, and as for traveling between systems… that would not be possible at all. Most of Anton's ability there was developed strictly for his own use, though others who had reached a similar level of power could likely manage the same given time.

"Too bad," Aleksandra said. Around that time, someone entered the room with a tray of sliced fruits, as well as a bottle of wine. "I took the liberty of having refreshments sent for. Please, try some," she gestured to the tray.

Anton picked out a few slices. By his standards, the fruit was rather pathetic. Dry, stringy, and small in size. It had some sweetness to it, but none of it fit the standards he had even before he was a cultivator. He certainly wouldn't have sold anything with flesh that was so mealy. "Delightful," Anton lied. Not just to be nice, though he sincerely believed this was the best they had to offer. "I have not seen these particular fruits before. May I ask what they are called?" That, at least, was a true interest of his.

What followed was a significant period of smalltalk, many probing questions asked of Anton while revealing little of Tenoun'a or Aleksandra. At least directly. Topic stayed away from anything of import, including cultivation and politics of any kind. Eventually, however, Aleksandra came to the heart of the matter. "In your travels, have you come across a planet known as Shrenn?" She was obviously interested in his reaction to that.

Anton did not find himself to be a particularly good liar, but when incorporating a majority truth it was not too difficult. "I have not," he admitted. He'd only overheard it here. "Is it nearby?"

"Quite," Aleksandra admitted. "Within this very system, in fact." That, Anton could show true surprise at. "Given our history with them, we had to be certain you were not with them."

"I understand," Anton nodded. "It is unfortunate that not all neighbors get along well."

"Indeed," Aleksandra said. "Alas, it has been a long and difficult conflict. But perhaps… an individual like yourself might help. We are willing to offer payment for strong individuals willing to fight for us."

"I appreciate the offer," Anton said. "But I do not know if I could affect a long term war by myself. Not quickly, at least, and I do not intend to remain in the region for a long time." He certainly wasn't going to join a war where he knew less than half of the motives involved.

"Disappointing," Aleksandra said, "But the circumstances allow the option to remain open, should you change your mind. For now, stay as long as you like. I can show you around our fair city."

Anton had to admit that Rolis was impressive, in its own way. A low population of individuals lacking in resources of all kinds had managed to develop a functional city, and not only that but at least rudimentary space travel. All while involved in a war, though it was yet unknown which side was in the right- if there was one. Often, war had no justifiable reasons, though each side always thought themselves in the right.

Here was a planet with little resources- outside of Aleksandra's manor, fruit was basically unseen. With nothing growing on the surface, it was clear why. Mushrooms and other fungus were common, though there were also various sorts of meat from unfamiliar creatures. The population wasn't starving. Instead, they seemed to maintain a long-term equilibrium.

In his movement around the city Anton picked out other elevators, these going even deeper underground. Deep enough that his senses couldn't pick up what was at the bottom, though he could postulate based on what was brought up. Water, among other things, as well as various sorts of plantlife- and yes, slain beasts. The manner of their death made it clear most were not farm animals of any sort, as they had numerous wounds on their bodies instead of clean cuts.

A place like this was simply begging for rejuvenation, and though Anton carried many seeds and the like he was not certain what would help. Perhaps if he saw the lower levels… but that would require some level of trust. In both directions. Before he made any other moves, Anton needed to know about Shrenn. Were they responsible for Tenoun'a being the way it was? He would find out.

Leaving Rolis was relatively simple, though Anton did wait for one of the normal transitions of the large elevators between the upper outpost and the city below. It was better that they did not have to expend some of their precious energy to make a special trip for him, and that way he was able to observe some of the military personnel going to the surface. They did not engage Anton in conversation, but they gave simple answers when prodded. Not that there was much to be gleaned in a short time, nor did Anton attempt to discover any secrets. Not yet.

As Anton flew out, another ship was approaching the planet. That was not difficult to pick up, given how far his senses extended when uninhibited. In the hours he'd first spent waiting in the outpost, there had been a few arrivals- Anton estimated perhaps a handful or maybe twice that if they went all day and night would transition in and out from just the one city.

The incoming ship showed some signs of battle, and upon probing into its stores Anton found, among other things, the illusive fruit and lumber. Based on its trajectory it was coming from off-planet, not elsewhere on Tenoun'a. From what he had gleaned, the planet was operating under a single authority, though whether that was nominal or fully true was anyone's guess. There was more yet to learn. But should he start with other cities on Tenoun'a, or seek out Shrenn?

Chapter 614

Anton had the feeling that seeking out another city on Tenoun'a would have similar results. If the various cities were in contact with each other, it would certainly seem strange. Perhaps he should have asked, but Aleksandra was limited with the information she shared about the planet. Though the only answer Anton could anticipate receiving would have been 'yes', either because it was true or because they would want him to think that causing trouble would have consequences extending beyond just Rolis.

Since he assumed they were speaking to each other and he indicated he was actually leaving, it would be best to do that for the moment. All he needed to do was find Shrenn. Which was harder than it sounded, because besides being in the same system he did not know what features it had. Except… the ability to have plants and trees. That didn't line up with anything he'd seen, however.

Anton removed himself from the planet's atmosphere- he should have noted that when considering if it might have cultivators- so that his vision wasn't distorted. With just his eyes he could make out the larger planets- a couple gas giants and a large rocky planet, as well as a closer rocky planet. None of them seemed to fit. But he didn't have to just guess. First he pulled out his portable telescope. Well, portable by some definitions, at least. It fit inside a storage bag, and it was much smaller than a proper observatory. Then he did a sweep of the orbital plane- most planets in a system would be similarly situated, though he'd seen some extreme exceptions.

After circling around Tenoun'a to make sure he covered everything, Anton had confirmed nothing seemed to fit. Nowhere had plants, nor did it seem like the temperature would allow for that. Most were too far or too close. Theoretically, he was looking for a planet just a little bit closer to the sun than Tenoun'a.

If he was inexperienced, he might have been stumped there- but the solution was actually rather simple. Shrenn was either off the normal orbital plane or on the other side of the sun- and if he was correct, it would be the latter. Most likely, it was always on the other side of the sun, which would be why Aleksandra had honestly wondered if he'd seen it.

There was also the trajectory of the incoming ships to consider, and ultimately all of Anton's observations didn't matter. Instead, he just waited and watched a few incoming and outgoing ships over the next few hours. That gave him a pretty good understanding of where they were going, confirming his suspicions. Then he took the route going the other direction- less energy efficient, but that wasn't a problem for Anton unless he was pushing himself.

His path took him close to the star… the feature that had actually drawn him to the system to begin with. The star here was extremely rare, on the same order of rarity as Azun, his neutron star. Though they weren't actually different to begin with. This was a supergiant star, a blue one to be precise- significantly smaller than their red compatriots. It 'only' had a radius of a few dozen times that of Ceretos' star. When it ultimately died in some millions of years, it could leave behind a neutron star. From the perspective of stars this was on the last leg of its life- but even by cultivator standards it would live for an extremely long time. It would probably outlast the Exalted Quadrant and the Trigold Cluster, at least by those names.

Anton approached the star, feeling its heat. As he had not assimilated with it, he was still subject to the full extent of dangers a star could represent, so he had to shield himself from the heat and radiation. Even so, his familiarity let him capture some of the natural energy it produced even without assimilating it. It was only a couple steps below being around a bound star. Anton was tempted to connect with it, but he had resolved to only do so with permission of local residents, if they existed. And he had neither asked nor received that from any residents.

His loop around the star eventually brought him to the far side, and he could soon see the planet that had to be Shrenn, more or less where he expected it to be. It didn't particularly look to be anything impressive. At a glance, it looked as barren as Tenoun'a. The same went for its moons- of which it had five. But as Anton got closer, he could see the signs of atmospheres around all of them. The atmospheres of the moons were certainly thinner, but they did exist.

Randomly picking one of the moons that felt interesting, Anton began to approach. Then a bolt of energy passed right by him. It wasn't a warning shot, nor had it been missed- Anton had instead barely dodged it. He was impressed by the travel time, the attack moving at nearly the speed of light. It didn't matter if it rapidly dissipated behind Anton- that might have even been intentional.

Star Steps showed its power as Anton continued to avoid repeated attacks with instant acceleration in unpredictable directions, all the while moving closer. No matter what he did, however, the bolts were never far. The bolts of energy themselves were wrapped around actual physical ammunition almost as large as Anton- or at least as long as he was tall. Physical size didn't necessarily equate to actual power where cultivators were concerned, but Anton could tell the weapon size wasn't inflated just for the sake of ego. Getting hit by one of those could easily take out a normal Life Transformation cultivator.

Anton picked out the source of the attacks, down on the moon he was approaching. A man with a large build and what could have seemed an oversized weapon, but instead seemed a practical consideration given the material type. The man had his hands on a full sized ballista, with the ability to swivel in different directions. Anton wondered how it would fare if he were directly vertical, and he set about finding out.

The answer was that the man simply lifted the whole device off the ground with one hand while pulling back the string with his other. Such a weapon would normally have required a crank, but the man had sufficient strength to bypass that issue and directly pull back the string, spinning the mechanisms and allowing him to maintain a high rate of fire. Thus it was that even vertically he could shoot at Anton- but it was clear he lost a bit of accuracy as he had to adjust his aim freehand.

Anton began to call down towards the man. "Stop-" he dodged a shot, "-wasting-" another came, getting surprisingly close to impacting Anton's leg, "-your-" Anton twisted in the air. "-Energy!" Anton caught the last bolt, spinning it around as he formed an energy bow of sufficient size to return the attack.

Bolts were just arrows, often shorter and squatter and with slightly different properties, but Anton could compensate for all of those well enough. He made his first attack, returning the projectile with maximum speed. In only a fraction of an instant, it followed the return path between them, flashing past the man's determined face and leaving a thin trail of blood on his cheek, caused not by the head but by the fletching.

Anton was prepared to demonstrate further, but the man clearly got the hint and ceased his attacks. As an archer, he could tell Anton didn't miss, and that he couldn't avoid that attack. Anton approached closer, until he was within a more reasonable speaking distance, just a couple hundred meters away in the air rather than tens of kilometers above. "Hello there. I am Anton Krantz. And you?"

The largely muscled man kept his eyes warily locked on Anton. "Admetus."

"A pleasure to meet you, Admetus," Anton smiled. "Is shooting at people a customary greeting in this system? The same thing happened on Tenoun'a." Though mentioning the other planet was likely to sour information, by leading with it and not hiding that information he could deal with the fallout more easily- and intentionally.

Admetus narrowed his eyes even further. "You've been to Tenoun'a… but you aren't from there?"

"Your system here is not the only one in the lower realms, you know," Anton kept his face pleasant. In truth, he didn't mind getting shot at a little. "I'm from outside, as you might be able to surmise. Someone in Rolis tried to hire me to fight for them, but I have for the moment declined."

"So, what?" Admetus looked over at Anton. "Trying to get a better deal?"

Anton shook his head, "I hardly think either of you could give me a worthwhile deal. I just want to know what's going on with this war. I might get involved… or stay out of it entirely." Anton looked around. "Nice place you have here." It was somewhat sarcastic, but by comparison to Tenoun'a, it wasn't too bad. This particular moon was mostly barren, but Anton could sense more than a few orchards around small spots of water.

"What's going on? They show up with their ships and rip up whatever trees they can get, and we kill any of them we can catch. Happy?"

Anton didn't get the feeling that Admetus had great people skills. But he'd at least explained the basic situation, from Shrenn's side. "What about counterattacks?" Anton asked. "Surely you must try to disincentivize them."

"Not worth it," Admetus replied, trying to keep one eye on Anton while scanning the sky. "They don't have crap."

"Seems to me that they desire basic resources."

"So?" Admetus raised an eyebrow, "Makes it reasonable to just take it from us?"

"Not really," Anton shrugged. "You want five degrees to your left."

Admetus hesitated, then took his eyes fully off of Anton and slightly tilted his emplacement. He took a shot, and a flaming wreck began to crash into the planet quite some distance away. "So… you joining our side or what?"

Anton shrugged, "I'm not sure if I should yet. If I wasn't here at all that guy would have died anyway. I'm not here to disrupt your defense efforts." He looked around, "I don't suppose you can get me in contact with people who aren't occupied in a combat zone? Preferably without me having to repeat this whole approach battle."

"What for?"

"I want to know more about this war. Its history. How Shrenn," Anton gestured to the 'nearby' planet, "And Tenoun'a," Anton gestured towards the sun, "Came to be like this. Also if you happen to have any information about invaders from the upper realms, I'd be quite interested to hear it."

"From the upper realms? Hah!" Admetus rolled his eyes. "No way they'd put in the effort to come here and grab dirt and sticks."

"Not recently, I'd imagine," Anton agreed. "Now, if you'd direct me to somewhere appropriate, I can get out of your hair. I don't imagine you have much in the way of embassies, but if you can signal someone I can avoid causing undue concern to people. And I'm sure that people would like some time to prepare security forces to keep me contained."

"You think you're that dangerous?" Admetus asked.

"How many people survive your barrages?" Anton asked.

Admetus grunted. "Not many. Then again, I don't kill that many either. Most people avoid where I'm stationed."

"And that guy?" Anton gestured towards the still falling ship.

"A sacrificial pawn to figure out where I am today. Or an idiot." Admetus looked around. "I have to stay here. You can take my ship and some of my nearby subordinates." He raised his voice, "Hear that? You get to do something, just like you asked! Now come on out." A handful of people began approaching from behind distant trees. Admetus returned his focus to Anton. "If you hurt anyone I'll figure out a way to kill you."

"Glad to hear it," Anton said. "I can promise I won't make the first strike. And if I was interested in wanton destruction, that would have already happened."

All in all, a decidedly unfriendly but much less calculated response from Admetus. And while Anton was definitely positively inclined towards the group that was visibly growing things, he would try to not let that affect his bias too much.

Chapter 615

As the ship borrowed from Admetus approached Shrenn itself, Anton was able to pick out details of the planet beyond the dull browns covering its surface. The planet was mostly covered in sandy desert, though the temperatures seemed to be a spread of livable temperatures throughout.

The places that stood out to Anton were spots with life, oases with plant, animal, and most importantly cultivator life. They were few and far between, but well protected with defensive formations. The ship headed for none of them, instead angling towards a barren mountain. Anton was reminded of Tenoun'a, and sure enough he was soon in a similar sort of landing tunnel. He understood why they would avoid a more convenient position on the surface, not covered by the shell of a mountain above.

They moved slowly, the various subordinates of Admetus relaying the situation and the reason for Anton's presence on board. Obviously he would be noticed- even if he wasn't displaying the full power of an Assimilation cultivator, he would stand out at least as much as a Life Transformation individual.

A notable difference Anton determined was that his descent to the city beneath was not as far… and the city below was much more open. Perhaps that was coincidence, as they seemed to have found a massive cavern- but even so, it resulted in quite a different atmosphere. More importantly was the feature of an underground lake in the center of the city, a gathering of plant and animal life. Little grew around its edges, but there were many water plants with fishes swimming below.

The lake area was also lit by sunlight- not natural, as there were no direct holes to the surface, but instead formations produced a reasonable substitute. Anton was a good judge of sunlight himself, and this was well within what was normal. Compared to their particularly harsh star, it was much more subdued.

He was met with many curious looks as he was led through the streets towards what was surprisingly not the largest building, though it was close. The size of the building had a purpose, however, the stone blocks forming a number of different offices in which Anton sensed people working, mostly writing notes in ledgers and filling out documents. Oddly enough, that was a sign of some level of prosperity- it required no effort to keep track of things when you had little. People just knew.

"Madam Docia, a visitor."

Anton was led into a sizable yet also cramped study, packed full of shelves and cabinets. Sitting behind the overflowing desk in the center was an old lady with frazzled hair… and notably only a late Essence Collection cultivation. She looked up at Anton through glasses- a rarity for cultivators who were generally able to mold their bodies to remove such requirements. It also indicated some level of precision glasswork, but they did have space flight as well. Cultivators were able to get around many requirements Rutera considered 'normal', however.

"Oh yes, hello," she inclined her head. "I am sorry we don't have a more grand welcome set up for you, but we weren't expecting… well, any visitors at all, frankly. I am Planetary Coordinator Docia."

Anton took the seat she gestured to. "I am Anton, Sect Head of the Order of One Hundred Stars. From Ceretos, not that you will have heard of the sect or the planet."

"Certainly not," she admitted, "Though even if we knew it, we wouldn't likely call it the same name. I hear you met Admetus?"

"Indeed, he was the most prominent figure on the moon I approached."

"Well, you seem to have no holes or missing limbs, so that must have gone well." She looked at the escorts who came with Anton, waving them away. "Go stand outside, or maybe find somewhere to sit down. You won't make a difference if he decides to kill me anyway."

"You're not worried about that, huh?" Anton asked as the small group filtered out.

"Should I be? You seem nice, and as I said… nobody could stop you." She studied him closely with her senses. "Peak Life Transformation?" Anton wasn't going to correct her, but she advanced her understanding on her own. "Something beyond that, I think. You're not from the upper realms, are you?"

"I am not. Very much the opposite."

"Are there lower-lower realms?" Docia asked, curious.

"I-" Anton blinked. "I hadn't considered the possibility. I am simply incapable of entering the upper realms, and opposed to the actions of a good majority of those I've been exposed to."

"That's good," Docia said, "Because I'd hate for the city to have to be rebuilt."

"And that would be necessary because…?"

"Well, I don't think we could kill you without some collateral damage," the woman said in her same kind voice. "And if you were from the upper realms, we simply couldn't let you live."

"It seems we likely share some opinions, then. Two invasions from the upper realms was more than enough."

"You survived two invasions?" her eyes widened behind her glasses. "How?"

"Many allies and careful preparations. With the tides of the world being distorted, we didn't have long to prepare for the second. Just two centuries. But ultimately, we managed."

"How many survived with you?" Docia asked.

Anton tilted his head, "Most people, I suppose. We did have many losses, including sweeping changes of certain parts of the planet."

Docia looked at him, frowning. "Did you… win?"

"Of course. I wouldn't be here now if we had not. I take it that has not been the case here."

"No," she slowly shook her head. "We tried to stand up to them, but the last invasion… we lost."

Anton did a careful sweep of their surroundings. No detectable traces of the Twin Soul Sect. "How long ago was this?"

"Some eight centuries now, I believe," she replied.

"They didn't come back the last two cycles?"

"Come back for what?" Docia narrowed her eyes, then gestured above, "Does this look like something anyone from the upper realms would wish to plunder?"

"My apologies," Anton said. "I did not wish to make you upset. I had just not come across your particular situation. By my understanding, once they have chosen a lower world the Trigold Cluster tends to plunder every cycle."

"Until someone tries to fight back," Docia sighed. "Then this happens."

"At least your planet survived," Anton said. "Though it is truly in a regrettable state, I admire the determination of those living here. But what about Tenoun'a?"

"Oh yes," Docia hung her head. "I heard you had visited them."

"I did find them first in my explorations," Anton nodded. "I tracked what I now know to be a raiding ship to one of their hangars."

"What do you want me to say?" Docia shrugged. "That Shrenn deserves this for not helping them during the invasion? We had to protect ourselves and barely survived. Not that anyone involved in those choices is alive today."

"I don't want you to just say anything," Anton clarified. "I had not heard much beyond the existence of animosity between your two planets. I take it from your words that you were once allies? How many records remain of the time?"

"Enough," Docia said. "The invaders from the upper realms didn't care about destroying our history specifically, when they acted with the intention to wipe us out. They didn't quite succeed, but maybe it's just a slower process. We can't possibly recover to a portion of what we were, not without the lakes and seas we once had."

"That is… an immense amount of destruction," Anton couldn't help but commiserate. "I did not think they would be capable of it. Physically, I mean. I have no understanding of any moral limiters on the Trigold Cluster. It was them, wasn't it?" They were to the galactic east from Ceretos- and a bit north, closer to the border. Anton didn't think they were far enough to interact with anything beyond the Trigold Cluster- assuming there was anything.

"That was what the records indicated," Docia agreed. "We managed to resist successfully for a cycle or two, and then we came to this."

"That is… an ill omen," Anton said. "I now find myself worried for our future. But I must ask… what were your strongest cultivators?"

"I could list dozens of names of no relevance to you," Docia said, "But I assume that is not what you wish to ask? We had a wide variety of individuals fighting against them with varied cultivation styles."

"What cultivation rank?" Anton asked.

"Life Transformation, of course. The strongest, that is." Docia looked at him suspiciously. "Ascension would bring them away from this place, unable to participate."

"Then I find myself somewhat relieved," Anton replied. "Perhaps we have faced the limits of their wrath… though I don't think the invading army could have devastated our planet so easily." Then again, two Augmentation cultivators unrestricted for some time might have been able to boil away the oceans. It was just a pointless endeavor, so he'd never really thought it through. Planets could be destroyed, so ruining them was likely a step easier.

"You are a step beyond Life Transformation," she declared firmly. "I was just speculating before, but…"

"That's right," Anton said. "We have deemed it Assimilation. Our neighbors, Worldbinding- though there are some differences in method between the two. I will be honest, I don't know if any of your planets could support one." Their sun could, certainly. But everything else was practically powerless. "I'm already impressed you've developed Life Transformation cultivators like Admetus."

"We have a few," Docia admitted. "But nowhere near the throngs of mighty warriors we once had."

"I understand," Anton said. "Now then, onto other unfortunate topics. The current war with Tenoun'a. They offered me payment to join their side in the war."

"You want a better deal?" Docia asked seriously. "I'm sure we can double it, at least, to fight for us. Or to just stay out, if that's not enough."

"That wasn't my intention," Anton shook his head. "I am aware you are certainly more prosperous, compared to them. But aside from not being a mercenary for higher by the largest bidder, your wealth could not hope to sway me. I want to know if I should join the war, and thus I need to know more about it. Like… why did it begin? What are your responses to their raiding ships? What attacks has Shreen made of your own?"

"Some of that," Docia admitted, "Is privileged military information even I have no access to. But the rest stems from the long past. We were allies once. No…" Docia shook her head. "More than that. We were the same people, living on two planets, and all of Shrenn's moons. The invasion destroyed us, embittering us against each other. I don't know who started this most recent war for certain, but I will say it was probably Tenoun'a. Simply because it would be of less benefit for us to do so. But things have stretched on for centuries, and now we calculate the efficiency of our fields based on prospective losses to raids," she gestured to some of the papers around her. "If you want a righteous cause, I would say that those on the defensive are the righteous ones."

"... but?" Anton asked. Clearly, she was not done.

"But we abandoned them in their time of need, both before the war and after. Shrenn has done nothing to help restore them, focusing only on ourselves. They are a desperate people, needing everything they can get their hands on." Docia sighed, "I would not wish for you to fight against us, but I do not think I could convince you to fight against them without leaving out pertinent information. I have the feeling that doing so might get me killed."

"I don't necessarily kill people who lie to me," Anton said. "But I very much do not appreciate it."

"So?" Docia asked. "What do you intend to do?"

"Optimally I'd wrangle everyone of note and put them in a room to talk," Anton said. "But that would be difficult to do with just my own power." Unless he assimilated the local star. Which was tempting, because it was powerful and different, but not something he should do lightly. "Maybe I'll tie some letters onto arrows and see how that shapes out."

The only thing Anton knew for sure was he couldn't just leave things. It would have been simpler if Tenoun'a was just evil, because killing people was always the easiest solution. And while he wouldn't condone constant raids, desperate people were difficult to judge fairly.

Chapter 616

From a certain perspective, Anton had no responsibility to interfere with the conflict between Tenoun'a and Shreen. Indeed, it could have been said it was none of his business and he should stay out of things. If it was simply a war between factions that he didn't fully understand, joining either side would not be right.

But it also had to be considered that Anton had the ability to affect more than just battles. Resolving the conflict in a way that was beneficial to all parties would be best. As for how to accomplish that… well, that was where things got tricky.

He could of course declare to Tenoun'a that they had to stop their raids. He could enforce that, unless they were willing to engage in all-out war. Perhaps even if they were, since he would be around Shrenn and they would have to defend themselves. But leading to an escalation was just the same as joining his preferred side.

If he did manage to get Tenoun'a to back down, then what? People there would lose a source of food, as well as materials they desperately needed. Though there were details Anton still needed to work through. Because the fruit he'd seen Aleksandra consuming was clearly something special to them. That also meant it was not commonly available to the people as a whole. Fancy furniture also didn't support the welfare of the common man. He needed to know exactly what was being stolen. But where could he get such information?

Oh right. He knew the planetary coordinator, and things had become so regular that they calculated productivity with raids as a factor. It took a few days for Anton to think through everything he needed and wanted to do, then he arranged for another meeting with Docia. Her schedule should be fairly busy, but she quickly found time for him.

"What do you need?" she asked immediately as he entered her office.

"Who says I need anything? Perhaps I am just here to chat."

"No," she shook her head. "You are not. You would have found me after work."

"Is there an after work for you?" Anton asked. "You seem… busy." He could already sense a line of assistants building up at a distance, not hovering outside the door so they didn't bother him. "But yes. I do need something. Yearly reports on the goods stolen by raids, if possible. Also casualties."

"Alright," Docia said. "We'll have that for you this afternoon."

"Don't you want to know what I want it for?" Anton asked.

"I'm hoping you're working to our benefit," she said, "And if you were not, I don't see why you couldn't get that information elsewhere. But if you are, making things easy for you is best. And for me."

"Good idea. Wanna know a trick?"

"What sort of 'trick'?" Docia asked.

"Some methods to cultivate while doing paperwork, which would ultimately improve your efficiency. And a technique to read… much more quickly."

"How quickly?"

"I could read everything in this room in ten minutes," Anton said.

"I don't believe you," Docia said clearly. There were hundreds or thousands of compendiums and ledgers, as well as drawers and cabinets full of loose papers.

"Wanna make a bet?" Anton leaned his elbow on the desk. "If I win you have to spend an hour every day not swamped in paperwork, letting tasks build up as you practice these techniques to ultimately pull ahead. It'll be good for you."

"And if I win?" Docia narrowed her eyes.

"I'll destroy the next week's worth of incoming raider ships," Anton said. "Either way, I'll be out of your hair in ten minutes."

"How will I know you actually read it all?"

"I'm sure you're familiar with everything here," Anton said. "You can quiz me on any of it, to your satisfaction."

"... Fine. Might as well get started, then."

Books flew off the shelves just as quickly as Anton tore through them- and then they returned to their positions after flipping through them. He could theoretically read with his energy alone, but using his eyes made things faster, even if pages only flashed before his eyes.

For the loose papers, Anton made sure Docia could see that they all ended up in the same order and position, just as they had been. He wasn't planning to make a mess of the organizational system.

Anton was hit with a whole mess of information, mostly covering the last few decades but some things spanning centuries. Clearly, this was not the whole of Shrenn's records, merely key overviews of certain cities and information. Though Anton did find that much of it could have been condensed into less space, which would also make it easier to look through. It wasn't a problem with Docia's organization per se, rather how it was built on earlier decisions of people just making things work before her. As far as things went, Shrenn wasn't the worst mess of bureaucracy they could have been, but the requirements that they monitor everything carefully to maintain their tenuous level of prosperity.

"Done," Anton said- though that should have been clear to Docia as he slid closed the last drawer. "Questions?"

"Who was the thirteenth planetary coordinator?"

It took Anton about a second to retrieve the answer to that. He hadn't come across a list with that information, but he was able to put it together from context. "Ottar."

"Which moon produced the third highest yields of food twelve years ago?"

"By what metric?" Anton asked.

"Weight."

"Togar. The third moon."

"Which sect last won the biannual competition of strength?"

Anton shrugged, "Don't know. That wasn't in there."

"Of course it was… not." Docia frowned. "I must have left that in the pile I brought home."

"I'm also declaring you can't bring things home. You have to use that time for training."

"I suppose I can't back down now," Docia sighed.

"Come on," Anton said. "Cultivation is fun! And if you don't like doing this, then that's more incentive to get quick at it. And train others to handle more of this for you."

"I just don't have the time," she sighed.

"You'll never have the time unless you make it. People can function without reports for a few weeks or months. They might even be glad," Anton said. "Let's get you started on the Ten Thousand Scrolls. Also, I can personalize the training for you if you show me your cultivation method, but I can understand if you are hesitant to provide it."

She shook her head, "Not really. My method is basic and publicly available." She pulled out a book labeled Convening Fundaments. "It is widely usable, but not optimal for martial purposes."

Anton quickly looked through it. "Ooh, farming techniques. I see a lot of flaws though," Anton handed it back. "The good news is I'd bet you reach Life Transformation in a couple decades if you get on the right track. I have to say," he said, looking at her hands, wrinkled skin plastered around bone. "It's great for the joints."

"I find it hard to believe you had joint trouble before you reached Life Transformation, if you've truly surpassed it."

Anton grinned. "I had joint trouble even before I touched Body Tempering. I look a bit younger now." With prominent wrinkles and gray hair, that statement meant quite a bit. "Make sure to get me those documents, I'm still missing some relevant details not in all this," he gestured around him. "And make sure to be ready for training."

The area of most concern to Anton had been casualties. Fortunately, it seemed that Shrenn had developed ways to minimize their own losses, maximizing their defense. The information on Tenoun'a's losses was less clear, though it seemed they generally avoided the areas they knew would be well defended. Shrenn planted in seemingly random places on their various moons, but they would not defend all of it. For example, they had entire forests that were mostly undefended, with raiders landing and chopping down what they could before being chased off. Even so, Anton didn't feel comfortable accepting any deaths on a continuous basis. Clearly it was sustainable over the long term, but it would obviously inhibit growth and the quality of everyone's lives.

Anton approximated the number of individuals placed similarly to Aleksandra in Rolis and compared the results to the fruit and wood and other things stolen. Pretty quickly it became clear that it was more than a relatively small population of elite could manage to use, so at least he confirmed that the general populace had to be benefitting from the raids. The food specifically could make up a significant portion of what Tenoun'a consumed- though it was likely the staple foods such as drought resistant tubers that they would get.

Rice was completely unheard of, which made sense because nowhere had much water. Shrenn had more water underground than on the surface, but it didn't come with natural sunlight. There had been efforts to bring it to the surface, which was also where the moons got much of their moisture, but for the most part they conserved what they had as much as possible.

Anton considered the possibility of redirecting icy asteroids to help with the issue. The planets were space capable, though their technology seemed limited in scope in that regard. Ultimately, Anton decided he didn't know enough. Rutera's scientists would be of much help in determining what made sense.

As for various interesting plants, Anton did not have enough seeds of any sort to immediately support populations that needed whatever they could get. It was even possible that people would prefer to eat the seeds instead of planting them, if they were desperate enough. And making any significant growth on Shrenn and its moons would be difficult enough. He could get the process started for them, but ultimately that meant more work for some time. Tenoun'a would need larger changes first. Anton simply needed more than he could manage on his own, and people with other expertises. Which meant he would have to leave things as they were, likely for years.

Before that, he had hundreds of samples to take. Soil, plants, and all sorts of other things. He also needed to see other places on Tenoun'a, to measure their potential willingness to negotiate a peace. That would require at a minimum food, and potentially reparations and apologies that Shrenn might not be able or willing to make. Who could have predicted that centuries long conflicts weren't easy to fix?

But Anton simply couldn't let worlds devastated by the upper realms remain like this. Just to spite the Trigold Cluster, he wanted them to thrive.

Returning to Tenoun'a was awkward, because they hadn't been terribly friendly to begin with. However, Anton thought up a way around that. Because of his strength it was unlikely anyone on Tenoun'a would refuse to host him- but it would also make them wary. Anton wasn't fully certain that he could survive if they saw him as a threat they had to remove at all costs. So, he would come bearing gifts. That could even include seeds for various sorts of cultivation enhancing plants and medicinal herbs that would improve cultivation- with the understanding that such things wouldn't significantly affect Tenoun'a's ability to attack Shrenn for at least a decade or two. He didn't want to bolster both sides just to result in a larger war instead of the steady conflict they had now.

Though ultimately Anton wanted to try to seek out someone… friendlier… than Aleksandra, he decided he had to return to her first.

"I snatched something from Shrenn as I stopped by to look at them," Anton said, producing some fresh and well preserved pear-like fruits. He tried not to pay too much attention to the relative opulence Aleksandra lived in.

"Impressive," she said. "I had not expected you to return."

"In truth," Anton said, "I stopped to speak to them as well. I have some plans… something that might take some time to come to fruition. I would like your assistance with it."

Making himself seem like a schemer working towards his own benefit would most likely relax Aleksandra- and those she was in contact with. It was unlikely they could imagine someone interested in altruism, given the circumstances they had lived in their whole lives. And it was altruism, despite what benefits Anton might reap or personal satisfaction he could derive. He could gain much more from simply remaining on Ceretos, or simply binding their star as he pleased. Nobody could stop him.

Was he going to eventually ask for permission to do just that? Absolutely. But only after everything was settled, and he made it clear that there was no requirement or obligation. Though he had grown fond of the bright blue star on his two trips past it.

Chapter 617

The cities of Tenoun'a were not connected underground, at least not through any route Anton was informed of or could pick out from the various tunnels. That left them disconnected and semi-independent, coordinating mainly on the matter of their raids.

Though Anton would consider both Tenoun'a and Shrenn resource poor, their requirements to draw upon water from deep underground- even more so for Tenoun'a- meant they still had access to precious metals, and the energy to forge them into something of use. That was how they managed their ships, both the structures and the formations necessary for them to actually work. Despite the lack of resources and limited natural energy the planets had been populated by cultivators as long as anyone remembered, so they didn't develop down the mainly technological path of Rutera.

The second and third cities were much the same, an elite ruling group in charge of much of the 'wealth' the cities accumulated. It was pretty much impossible to do away with something like that where cultivators were involved, but it was sad to see when the average citizen on Ceretos had better options for what they would eat each day. Sure, they probably had less gold inlays and smaller houses, but those didn't mean anything. Especially when the rooms mostly sat unused. Nobody needed two reading rooms when they could only use one at a time.

Anton didn't have much more hope for Xasall. It was just another city- and like the others, there was no indication of any attempts to trade with other cities. Which probably meant that aside from raiding not being a proper lifestyle, they were probably being wasteful with their efforts. And while the first was much more condemnable, the latter was more likely to be considered as a problem by people involved.

At any point, Anton could change his mind and just decide to destroy all of their ships and starports. He was severely tempted several times. Anton had to remind himself that they were mostly just trying to survive. They were just bad at it.

The young man Anton saw in front of him was the most prominent figure in Xasall. A Life Transformation cultivator at one hundred years of age. Not bad. Not exceptional, even given the planet's circumstances, but not bad. His name was Aurelianus, and he was currently explaining the costs of the raids in both materials, manpower, and life.

"One question," Anton just had to day it. "Did you ever consider just moving to one of the moons of a gas giant here?"

"... what?" the man was stunned by the sudden change in direction.

"The ice moons. With all of the frozen water."

"I don't, um…" Aurelianus cleared his throat. "I'm sure it was considered," he lied. Not that he was saying it hadn't been, either. He just truly didn't know. It was clear to Anton it hadn't come up in his lifetime. "But it's not all frozen water. At such extremes, even atmospheric gasses can freeze. Attempting to live there would be difficult. Inhospitable. Many people would lose their lives."

"More than on constant raids?" Anton asked. "When a ship coming back means some people don't eat, disrupting your very industry that keeps those ships being built?"

Aurelianus frowned. "Perhaps the matter could use some… reconsideration."

"It's just easier to get resources from somewhere that isn't actively trying to kill you," Anton shrugged.

That was the thing that frustrated Anton the most. Certainly, some previous generation of Shrenn had not stood up to their proper obligations, but all of the known generations of Tenoun'a had only resorted to a single option. And it seemed neither side had considered colonizing other planets or even just migrating everyone to Shrenn where they could be part of the labor force and eke out a somewhat prosperous lifestyle.

Of course, with so many generations of bad blood between them now, any sort of resolution was going to be difficult, requiring radical change. Anton just hoped it didn't involve too much blood. The one good thing about cultivators running things was that there were very clear heads to chop off when it was necessary.

Before he left, Anton needed to make sure he pushed things towards some possible future where things weren't awful in the area, and preferably nobody got wiped out. After that would be a number of years where he couldn't influence the events, so when he did return he couldn't be certain how things would have developed. But he could hope.

In recent years, many fighter pilots from Rutera had shifted to other duties, scouting systems and planets and other non-combat related things. Nobody wanted to pay for unnecessary military personnel, after all. Though with people living longer, there were still many people who remembered the wars. Outside of the military individuals, who were mostly alive, if they survived the wars.

Technically Ty was not performing any military maneuvers at the moment, though he was on reserve. Nobody could take away his personal ship, especially not after it was bonded to him. Being an Assimilation cultivator made him one of the top handful most powerful people on Rutera, so they'd have to be willing to lose a lot to make the attempt.

Wings cut apart the clouds. Not just his, but also others. They weren't just flying about, but intentionally maneuvering- and the cutting apart the clouds wasn't a metaphor, either. When they were done, inverse sky-writing was the result. People cheered below.

Some military cultivators would resent putting on a show, but Ty and his flight group found it an excellent way to practice without having to worry about destroying their ships and figuring out repairs. There were amazing things that could be done to put things back together without having to replace parts, but either they would have to bear the price or painstakingly do it themselves.

Training coordination and precision flying was probably the second best way to spend his time. As he was coming in for a landing, the best way showed up by almost slicing his ship in half. The surprise strike might have been considered dishonorable by some- but Ty knew that was the best way to keep him ready for real action. And Chikere knew when to stop.

Inside of the cockpit, Ty Quigley felt a sharp pain on his cheek, blood trickling down. He hadn't fully avoided everything, though he did both get annoyed at and appreciate Chikere bypassing the outer shell of his vessel. Annoyed, because it was a defensive layer he often relied on. He did appreciate that she didn't actually cut it in half though, because despite the effort put into its construction she absolutely could. The only thing she couldn't cut apart was space itself, and that was only half true.

Ty pulled away from the other ships, back up into the air where he would have more space to maneuver. His ship moved in impossible ways, gravity affecting it as he pleased. He stuck to no single orientation, neither facing the woman who was a swarm of blades nor pulling away from her. Currently his ship had no ammo- the consequences of being geared up for civilian entertainment- but that let him focus on the bladelike structure of his ship and how he had to counter the incoming attacks.

Ultimately, Ty had to pop open the cockpit of his fighter- something it was expressly not intended to do unless he was properly ejecting- and stand on the wings so he could maneuver his own body. The ship was also himself, and his blade, so he was still able to control it. He also had a proper sword he carried with him, which he used to block Chikere when she suddenly appeared in front of his face.

"You're dead," she said.

"It's not fair," Ty sighed, "You have like a century of practice more than me."

"And you belong in this place. I need to get back to the upper realms. I'll miss these spars."

"Are you going? Now?" Ty asked.

"Not quite yet," Chikere admitted. "But in a couple decades."

"Aren't you still a century or more from Augmentation?" Ty asked.

"Yeah," Chikere nodded, "I thought about it, and I won't be able to properly advance here. So I'm focusing on learning how to ascend without the breakthrough between stages. Or I could take a ship, but half of it would be junk no matter whether I was in the upper or lower realms. Plus, this is an opportunity for significant growth. I still believe I can do it."

"Unfortunate," Ty shook his head, "I suppose I should learn what I can from you while you're here."

"Or you could go look for someone better."

"With a sword? Hard to believe such a person exists."

"They do," Chikere said. "Whether they will remain better, that's up to them. For example, though, the Harmonious Citadel's sword saint should be more skilled with a sword than me."

"Isn't he just higher in cultivation?" Ty asked.

"They go hand in hand," Chikere said. "At least, when it comes to the difference of a full stage like that. Or maybe I'm wrong, but nobody would let me fight him." Chikere flexed the fingers of her right hand, a robotic prosthetic. "Now they'll have no excuse to stop me. And the upper realms will even be able to maintain this thing when I get back, if I'm unable to keep it in shape myself. It is part of my body, so I'd prefer to handle it."

"What do you think about that kid named after you?" Ty asked.

"The what now?"

"... The kid? Chidi? The son of your long time battle partners Catarina and Timothy?"

"They had a kid?" Chikere's eyes widened. "After all this time?"

"Was that… not what you gave her the medicine for?"

"Oh, that's why she needed it," Chikere nodded. "I didn't actually know what it was for, but she was stubborn about admitting she needed it. So, a kid, huh?"

"How did you not know this?" Ty asked.

"I dunno. How do you know? You haven't been to the upper realms."

"I talk to people," Ty said. "And there are communication devices, you know? You should have some."

"Oh, that? Yeah, nobody's contacted me for a while anyway."

"Because you didn't reply?"

"... Maybe," Chikere shrugged. "So, this kid. What do you know?"

"Uh, well," Ty scratched his cheek. "He was born without eyes, but he's already cultivating. He's friends with someone named Aconite."

"Does he use a sword?" Chikere asked. "If he's named after me, he'd better."

"That's what I heard," Ty said.

"Interesting," Chikere grinned, looking towards the upper realms.

Chidi suddenly shivered.

"Are you cold?" Aconite moved up against his legs, her fur managing to maintain its softness despite how it also acted as armor.

"No, I just had a weird feeling," Chidi said, looking around. "Like someone I didn't know was watching. Or like… a sword to my neck."

Aconite looked around, sniffing. "We are still near home. You should be safe. If something comes, I'll stop them."

"Thanks," Chidi said, scratching the head that was nearly chest height for him. "You're just gonna keep on getting bigger, huh?"

"It is odder that you will not."

"I'll get bigger!" Chidi countered. "A little bit. I'm not the one eating all sorts of weird things. I've heard that will stunt your growth."

"I do not just eat weird things. I intentionally expose myself to poison to build up an immunity," Aconite said. "It is a very human thing to do. It's not weird."

"Okay, fine. The poison thing isn't that weird," Chidi admitted. "What about the time you ate a rock?"

"It smelled like flesh," Aconite said bashfully.

"What about those rotting bones?"

"There was still nutritional value there!" Aconite complained.

"You threw up. And I had to stop you from eating it again."

Chidi felt Aconite's head turn away as she softly growled, "I could not let anything defeat my stomach, for the sake of my training."

"Nobody's making you do this, you know," Chidi said. "You could just admit that it was a bad idea to chew on poison herbs for that one battle."

"Has it not been useful?" she asked sincerely. "We have taken out much stronger prey together."

"I suppose," Chidi admitted. "Though I'm not a fan of having to filter the poison out of everything we catch."

"Some of it breaks down when cooked. And the rest will help you build up an immunity."

"I think I'll have to pass," Chidi said. He couldn't help but keep tilting his head, trying to catch the sound of feet shifting or the clatter of a sheath. Maybe the scent of metal. But try as he might, he couldn't feel what caused his earlier distress. So he resolved to ignore it, which was the best he could do for the moment.

Chapter 618

Given Anishka's relatively limited area of travel during her early life, it was easy for her to underestimate how many things there were. There was a vast amount of things within one country, let alone throughout a continent or planet or an entire realm. There was just so much of anything. Obviously Anishka knew there were many types of animals, but even among things that were considered the same there were so many varieties. And that was just one grouping of things.

It might have been intimidating if Aniskha wasn't so excited about everything. "Look! Those cherries are darker!" she pointed excitedly at a stall, grabbing a handful. "Oh, and these are yellow!"

Annelie sighed. "Anishka. Manners. Do make certain you pay before you start grabbing things." She looked at the stall owner apologetically, handing over a few coins. "I'm sure we'll end up with a handful of everything." She looked down the entire market, glad that at least for the moment Anishka wasn't interested in cultivation related things. Then again, that was what she'd grown up with. At this point everything on Ceretos carried some traces of natural energy inside it, but there was still a significant difference between the low and high end. Price, especially.

"Ooh, plums!" Anishka continued moving along. "And what's this awning made of?"

At least she was exciting about something. Or everything, Annelie supposed. She just hoped that her daughter would eventually end up on a path that actually accomplished something. One couldn't just study everything. At the very least, at some point Anishka would have to make her own way in the world to pay for her own eccentricities. Given her status, Annelie could cover her expenses forever. But she wouldn't. Not unless her daughter could prove she was accomplishing something, though it was fine to let her experience her childlike wonder for a while longer.

Along Anton's route, there weren't many other astounding astronomical features to observe. In most cases, they were things he had seen before, different sorts of common stars and planets. He did come across a few planets that bore the scars of battle, signs of once having life but no longer. They'd been scoured clean. And one system he was fairly certain should have had another planet found it missing.

Most of the damage was clearly old, but instead of being comforting Anton instead found it a depressing sign of how long the cycles had continued, and how difficult it would be to bring the invasions to an end. Worlds like Ceretos were just one among many to the upper realms, a small but not quite insignificant place. Surely they would at least miss their Augmentation cultivators. Which meant they could expect some trouble, come the next change in the tides of the world. But that should be the 'normal' duration of six centuries, as far as Anton could tell.

Anton was glad to fight and kill members of the Trigold Cluster, but he hoped that by the next cycle he could divert the flow away from their own systems. It was better to not fight at all, if they could manage it. Though Anton also did not want to push their problems off onto others. It seemed unlikely they could ever truly be at peace, except for a time. Was that an inevitability of the world, or just the way things had turned out?

Journeying through the void gave Anton far too much time alone with his thoughts, so when he arrived in a system he was quite glad to focus on it. Especially when it was immediately apparent there was something beyond the norm.

"Regular energy flow…" Anton murmured to himself. "Directed between the planets?"

As Anton approached he was clearly able to discern it was caused by a grand formation spanning the system. He also found it unwise to approach closer, as it seemed to include a proper barrier. He didn't want to tangle with one of those.

That did leave Anton somewhat stumped. He prodded it with his energy. That might give away his location, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He did want to meet whoever inhabited this place. Though he did prepare himself to retreat if necessary. Being entirely incautious would be foolish.

The only question was how long he should wait. A week, a month? Perhaps he could slip through the barrier at some point, but that wouldn't build much in the way of trust. It didn't take long for Anton to get a response. It wasn't even two hours when he sensed a ship approaching- based on its trajectory, he would presume it was from the outermost planet that he'd been angling towards.

Judging the ship and its cultivators… Anton considered himself safe. There were five Life Transformation cultivators, nothing insurmountable. He felt a general sense of caution and preparedness from them, but they slowed as they approached, their cultivators standing on the deck of a fairly traditional ship.

There was no simple way to speak to others in a vacuum without some sort of extension of energy, but as Anton began to ponder slipping his way through the barrier, they actually passed beyond. Their lead cultivator- an old woman clutching a spear- extended her energy to meet Anton. Before he could even make a remark, she began. "Greetings. You must be far from home."

"I suppose you can say that," Anton agreed. "Anyone outside of their home system is rather far, are they not?" And truthfully, though he was most of the way back home after his trip to Azun, he was still a good fifty lightyears away from Ceretos. "Do you get many travelers?"

"Not at all," the woman said. "Though we have had to deal with trouble from the upper realms."

Anton nodded, "They are quite… persistent. This grand formation must have been quite difficult to set up, to keep them out."

"It was a project of centuries," the woman said. "I suppose I must ask, though it seems pretty clear. Are you friend or foe?"

"I would hope to be friends," Anton said. "I am known as Anton. If I might have your name…?"

"Aoibhin."

Anton could determine that her name was from one of the categories where he'd default to a different spelling. More like Eveen. "Frankly," he said after he clarified the spelling, "I'm surprised we don't end up with much more radical differences. The upper realms seems to have a large amount of influence on language…"

"Not by coincidence, I think," Aoibhin replied. "Would you like to speak somewhere more comfortable, friend Anton?"

"Gladly," he approached, sensing no deception. In the worst case, he could still defend himself even without a local star.

As he landed on the ship, Aoibhin gestured with her free hand, "Let us get inside. I apologize I can't receive you somewhere on planet, but we are responsible for system security. We can't just let people in through our defensive formations, and we don't really know each other yet."

"I fully understand," Anton agreed. "Especially since you've had trouble with the upper realms."

"I can at least determine you are not from them… directly, at least."

"Did you run into their spies?" Anton asked. "The Twin Soul Sect, specifically?" It was now habit to scan for them anywhere new he went. He was glad to not find any on this ship, though that didn't mean much.

"Oh yes," Aoibhin nodded. "They were quite a troublesome group."

"You've met them?" Anton asked. "I suppose they could have been around as recently as a couple decades. Hopefully you've gotten rid of them?"

"Centuries ago," she said. "It was quite an effort."

"I'd love to hear more about how you dealt with them," Anton said. "If the information is not secret."

They sat in a tight cabin, with barely a desk and some stools. Quite reasonable for a ship, as space was important. Anton checked the food for poison. He didn't sense any treachery, but he could never be too careful. He didn't know the local politics- even if Aoibhin was friendly, someone with access to the kitchens might not like Anton's presence. Or they might want to get her in trouble somehow. There was also a chance that everyone in a local area developed a resistance to something and no longer considered it poison. That had come up before.

Either way, Anton's cautions proved unnecessary as he snacked on a polite amount of mediocre bread and cheese.

"Particular details would be secrets of different sects," Aoibhin said. "But the general idea is simple. It was a long, bloody war where we killed their Ascension cultivators one at a time."

"I wouldn't expect much different," Anton admitted. "That was about what the first invasion I experienced was like. But we managed to drive them back, and were ready for the second. Did you encounter difficulties with the short cycle?"

"We were fortunate that the two-hundred-year cycle came after our successful counterefforts," Aoibhin explained, "And they did not return this most recent opportunity."

"Does your formation help with that?" Anton asked.

"That is not my area of expertise," Aoibhin admitted. "It would certainly make it difficult for them to enter, but I don't know if it would prevent them from lingering outside."

"It's good to find others who have been successful," Anton said. "There were others I have met on my journey who did not fare so well," Anton admitted.

"Is that so?" Aoibhin sighed, "I was hoping we might meet with them."

"They're many systems away," Anton said, "Same for my home."

"What are you doing so far from home?" she asked. "I don't imagine a kind soul like yourself to be exiled."

"The journey was for the sake of improving my cultivation," Anton replied. "I found what I wanted, and am now returning."

"You're not in a hurry are you?" Aoibhin asked. "Certainly, you don't seem to be. I am sure others here would wish to speak to you. And many would likely not be averse to opening up diplomatic ties with another system, even if it is a bit remote. I sense we have more in common than our disdain for the upper realms."

"Are you able to travel between systems?" Anton asked.

"We have explored the neighboring area," she admitted, "Though we found nothing worth leaving our home for. The resources here are still sufficient to sustain us."

"That's good to hear. It's likely best not to rush into expansion, especially if it would leave you open to further attacks from the upper realms."

"Indeed. The short cycle caused us to be quite uncertain about how safe we are."

Anton was quite pleased he'd come to this system instead of simply passing by. They were a bit distant for convenient diplomacy, but they could certainly work something out. If nothing else, communications could reach them faster than simple travel.

It took a week for Anton to be approved entry into the Ekict system. That was both speedy and slow, depending on how he looked at it. He was constantly escorted, of course, both because of his nominal diplomatic status and because he could be a danger. To the average individual, if not their system as a whole. At least as far as they knew. To them, he should seem like a particularly strong Life Transformation cultivator, which wasn't exactly wrong at the moment.

The system itself was nothing amazing. Their planets fell within normal parameters, with their capital world exactly in the middle of standard habitability requirements. It was much like Ceretos, including the local star. It was perhaps a bit closer to the smaller orange range of stars rather, but it was on the same scale at least. Not a giant or dwarf star, or anything exotic.

He didn't see any signs of recent damage, but he shouldn't have expected to find any. It had only been two decades since the last potential chance for invasion, but it was another two centuries before that when their previous conflict should have happened according to Aoibhin.

As for the other details, Anton paid the most attention to people. Many people were not cultivators, or could barely be counted. Anton understood that was the norm, but with proper techniques and some global restructuring everyone could be. But he didn't need to worry about that right at this moment. If they could properly interact with the system, it was possible to have them handle the transfer of information, rather than Anton throwing techniques at the first handful of people he met. Though that did happen to ultimately work, it was unlikely to be the most efficient. Even Anton wasn't the best diplomat… he was just the strongest person Ceretos had that happened to be able to wander around on his own. That was often good, but it could also make people cautious.

Ultimately it was determined that ships would be sent from the trifold alliance, as that should be the fastest method to transport anyone. It wouldn't exactly happen quickly… but that wasn't as important as the fact that it would be happening at all. And cultivators could afford to spend a couple years waiting, if necessary.

Chapter 619

Names were something Everheart couldn't say he was an expert on. Oh, sure he could name a technique if he needed to, but those just required descriptions with a bit of flair. When naming a star system, one had to use actual names. Most names didn't carry their original meanings anymore and were just conglomerations of sounds, and it didn't make much sense to him to call it something practical. Like 'The System the Wonderful and Powerful Genius Everheart Took Over to Have a Base of Operations' didn't exactly roll off the tongue.

Did it even need a name, if he wasn't even going to use it?

"Of course," said Everheart. "It makes it easier to refer to."

"We're not going to take over another system," pointed out another Everheart.

"Let's not be hasty," said a third Everheart. "But if we take over something established it's already named."

Of course, the real Everheart was capable of having all of these thoughts on his own. They just wouldn't necessarily happen right away. It was easier to have a 'discussion', and while he would eventually gain all the knowledge and thought processes of his projections, it was an energy intensive project to form them. That was especially true until he was more established throughout the system and had formations set up for their maintenance. That ultimately meant talking turned out to be the easiest.

"It's just the Everheart system, then," one of them pointed out. "Nice and concise."

Everyone had to agree. And it was a good name, obviously.

He still needed a lot more in the way of materials if he was going to properly set up the system with all of the requisite formations, which meant some raiding. He had plans for the Harmonious Citadel, the Trigold Cluster, and the Exalted Quadrant.

He thought about gathering resources from the other groups in the Scarlet Midfields- especially those punks who took over Xankeshan- but they simply didn't have the resources to make it worth his time. He'd probably get them back for that eventually, but for the moment his niece was living among them and he had higher priorities. So, east or west?

There were pros and cons to all of the options, but ultimately it came down to the Exalted Quadrant not facing nearly enough adversity as of late. Which meant they would have more free resources to snatch. Yes, that would be good. He just had to stay mobile. He couldn't let them catch him with a group of Augmentation cultivators- or worse, accidentally run into a Domination cultivator. Unpredictability was his best option, which meant that whatever plans he made now would have to be fluid.

Everheart waved his projections goodbye. They could continue their toil while he went off to get a small mountain of goods. Then he would absorb all of them- memories of mind-numbing labor and all- so that none diverged to the point they'd want to cause trouble. Ugh, it was almost worth it to just pay someone to do all the work. But then he'd have to kill them, which could be a lot of work in its own way. Or trust them, but that wasn't going to happen.

Rumors had it that Torthunes had once been a standard blue-white color of water and ice. Now it was red. Nobody could say for certain what it had actually been like, as the damage had been done lifetimes ago even for the oldest cultivators. Once a prosperous planet in some manner, now just another casualty of the conflicts between the factions surrounding the Scarlet Midfields.

The planet had many features to dislike. Over the course of its two month trip around the local star, half of it was always freezing and the other half boiling, a constant cycle that made any permanent settlement difficult. The next extremely relevant feature was how much gravity it had. It was only several times the radius of standard terrestrial planets, but it had forty times the gravity. Anyone below at least mid Spirit Building would simply die, and ships found it difficult to land safely as well as to later take off.

These were also the same features that made it desirable. With extreme circumstances came great natural energy, usable to empower formations and cultivators alike. It also made it particularly difficult for cultivators who were not used to the local environment to battle. Since most battles in the upper realms took place on the surface of planets, those features and its location made it a reasonable environment for use as a staging ground against the Harmonious Citadel.

The Scarlet Alliance- encompassing Xankeshan, the Dark Ring, and various others flocking to their banner- had been setting up on the planet for a few years now. Catarina found it particularly interesting and frustratingly difficult to manage formations in such a place of constant change. The flow of energy was strong, but inconsistent… and the freezing and thawing meant there weren't exactly solid points to anchor anything, not forever. Layers of ice grew on anything that stood around, blocking formation markings from each other. And the composition of that ice- which might have included a large amount of salty blood- meant that most construction corroded quickly.

Engineer Uzun had dropped by a few times, but ultimately deemed it infeasible to make use of Ruterran technology on-surface. Making use of their ships to deal with incoming enemies would only be viable with more decades of development- even with a good amount of planning and nearly unlimited resources it was impossible to recreate centuries of technology and infrastructure supporting it in a few years.

Tauno found that he did not like the planet Torthunes. It wasn't just the extremes it went to- he was an Augmentation cultivator and could handle things like that- it was the lack of any sort of life. The Dancing Slayer Sect preferred to hunt great beasts to improve themselves- and their equipment- and this was yet another stretch of time where he was forced to maintain traditional cultivation. A few years wouldn't hurt in the long run, but just waiting wasn't comfortable.

"How certain are we that they will attack?" he asked the council of Xankeshan. The core group was mostly from the Order of One Hundred Stars, but they had many supporters not just from their own world but also neighboring ones. Like that Engineer. Tauno did not doubt the man was highly effective, he just didn't understand the strange cultivation tools. Or the ones that worked entirely without cultivation- though there were few of those.

"They can't afford to ignore this system," the spymaster Velvet explained. "If they try to bypass it we can cut off their routes for supplies, causing them to have to send their limited ships that can hop multiple systems without stopping. The alternative is for them to take over several nearby systems to secure a foothold, but we would be able to react to that."

"From the perspective of morale," Prospero spoke next, "They need a significant victory. Preferably slaying one of our few augmentation cultivators," he looked towards Tauno. "News of your presence leaking would attract them here."

"And of course," Velvet mentioned, "We are keeping track of the movements of the saints. We should have some idea what we're up against. In the worst case where they attack with most or all of their saints, we will have to abandon the planet."

"But I have the option to turn the formations into traps, in that case," Catarina added.

Tauno nodded. This was not the only important position. There were several key systems and planets along the western borders, and other members of the alliance had their own concerns. Tauno felt confident in dealing with a single saint, and with the benefit of formations and sufficient Integration cultivators two of them. But without another Augmentation cultivator supporting him, three would be pushing it. He had felt the consistent advancement of those from the Order, and they truly might have people beginning to advance within a century or two. But the war probably wouldn't wait for them, and it was impossible to say who would be able to take the step from Integration to Augmentation. Perhaps all of them… or perhaps none of them.

Someone was watching Chidi. Watching over him, he supposed, but it was still weird. Some Integration cultivator he didn't know, because his parents and Aconite's parents and pretty much everyone else was away. That old archer lady was still around, in charge of the formations and letting people through the barriers, but Chidi didn't really know her. She was weird and confusing even when she was talking about archery.

"I can't believe they just left us behind," Chidi sighed.

"You are now a proper adult human," Aconite's growls and barks conveyed. "Should you not expect to be on your own?"

"But I'm not," Chidi pointed out. "We're still being watched, and I haven't gone off to war. What's the point of being the age of an adult if I don't get to fight in the war?"

"Do you want to?" Aconite asked, "War doesn't sound like fun."

"I don't know," Chidi sighed. "But the fact that I didn't get the option annoys me. There are plenty of Spirit Building cultivators fighting."

"There are," Aconite agreed. "Do you wish to be a standard footsoldier in a war? Or would you rather do something notable?"

"Stop asking hard questions," Chidi complained. "I know I'm not going to kill a saint or anything, but I just feel like I could do something."

"Yes. You can train," Aconite said. "I, for one, find my time quite filled with such things."

"That's because there's like, a billion poisons. And you insist on being immune to all of them."

"So that I can make use of them," Aconite agreed. "Are there not as many sword stances and styles?"

"Yeah but… reading is…" Chidi shook his head. "It's awful, picking out the ink against the paper. And you don't have arms or legs to demonstrate what things are supposed to look like."

"And the instructors?"

"Oh yeah, they're so helpful. 'Watch your opponent's eyes', they say. As if that's easier than feeling the tension of their muscles or the flow of their energy."

Aconite was quiet for a few moments. "It is the only way they know," Aconite finally said. "It is unfortunate you are deprived of such a useful sense."

"Whatever," Chidi shrugged. "Mom and dad are better at explaining, even if they aren't swordmasters." Chidi slapped the hilt at his waist, "But I can train still, I get it. We can go patrol the Gardens and root out trouble. And maybe in another decade… or ten… people will let me do something real."

In the lower realms, Anton's return was met with far more visitors than he generally preferred. The affairs of the Order hadn't exactly piled up- there were people qualified to manage anything required- but many people wanted to see the Sect Head himself. Anton was quite famous, after all. Some of those people were his friends, and he was quite glad for them.

The news of the various planets- and the people living on them- was of great interest to the whole Trifold Alliance. In'istra was too far to establish any sort of proper diplomacy with at the current time, and the issue of the Twin Soul Sect among them meant it wasn't necessarily safe. Tenoun'a and Shrenn were interesting as potential allies, though still rather far. However, if things went well with Ekict then they would be a good step closer.

That final system was the cause of most of the interplanetary hubbub, just as big of news as the Sylanis Cluster but without the whole war component. They weren't exactly neighbors, but there was so much they could learn from each other. The details on how they repelled the invaders from the upper realms would be useful for other systems, including In'istra, to hopefully break them out of the cycle.

Of course, there were many complications of interstellar diplomacy that Anton hadn't even considered. But the information he brought back would be useful for kicking things off. While it would take a long time to get a proper web of systems and peoples, Anton looked forward to a time where they were their own thing, instead of the lower realms being the playground for the upper realms to do as they pleased with on a galactic schedule.

Chapter 620

Not knowing how long wars were supposed to take, Chidi could only say it felt like it was taking forever. Years kept passing and he was almost an Essence Collection cultivator now. He just needed another year at most… and to figure out what essence fit him. After that, he should be strong enough to step onto the battlefield. He just didn't think he would be allowed to.

And though Chidi knew people might consider him young and stupid for choosing to go into danger, he wasn't that stupid. First, just hanging around the Gardens with a guardian constantly watching him and Aconite wasn't exactly great for his growth. He'd long overcome his inexperience in combat, and he wouldn't make rookie mistakes. But he felt his growth should be faster. All the expense taken to train him hardly seemed worth it otherwise.

But his first real battle had made him understand that he could die, so he was going to pick out somewhere reasonable. Which meant knowing about the war. Nobody was going to just to tell a young man like Chidi important information about the war, regardless of who his parents were. Or maybe specifically because of it, because he wasn't supposed to get involved. At best, he heard which planets they were holding, but that didn't help. He didn't want to sneak onto a ship heading for somewhere that was going to get attacked by a saint. Or honestly, anywhere with Integration cultivators running about frequently.

Chidi knew where the spies met in the capital. His parents met with them rather frequently to get information about the war. It was all contained in an area that Chidi was allowed to walk around in, which saved him the difficulty of the initial approach. He couldn't go in the front, obviously- there were guards there. The building was small enough that in theory their senses covered the whole thing. In practice, however, there were holes. Some people called them blind spots, which was some sort of reference to sight… not seeing things sometimes.

Entering a window was too obvious. Plus, there could be people on the other side. Chidi wouldn't know without hearing them, and this particular building did a good job of insulating energy. He might open a window and step right into someone. He didn't want to have to deal with the consequences of that.

An air vent on the roof would probably be best. It would be protected by formations, most likely, but he would deal with that when he got there. First he had to scale the wall. He felt it with his energy, being very careful to not intrude into the building with it. The roughness told him the shape of it and how he should climb. An easy task for anyone who had completed Body Tempering and had hands. Which was half the reason Aconite was not with him.

He easily lifted himself up to the roof, feeling the vent he wanted to enter through. It would be a tight fit- he wasn't a little kid anymore- but he was flexible enough. As expected, he felt the altered flow of energy due to a formation. Chidi had studied formations for over a decade… technically. His mother had started teaching him about formations the time normal kids would learn to read. He had to admit that he hadn't been particularly good at the topic, either because he was young or just not that interested, until the last year or two. Now, he took the occasional opportunities his mother was around to dive into those things.

Overall, his experience with formations put him somewhere around two centuries behind his mother. Give or take a couple decades. Not exactly the sort of thing that made him confident sneaking into a secure area, but the most important formations covered Xankeshan as a whole. Then there were some around the city, and this district. Dealing with the formations on one vent on a particular building, they were probably not put in place by his mother. Which was bad, because he would be less familiar with the style- but good, because familiarity didn't do him much good when he could only stare in awe.

His fingers roamed around the edge of the vent, not touching anything. He was just taking the passive sensory input. A little cold here, a little hot there. Intense energy, though that was most formations from Chidi's perspective. They were all powered by upper energy, while Chidi himself still focused on training lower energy. Wrestling with the more powerful energy might have given him a boost, but he was still developing his foundation. He was constantly reminded that taking shortcuts would let him advance more quickly… with consequences later.

But going into battle was not a shortcut. It was well known to be one of the best ways to accelerate training. He just had to also not die. Which meant getting some of this information.

Chidi couldn't think of a method to get through this formation without someone knowing. Unless, perhaps, he destroyed it in just the right way. If he disrupted the part that would pass along the alarm, nobody should notice. Though it would have to be repaired later. He didn't want to leave a weak point. If he caused a bit more damage, he would actually be safer now and it would be more obvious something was wrong later. That would mean he wouldn't have to figure out a way to tell someone about the damage. Yes, that was best.

He took out his sword, carefully cutting a pair of new runes before scratching through several others, ruining their potency. Then he sheathed it, slipping into the vent.

Chidi was aware that some people didn't like tight spaces, but he found it comforting to be fully aware of the limits of his surroundings. In an open room, things could be anywhere, lurking in front of his knees or his fragile nose. He hadn't actually bumped into much since he'd developed proper extensions of his senses, but the threat was always there.

Scooting towards an opening, Chidi kept his energy restrained. There were slits for air to flow through, and Chidi was slightly concerned about disrupting the flow, but his presence would do that anyway. And he had to hear the conversation below.

"... Rakiya … Chikere's arm …"

He couldn't hear much, but that name had been what first sparked his attention. He was named after Chikere, more or less. There had also been some connection between her not recovering from an injury and his birth, though he hadn't found out what.

"... on Yaitis?" the second voice asked.

"Unclear."

Chidi had to agree. The whole conversation was very unclear. He wished he could augment his ears or press up against the grate without making things more obvious somehow.

Eventually the conversation moved away, and Chidi was left with a choice. He could continue through the vents, or try to find more information in different ways. He was aware of an important and annoying thing, specifically that key information was probably written down, but if he had to he would struggle through the process. He just hoped it wasn't on any of those 'computer' things, because they didn't have any ink that stood out. There weren't a lot of computers in common use away from Engineer Uzun and the technological area, but there were still some.

He popped out of the vent, taking care to make sure it was closed as he dropped down. Almost directly into a huge net of sensory energy. Chidi held his breath, as if that would help somehow. He was lucky, to have just barely avoided it. It moved around like a pit of snakes, he had to avoid, and he found his way over to a wall. He darted back and forth in the hallway, doing his best to hide behind pillars and other bits sticking out. He kept his senses passive, so as to not alert anyone.

He managed to avoid the energy all the way to the end of the hall, where things opened up somewhat- a branch? Then a hand came down on his shoulder. "What are you doing here, young man?"

Chidi froze up.A sense of terror and panic flowed through him. But then he recognized the voice. "Uh… spymaster. I didn't know you were back." He calmed down, because while he was caught and his sneaking days were over, at least he knew what the consequences would be.

"Nobody is ever supposed to know if I am 'back'," Spymaster Velvet's voice said. "That's the whole point."

"... Can I just ask how you caught me?" Chidi frowned. "I thought I avoided all of the alarms and sensory sweeps."

Sense he was already caught, he had extended his senses. He could feel her face shifting into a smile, for some reason. "You did a good job avoiding several things. We will have to review our security… and training. But if you want to know how I spotted you… well…"

Velvet was walking down the hallway. Her steps were quiet more out of habit than active need. Then she saw Chidi drop down into the hallway from a vent. She watched him darting back and forth across the hall, and for a moment she wondered what he thought he was doing. Then she realized that was exactly the sort of behavior that made sense for someone who didn't actually know how vision worked. He'd only ever had it explained to him.

"What are you doing here, young man?"

"... That usually works, I swear!" Chidi complained.

"If someone is looking down a hallway, even casually, they will see you. Unless you take special steps to conceal yourself through means you clearly have no training in."

Chidi grimaced. "I guess you're telling my parents?"

"Probably," Velvet said. "You're lucky I know them, or you'd be in very serious trouble. Or dead. Someone could have taken you out as an intruder before recognizing you."

"I… didn't think of that," Chidi admitted.

Velvet clicked her tongue. "You'll never get anywhere as a spy like this."

"I know," Chidi hung his head.

"That's why you're going to focus on training with me," Velvet said.

"I kn- what?" Chidi twisted around, confused.

"You've got really good basics, but I can tell you're self-taught," Velvet explained. "And new. Pretty good for your age, but there are so many things you need to know. I do have one question though. How did you erase your presence like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was looking at you but I didn't see you with my senses."

"I just avoided where they were."

"But they covered the whole hallway."

Chidi frowned, "You… think they cover the energy senses cover the whole area?"

"At this scale? Obviously."

"That's just… not true," Chidi said. "Here, look." He had to contort himself slightly to fit in the blind spot, but there he was.

"Hmm. Hold still, would you?" Velvet slightly shifted her senses, just touching Chidi's ankle. "And suddenly I can see all of you."

"Is that how that works?" Chidi asked. "Because your senses are only really contacting my ankle."

"How have I not noticed this before?"

Chidi shrugged. "I don't know. But people won't generally avoid senses by accident. Unless someone is just not paying attention to a room. It's like walking through a tangle of branches without touching any of them."

"I knew that I was missing things at longer ranges," Velvet said slowly. "I hadn't realized that something would apply like this close up. But you learn something new every day. Now I definitely have to train you. First step: not standing where people can see you."

"I usually hear everyone," Chidi shook his head. "How did you end up behind me?"

"Practice. And I was there the whole time. Oh right, you never answered why you were here."

"I just wanted… to know about how the war was going…" Chidi lied.

"Look, kid. I don't want to be the one to teach you how to lie proficiently. But you gotta be more convincing than that. Or never get into a position where people ask you questions. Which means never getting caught." Velvet stepped closer. "Or you can use the best technique. Don't hide at all and don't look important enough to pay attention to. You'd be surprised how often that works. And that's probably a good one for you since you're really obvious when trying to avoid being looked at."

Chapter 621

An endless storm of arrows focused on Prospero. It made sense, because the other combatants had trouble approaching him. At least he was able to tie up a good number of enemy archers, including a couple Integration cultivators. Prospero Vandale recalled time spent training with Kseniya both in his previous life and more recently. Considering the number of attacks it would be more appropriate to train with Anton, but unfortunately the man had never been a match for Prospero before Prospero's own death exterminating multiple prominent members of the Twin Soul Sect. Kseniya was more focused, making good use of a few arrows.

Though that was about what Prospero had to deal with from the Integration archers. The rest he could avoid, not completely ignoring them but unconcerned about serious injuries. They seemed to consider themselves safe from counterattacks, but he was actually just waiting for a chance amid his orbiting stars.

When the speed of their rotation was sufficient, he released one from his gravitational pull, slinging it forward at mind numbing speeds. It was something an Integration cultivator might hope to dodge, but the Life Transformation cultivator below barely knew what hit her.

At the same time, Prospero targeted one of the two Integration cultivators, his star catching several arrows in flight towards him and annihilating them. The man leapt to the side, but a curve Prospero introduced brought it right next to the man, where it exploded. A passing detonation wouldn't be as effective as a direct hit, but it was a better use of energy than simply allowing his attack to pass by. There was a limit to the range he could control his orbital attacks, and that one would simply fly further down the battlefield if left alone.

The planet being fought over was one of little significance, just one on the border with the Harmonious Citadel. The victory itself wasn't as important as defeating enemy forces. No saints seemed to be present, which Prospero was glad for. He didn't want to die again just a couple centuries into his new life. If any saints showed up, they'd have few options but to retreat. There weren't many Augmentation cultivators on their side, though they had finally swayed the One Thousand Palm Sect to join their side. Prospero knew the Dark Ring had one or two more in hiding somewhere, but having another known Augmentation cultivator made the Harmonious Citadel at least a little bit more restrained.

It also helped that their lesser cultivators were easily cut down, given the widespread study of Citadel's Downfall. It was possible that the Harmonious Citadel would get their hands on the technique and come up with countermeasures or fix their flaws, but that was unlikely to be very effective even if it came to pass. After all, it would require a shift in centuries of training for an entire sect, instead of everyone learning the right moves they could use to counter a few specific styles. Prospero didn't need to know techniques to counter swords with bows, but it was useful to know how to spot openings in the shield users, among others. The literature even covered the light cultivators, in the grand scheme of things a recent addition to the sect's lineup.

The techniques they used were actually higher quality, but also harder to train. Thus, they were thankfully rare. Only the saint of light was a significant concern, but he was tracked very carefully. It did say something, however, that the Harmonious Citadel would shift from its traditional seven styles to eight for a single individual. Apparently that had caused waves back in the day, but Prospero wasn't around for any of that. As far as the history of the upper realms went, the only significant event he'd been around for was the events around Xankeshan- and of course the death of two saints within the last decade.

A particularly focused arrow required Prospero to block it with one of his stars, negating the incoming attack's power. He was going to have to take out one of those two Integration cultivators or retreat. Since he'd built up enough momentum, he would try for the former. A series of the spinning stars around him launched forward, towards each Integration cultivator. However, Prospero was already curving some that seemed to be aimed towards the second back towards the first. A cultivator of that caliber could dodge even extreme velocity projectiles, but he predicted how the man would dodge and managed a series of near hits, stars exploding next to the man- and those threw him off enough to stop him for a moment. The last star, lagging behind the others, struck him directly in the chest, driving a fist-sized hole in his sternum before exploding internally, as it was intended to do.

There wasn't enough left of the man's torso for Prospero to be concerned about his further involvement with the living, so he followed up by condensing his remaining stars into a defensive pattern. He didn't have the ability to take out the second one without great risk to his own life, so he would save himself to coordinate with someone else… or just let them leave. Every Integration cultivator they could take out was one more the enemy wouldn't have later. That was the same on their own side, but their Integration cultivators included more ascended individuals or those who otherwise managed more than the basic rush to Integration that the Harmonious Citadel supported. Even the devotion used by the Glorious Harmony Technique only made up for the flaws in such a system, instead of catapulting them ahead. Cultivation was not a system where everyone could follow the same path, not beyond Life Transformation- and even Essence Collection was a point of significant divergence for most sects. The Harmonious Citadel had gained their power by having a clear and concise path that would bring people to a certain point… but there was no guarantee their disciples would be able to find their way forward from there.

"What about now?" the voice said from in front of Chidi. If he was allowed to feel Velvet's face, he could easily determine if her eyes were open or pointed at him. But he supposed it wasn't very stealthy to be reaching out for people's faces.

Was her gaze on him? It felt like it kinda was, kinda wasn't. The fact that he was able to detect anything at all was due to quite a bit of training- a gaze not augmented by energy was the sort of intangible thing that people couldn't really feel. Not without other tricks, at least. In this case… "I'm not sure," he admitted. "It feels like you're… looking past me?"

Velvet shook her head. He could determine that just from hearing, no touch involved. "No," she said to be clear. "But close, in a way. I was looking at you with just one eye."

"Is that… less effective?"

"Some information is lost, such as a good sense of depth. The same as covering one of your ears and trying to determine the direction of a sound, it's more difficult."

"I get it," Chidi said. "It's harder to feel."

"That's the point," Velvet said. "I doubt you'll run into that situation often, certainly not on purpose to mess you up. But you could face single eyed individuals. Alright what about… now?"

Chidi restrained himself. For this exercise listening for eyelids opening or closing was outside of the proper scope. That also meant he shouldn't wait for a blink. So he tried to quickly pick out what was going on.

"There are… two of you?" Chidi said, uncertain. "Velvet, probably. And definitely Aconite. But you might be using just one eye?"

Aconite's snort told him what he needed to know.

"Very good," Velvet said. "Were you able to pick out directions?"

"Not really," Chidi admitted. "I already knew where the two of you were. Though I can definitely feel Aconite differently." Maybe because she was a wolf, or because he knew her.

"Alright, stealth training time!" Velvet declared. "First solo runs, then a team. Then with Chidi mounted on Aconite's back."

Aconite growled in protest, and Chidi translated. "She says there's no point in the last one. Because I don't fight from her back."

"So?" Velvet said. "You could leave just one set of prints. And maybe you have to carry him when he's wounded."

Aconite gave a few growls and barks. "Do I really have to say that?" Chidi asked. Aconite gave a grunt. "Alright, fine. Aconite says if we're doing that, she might be injured so I might also have to carry her…"

"Ooh, that's a good one," Velvet said, her face muscles grinning loudly enough for Chidi to hear without even focusing on it. "We'll include that, too. Sneaking while carrying something bigger than you isn't going to come up often, but a worthy exercise nonetheless."

Aconite whimpered.

"This is your fault, you know," Chidi whispered at her complaint. "Now shush."

Hopping from pole to pole was hard enough while being quiet. Doing it while carrying a large wolf's front paws over his shoulder was… several steps worse. It threw off his balance and he was fairly certain they would be spotted by anyone vaguely looking in their direction. Or who could hear. Or anyone with a sense of smell.

It wasn't that Aconite smelled bad. Alright, sometimes she smelled like literal death- poisons weren't always pleasant to smell- but one constant about her was that she smelled like some sort of plant. That did cover up her wolfiness, but it would still be obvious.

Except apparently humans with eyes focused on that way more than the other senses. That was good for Chidi, because it made picking them out with anything else a million times easier. Sound was their next most popular thing, but nobody on guard duty kept a constant attention on the changes in smells. Though, Velvet said that wasn't entirely true, especially when facing beast cultivators. Cultivators who trained to get the power of beasts, specifically. There weren't that many of the other sort like Aconite and her family, for some reason. Maybe because they couldn't talk to humans, and the other way around. Then again, cultivators apparently killed each other a lot regardless.

The poles Chidi had to hop between were sturdy and decently well balanced. They could topple over if he was careless, but their purpose was more to limit the places he could move to and force him to focus on controlling his position with his body more than his energy. If he used energy, it was easier for any of the watchers to pick him out.

Speaking of which, there were a couple up ahead- not only flooding the area with their senses, but looking. Detecting where people's eyes went without being in their vision was a big pain, but he had an extremely vague sense. Of course, people like Velvet could negate that.

"Aconite, I'm going to need to have you spot them," Chidi whispered.

A tiny snort of assent. Then he tossed her up. Chidi could only hope that they were looking somewhere parallel to the ground like a 'normal' person. Apparently 'peripheral vision' was able to pick out movement. On the other hand, it was good to know that sight didn't work in all directions at once. That was a powerful limitation he could exploit. Anyone sneaking up on Chidi would hardly have any luck doing so from behind, unless they were just that good.

Aconite sailed to the peak of the throw, her head tilting down to hopefully look towards the watchers. Then she came back, Chidi holding his arms high to grab the pits below here forelimbs, then letting his arms spin back to slow her fall instead of stopping her all at once.

Aconite quietly described where the two were, and Chidi resisted groaning. How was this even going to be possible? The web of sensory energy up ahead covered almost anything. It was difficult to find a gap that he could get through, let alone Aconite. That was without accounting for vision. Sure, they were only Essence Collection cultivators, but they could still look at them.

"Here's the plan…" Chidi whispered with the least volume he could. Either they were far enough or the guards were pretending not to hear, but he couldn't exactly communicate with no sound at all. And they wouldn't understand the plan, if he used wolfspeak. Maybe they were just waiting to catch him properly, instead of just calling out they found him and hoping he was close enough to count.

Since he couldn't see any other options, he enacted the plan. Aconite couldn't feel the fine details of energy senses, the holes, so he just had her curl up. Then he tossed her forward, passing diagonally between vertical poles.

A moment later he ducked down, hanging horizontally before he leapt below the edge of the pit all the poles were standing in. He caught the pole and managed to stretch out his legs far enough for Aconite to bite onto an ankle on her way down. He swung her down and barely managed to avoid hurting himself. The sharp teeth weren't the actual problem compared to simply her momentum and weight. But he didn't fall, and things were basically quiet.

"Spotted!" one of the guards called out.

Dammit.

Chapter 622

After failing to complete the stealth challenge, things weren't over. Now they had to review what had happened. That meant Spymaster Velvet telling Chidi what he did wrong. Or Aconite, maybe, but this one was mostly on him.

"What was the objective?" she asked.

"To retrieve the information parcel and return unseen," Chidi explained. "But obviously that didn't happen when I was spotted along the way."

"Obviously," Velvet agreed. "What were the restrictions?"

"I had to take the route through that area, with Aconite."

"That's right. So, why did you fail?"

Ugh. It was going to be like this huh? Way worse than just being told how he screwed up. "Well, I got spotted. I wasn't able to find a path past the guards…" he admitted. "I'm not sure if it was even possible."

"It likely was," Velvet said. "Not everyone can maintain perfect attention forever. The guard on either side could have lapsed for a moment, and you could have taken advantage. However, even if it was impossible to get past them without getting spotted, there was still a method to succeed."

Chidi frowned. He couldn't think of how. Though wracking his brain, he came up with an idea. "Should I have tried to knock out the guards? I don't know if that could have counted as not being spotted, though. It would make things pretty obvious."

"In a real world scenario, you would have had to make that choice. However, I think that would have been impractical with the other parameters given. There was still another way."

Chidi looked to Aconite, who was of no help at all here. "I can't think of it."

"You could have simply left and come back later," Velvet said. "It's usually more important to not be caught at all, especially if you have no pressing time limit."

"Hmmmmmmmnnnn…" Chidi folded his arms. He didn't like that solution, but he couldn't disagree. And he could have just waited to see if the situation changed. That could theoretically have led to him being spotted as well, but he knew as things were he couldn't practically get by. "I don't like it," Chidi voiced his displeasure. But it didn't stop it from being both technically correct, and he would later admit reasonable.

What to do with Tenoun'a and Shrenn? Even as Anton was returning with potential solutions to their situation, he honestly didn't know if anything was a good idea. For the sake of storing more, he'd brought along an entire ship. He was the only individual aboard, and he left it sitting on a small rocky planet at the edge of their system. Unlike Ekict which was relatively close in the grand scheme of things- a few months of travel by their normal interstellar methods- this system was approximately four times as far. An entire year, and the same back. Anton couldn't justify bringing people so far into hostile territory where they weren't strictly necessary.

At some point, eager scientists would want to survey the star, but it wouldn't be reasonable while the area was a war zone. So Anton flew a relatively small ship by himself- he wasn't a trained pilot, but it handled enough things in an automated fashion that he could get it from point to point. And if things had gone terribly wrong, he would have been able to rip himself out of subspace and finish the journey on his own.

But it was much better to store things within its hold than to carry around a hundred bags strapped to him. He couldn't store extradimensional spaces inside of other extradimensional spaces. At best, the spaces would overlap, but if there were problems with the enchantments or simply too much material between the two for the space required they could explode quite violently. It wouldn't hurt Anton, but everything inside that wasn't destroyed would be scattered everywhere which ruined the whole point of having storage bags.

Things would be so much easier if Anton could just wipe out one side. While he could certainly say that the current acts of Tenoun'a were in the wrong and Shrenn was innocently defending itself, that didn't excuse wiping out a planet full of people. Regardless of the lacking populace. It wasn't a matter of the numbers, but how much they individually deserved the consequences. By this point, they likely didn't think they had a choice to do anything but raid to survive. They lacked any sort of malicious intent. Or at least, enough of them to not take any drastic measures. Their leadership… while they somewhat took advantage of the situation, most would probably prefer to improve everyone's way of life if they thought they could. Especially if it elevated them a bit as well.

Specifically Aurelianus fell into that group. Centuries of bad habits had made people forget they could just… go somewhere else. And while picking up and moving the entire population of a planet would be difficult- even one severely lacking population- something could have been managed over the course of time.

Then there were other measures. If it was difficult to feed people, though Anton wasn't a fan of authoritarian measures, it was probably best to just forbid people from having children. Tenoun'a instead seemed to have gone with the natural balance- few people felt confident supporting a child, so there weren't many. But the population had maintained its levels and even grown somewhat.

Anton considered his options, even at the last moment. He was physically capable of forcing the issue. He could make Shrenn take in everyone from Tenoun'a, and intimidate everyone to stop them from fighting. All he would have to do was bind their star. And while they likely wouldn't know they lost anything from that, it was their star. They lived here. Anton was just passing through. If there later came a time where someone else achieved a similar cultivation, his binding the star could interfere with that- or they might find some other way to draw on the star's power, and his interference might reduce their rightful gains.

There were a lot of reasons to not take that approach, because even if giving the two planets a common enemy might bring them together, it wouldn't really be an optimal solution by any definition. And stealing a group's power to bully them with it was distasteful. If they chose to be Anton's enemy he would not mind taking such power to fight them, but as it was they were just people trying to get by, and not doing very well at it.

With him, Anton had brought tens of millions of pounds of food, along with a vast quantity of seeds. That food sounded like more than he could ever need, but in truth it would at best sustain Tenoun'a for several weeks on its own. If they were conservative. That likely meant they could stretch their food stores to a season, enough for some of the various crops he had to grow, but he couldn't count on things being done optimally. Hungry people would prefer to consume what was given to them rather than endure further hunger for some sort of promise in the future.

Because he could remain floating in space forever, debating how exactly he should go about things. First, he needed to talk to people… and see if anything had changed. Years could do that, and even if things had been the same for centuries Anton knew there was one factor that could have sparked something recently. His arrival. Hopefully, if it did anything, it would have been for the better. Aurelianus seemed like he had a decent head on his shoulders, maybe he'd looked into some of the ideas Anton suggested.

Though it was a day of great import, Ty Quigley knew that very few people would actually understand. Matters important to him might not seem like much to anyone else, and Chikere was not exactly social. She didn't hate people or anything, she just didn't seek them out unless she had a reason to. That reason could be that she was already friends with them, but few people fulfilled that requirement if they didn't train with swords.

Though Chikere wasn't the sort to announce this to many people, there were enough interested parties present. Elder Vasu of the Million Sword Vault- both a friend, and the sort of sword fanatic that absolutely had to be present. The rest of the crowd was the latter, except for Annelie and her daughter Anishka, just reaching the age of womanhood. Ty didn't know the woman well, just that she was the head of the Fire and Ice Palace, a position she'd shared with her husband until his death.

"Is she really going to cut apart space?" Anishka asked.

"Most certainly," Annelie nodded. "She's done it before. This time it is just likely to be more… spectacular."

This was the day. Chikere's second ascension. At one point she'd theorized it would coincide with reaching Augmentation, but apparently her training was stunted here in the lower realms away from access to upper energy. That was what she was supposed to be using now, having ascended and only returned with shifting tides of the world.

Ty almost wished he could follow along. Perhaps he could, someday. Though he was an Assimilation cultivator, being bound to the lower realm was only a matter of upper and lower energy- and bridging the gap between. Nothing said he had to remain in the lower realms forever, especially with him being bound to a ship and not a place. From what he knew, Anton was the rare exception that it was completely impossible for. He didn't hide that information, so Ty had overheard it somewhere. Though a 'normal' ascension would surely be the easiest route for those who could manage it.

Chikere showed up with no further warning. One moment she was not present, the next she was. But she did come to this particular place to fulfill her promise to those watching. "I will be leaving now," she said to everyone in general, though Ty caught her eyes for a moment. "It is unlikely I will return. If I do, it will be half a millennium."

With that, she turned away, her vision tangent to the peak of the hill she'd chosen. Swords simply poured out of the sheaths she carried openly as well as the storage bags around her. Ty watched intently, prepared to see the most powerful sword strike of his life. He wasn't disappointed… though what he witnessed was nothing like what he expected.

Each blade slowly curved, tracing patterns in the air in what seemed to be a leisurely fashion. Only the two held in Chikere's hands remained still. Both her flesh-and-blood left hand and robotic replacement.

Ty's training in the sword made the hair stand up on the back of his neck as flashes of light appeared from nowhere amid the gently swirling swords. Instead of a sudden burst of energy, Chikere put out a constant pressure.

Then her blades finally slashed out horizontally. Logically, that should have cut a horizontal line to go with their movement- and it did. But it also cut a vertical line. And every diagonal. And every angle in between those, an infinite number of lines forming a perfect circle.

Chikere stepped forward, a wave of upper energy passing over her as she disappeared. The opening disappeared immediately behind her.

Ty couldn't help but cry. Both at the amazing display of swordsmanship, and the loss of a friend. Though maybe he'd live to see her return… or follow after her.

The others all reacted in their own way. Several of the swordsmen dropped their weapons, seeming to realize their limits. Others were inspired, attempting in vain to recreate the effect with their limited abilities.

Anishka's reaction was perhaps the strangest from Ty's perspective. "Huh," she said. "I suppose things will be quite different in the upper realms. I'll have to go there after I learn everything here."

Some people said they wanted to know everything, but in truth their interests were quite limited. For some reason, Ty thought that young woman meant it. He wished her good luck. She'd need it.

As he walked away, he couldn't help but swing his sword idly. He certainly wasn't going to try to chase after Chikere at the moment. His ship wouldn't function in a place filled with upper energy, after all. It would take some modifications to function both here and there. He certainly didn't want to leave behind his home forever… but he could certainly think about doing some touring of the galaxy.

Chapter 623

What did Anton want? An end to conflict? That wasn't quite right. He wanted the most people possible to be happy and healthy, and to get there with the least undeserved suffering possible. A lofty goal that was probably impossible, but could at least be strived towards.

Tenoun'a was his choice of planet, and Xasall the city. He wanted to speak with Aurelianus, the most practical seeming city leader. Anton carefully approached the sheltered starport, this one carved directly into the ground instead of the side of a mountain. Local topology simply didn't seem to allow for it.

When he got close, nobody shot at him. That was a good step up from his first time. He did feel cultivations flare up, and people were ready to fight, but he was given time to announce himself. "Greetings. It is I, Anton Krantz, returning as promised several years ago."

He was waved forward. He didn't recognize any of the particular guards, just the same cultivation styles he expected. Presumably, they had been told to expect him or at least heard about him. Then again, it was possible Xasall was just a bit more cautious than Rolis.

Anton had to wait an hour or so, but Aurelianus came to meet him in person. "You returned," the man said. It was simply a statement of fact, implying nothing about whether or not he believed it would happen.

"I said I would," Anton shrugged, "And nothing stopped me. So I did."

The man was clearly appraising Anton. Recognizing him was simple, but Aurelianus seemed to be looking for something more. Perhaps some hint of whether he came as an ally or a spy. Anton's visits to Shrenn hadn't exactly been secret. "Founding a colony on an ice moon is a serious logistical problem," Aurelianus finally said.

"Of the people I know here, you seem best equipped for the challenge," Anton said. "Are you still working on that plan, or…?"

"We have a small and ultimately irrelevant number of individuals dwelling on a remote moon. Overall, with the ships required, they have been a slight net drain on our resources."

"Sorry to hear that," Anton said, "Do you think the situation will improve?"

"Perhaps in five to ten years," Aurelianus shook his head. "The stores of ice brought back on return trips provided little usable water, but it might be possible for the local colony to refine enough to make any trips worthwhile."

"Let's hope so," Anton said. "I have some questions about your peers. Mayors, lords, or other leaders of cities upon Tenoun'a. Are any of them working on similar endeavors?"

"I believe they are quite occupied with their… normal survival methods."

"Of course," Anton replied. "I don't want to just invite myself in, but I imagine you wouldn't want to just stand out here…"

"Indeed. We will be returning below once the elevator is loaded," he gestured. "It is better not to waste energy."

An important practical consideration that was relevant here, unlike Ceretos or most places he had visited. Even In'istra was better off in terms of ambient natural energy, and Anton supposed in general prosperity. After all, they'd simply been treated to the 'normal' level of devastation by upper realm invasions, instead of the clear attempts to fully scrub them out for putting up a resistance like Tenoun'a and Shrenn. Anton would never be able to go to the upper realms, but if he was able to he could destroy a few planets within the Trigold Cluster. Was that too much? He could just kill every cultivator Life Transformation or higher, since they were likely all part of this conspiracy. But of course, he couldn't do any of that so he just had to make sure everyone who came to the lower realms never returned. Even in spirit. Or especially in spirit, with the Twin Soul Sect being considered.

At least that was one problem this system didn't have. Because they'd been intentionally devastated, the Twin Soul Sect hadn't hung around to infiltrate them. Anton had swept every city he'd been in to confirm, and it held.

Anton rode down the elevator with a great quantity of stolen goods- mostly food, but also manufactured tools and clothing. Shrenn was significantly better off- mostly because of their moons being usable- but if they hadn't had to deal with all these losses, Anton wondered what state they could be in.

Once they were in Aurelianus' office, he spoke. "Now we can talk more comfortably."

"Are you implying that other city leaders might be paying spies?" Anton said with clear sarcasm.

"Imagine that. A planet of struggling individuals that isn't a unified whole." Aurelianus shook his head, "There might even be spies from Shrenn."

"And yet here you are, speaking alone with me."

"What can I say? I live life on the edge. And unless I am completely unable to read your intentions, in which case I would fall to whatever machinations you have eventually, I should be nowhere near the top of the list of people you would kill to get what you want."

"And what do you think I want?"

"A good question. I find it difficult to believe that you are in this purely to help us. But… I can at least believe that you will treat your allies well."

"Perhaps I simply like making people happy, and prefer when people aren't killing people pointlessly," Anton responded. "But I suppose I can admit to other practical considerations. I hate what the upper realms have done. Are doing. I want as many allies against them as possible, and it's better if they're… functional. Then there's the matter of devotion. Has that come up in your cultivation?"

Aurelianus pondered for some time, "It does seem like the leadership of various cities retains power more consistently than one would expect, even with cultivation resources being funneled to them."

"I'd just like to quickly point out that the numbers here aren't relevant to me. I have billions of people who know me back in my home system. The numbers here wouldn't change that much. Not that I actually ask people to worship me."

"Why not?" Aurelianus asked. "If you are actually benevolent, would it not be appropriate?"

"Because I'm definitely not a god. And people should be thinking about dealing with their own issues, and not providing support for me as if I need it. Though on the subject of things I want… I do want permission for something."

"And what is that?" Aurelianus questioned. "I can't imagine we have any resources you don't have access to."

"Who knows?" Anton shrugged, "You could have some unique herbs. But what I meant is your sun." Anton held up a hand, "Obviously I'm not going to take it. It would remain right where it was. But I would siphon off some of its power."

Aurelianus frowned. "How much? Half?"

Anton laughed out loud at that. "You think I could handle that much power? I nearly became charcoal after absorbing less than a billionth of what a smaller star puts out in a second. No, it would not be nearly so much… but it would restrict other activities involving it."

"Well, I don't have the authority to negotiate for such a thing all on my own," Aurelianus admitted. "But depending on what you offer, I could certainly be convinced to support that. And I don't think others would necessarily be opposed. But as it has great value, it would require more than just vague promises of support."

"Of course," Anton said. "You are a man of numbers. What if I told you I had seeds for plants with twice the yield of what you currently have, while using half the water?" As Tenoun'a was working with plants that survived devastation, what they had was durable… but not necessarily the most productive. Anton didn't actually know the hard numbers, but he could easily promise that, between plants bred throughout Ceretos, Weos, and Rutera. Plus a few originating from the Sylanis Cluster, either snatched during the war or actually traded for recently.

With the first step complete, all Anton needed to do was talk to a dozen more rulers who would all have their own requirements, and then do that again on another planet. And the biggest part: get Tenoun'a to stop the raids and agree to a diplomatic meeting with Shrenn. In the worst case, he thought he could get Shrenn to agree to buy off Tenoun'a with a similar amount of goods that were stolen, while avoiding conflict on both sides. They'd put up with the current situation for their entire lives, buying off raiders had to last at least a couple decades.

The problem would be getting them to just… stop. Both in the short and long term. He'd received advice from Lynnette for how to negotiate possible reparations if Shrenn wasn't willing to just let things go. Not that Anton thought they should be willing to, as they were the injured party… at least over the last centuries. There were others Anton consulted with, of course, a whole team following Kohar's legacy. It was odd to think that some of them hadn't met her, but while Kohar had been many things, a great cultivator was not one of them. Eventually, age had caught up to her despite Anton's best efforts to help her improve. She still lived more than twice the normal productive lifespan of a non-cultivator, but Anton still felt that wasn't enough. He understood death well enough, but it would be nice if some people of practical value could be an exception.

Anton steeled himself, preparing to look at the future talks as a proper battle. Just without the part where he could shoot someone to make it over more quickly. This was going to be a lot of work. Maybe he should have brought some others along, though that could have diminished the limited trust he had built up.

Though there were certainly energy senses all over him, and some people even technically looking at him, Chidi knew nobody was really watching him. He could step onto the ship and nobody would even know. He just had to look like he belonged. That was the best and most powerful stealth technique Velvet had taught him. Just look and act like you belong, and people will assume you will. Of course, that only went so far- if his cultivation completely mismatched he would be quite obvious.

The ship was going to Yaitis. Chidi knew more about it now, and it was considered relatively unimportant and thus had less powerful cultivators involved. Lots of Spirit Building and Essence Collection, very few Life Transformation cultivators in the grand scheme of things. Maybe a couple Integration cultivators spread over the planet, between various battlefields.

He could just go, but instead of it being something brave he was doing, going off to war… it would actually just be running. Because at least for a brief time his parents were returning, and he could talk to them. Bring up the idea. He was strong enough now… they had to let him participate, right?

"Come on Aconite," he sighed, "Let's go talk to your mother."

"I already have unlimited permission to go wherever I please," Aconite replied with wolfspeak.

"I know, but it's easier to talk to a big wolf who doesn't get to tell me what to do. And she seems like the type to agree to me going off to war."

"You cannot go. Your fangs are not sharp enough."

"Wha- but I…"

"You wished for some practice opposing your mother, did you not?" Spikes growled. "You must be expected to respond firmly."

"But I don't even have fangs." Spikes just loomed over him, her tough fur nearly resting on his face, "I mean, uh…" he clutched the hilt of his sword, "I've been training with my sword for over a decade, now. I'm strong enough."

"Are you?" Spikes whipped around, nearly knocking him off his feet with the force of her turn. "I heard differently from your instructors. And you also have to be strong enough to protect my daughter."

"O-of course!" Chidi stood up straight as he could. "I wouldn't let Aconite get hurt."

Spikes leaned in to her daughter, "You have to make sure to protect this kid. Humans are small and weak, and his fangs… though trained, are not as sharp as I might hope for the child of Catarina and Timothy."

Aconite nodded, "Obviously I'll keep him safe."

"And don't go around eating new poisons just because they smell good!"

"Mom!"

Chapter 624

Somehow, Chidi managed to say what he wanted to his parents. He explained how he wanted to join the war effort, both to help and for his own training.

"Okay," Catarina said. "You can go."

Timothy cleared his throat. "I thought we talked about this…?"

"You said we would give him a chance to convince us. I just skipped to the ultimate result."

Chidi was still dazed from the sudden answer, so he hadn't yet processed the rest of the exchange. "Uh…"

"If you tried to sneak off after Velvet taught you, we would have not let you go," Catarina added. "But we have to admit that both of us were involved in quite serious matters at similar ages and cultivation. Even with this being the upper realms…"

"People here are stronger," Timothy said. "So you have to avoid the upper end of combatants. The location you picked out… should be reasonable enough. But you must be careful."

"We won't be there to protect you," Chidi's mother continued. "We finally had you, but… we cannot just keep you locked up here on Xankeshan."

"Though we would have preferred if you chose to wait until you were stronger," Timothy finished.

"... that wouldn't happen," Chidi said. "I've been peak Spirit Building for a while now. I don't think I can grasp a suitable essence like this."

"It would come to you eventually," Timothy assured him. "But I can understand not wanting to wait."

"So… I can just go?" Chidi asked.

"Yes," Catarina said. "But there are some conditions. And cautions. You have already chosen an appropriate location. Yaitis is likely the safest location with frequent action in this war. But don't forget… we won't be there. And while we've done our best to raise you well, you do have to recognize your status won't help you there."

"In the best case, it would bring people to sacrifice their lives for you," Timothy said. "And I'm certain you don't want that. Both for their sake, and since you're tired of being protected. So it's better to keep a low profile."

"I get it," Chidi nodded. "Though uh, Aconite will probably stand out."

"Perhaps," Catarina admitted. "But she is less likely to be considered as a hostage. Though it would be safest to assume both of you are known about to some extent."

"Are you crazy?" Docia said in response to Anton's request.

"Is any cultivator not crazy?" he countered. "Look, you don't have to go yourself. It just needs to be someone authorized to negotiate. And decisions don't have to be immediately binding."

"Yes, but… working with Tenoun'a?"

"I recognize that there is a practically unlimited amount of bad blood between you," Anton said. "But those oceans will continue to fill with more deaths, and no progress will be made, unless something is done."

"They'll probably just betray us at the first opportunity," Docia said.

"If that happens, it will ultimately be to your benefit," Anton said. "On that topic, about your star…"

"If you could accomplish what you promise, we would allow you to… bind with our star. Whatever that means. But I don't see how losing good people could be to our benefit."

"It would be unfortunate," Anton admitted. "But if Tenoun'a truly betrays the negotiations I would be fighting on your side."

"One more Life Transformation cultivator… against potentially losing a few. Even if you're stronger than the rest…" Docia shook her head.

He had not yet given them the information about his true cultivation. And hopefully, he wouldn't need to display it. It would be best if the two planets could reconcile under minimal threat. Obviously his mere presence was somewhat a threat, but he hoped his political efforts had done something to change the trajectory of the system so that they could eventually have peace, without bloodshed. That would be nice, wouldn't it? Next best and more likely- minimal bloodshed. Or moderate bloodshed. Anything short of all-out war and extermination of one side would be lovely.

Anton was certain it would be better than a perpetual war where both sides were barely above sustaining their current state. And the better things were maneuvered, the quicker any damage would be overcome. That included lost life, but that was difficult to avoid with people already dying daily. That wouldn't stop just because he ignored it, and though it was unfortunate Anton didn't think human life was always the highest priority. At the very least, he should consider whose life was lost, and the suffering of the current status quo.

"Can you sustain the current situation?" Anton asked. "Truly. Even if the current deaths nearly match the level of population growth, there are many non-renewables that the situation costs you." And individual people fell in that category, in his opinion. "You wouldn't have the opportunity to properly transition to different methods, either."

"I'm not sure I properly believe in your production estimates…" Docia said. "But if we can improve our efficiency, we can't afford to not try. But if you're on Shrenn's side, can't you just help us?"

"I am on everyone's side," Anton said. "I really mean it. But that means you have to deal with difficult situations. Like facing your past betrayals and your current hatred. I can't imagine the majority of Shrenn sees these raids as purely numerical damage."

Docia crossed her arms. She didn't say anything, and her face tried not to say anything.

Anton sighed, "I'm sure even you would like revenge. But that could lead to a cycle more endless than things already are. Or to catastrophic losses all at once." Anton shook his head, "But I suppose that doesn't matter as much. Who did you lose?"

"Does it matter to you?"

"People matter to me. And I know what it's like. Which is why I would prefer it not happen more to Shrenn or Tenoun'a."

"I had a son," Docia began. "He… was obsessed with farming. Making our production just a little bit higher…"

Though it was mainly just a single planet, with only a small population spread throughout the rest of the system, Ceretos was amazing. Aoibhin couldn't help but look in awe at everything. They were prosperous in every way, including cultivators. Not just Life Transformation individuals, but people beyond that stage. People who could match Integration cultivators. And they just trained them.

Of course, the method they managed to reach such heights was not publicly available, but it still impressed Aoibhin. What Ekict would have given for such a thing, back before the invasion. It had been a difficult time. Still, their methods had done right by them.

The other two systems of the Trifold Alliance were of different levels of interest. Weos had much the same style established, from what she had heard, but Rutera was further behind in terms of cultivation. Their ships were quite powerful, and it would be interesting if Ekict could get their hands on them, but these 'Assimilation' cultivators were of the most interest.

Fortunately, they were quite welcoming. Given time, Ekict would doubtless end up with some of that power and prosperity. It was a good thing they'd greeted Anton peacefully. If he'd felt like the upper realms invaders he would have been instantly wiped out, of course, but Ekict hadn't really considered they could gain anything from others in the lower realms. But they'd been proven wrong.

On the ship to Yaitis, Chidi talked with Aconite. "I think we might have already messed up the first step."

"What do you mean?" the rough wolfspeak vibrated in his ears.

"Well, this isn't exactly a standard troop carrier. We're not coming with one of the waves of trainees from a sect or clan. We're kind of just along for the ride. We already look special."

"But we are."

"Yeah, but the point is to not stand out too much."

"That will be impossible. Especially with a human speaking to a wolf."

Chidi frowned, "I don't want to not talk to you, though."

"Perhaps in public. It would be a strange conversation they couldn't understand anyway, so we have no reason to speak around others most of the time."

"Alright, fine, so we show up and take our positions that we got to pick…" Chidi sighed, "Instead of being assigned."

"That, at least, is not terribly strange. At least for cultivators of our age, having decent talent means people will place us where we do best. And scouting is that place."

"Yeah, uh…" Chidi said, "You'll have to deal with all the visuals. I can cover… formations?"

"That is actually quite necessary," Aconite nodded. "But many of your senses are sufficient to complement mine."

"I could never catch you unless you stopped training though."

"And I will never have better dexterity than you, unless you stop using your hands for some reason."

"Fair enough," Chidi admitted.

Currently, he was feeling the area around him. He was surrounded by wood, smooth or at least mostly smooth. There was some sort of lacquer and of course various sealants. This was more of a traditional ship, not the things from Rutera. Both shared the tight use of space, though that wasn't always the case. Some cultivators had big, overinflated vessels to get around. And if they weren't fighting, it didn't matter if they were inefficient. This vessel was equipped with weapons and was maneuverable enough to avoid enemy fire if necessary, though it certainly wasn't meant for battle. Just transport, especially goods. The hold was just an extra large storage bag, more or less. Every layer of the ship had different formations, for structural stability to being able to move without actual propulsion to the outer bubble that was supposed to shield everything happening to the ship. But Chidi quite liked knowing that it was at least airtight if that didn't work.

Chidi was quite relieved to find that he ended up in a dense forest. Yaitis had a little of everything, apparently. Aconite said it just looked like 'a planet'. What she meant, of course, were the sorts of planets people lived on. Which was a very small portion of them, at least in any quantity. And especially for lower cultivation individuals like them.

He was quickly assigned to his squad, where he found the captain and vice-captain. A rather slight man, and a larger woman.

"Seriously? We ask for scouts and we get a kid and… a wolf? I guess the wolf is fine," the woman said, then gesticulated towards him. "But this guy? Do you even have eyes, kid?"

Chidi opened his eyelids. "No." He knew that the lack of anything would bother people, which was why he kept his eyelids closed. And it was simply easier. "I am also an adult by any reasonable measure, and though my cultivation is not yet in Essence Collection… I am capable of performing my duties."

The man cleared his throat. "I think that's enough, Denitsa. And they are both qualified."

"Even the wolf? I'm certain he can sniff out enemies, but I don't know if that will lead to precise reports…"

Aconite barked at her.

"Aconite would like to inform you that she is not a boy, and that she knows how to speak," Chidi said. "She just doesn't have human vocal chords."

The woman known as Denitsa at least had the good sense to shrivel up and walk away. But Chidi didn't have the feeling he'd gotten off to a good start with the squad. At least the captain seemed nice.

The captain sighed, "Sorry about that… Chidi, right?" He nodded. "Right, well, that was vice-captain Denitsa. She's been having so much fun filling in for the role of scout lately, so she's had a lot on her plate. I'm Tiras, by the way," he stuck out his hand, then frowned.

Chidi took his hand before he could think to withdraw it. "Chidi, but you know that. Aconite…" she barked. "Is currently capable of shaking hands as well." The large wolf held up her paw, and Tiras shook it too.

"Good to meet the two of you. Also glad to have a pair, because a single scout is vulnerable." He frowned, "Did you say something about poison? I don't really know wolfspeak but I tried to learn it a little. Are you related to… Spikes and her mate?"

"You can say Fuzz too," Chidi replied. "It is his name. And I don't know of any others who use wolfspeak."

"Right. And you're…"

"Just Chidi, please," he said. "Or Weston, I suppose. The surname's common enough."

"I'm surprised," Tiras said. "Powerful cultivators often take on something more flashy."

"Well, my mother took my father's name. That was as far as they went." Chidi cleared his throat, "Can we stop talking about this now? I'd really like people to judge me on my contributions."

"Sure thing," Tiras replied. "We're likely to go on a patrol in the next day or two, that will let you get some time to get acquainted with the squad before then."

"Is there something I can do to make the vice-captain not hate me?"

"She probably doesn't hate you. And just perform well. I'm sure she'll come around. She's just… not good with people."

"How did she become vice-captain, then?"

"Her big, spiky hammer," Tiras grinned, "Like most positions among cultivators."

Chapter 625

Rushing water flowed in a beautiful melody over and around rocks in the riverbed below. A cool breeze blew between the trees that provided shade, making the scene idyllic for a picnic or other relaxing activity. Had it not been for the current circumstances, of course.

Chidi could sense figures on the other side of the river, probably hidden behind trees. Their energy was restrained, such that he could barely discern them from their surroundings. If he were to approach closer he might determine more details- numbers, cultivations, and the like- but merely spotting them was the important part. He had to stay hidden himself, along with Aconite. Without Velvet's training, they wouldn't have gotten far… and Chidi wouldn't be useful for anything more than being a foot soldier.

Not that combatants weren't important, they were simply the most common, and it was difficult to stand out among them. That was especially so of someone with a cultivation like Chidi's, merely in Spirit Building. He could step into Essence Collection at nearly any moment, but that was still relatively low by the standards of the upper realms. Fortunately, Yaitis wasn't terribly important- that was why the war for control of it primarily involved weaker cultivators, and both sides were generally willing to let it play out. There were certainly stronger cultivators involved, but the vast majority were below Life Transformation. The group that the two scouts spotted seemed to be hovering around Spirit Building and Essence Collection.

That gave Chidi and Aconite a good reason to be leaving as soon as possible- outnumbered against people with matching or greater cultivations, they couldn't hope to emerge victorious if a battle started. They might not even be able to run away quickly enough.

The two of them returned, reporting to Captain Tiras the approximate numbers and cultivations, as well as the location.

"Crossing the river there would likely be dangerous," Chidi said, "Though the river itself is more dangerous elsewhere. We spotted beasts that could easily attack us and reveal our locations, allowing ourselves to be attacked in an even worse position."

"We don't need to approach them at all," Captain Tiras shook his head. "We're here to prevent enemy intrusion by defeating as many groups as practical… and getting ourselves killed along the way isn't good for us or anyone on our side. The fact that they were in hiding indicates they knew we were near, but we'll avoid that area for now."

Aconite was traipsing in the woods next to the trail the squad was following. Chidi was with her, keeping tabs on her as she dug up roots or plucked flowers, a delicate process for one without hands. There were various pouches dangling from Aconite that each type of thing went into.

"Are all of those really poisonous?" Chidi asked.

"To lesser or greater extents," the growled wolfspeak sounded much friendlier to his ears than it would to most.

"How can you tell? Do you know all of them?" Chidi did his best to recognize all sorts of plants, but there were so many variations that he couldn't always tell if he knew something, or if it was something he hadn't encountered previously.

"Colors are a big hint… but you should also be able to pick them out with your senses. Sharp smells, oily leaves, and their taste as well."

Chidi had to admit he didn't make use of the latter as much as other senses. Taste was usually inferior to touch or smell, slower or less precise. And it was even more difficult to extend, as it was fully internal. Scents were processed inside the nose as well, but scents spread beyond a thing itself. Taste didn't just float in the air- unless something was particularly bad. In that case, it was really more of the scent making a large component of taste than direct taste.

"I guess it's better than trying to eat them," Chidi admitted. "I'm sure it won't be quite the same as actually tasting them, though."

"Of course not," Aconite agreed. "But it will be something."

Chidi nodded, trying to experience more different things around him. Picking out what was poisonous was still difficult- and even Aconite got it wrong sometimes, chewing on things that didn't count. Technically, anything could be poisonous- it just depended on what was interacting with it. Some things that would affect Aconite would be ignorable to Chidi, and the same in reverse- regardless of training and building resistance. But most things overlapped, and the edge cases actually made it more practical for Aconite to use certain things against humans. Building up an immunity helped, but she could never be truly unaffected by every poison that existed. Especially if she kept finding new ones. And the most potent were always the most difficult in every regard.

Determining poison by taste seemed easy at first- bitter or foul had to do it, right? But some things just weren't good. Some poisons were more spicy, and some were sweet. But it was another avenue to judge them by, and any suspicions could allow him to probe more carefully with other senses, and it was usually possible to pick out poisonous or not with some effort. He just couldn't focus on everything the same.

So focused was Chidi on that sidetrack that he almost missed the sound of a blade being drawn, and the swoosh of an arrow. "Ambush!" he called out, at the same time as Aconite howled. His warning would only make the difference of a fraction of a second to the squad, but that could save a life. Jumping behind a tree saved his own, as that arrow was headed for him. He still had to duck as it pierced through the tree- but it was slowed sufficiently to make that movement possible.

His own sword came out, and he did his best to assess the situation. He was glad he didn't have to peek his head out to do so, instead listening and feeling for the action. Captain Tiras led a squad of two dozen, and the enemy seemed to be fairly closely matched in numbers and cultivation. That wasn't good, as closely matched battles were dangerous.

Chidi angled towards Aconite and the target she had picked out- the archer. He felt fluctuations of her energy pulling various process or unprocessed herbs- and a vial of venom- out of her pack and along her fur towards her teeth and claws. Chidi didn't know the logic behind the particular selections, except that the one on her teeth would be safer for her to ingest than the others. Hopefully it was the sort that only cause trouble in the bloodstream.

The wolf was swift, reaching her target in a few moments- but another cultivator was there to protect the archer. An older woman in early Essence Collection. She was likely past one hundred years old, while Chidi was barely twenty but he didn't have the time or inclination to ask. He just had to fight. Aconite grazed the retreating heel of her target, and Chidi deflected the incoming blade of the older woman with his own sword.

The sharpness of the blade and the woman's intent quickly redirected towards him, and he could feel it cutting before it touched flesh. He swayed, avoiding the slash while trying to counter with his own blade, but the woman dodged it with clear experience. Chidi knew he was in a dangerous position, not the actual terrain around him but simply allowing himself to get this close to a cultivator stronger than himself. But he wasn't going to just leave Aconite to fend for herself.

Though now she was far off, chasing after that archer. Chidi could only do his best to defend himself, calling upon all the techniques he had been taught and pushing the limits of his cultivation. Perhaps he was skilled enough- perhaps his opponent was merely playing with him. Either way, he managed to survive for a minute without being injured. That had been his limit, as he received a searing cut on his cheek, just under his closed eyelids. He'd been injured before, even by blades, but the hostility behind the attack cut deep, slicing along the bones in his cheek.

"You think you're something special, kid? Some sort of sword genius that can fight with his eyes closed?" the woman mocked. "You'll find out that's not true soon enough, if you don't fight with all your strength."

Sadly, that was what he'd been doing this whole time. None of his thrusts had connected with even a hair or the edge of the woman's clothes. She wasn't anywhere near as skilled as either of Chidi's parents, or as strong, but they had never tried to kill or seriously harm him.

He'd have to go for surprise. "You want to see my full power? Then…" Chidi shifted his stance. He hoped that the leafy branches he felt in front of him were thick enough to provide some cover. He needed every slight advantage he could get from confusing his opponent's senses. As for his full power? He'd already done that. But he had watched how the woman attacked and evaded, and he was familiar with the sound of her tensing muscles and the flow of her energy. It was several orders of magnitude slower than others Chidi had seen.

He stepped forward, thrusting out with his sword. His eyelids opened, hoping for the usual shock value. Perhaps in a battle it wouldn't be as significant, since the woman likely didn't care if she killed a 'cripple' or not. He was an enemy combatant either way. But it could distract her from his blade, and the scenery behind her. That was a weakness of people with sight, relying on it and focusing their senses so strongly in one direction.

She brushed against a tree and stepped on a slightly slippery patch of mud, and Chidi's blade finally connected… just barely, the tip of it barely piercing into her shoulder as she continued backwards. And then Chidi felt another pain, not from a blade but an arrow. The archer.

Unlike the sword, which came and went, the barbed arrow cut deep into his thigh and then huhg there, an unbending rod that rubbed against his muscles even as he pulled back. The whistling sound of a sharp blade caused Chidi to duck, causing the arrow to bat against a nearby bush.

He wanted to just yank the arrow out, but the barbs prevented that. At least, prevented that being easy. Chidi thought about Aconite possibly being in trouble, and even though he doubted his ability to defeat the opponent in front of him he knew he couldn't give up. He had to win… or at least delay until the squad could come help him. Though that also assumed them winning.

Chidi felt every bend of muscle inside his body, and widened the wound in his thigh with his energy to pull the muscle away from the arrow as he yanked it out. He didn't quite do it perfectly, and the wound definitely got new cuts on the way out, but not as badly. Chidi just barely deflected an overhead swing with his other arm, leaping back to avoid being bisected as it turned into a horizontal sweep.

Such a large movement would give his opponent an opening to move how they wished, but it was the only way to save himself right then. Chidi breathed deeply, listening to his opponent walk towards him. And something else. A familiar and heavy plodding. Though it was only loud to his senses, familiar with it as he was. And likely more trained in his senses.

Chidi stepped forward, showing obvious hesitation. At least he couldn't give away Aconite with his eyes- that was apparently a thing people did. Hopefully his ears didn't twitch much as he feinted. The real attack was of course, the wolf from behind, and the woman realized it only after fangs sunk into her whole lower leg and she was yanked backwards. Chidi slashed out, and was surprised to find his blade passed her guard and cut into her ribcage, the woman's defensive energy suddenly focusing on the wolf.

Whatever poison was on those fangs was fast acting, because Chidi could feel the woman slowing down even as she tried to slash at Aconite behind her. He stepped forward, grabbing her wrist to stop the counterattack as the wolf pushed down on her… and then the fangs were able to reach her neck.

Chapter 626

The battle ended with the remaining Harmonious Citadel cultivators retreating. If the Scarlet Alliance squad had been dominant in the fight they might have chased them, instead they were only the victors by a small margin. Effort immediately switched to treating the wounds of the injured- though there were also two dead.

What was Chidi supposed to feel at such a time? Sorrow for lost companions? He'd only known them for a few days, but that was certainly part of it. What about fear for his own life? He'd almost lost it. At least, this was the closest he could recall coming, even if he'd technically had worse injuries once or twice.

He could feel the body of the woman he'd been fighting, no longer moving and slowly growing cold. She was the first person he'd killed- it didn't matter that Aconite technically performed the final blow. He felt a little bit worse about killing a human than a wild beast… but also better? Most of the creatures in The Garden didn't have ill intent, though some were certainly unnecessarily destructive. Cultivators knew what they were doing.

Physical sensations pushed to the forefront of his mind. Slick sweat and warm blood dripping down his body. The pain of the hole in his thigh, the deep cut on his cheek, and several more across his torso he thought he'd avoided. He didn't like the pain, but overall what he was feeling wasn't unpleasant.

Chidi understood that if he hadn't trained in Citadel's Downfall he might have perished that very afternoon, and the same was true of the rest of the squad and the totality of their cultivation. Today, they had done enough- and those who died did not.

A warm nose nudged Chidi, and he lifted his arm to scratch Aconite behind the ears. "Thanks, you saved me."

"Naturally. We are siblings of battle. We fight together. If only I had stopped that arrow…" Aconite's nose hovered near that wound for a moment.

"I should have been ready for that, too," Chidi shrugged as he worked on his own wounds, applying stitches, salves, and bandages. He wasn't a great medic by any means, but he understood how to deal with his own wounds. And Aconite's, since it was more difficult for her to do any such things without hands. Not impossible, through the use of energy, but a serious effort.

Chidi wanted to be stronger. Of course, he was a cultivator and that was their natural state, but he had specific reasons now. The peak of Spirit Building simply wasn't enough. If his opponent had focused on taking him out quickly, he would probably be gone. Instead, she thought he was hiding something- maybe some secret ability that would catch her off guard. Or perhaps she had been the sort that enjoyed the challenge of battle. That was fine, but when it was applied to life-or-death battles, the consequences were easily seen.

To reach the next step, Chidi had to pick an essence. Something that suited him. He had nebulous ideas, thoughts that were like trying to grab fog. Cold and wet, but ultimately without results.

Aconite was not much help either. "What kind of essence should I have?" Chidi asked.

"I don't know. We don't cultivate the same way."

"Don't you?" Chidi asked. "Wouldn't your essence be… poison?"

Aconite tilted her head. "If you say so. Then, your essence would be swords."

Chidi frowned. That didn't seem quite right. "Maybe? I don't think that's quite right."

"What essences do you know?" Aconite questioned.

"My father and mother are… protection and formations?" Chidi shook his head. "Except mother's isn't quite that. She said it was more like… seeking answers? Solving puzzles?"

"What else?"

"Spymaster Velvet was quite secretive about hers. Though it might just be secrets?" Chidi drummed his fingers on his leg, enjoying the feeling and sound as long as he didn't forget about the arrow wound. "I heard that my great-great-maybe-more-greats grandpa in the lower realms chose something like… nourishment? Promoting growth?"

"Sounds like you have many options, then."

"Too many!" Chidi shook his head. He felt his hair swish back and forth slightly out of tune with everything else. "If I just had to choose a weapon or something, it would be easy."

"Then why not do that?"

"Because," Chidi said, "I have learned the sword and it's probably the best for me. But it's not what I want. Just a tool to get it."

"So what do you want?"

"Ugh, I don't know. To be stronger. To live, in general. To keep you safe, and to hug my parents again. To prove I don't need them watching over me." Chidi wrapped his arm around Aconite's fluffy neck. "So a lot of things, but nothing… so specific as to make it my thing."

"If you can't pick, maybe make another choice. Try to eat and grow like a beast."

"Hah, my mother would never forgive me if I did that instead of augmenting myself with formation tattoos or something."

"Is that an option? It sounds good. Like my father."

"Yeah… and my mother did it to herself as well. Just seems a bit out of my skill level. The consequences of messing up…"

"Just try again."

"It's difficult to do that if your energy reverses flow, or drives itself perpendicularly through your meridians and tears you apart. Or anything similar." Chidi wondered what that would feel like. Horrible, obviously. Like something he'd want to forget, probably. Though as just a memory, would any sensation be that bad?

By the next patrol, the lost squad members had not been replaced yet- but they still had to keep track of their portion of the roads in the area. They were still close enough to full strength, and Captain Tiras didn't really have much choice anyway. People couldn't just opt out of a war at will, or because things got dangerous. Even those with connections would have to fulfill certain requirements to leave.

Not that Chidi was thinking of leaving. His resolve was not so flimsy as to crumble at the first sign of danger. Aconite and her kin also followed the same growth through adversity ideals of cultivators. Though it was unlikely that either of them would significantly affect the war from where they were, every person counted. Though they would count more if they were stronger.

After the ambush, Chidi redoubled his efforts. He had only provided warning as the attack was happening, which wasn't good enough. Whether he was distracted or simply not good enough to sense them, he wasn't going to let it happen again the same way. Even a single extra second would have been sufficient, and preferably he and Aconite would detect the enemy before they sensed their whole squad.

Some of that depended on practice and skill, and some of that depended on cultivation. Chidi was going to figure out what his Essence would be… soon. That was part of the reason for this whole excursion.

Not every day came with an encounter of any sort. If they truly got into battle every day, even with only a minimal pair of losses in each squad, over the course of a week half of everyone would be dead. Generally, people tried to maneuver into a situation where they had a significant advantage to minimize their losses. The ambush could have easily cost them more than two lives, but if there were going to be any casualties it was preferred to levy them on their enemies.

Chidi kept his focus at its peak, listening for sounds on the wind- or lack of sounds. When birds went quiet, it could mean just as much as hearing the sound of a weapon. He wasn't generally going to be close enough to feel anything. He would notice energy first. Same with taste. As for smell… nothing.

All of the focus… "Ugh," Chidi said.

"What's wrong?" Aconite asked.

"My head hurts. No big deal."

Aconite seemed to disagree, immediately rushing over to him and snuffling about. "Why does your head hurt?"

"Probably just focusing too hard…?" Chidi postulated with uncertainty. It hadn't even been that long of a day yet.

Aconite took a deeper sniff. "Bewildering powder. Difficult to smell, fogs the mind."

"What about you?" Chidi frowned.

"Reistitant, obviously. Come, we must warn the captain."

Chidi translated for Aconite. The captain could barely understand her, and the vice-captain didn't know wolfspeak at all. "... And it's coming from the northeast."

The captain closed his eyes, concentrating. "I sense it now," he said, circulating his energy to begin purging the poison. Chidi had also begun the same process, once he knew there was poison. "Likely they are waiting in ambush."

"We should finish purging the poison and then take them out," Denitsa commented, hefting her hammer.

"Not this time," Captain Tiras shook his head. "Even if we only expend a small portion of our energy purging this poison, we can't say if there won't be something else, or that we can deal with whatever enemies set this up. Aconite, how easily can this be scattered throughout the area?"

"Unless there is an unknown source here, bewildering powder is not so easy to replace that they can attempt something like this often. But if they have sufficient resources to do the same once more, I will sense it earlier."

The squad ultimately continued along the road only to the next fork, which would not bring them too close to the presumed source. Instead of turning their planned direction, they cut back early. That was less likely to tip off the enemy that they were discovered than maneuvering around them in the forest, though nobody could be quite certain if they had scouts watching.

Chidi and Aconite didn't sense any, but it was easier for a couple individuals to sense a whole squad that had little or no ability with stealth.

Chidi took one last sniff, detecting only the faintest undertones of rancidness. Though that could have been his imagination, hoping to find something he'd missed. At least he would probably recognize the effects in the future. Headaches shouldn't happen to cultivators so easily.

It was obvious that half of the people present upon the inner planet did not want to be there. Not that the others seemed particularly pleased, either. But if a bunch of Life Transformation cultivators couldn't deal with boiling hot weather, perhaps they didn't deserve to be in charge of anything.

At least this planet didn't have water. Anton knew it would have been convenient if it did, but the fact that this was closer to the system's sun and thus had to be passed frequently would have shown all of the conflict in the system in a different light had it been watery. Instead, it couldn't- as the boiling heat was literal. A good bit over boiling, even.

Five representatives from each planet, including Aleksandra and Aurelianus from Tenoun'a. Docia was not present to represent Shrenn- her weaker cultivation would not make that favorable. Instead, she'd personally recommended Lorena, and had at least some say about the others.

So far, nobody had died or even been attacked. That was… a start. Sure, it had only been ten minutes, but Anton couldn't have been certain that either side wouldn't like the opportunity to take out a sizable portion of the enemy's leadership and strength. Anton would have felt either side violating the terms set up from a very sizable distance- and he was still watching and waiting.

Both sides had at least stuck to the requirements, with their ships withdrawing from the immediate area. They were currently in orbit around the planet, quite a distance apart from each other.

"Well then, all of you already know why I've brought you all here," Anton said. "I'd very much like to settle your long standing conflicts in a way that could be beneficial to all present." Anton pointedly looked towards the blue sun, reminding them of some visible stakes he had in the results. He also didn't want to appear biased towards either side.

Though if he was biased, it was towards Shrenn. Better he recognize that, than think himself perfectly neutral. Anton could only think of one person who could be totally neutral to all parties involved, but Everheart was not present and the results of him negotiating something wouldn't be good for anyone. And thus, perfectly fair for both sides.

Anton hoped for something… better. He wasn't going to force a resolution in a single session, and was willing to settle for just a ceasefire if the rounds of negotiations saw no progress. But he was also going to be paying very close attention to who involved was actually willing to work towards an end. Everyone present had agreed to it… but Anton could hardly know everyone's inner thoughts.

All he needed was progress. One step at a time. Or at least half a step. Negotiations were much worse than pulling teeth.

Chapter 627

Whenever the squad was off duty, they would be back in the city. Koton was where they started and ended all their patrols, and Chidi honestly found it lacking compared to Xankeshan in most ways. The same with Yaitis as a whole. The way they managed things, both the city and the surrounding farmland, just wasn't that good. The protective formations around the city weren't good enough, and the formations channeling energy to their crops were too powerful, limiting the growth away from the area. While that might be good in the short term, long term growth wouldn't be as effective.

That bothered Chidi a little bit, but what bothered him more was the limited number of places he could take Aconite. As part of the military Aconite could come and go in and out of the city and to and from the barracks, but individual establishments might not allow her. They treated her more as a pet, not a person.

The only place she was consistently able to go were the open air markets. Chidi liked those because they were full of interesting new things, though he really had no use for most of it. He was limited in what food he could consume, not because of special dietary needs but because food for cultivators had a lot of upper energy in it. Too much of that would throw off his internal balance, as he was still training with lower energy according to his parent's instructions.

Didn't stop him from looking though. Specifically, smelling, touching, and tasting. It seemed a bit rude to do all that to a fruit vendor, but Chidi didn't actually touch anything, and the tasting was also done with energy senses. It wasn't the same as actually consuming something, but he got the general idea.

Other stalls had all sorts of things. Clothes, so many clothes that Chidi didn't need and couldn't use. Everything he wore was optimized for practicality, and enchanted for defense. It was also higher quality than most of what he could see. Then there were the things for filling up a residence- rugs and furniture and all sorts of containers and decorations and utensils. None of which Chidi needed or could practically use. Sure, he could toss stuff in his storage bag- but even that could only hold so much. Storage bags with much larger capacity existed, but his was just sufficient to hold a practical amount of stuff. More than anyone really needed, but not like… a house full of stuff.

As they went about, Aconite sniffed everything- and as long as she didn't stick her nose actually into the stalls, the vendors didn't really have much to complain about. It was extremely useful to have a large wolf opening up a path in the crowd. Otherwise, Chidi would have had to push his own way through, and he preferred to avoid that.

"Find anything interesting?" he asked.

Aconite growled quietly in return- for to others listening, every bit of wolfspeak would sound aggressive. "Not really. It seems that poison is not sold so commonly."

"For good reason," Chidi declared. "It's best for most people to not go anywhere near the stuff." He had long gotten past the point of telling Aconite she shouldn't get involved with poison. And her current understanding let her be as responsible as anyone could be with such deadly options available. The chances that she would accidentally perish were minimal enough to ignore, given her track record. Barely any higher than the standard perils of cultivation.

Later in the day, Chidi ended up in a tavern, drinking. Alcohol was of little interest to him. The taste was interesting enough, but he could have achieved the same results with other drinks. Some people liked to get drunk, though. Chidi was not interested in that, so he filtered the alcohol out of his system.

The young man was not a terribly social person, but some of that was due to habits from his upbringing. When he was a young child, his lack of sight and his parentage made him odd enough for children to stay away. As he grew older, he began cultivating early- and his status on Xankeshan remained the same. Thus, he had few friends. And he was content with that.

The tavern was noisy. Spinning it more positively, it was boisterous. Chidi got in a few conversations with people, but they were all short and pointless. Instead, he mostly listened, trying to get a sense of the people present. He especially focused on their stories- both big and small. Personal and stories of war. He tried to imagine the experiences they were relaying, understanding that his own practical experience was limited by his age. It was an interesting use of his time, but Chidi would have been lying if he did not prefer cultivation or even being back on patrol.

Wrego was a hundred kilometers away from Koton, about a day's walk directly along the road. A day's walk for cultivators, specifically- and only during times of peace.

For the squad, getting anywhere close to halfway on patrol was an entire day's work, and they'd have to stay up into the night to return. Those long patrols were exhausting but necessary- Chidi certainly wasn't going to complain and suggest that they camp out.

Once more, they moved along the road. Dry dirt, unpleasant with every sense Chidi had. And apparently, not even interesting to look at with eyes. But the road led them towards where they needed to go. Specifically, their goal was to make sure that the enemy was not encroaching towards them, setting up guard towers or forts closer to Koton.

Chidi and Aconite were a good hundred meters ahead of the rest of the squad. If they wanted to maintain the greatest amount of secrecy, they should be even further. However, this was a reasonable compromise of subtlety and safety.

The two scouts walked not quite on the road, but next to it. They alternated sides as made sense to them, not quite randomly but not in a pattern they intended to be predictable. They were looking for traps and ambushes, common enough deterrents. They would not be approaching the actual midpoint. There were a few squads made up of more powerful cultivators who had that job. However, they could check a good portion of the main road and also check out some side roads for the sake of tracking enemy movements.

Most of the time, the enemy did exactly the same as them- checking out their 'own' territory and dipping a small way into that of the Scarlet Alliance.

Aconite sniffed, clearly trying to focus on a particular scent. Chidi mimicked her, though focusing his senses on the ground around them was somewhat more effective. He definitely smelled… people? But not much more than that. The signs on the ground, however, were frequent boot prints and disturbed ground. Over a fairly wide area too.

"There were many people here," Aconite declared.

"You're right," Chidi agreed. "Not long ago, either. Within the last day."

Some attempt had been taken to obscure the tracks, but it was impossible to hide signs of such a large group. The enemy had moved not just along the side road, but also off-road in the surrounding forest.

"What were they doing…" Chidi muttered to himself. Then, he sensed something. An odd flow of energy. "Aconite, stop!" He raised his head- as if that would somehow allow him to see. All he heard was paws scraping in the dirt, as his friend immediately complied with his warning. "Stay there! Don't move!"

Chidi approached cautiously, feeling underneath the disturbed dirt not only signs of odd energy flow, but also bits of metal and stone. Buried formation plates. The squad behind would have noticed him stopping, and as they rounded the bend stopping them from seeing him he held out his hand, gesturing for them to not approach. Technically they could get closer, but if there were cultivators around he couldn't guarantee he could help everyone avoid the formations.

As he approached closer, Chidi determined Aconite was half over some of the formation markings. However, it seemed she hadn't quite come into contact with the actual meat of the formation. "Just hold still for a moment," Chidi said as he blew away the dirt intentionally settled atop the edges of the formation. He needed physical access to do anything. The first step involved his blade carefully scratching across several runes, which snapped as the flow of energy twisted inside them. "Alright, slowly back up. It's safe to go along those gouges you made. Then you can do as you please once you're three meters past me."

Aconite carefully complied, extracting herself from the dangerous area. "It didn't feel like anything to me," she said as she relocated herself.

"That's by design. It's concealed, and low-impact. Though I have the feeling whatever it does… hmm, yes."

"Are you going to tell me or…? Oh, you're fully in it now."

Chidi was, indeed, 'in it'. His steps carried him through safe parts of the formation, to grab onto a fist sized rock. He had a shape in his mind, and he began carving away with his blade. Under his mother's instruction, he had learned much about formations. This wasn't the work of a formation master, not by upper realm's standards. These were pre-formed pieces thrown together. Intentionally, yes, and with care- but they were not perfectly suited for the terrain. Parts were unnatural, which allowed him to spot it.

Given days, Chidi could probably dismantle it one rune or formation plate at a time. However, there was a fundamental flaw that could be exploited, since nobody was monitoring it. The flow of energy had been set up to be exactly one way, and changing that could have significant impact. Chidi had seen enough of it to determine what needed to be done, and all he had to do was replicate something he'd seen his mother do.

Stone was cut away, as well as punctured through as Chidi carved a twisting, three dimensional rune. It was… imperfect. One thing Chidi knew it was missing were the elusive sub-runes his mother had come to understand relatively recently- in Integration. He could barely even begin to imagine how they worked, information hidden within information. But he was happy with what he had.

He hefted it a few times, feeling its weight. He tossed it in the air, feeling the flow of air around it as it spun. Then he stepped back, gathered his energy, and tossed the odd shape with all his might, aiming for more or less the center of the formation. Technically slightly off from the center, even before he had marred a few runes and shifted the balance.

At his distance, he was met with a muffled but significant explosion sound, as well as a hail of dirt and splinters of wood from nearby trees. But most of the force had been focused inward, as the formation released all of its energy at once, its limiters disrupted for just a moment. It was more or less what was supposed to happen, though Chidi presumed that his squad was supposed to be on it at that time.

He jogged back towards Captain Tiras. "I don't think we should linger long in this area. If anyone was waiting for us to trigger it, they're most likely inbound." Chidi didn't sense anyone, but that would just mean more trouble if there actually was anyone.

"Good idea. We'll head east… see if the branch there had any tampering. And maybe draw out some pursuers on the way."

Captain Tiras gave the order and the squad turned about, but the vice-captain stayed behind with Chidi. "What the hell was that, kid?"

"What was what?" he asked, frowning.

"That explosion."

"A trap formation," he said.

"And you disarmed it just like that?"

"I prompted it to blow itself up," Chidi said, "Which is much easier, since it was supposed to do that."

"Didn't it have anything to make that… not happen?"

"Fallbacks? A couple, but they weren't very good."

"And you figured that all out in a few minutes?"

"I've seen… much more complex formations," Chidi said. "This one wasn't that big of a deal."

"Sure," Denitsa said, hefting her hammer on her shoulder. "Whatever you say, kid. Just keep us from stepping on anything like that in the future."

"Obviously. That's my job."

Chapter 628

At the same time, Aconite and Chidi turned to the south, behind them. "Did we miss something…?" Chidi asked. "What did you feel?"

Aconite shook her head. "I'm not sure."

"Same here," Chidi admitted. "Something distant, I think. We'll have to be careful on the road back."

So far they hadn't encountered anyone else on their patrol, or more formations. However, they did see signs of passage. Even if they had been covered up, a large number of people had been through the area.

Aconite paced back and forth, perhaps trying to answer the same question Chidi had. Which way had they been going? If there were a single half complete print, the answer would have been resolved. Instead, what stood out as odd was how clean the area was. Some searching did let them pick out some important information.

"They must have passed here, approaching even closer to Koton," Chidi declared.

Captain Tiras joined the two of them at their request. After they explained, he shared his opinion. "This seems like the sort of thing that needs an immediate report," he said. Out came a communication device, the simple sort that only allowed messages in text form. Not Chidi's favorite, obviously. "There. Done."

"What was the response?" Chidi asked.

"... Nothing," Captain Tiras admitted. "That's a bit odd. Should have at least gotten a confirmation. Maybe it's broken?" He held it out towards Chidi, "Do you know anything about the formations in these? Maybe take a look."

Chidi took the palm sized object. He did know about them, especially the simple kind. They paired with another, either when they were created, or through some process later. The second kind obviously had to exist to communicate with the lower realms. It was a slow process, though.

The one he held in his hand should have gotten a message anywhere on the planet in an instant. "Probably paired to a single device. Maybe the other one is broken…?" Chidi shrugged. "Or they could be at lunch?"

"Yeah. Maybe," Captain Tiras said. But they both knew that there should always be someone on-duty. It was just another sign of trouble. "Let's turn around and head back. We've accomplished enough."

After an hour on the road, Chidi frowned. He focused his senses, trying to take in any energy fluctuations. Unfortunately, he had correctly identified the source ahead. "Harmonious Citadel," he said. Aconite growled in confirmation. By the time they even managed to turn around, Tiras and Denitsa were approaching. "Something approaching," Chidi said. "Not too subtly, either."

"We should engage," Denitsa said, tapping her hammer.

"I'm not sure about that," the man shook his head.

"What do you mean? They're way inside our territory. We can't just let them go."

"That's exactly it," Captain Tiras pointed out. "They're significantly inside our territory. And not being subtle about it. We might take them out, but I suggest we hide to watch them."

"And then we ambush them," Denitsa nodded.

"If it is appropriate, yes."

Once the plan was decided upon, Aconite led the group off road while Chidi began to remove signs of their presence. Brushing away the tracks would be too obvious- no doubt there would be lingering energy just a few minutes later when the group arrived. Thus, he didn't do much- just make sure there was nothing to obviously catch their attention, shifting a branch that had fallen to where it would cover the beginning of their trail. This area had high traffic, so prints on the road meant nothing, he just had to make them not think there was anything to follow. Or to not look to begin with.

He tiptoed deeper into the trees, knowing Aconite would pick somewhere that could not be seen from the road. Even with the entire squad hiding their energy, however, he could still feel them. Knowing where they were helped, but most people also weren't trained for stealth. That even included the captain. Surprisingly enough, Denitsa was a bit more subtle than expected.

Chidi wished he'd spend more time with his mother studying 'natural' formations. That would be more subtle. Instead, he began pulling out formation flags. He needed to divert the flow of energy around their hiding place, while keeping their own energy nicely contained. Hopefully, nobody would be looking in their particular direction. If they had a formation expert of any kind, they'd likely notice the discrepancies. If Chidi had an hour or a day to set up he might be more certain of his efforts, but he could only do so much.

It was quiet. Unfortunately, that meant the birds were being roundabout traitors. Of course they would be quiet around Aconite. If humans weren't enough to terrify them, a chest high wolf certainly would be.

Then again, a marching squad along the road might expect that same result for themselves. Hopefully they didn't listen that carefully. Chidi crouched down, fairly certain that the layers of trees should be blocking him visually. Nobody said anything, as they waited- Denitsa and the captain in front.

Chidi felt three essence collection cultivators- not an insurmountable danger- but also a Life Transformation cultivator. And they were walking straight down the road, almost in sight of Koton. A Life Transformation cultivator was certainly formidable, but if they were spotted they would certainly be taken out. Something was very wrong.

Everyone held their breaths as the enemy passed- everyone except Chidi and Aconite. Keeping their breath steady and careful would prevent… the more powerful deep breaths of relief that fortunately didn't attract attention to their group. The enemy continued down the road.

"We shouldn't continue along the road," Captain Tiras said after they had determined it was safe. "Lead us closer to Koton, a more circuitous route might be better."

Chidi nodded. He'd studied the terrain in the area, and as they were all cultivators they could handle rough terrain. They wouldn't have to deal with anything crazier than some steep hills. Actually… "There's a hill nearby we should be able to spot the city from." He remembered passing by it… and hills were apparently one way to extend the distance of sight. Being high up meant fewer things in the way.

After grabbing his formation flags, Aconite once more plodded ahead of the group, with Chidi keeping everyone on her trail. Chidi was confident his friend would detect any trouble on the way, and being somewhat ahead would be helpful.

Soon, they reached the top of the hill he mentioned.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the captain, as well as some general swearing throughout the squad.

"... What is it?" Chidi asked.

"The Citadel's flags fly on Koton," the captain said with resolve. "There's nowhere to return to."

After seemingly forever, though in some ways almost too soon, Torthunes was under attack. Catarina was glad that they would be able to make use of all the work that had gone into the formations, but concerned because intel suggested there were three saints present. Those of the axe, morningstar, and shield.

The specific individuals were not the concern. Rather, it was that the Harmonious Citadel continued to consolidate their forces. The three of them represented a third of the sect's might, more or less. They wouldn't have quite that much with them, lesser cultivators especially, but this would be a serious test of the Scarlet's Alliance's ability to fight head on. They'd been lucky to get the opportunity to hunt down a single saint before. Now, things would be more difficult.

That wasn't to disparage Tauno- he'd been instrumental in killing Tisiphone. But he was just one man. They had few Augmentation cultivators to rely upon. The One Thousand Palm Sect had Prasad- but he was not on Torthunes. They would have to hold out for him to arrive, or for some from the Dark Ring or elsewhere in the Scarlet Alliance.

Catarina looked at Timothy. "How long has it been since we fought anyone with greater cultivation than ourselves?"

"It was the first invasion. Somewhere around two centuries, at least for the two of us specifically.."

"That's right," Catarina nodded. "It just reminds me of much earlier, when you broke through in combat."

"Can't say that will happen this time, I'm afraid," Timothy shook his head.

"I wasn't counting on it," she admitted. "Besides, we just need to make certain we don't end up in a fair fight. There are only three of them. If we're lucky, one will be entrapped, Tauno will deal with another, and a group of us can take on the third."

"Your formations can really hold an Augmentation cultivator?" Timothy asked. Catarina just looked at him. "What? You need a huge power source for something like that."

"It will last an hour," she said, looking over the planet, which at the current moment involved the area around them turning into a boiling red mist. "A bit less or more, depending on the time of day and the ambient energy available. Assuming we actually can lure them in."

"If you need me," Timothy said, "I'll be the best bait you could ever want."

She smiled, "While you could certainly lure me in… I'm not sure about the saints. But perhaps if you show off that shield, we might get the shield saint Eterna interested."

All around Anton, people were unhappy. However, considering nobody had yet stormed off from the negotiations he could say they were so far successful. Nobody from Tenoun'a wanted to admit they were in the wrong, and nobody from Shrenn wanted to forgive them on any level. What they could agree upon were certain logistical changes, more or less Shrenn bribing Tenoun'a to stay away with fewer resources than would normally be forcefully taken. Anton would make up the rest with his supplies.

That would last all of a season, but Anton hoped he could sway both sides to go further. He would have to stay to monitor the situation for more than a few seasons, however. He had better crops for both planets, but the last thing he wanted was to make them both more able to properly wage war with each other. Or at least, not if they still wanted to.

Perhaps it was a pipe dream, to think he could resolve their problems. Even with the help of people back home for both advice and resources, and even if both sides truly wanted change. Sometimes, people found themselves in situations that were nearly impossible to overcome.

Aurelianus pulled Anton aside after another long and boring meeting. "I have some concerns."

"So does everyone," Anton sighed. "What was it, that could not be raised in official proceedings? I assure you, the crops-"

"Are not my concern, for the moment. I am willing to see how that plays out."

"So…?" Anton drew out the question.

"It is a very delicate matter for Tenoun'a," the man said, looking around them- though they were already covering their conversation with a field of energy to prevent it from being overheard. Anton waited for him to continue. "I was approached by Aleksandra."

"Sounds like an internal matter," Anton said. "But continue."

"She was not pleased about being assigned an administrative role."

"Was that not what you were already doing?" Anton asked.

"Some of us… put in more work," he said delicately. "Others…"

"Prefer to sit around threateningly at the top of the food chain?"

"More or less."

"What do you want?" Anton asked. "I doubt Shrenn would offer more concessions. And I will not allow this to be an opportunity for people to fill their pockets regardless."

"I don't know," Aurelianus admitted. "Our current state is unsustainable, despite what people seem to think. I understand that. It just seems that the deal might be refused, if a few influential players don't want to go along with it. And I'd rather not be involved in the fallout."

"You think people will resort to violence?"

"It is the natural state for cultivators. You know that. It's why you are trying so hard to prevent it. Even your own life is fragile, here in this place."

"I can't do much but keep my eyes and ears open," Anton said. "But I appreciate the warning."

He looked up at the star. Should he just…? No, he didn't want people to end up distrusting all outsiders. Especially not with himself as the reason.

Chapter 629

There were many things that Chidi wanted to experience, but helplessness hadn't been on that list. The news hit hard. Koton, captured? That was their base of operations… and their only way off of Yaitis.

Briefly, visions of a daring mission into the city to liberate it entered his head. They would sneak inside, take out one guy, and then the whole city would celebrate with loud cheering. Yes, wouldn't that be wonderful.

But Chidi was just inexperienced, not stupid. He was just part of a single scouting squad. If there was even a single Life Transformation cultivator their whole squad together would struggle to beat them. No, it was worse than that. Koton should have had several defenders of that caliber. That meant the occupation forces should be at least that much, perhaps stronger. Maybe one of the Integration cultivators, even. Why hadn't they heard anything? Someone should have noticed something like that.

Captain Tiras was busy giving an inspiring speech to the rest of the squad. Something about making their way to another city and reporting the situation. That made sense. The Scarlet Alliance didn't control just one place on this whole planet. Things weren't hopeless yet.

Chidi pulled out a communication device. Obviously anything connecting to Koton was pointless, but individual squad members didn't have that anyway. No, this one was tuned very specifically to Chidi's parents. He clutched it in his hand with a furrowed brow. Was this it, then? As soon as times got tough, would he cry for help? Would he rely on his parents for everything?

He almost threw it away- which would have been monumentally stupid. Then he almost put it back in his bag, which would not have been an irreversible mistake. But he couldn't help but hear the beating of hearts around him, elevated. The unsteady breathing of fearful squadmates. He'd fought by their side more than a few times over the course of weeks. Then there was Aconite. He leaned up against her, feeling slight tremors.

"Koton has been captured. Squad was out of the city. Will be attempting to rendezvous with other forces. Local communications are unavailable, requesting message relay. Respond to confirm receipt of message."

The professional message was Chidi's compromise. It would hardly be appropriate for a soldier to not attempt an available method of communication. He wasn't begging for rescue. It might take a couple days to get a response anyway. They'd have to wait until then.

Though an itching feeling at the back of Chidi's mind made him think about the possibility that that message might not get through either.

The squad set as their target the city of Sieburn. It was on what was now the far side of Koton, but it was still the closest and probably safest route. Even if they had to make a wide berth around Koton itself.

Night came soon enough, and they had to make camp east of the city. Everyone had at least a small storage bag with basic survival gear and rations- any squad leaving the city did- but that didn't mean people were actually ready for this.

Chidi went around the camp, placing formation flags and rearranging things at the edge of the camp. Any reduction in the chances of them being spotted would be important. That was the theory, anyway. In truth, he just needed something to do.

When Aconite began digging into the ground, he almost stopped her. That would leave traces for people to find… but they would be gone in the morning anyway. They probably wouldn't be looking for a wolf, either, so it would be easy enough to overlook everything else. Overall, it was probably a little bit risky, but for the sake of her comfort it was worth it.

It didn't take her long to dig out a burrow, and somehow over the course of events Chidi ended up snuggled in the den with her. It was cold outside, and his tent and bedroll didn't make him feel warm. Being by his friend's side did, at least.

He must have fallen asleep, because the sun was lighting the clouds and he didn't feel like it had been that long since he'd laid down.

They ate their rations cold, because the smoke of a fire would be visible from a distance. Then they were off, with the two scouts in the lead.

Chidi had wanted to do something real. He was uncertain he still wanted it now that he'd experienced sleeping in discomfort- not so much from his physical needs, but from a shadow of danger hanging over him.

He concentrated on what he was feeling for a moment. He couldn't really say anything was positive. Cold and wet, weird aches from a rock he'd slept on, a lingering aura of fear. Not things he really wanted to repeat… but he could still say they were valuable.

Chidi was glad for the trees around them. It somewhat evened the playing field for him, as his sensory range could only extend so far. This way, they could get closer to enemy patrols and not be spotted. That was important, considering they got close to a few.

Aconite found a nice ridge to lead people along, one that shielded them from view behind them. He felt how narrow it was, and knew that it would be most difficult for Aconite herself. The human cultivators had all at least surpassed Body Tempering, so if they couldn't scoot along something as wide as a few centimeters there was really no hope for them.

Chidi moved to help Aconite, planning to carry her along last, but she shook her head and nudged him forward. They exchanged no words, but he knew she had a plan- especially as he could feel her energy reaching into her herb pouches. Something was pressed against the rocks, and then Aconite rubbed up against it, spreading a thin coating of whatever it was along the whole ride they were following. The positioning of her feet was awkward as she kept her large body precariously balanced, but she eventually made it. Chidi wanted to help her along the last bit, but he had the feeling that touching her would be a bad idea.

Nobody talked much as they continued on. Chidi didn't even feel much in the way of heads turning to look at other people. Instead, they simply moved along, hiding from everyone that approached. The situation had changed from them hunting down small squads pushing into their territory, and them being the ones hunted- even if nobody was after them in particular.

"Another group is coming," Chidi warned. "They should pass by the bottom of the hill."

Sitting and waiting wasn't too bad. The midday sun made up for the chill of the night, and the breeze was quite pleasant. It was even in their favor, blowing towards them instead of towards the enemy- not that Chidi expected them to pick up their scent anyway.

But something gave them away anyway. Was it someone shifting and knocking a pebble down the hill? A sudden intake of breath from that same thing? Maybe someone simply looked in exactly the right direction, spotting a piece of someone sticking out. Either way, things went from still and calm to heated battle in only a few moments.

Tiras charged to meet the enemy with Denitsa by his side, stabbing at the first enemy with his spear while she swung her hammer- missing her opponent but toppling a tree. Everyone else moved to take positions holding their ground uphill.

Chidi was stopped by Aconite, who wiggled a small pouch with her energy and growled some instructions. "Throw it. Into the middle of the enemies. Make sure it impacts something strongly."

He nodded, grabbing it carefully. He certainly didn't want to get it on himself. He stretched out his senses, feeling the way people moved around. He couldn't afford to take too long, as he needed to join the fight, but he found a good opening. He tossed the packet, making sure it struck a tree. It then exploded into a wide spread of gaseous powder that hung in the air. It was a good thing he'd been conservative with his aim, because it was a larger area than expected.

As Chidi rushed forward to join the battle, he saw Aconite was already there. She picked out an opponent around mid Spirit Building, charging him. The man pulled back and Aconite snapped forward with her jaws, almost causing him to stumble. They faced off for a few moments, the man holding her at bay with a spear. Then she suddenly barked in his face, causing him to leap back another step- full into the lingering cloud.

Chidi felt and heard all of that as he tried to slip around the edge of the battlefield. He was being stealthy not because of any sort of cowardice but because the enemy had archers below. If he could just get to them in melee, they would be greatly hampered and no longer able to harass his allies.

The cloud of toxic gas was obvious to everyone after the initial explosion, and sadly only a few enemies had been in the area. Both sides wanted to avoid it, but it did a good job of splitting the approaching enemies in two, going around either side. That let the rest of the squad coordinate together to handle them, with the captain and vice captain splitting up.

Chidi reached his target. His sword was in hand, and though he knew what he was about to do wasn't very nice… neither was trying to kill him or his companions. With both hands, he readied a thrust that would either piece his enemy's heart or force them into a poor standing position. The third option was to pull far back, but that would most likely put them in the way of the other few archers.

His blade dripped red, blood running down it to cover his hands. It seemed he'd been stealthy enough. He pulled sharply to retrieve his sword, immediately springing towards the next archer. It was impossible for them to miss someone falling next to them, and they and the two beyond were already turning towards Chidi. Yet even as his blood pulsed in his ears and the heat of combat overtook him, he wasn't afraid.

He knew what his opponents were going to do- what they were trained to do. Citadel's Downfall left him one step ahead, avoiding the snap shots as he darted past his second target, blade swinging wide. He only managed a grazing cut, but his path was one that would cause the remaining three to have maximum interference with each other. Half of the fight was with Chidi, the other half was with each other.

One of them was smart enough to pull out her melee weapon, a straight sword. Sadly, though it was a better choice than her bow, she clearly had no practice. Chidi easily slipped his blade past her guard, stabbing her throat. How unfortunate for her, that she was part of the Harmonious Citadel.

The last two were taken out a few moments later, though Chidi received a slash along his ribs as he faced them together. A mistake, but not one that had turned out to be fatal. Though anything these days could be.

Up the hill, Aconite had gotten locked in a contest with a swift woman. Not just any woman, but one in Essence Collection. It seemed as if she had just advanced, as she was very early in Essence Collection, but she still had a marked increase in power over Spirit Building. Aconite was on that threshold somewhere, likely more powerful than Spirit Building but less than proper Essence Collection.

Chidi saw the rapier flash. He knew that Aconite would have to dodge to avoid it slipping between her ribs, but that would set her up for a following attack. He anticipated a few moves that she could use to recover from that. What he did not anticipate was Aconite lowering her head and catching the stabbing weapon in her teeth. It wasn't a perfect catch- it still pierced through her cheek and cut along her jaw- but that wasn't for nothing. She also caught the woman's hand. The woman immediately bolstered her defensive energy, ready to have her hand crushed or claws scratch at her.

She was not ready for Aconite to simply push forward, walking into the lingering cloud of poison- not just a single step, but her whole length to make sure the woman was fully immersed in the poison. The woman tried to shift the focus of her defense, but it was too late to prevent the effects. She began to quickly weaken, her energy fluctuating in strange ways out of her control. Somewhere in that process she lost her hand- and her sword. She turned to flee, but Aconite wouldn't allow that.

Neither would Chidi. They couldn't afford to let anyone escape and lead a more powerful group after them.

Chapter 630

After killing the last of the enemy squad, Captain Tiras gave everyone time to bind their wounds before they had to move on. They were fortunate to have gotten the upper hand in the battle, quickly capitalizing on it. It would have been impossible without significant cultivation advantages, except they all practiced Citadel's Downfall. There were still casulaties, but they'd only lost one more of their squad. However, there was another problem.

One of them was injured, unable to walk. "We can't afford to move slowly," Captain Tiras said. He didn't hesitate, lifting the soldier into his arms and beginning to march.

Aconite began to say something. Chidi was going to translate, but first… "Are you sure you don't have any lingering… anything? We don't want to make him worse."

Aconite shook her head. "I shed all of the poison."

"Alright. I'll translate, then."

Aconite's words were fairly simple. "I suggest that you place the injured individual on my back, since he will hinder me less."

Captain Tiras shook his head. "That's not a good idea. Carrying him like this, I can set him down somewhere safe if combat comes upon us. You won't be able to do that with someone strapped to you. Nor could you conceal yourself."

With that, the matter was settled, the squad continuing on its way without really stopping. They left the bodies behind- concealing the battle would be impossible anyway. Though, Aconite said she would provide a bit of a surprise for anyone coming to find them.

The Harmonious Citadel squad would be missed the same day, depending on when they would return to the city. Unless the enemy had been particularly off of their patrol route, the Scarlet Alliance Squad could only expect finding the bodies and beginning to track them down to take a handful of hours. If a stronger enemy group was following after them, they could catch up in the same time or less.

Aconite trailed the squad, doing her best to help with their tracks while Chidi picked a route that would hopefully reveal the least of them. Rocky terrain that was a bit annoying, but would at least require people to search around a bit to keep track of them. As long as their route took less time for them to walk than it did to track them, they could pull away from any potential pursuit.

They would have to sleep eventually, though, and the enemy would know that.

The squad continued to avoid smaller settlements. Though it would be useful for them to have information about what was happening, they also couldn't be sure if the enemy would control the area, or have spies planted. Maybe they already had them before, and they simply hadn't been noticed.

If they had been able to move along the road, Sieburn would have been a half day's travel at best. Now, they had been traveling for a day and could only hope to reach it in the evening. But then… well, that would depend on what they found.

Aconite scampered up a tree, her claws digging into the bark. The branches were insufficient to hold her weight on their own, but she used her energy to spread out between them, letting her perch reasonably high up. From there, the tallest tree in the surroundings, she was able to see Sieburn.

When she scampered back down after a good minute, Chidi could immediately tell something from her posture. "How was it…?" he asked.

Aconite shook her head. "The Harmonious Citadel also holds Sieburn."

Chidi deflated. How far would they have to go, to find somewhere safe?

Upon informing Captain Tiras, he furrowed his brow. "Do we head for the next city? Can we make it?" He wasn't really asking anyone, just talking to himself. Chidi only barely heard it.

"I think I should infiltrate the city," Chidi declared. "We need to know what territory they control and…" his thoughts went vaguely up to the sky, where he felt a vague haze. He had the feeling the response to his message that he was awaiting might never arrive. Some sort of grand scale formation was in place, and he could only vaguely guess it was preventing such messages. If he knew more about formations he might bypass it, but without observing a physical part of it he doubted he could do it at the moment.

"You have the skills to do so?" Tiras confirmed. "Then… you should. Just guessing will leave us tired from running about. If there's no safe territory… we will simply have to find somewhere in the wilderness we can survive and plan."

Chidi nodded. "I'll be going then." He barely made it two steps before his arm was grabbed between sharp teeth. "What? I can't…"

"I should go with you. I also learned. And I can do things that you cannot."

Chidi frowned. Aconite was, as an individual, much worse at infiltration than himself. She was larger and noisier, and she lacked important features like hands. Although… Chidi wasn't perfect himself. He was missing an important sense that many took for granted, and he couldn't make up for the distance sight could cover. Aconite could also literally sniff out things he might miss. "Okay. Let's go together."

It was getting dark now. Chidi only really understood darkness in relation to the sun not providing warmth, but apparently it was extremely bad for vision. Cultivators could still manage to see in the darkness, but it took more effort. Thus, it was perfect for people who were sneaking around- most of the time.

There were exceptions. Sometimes, being stealthy in high visibility conditions was actually easier because people assumed they would see everything, instead of being focused. That was one thing Velvet had taught him. But Chidi was willing enough to bet on whatever cover night provided.

With some luck, they found a section of the city walls that was relatively unguarded, or perhaps the entire place was sparse. That still meant that a few people might be able to spot them, but there were some spots they could creep towards. Before they approached, Aconite spilled something foul smelling over them, though the scent quickly faded into an unpleasant greasy feeling.

"It will darken us," she said. "Now roll around on the ground to pick up dirt."

Chidi couldn't refuse anything that would improve their chances of success, and honestly the dirt was way more comfortable than the weird thing Aconite dumped on him. He hoped it was only minimally poisonous. It was certainly sticky, whatever it was, and he soon had a nice coating of soil.

They crept forward. As they approached the wall, Chidi realized they hadn't actually talked about a way to get past it. When Aconite almost touched it, he grabbed her. "Don't," he whispered. "Formations."

Aconite snorted, tilting her head up. "Above?"

Chidi nodded. "There too." The walls were also around ten meters high, not something they could reach in a single jump. They'd touch the wall formations eventually. It would be nice if they were strong enough to do it, but even then the whole area above might just have a dome over it.

"Below?" Aconite growled next to his ear.

"Yep."

"How deep?"

"... Maybe five meters? But it probably just…" Chidi bent down to the ground, getting as close as he could. Then he stood up, stretching to the tip of his toes. Down, then up. Eventually, he was satisfied. "... The formation only covers the physical wall." Awful. Truly awful. Who was responsible for this? Was Koton that bad? No wonder the city had been taken over. Actually, now that he thought about it they should have skirted around and looked for holes. Chances were some of them were busted when the city was taken over.

Aconite had almost dug her whole face under the ground by the time he realized that, and that she was digging. He tapped her to get her attention, then pointed her away. Once they were further, he explained his plan.

As they circled around the city, Chidi felt something strange with the walls. There was a point that was just… not. And somehow, it still felt sharp. "What happened there?" Chidi whispered to Aconite.

"You can sense that?" Aconite asked. "I didn't know you could feel so far away."

"It's super weird. And the formations make it easier to sense things at a difference."

"My guess… someone cut out a chunk of the wall. Clean slices."

"Hmm…" Chidi pondered. "They have people guarding the hole, right?"

"They must," Aconite agreed. "So perhaps it would be better to search for the most secure part, where they will not expect infiltration."

They eventually found a boring, flat side of the wall where there were no gates. But instead of sneaking closer, Aconite began digging while they were all the way out in the trees, behind a few layers of trees.

"I know you can dig fast but…" Chidi grimaced, "Won't this take too long?"

"My mother could create this tunnel in an instant," Aconite said.

"Sure, but she could probably just topple those walls too. Or sink half the city."

By the time Chidi finished what he was saying, he was convinced of Aconite's ability to achieve her goal. She was already up to her shoulders in a sloping tunnel, a huge mound of dirt piling up.

"So, I see that you can dig that now. As long as you can keep it up for a few hours. But there's another problem," he gestured to it. "What will we do with all of that once were in the tunnel?"

Aconite's face wrinkled. "If I had trained even a fraction as much as I should have in my mother's talents…"

Chidi nodded, "Same here. I thought I learned enough." He had been working hard, but he hadn't truly taken advantage of his access to a formation grandmaster, instead being content with what he felt was above-average success.

"You will have to ride on my back, close to me. We cannot afford the time to cart it all out, or I will still be digging in the morning."

"Alright," Chidi said. "I guess that won't be so bad.

Chidi was wrong.

Cramped tunnels? He could deal with them. Dirt? Fine. He wasn't a pampered kid that couldn't stand bits of decayed organic matter mixed with minerals getting on him.

Being basically wrapped around Aconite's back, his face pressed into her fur where he could barely breathe or smell anything other than an earthy and sour smell of absorbed poisons, that was not great. And being scraped against the roof of the tunnel, piles of dirt falling on him and reducing the airflow, continued to not be great. But he also didn't want to try to stand directly behind Aconite- where she was constantly flinging great quantities of dirt at speed- and he couldn't possibly stand in front of her because there was dirt there. Dirt that was getting clawed and chucked behind them rapidly.

When he was fed up, Chidi would tap the back of Aconite's skull and make some intentional noise. She would crouch down, letting him squeeze over to the side.

"Why don't you take a short break?" Chidi said. "I'll soften up the section ahead." Since there was a whole Aconite between the dirt in front and the partially empty tunnel behind, he didn't bother trying to get it there. Instead, he pulled out his sword.

Chidi knew the people managing the armory would be furious to know he was using a sword on dirt. But it was his sword, now. Besides, he was still using it properly. Or rather, he was going to if he could maneuver his arms and the blade to all face in the right directions.

He couldn't really swing, but he still eventually managed to cut. More than just the meter length of his blade, but several times that. He moved his blade around in a crosshatch pattern, treating the dirt as something to be dismantled. It remained basically in place, effectively in long rows. It took a few minutes, but it gave him a chance to 'stretch'.

Then he was back on Aconite's back, grains of dirt rubbing into his face and nose and ears and every little pore. He used his energy to clear his nostrils and prevent dust from getting into his lungs, but it was not pleasant. Once more, Chidi decided this was an experience he would prefer not to do again. But it would make for a good story, should he survive somehow.

Chapter 631

As they approached the walls of Sieburn from underground, Chidi couldn't help but get nervous. All it would take was one person feeling their movements or hearing something underground, and they would be compromised. Aconite was digging deep enough that they should be fine, but he couldn't help but worry. Perhaps that was because he was barely contributing.

With little else to do, he kept his ears and other senses open for anything that might be above. Sensing for the vibrations of someone's footsteps wasn't easy, since he had to try to break through Aconite's movements, digging huge chunks of dirt. He honestly wasn't sure if he succeeded at his goal- but he didn't sense anything.

Soon enough they were past the walls. They stopped a bit away from the walls, under a basement of what seemed to be an unoccupied building. It seemed like it had been that way for a while, which at least made Chidi less concerned. He didn't want to think about the people who had probably just died in the city's takeover. But of course, he did anyway.

They broke through into the dusty basement and made their way onto the streets after shaking off most of the dirt coating them. In many places, Chidi could have simply blended in with all the other cultivators. However at the current moment the only people out and about were the disciples of the Harmonious Citadel. Those who didn't cultivate- still a significant portion of many planet's populations- also seemed to remain inside, even if they might technically be allowed to move about.

The pair of scouts made good use of the cover of darkness, as well as buildings and alleyways. Their target was… somewhere central. Neither of them knew exactly what, and since they weren't familiar with Sieburn they would just have to figure it out. Some administrative building, or anywhere else they thought would be of use.

Even if they thought nobody would hear, the two of them refrained from speaking. Aconite's words would be concerning to anyone if she was heard, and they didn't want to accidentally give away their presence.

Hairs began to rise on the back of Chidi's neck as they approached the center of the city. Was this the sort of time he should retreat? If they couldn't complete the mission, then leaving was the best for both them and the squad. Otherwise, they would just be killed or captured, and the squad would be waiting for people that would never return- likely to meet the same fate soon enough themselves.

As they continued closer, Chidi was able to place a source of his unease. It was a cultivator radiating an unbalanced sharpness. A cultivator so far above Chidi he couldn't even pretend he might have a chance to defeat them in a fight. Not an Augmentation cultivator- he'd seen Tauno a couple times- but an Integration cultivator was still infinitely beyond him. Chidi wasn't even in Essence Collection yet. He was only a step away, but he couldn't figure out which step would bring him the right direction and not set him on a dead end path. And he couldn't easily change his answer.

Perhaps Chidi could have turned to leave, but he instead chose to press forward, after pausing to make sure Aconite was aware of the presence. She didn't seem to want to leave either.

No doubt an Integration cultivator would have useful information, but Chidi wasn't so crazy as to think he could get any of it. Instead, he kept the individual of unbalanced sharpness in his mind. The feeling was so strong, he wondered what happened to them. Or was it some sort of intentional trick to conceal their true threat?

The streets were fairly empty, because the Harmonious Citadel members who were present were not terribly numerous. Likely only hundreds in a city that could support thousands on the street, and not all of the occupying forces were just wandering about. They were still an annoyance, but all of them were loud in both displaying their cultivation and how they walked. Even their vision was not hidden, and Chidi could almost feel their arrogant gazes through walls. Or perhaps he did feel them, it was just that they weren't looking at him. Or Aconite.

The pair darted across streets to alleyways, or scurried along them for a distance. Chidi could afford to be spotted from a distance, as his concealed cultivation would make him seem like a local citizen. Aconite would be more obvious, if they saw more than a vague shape. Though if they were spotted, looking like they were hurrying wouldn't be good for them.

So they had to be careful how they moved, matching each other's pace and worrying about being found. They were too far into the city to even hope they could flee if they were singled out.

Then the Integration cultivator began to approach them. Chidi's initial reaction was panic. His second brought him back, as panic wouldn't help. Instead, he tried to draw upon his confidence in himself and Velvet's training.

The Integration cultivator was moving quickly. Not at their maximum speed, but Chidi and Aconite only had a few moments to find somewhere to hide. They chose a small park, with thick hedges they could shelter behind without appearing too unnatural if they were noticed. A man and an oversized wolf might stand out, but they would stand out more if they were crouching behind something.

The cultivator continued to approach. Chidi could hear her feet on the pavement. Feel the sharpness of her blade, sheathed though it was. Smell the blood she regularly encountered. She was close enough for him to trace the shape of her body. He almost didn't notice the prosthetic limb starting from her left elbow. It was appropriately shaped, but it didn't feel… alive. Enchantments aside, it was just bits of metal put together.

Chidi knew who this was. Rakiya, one of the most prominent disciples of the sword saint. She'd lost her arm to Chikere, Chidi's namesake. If she found them, their lives would be over. Though strangely enough, that didn't bother Chidi too much. Not because he wanted to die… but because his life was still currently in his hands. And that of Aconite. He felt her energy grasping for something, but he placed his hand on her and shook his head.

Rakiya continued to approach, but she didn't enter the park. She simply walked past it without giving it a second glance- or perhaps not even a first, finding it insignificant. The two scouts breathed no sigh of relief, simply waiting until the woman was far enough past them. Then they continued forward, having learned at least one valuable piece of information. Though there was nothing they could practically do about Rakiya being in Sieburn, even if they had the whole squad to fight just her.

In the center of the city, Chidi could feel a number of important buildings that had been shattered, holes in their ceilings or walls. Some effort had been taken to make sure they were stable, as they were currently being used by the occupiers. Chidi could feel numerous busy individuals.

Now came time for the decision making part of his training. He tried to determine which place was most likely to have the most valuable or retrievable information, just based on what little he knew. He took a minute to decide, then pointed towards it. Aconite nodded her head up and down in agreement. They'd come to the same conclusion, or at least one that was close enough.

The building was some sort of military headquarters. Not the easiest building to sneak into, but with recent events… not as difficult as it might seem. Similar to the outer walls, which had guard covering every gap, this facility had people stationed at all of the obvious entrances. Some of the guards were just Spirit Building cultivators, but any conflict would bring attention from the others so it didn't matter how strong they were.

What was important was that the formations were all messed up. As they reached the base of one side, away from any clear entrances, Aconite looked to Chidi for confirmation. He nodded, pointing up. She scrambled up the wall- minor imperfections providing her sufficient grip to climb with her claws. From there she would go to the roof and- she went in a window. Alright. That was fine. Chidi hurried after her, surprised that a window had been left open. It was not quite large enough for Aconite to fit through, and was now dangling awkwardly. Rather than let something happen with that, Chidi used his energy to mute the sound around it and yanked it the rest of the way out of the wall, setting it down in the small office.

There were papers in various places, in the desk and in nearby cabinets and a few scattered atop the desk. None showed anything interesting at a glance, and Chidi's glances took quite a bit longer as he had to feel into the paper for the shape of ink, but they dumped everything into Chidi's storage bag.

Outside the office, someone was wandering the hall. Once the sound of their footsteps faded, they moved on. The offices seemed only minimally interesting, and instead the two headed towards a larger room. Some sort of strategy hall, it seemed. Chidi felt more than a couple people inside. That was a shame, because he wanted to see what was in there.

Aconite had a solution, though. She reached for a powder in her bags. This time, Chidi had no reason to stop her. If she thought it would work, he would let her make use of it. He had no solution of his own.

Out of the bag came a powder, which Aconite placed at the bottom of the door. Then she inhaled strongly, before blowing the powder into the room under the threshold. Nobody reacted to the finely dispersed powder, but Chidi could feel the way their energy began to pulse strangely.

"Breath through this," Aconite growled as low as possible, two little bits of energy plucking something from her bags and then shoving them into Chidi's nose. It smelled bitter, and spicy. But he complied with Aconite's instructions as he felt people in the room begin to collapse one at a time, unconscious and seemingly without sensing anything being wrong. "It won't last long," she warned. "We must hurry."

Inside the room, there were more papers- but also a large table with pieces sticking up from it. The table had a relief map- which made Chidi quite pleased- and it showed various pieces which should represent the Scarlet Alliance and the Harmonious Citadel. Chidi was also able to pick out different shaped banners, over what he presumed were various cities. He found Koton and Sieburn, recognizing the terrain, but standard maps weren't of much use to him so he didn't have any familiarity with the rest.

There was an alarming amount of Harmonious Citadel presence, however. Whether it was simply plans or the current scenario, it was bad news. Chidi took in as much information as he could, while wandering around to gather documents.

He also had a question for Aconite. "Won't they notice when they wake up? Shouldn't we already be running?"

She nodded. "We leave soon. In a few minutes, they wake. A few more to shake off brain fuzz. Then, it will be dangerous."

Chidi would have liked to get more information without alerting anyone, but he didn't know if they could have gotten far. That was why he didn't protest Aconite's actions. Now, it was time for them to go. They needed to make it out of the city and report back to the squad… hopefully before anyone realized they might be nearby. If all went well, they would presume spies were staying in the city. Hopefully, their tunnel wouldn't be discovered for a day or two.

Moving through the streets at nearly a run, the pair avoided the limited number of individuals out and about. They found themselves briefly approaching Rakiya, but she was not quite in the right section of city for their abandoned building.

Then they were back in their tunnel, the loose dirt only slowing them slightly as they basically swam through it and out the other side. All that, and they were still alive. Just in case, they waited inside the exit to their tunnel, wary of ambushers or someone following them. If they had been discovered and led someone to the squad… Chidi didn't know if he could live with that. Emotionally, of course. Practically, he was certain to be dead along with the rest.

Not too long after that, they had returned to the squad. As he was reporting what they learned to Captain Tiras, he felt a huge sense of relief wash over him. They had survived the mission- and been successful. At least as much as could be hoped.

Something stirred inside of him with the burst of confidence flowing through his veins, though he didn't notice anything at that exact moment.

Chapter 632

Every bit of the negotiations between Tenoun'a and Shrenn was watched very carefully by Anton. Ten life transformation cultivators, as well as the crews of their ships- though the latter remained securely within those ships, as the boiling heat of the planet outside of said ships wasn't exactly friendly. Anton kept watch on all of them, though most did not stray far. As the days dragged on, however, even cultivators of significant age began to feel confined by the limited space and the barely concealed hostility between the groups.

Unsurprisingly, centuries of conflict couldn't be negotiated away in a short time. Anton hadn't expected that, but he was still hoping for something to come of this. Some sort of peaceful resolution where each side at least eventually left each other alone, if they could not reconcile.

There were a few stubborn people on each side. From Shrenn, Nicanor was particularly obstinate. Lorena was trying to keep their side on the same page, but Nicanor was the least helpful in that regard. He only wanted penalties levied against Tenoun'a, and though they likely deserved them to some extent, there was no way they would put up with something heavily weighted against them. On the other side, Aleksandra was particularly unwilling to give up concessions related to her position and status. Even if both she and her city would be better off with some sort of agreement, nothing seemed to be enough for her.

Were the negotiations impossible to begin with, or was Anton simply not able to fulfill things himself? How frustrating. And his stakes in the matter were perhaps a step less relevant than the others, so he knew how they felt.

He was constantly searching for some way, but just couldn't find it. But his patience was not the first to give out. Or perhaps some people never intended to be patient in the first place.

Anton could tell something was up immediately. People often went off alone to meditate- even the harsh environment well beyond the boiling point of water was something that could be overcome by strong enough cultivators. And in a way, the challenge was useful. Whether or not they truly were advancing their cultivation, most found time alone.

So when three people picked up followers, Anton knew something was off. The only pairing that didn't immediately bother Anton was Lada following after Aurelianus. They didn't seem to be friends, but perhaps they might want a private conversation. Except Aurelianus didn't seem to be aware of the situation- and the others were of some greater concern. Aleksandra following Lorena and another from Tenoun'a- Maksim- going after Nicanor.

When seeking isolation, cultivators could be rather extreme about it. They were spread out hundreds of kilometers away in divergent directions. Isolated, at least by the standards of Life Transformation cultivators.

Anton became certain about the ill intent of the pursuers when he felt them take out some sort of pill, muting their energy. If he hadn't already been watching them, he might not have noticed them from that point.

Then each of them took out a bow, and a single arrow. They appeared to be made out of diamond or some other crystal. Anton couldn't clearly sense what enchantments might be on them from such a distance, but he knew it couldn't be anything nice.

And there was Anton, nobody watching him. Was that their plan, then? There were a few flaws. First, they seemed to think they were unobserved. Second, they weren't very good archers. Anton could already tell that from their stances. Those bows and arrows had better be something special.

On that topic, Anton took out his own bow, feeling the heat of the blue star not so far away. And the light. For this, he'd need speed more than power- though his attacks certainly wouldn't be weak.

Nine arrows, three towards each location. The ambushing cultivators weren't precisely coordinated, but they had all begun to draw their arrows. One released, the crystal arrow flying almost invisibly through the air. Half and instant into its flight, it was struck by an arrow formed of light, shattering it. The remaining two arrows went for the pointer and index finger of the hand that had drawn the bow- Aleksandra's hand.

Similar results came elsewhere, though Maksim of them hadn't even managed to loose their arrow. The resulting detonation of energy immediately in front of Maksim, the man fully focused on his assault. Little was left of him.

Lada had gone after Aurelianus, who was nominally on her side. She suffered the same fate as Aleksandra, her surprise attack failing and two fingers taken as a penalty for her actions. With that and the loss of surprise, it was quite possible the two of them would be killed by their targets. But Anton wasn't done yet.

As many arrows as he could fire sequentially split up between the locations, though most strayed away from Lada and Aleksandra. Instead, they found their way towards Lorena and Aurelianus. Not because Anton intended to kill them, but because he didn't want either side to be dead. Fortunately they did the sensible things and dodged back, which gave Anton an opportunity to write a message nearby. Arrows peppered holes in the ground in an unmistakable pattern. For the sake of brevity, Anton went with the single word 'capture'.

Of course, two Life Transformation cultivators weren't going to give up so easily. Unfortunately for them, the deck was stacked against them. They weren't fighting one-on-one, but instead were both injured and fighting a battle that was significantly more weighted against them than two-on-one. Anton didn't like to bully weaker people, but he also didn't like assassins that intended to frame him.

Unfortunately, he supposed this could still end in war. The one factor that made it possible to avoid was Aurelianus, because he was also from Tenoun'a. So it wasn't a conspiracy by the entire planet, and Anton could work with that.

Aurelianus was the first to acquiesce to Anton's message, taking advantage of the openings Anton provided to subdue Lada. It took a bit more prodding and more arrows restricting Lorena's movements for her to concede to capture Aleksandra. Anton doubted he could have convinced Nicanor to not kill Maksim, so it was just as well the man had died. Anton continued to keep his eyes on the remaining people, including the untargeted members of Shrenn and the single remaining individual from Tenoun'a besides Aurelianus.

The feeling of combat alerted all but the most distant of them, and the remaining individuals were quickly contacted. All gathered back together within the span of an hour, two individuals with shattered cultivations and missing fingers, and one corpse.

"I knew they were treacherous bastards!" Nicanor exclaimed. "I told you! We should just exterminate them now. With five Life Transformation cultivators lost, we can remove this thorn in our side once and for all."

Anton stopped him. "While I understand your passion, there will be no exterminations." Anton gestured to Aurelianus, "Aurelianus was attacked along with you. This was not a concerted effort by Tenoun'a, just three individuals who wanted to perpetuate a status quo that was working for them."

Nicanor frowned, looking towards Lorena, the official head of Shrenn's negotiators. "But who would stop us…?"

"He would, obviously," Lorena said matter-of-factly. "You do realize he participated in three battles at once? By which I mean… he effectively overwhelmed five Life Transformation cultivators at the same time. You're… not a Life Transformation cultivator, are you?" She furrowed her brow. "Are you…?"

"I'm going to reiterate right now that we have a common enemy," Anton said. "Ascension cultivators from the Trigold Cluster. And since we've come to this point, I can just come out and say it. I am not an ascension cultivator, but I have surpassed Life Transformation."

"I thought something was odd about you," Aurelianus admitted. "You were too… unafraid? But if you have this power, then why…? You could have even offered it as a bargaining chip, the power to reach a higher cultivation level."

"To what end?" Anton asked. "So that your planets could kill each other more efficiently? I think not. Now then, I have some suggestions about how to settle this matter…" Anton looked to the captured Aleksandra and Lada. "After we ask some questions, like who else might have been stupid enough to agree to your plan. Where did you get the arrows?" Anton asked.

"As if we'd tell you," Aleksandra grunted. "You clearly just wanted Tenoun'a's downfall from the beginning. Should never have trusted you."

"And at what point did I do something against Tenoun'a's interests? When I stopped you and your conspirator from killing one of your own representatives?" Anton shook his head. "You know, things don't have to be this way. If you cooperate, I can provide one of you a path to survival. If you are particularly helpful, I might even throw in a way to repair your shattered cultivation or restore your fingers."

"We'll never-"

"I'll do it," Lada said dryly. "I can name the supplier, and the people who paid for the arrows."

"You traitor!"

Lada raised an eyebrow, "You were only in this to improve your own station. Why can I not do the same for myself?

In the end, Tenoun'a had to agree to some harsher terms… though only for the ruling elite. And those same elite individuals were bribed with the estates of the other Life Transformation cultivators who went down with Aleksandra and Maksim. Some immediate gains in exchange for not having as much control over the future was enough to placate them- especially when the other option was for Anton to just let Shrenn wipe out them all. The Life Transformation cultivators, obviously Anton would never allow their whole population to be killed. But those were exactly the people that had to be convinced, so it worked quite well.

By itself, the loss of two or three Life Transformation cultivators would not have made it easy for Shreen to dominate Tenoun'a, but they were already at an advantage. And with Anton in the mix, there wasn't much they could do about it.

No matter what happened now, Shrenn would be cemented as the dominant force in the system. The only thing they could hope to do was go along with it. On the other hand, Shrenn's dominance could easily cause trouble for the common folk if not carefully overseen. And the very fact that they considered themselves separate factions was bound to come up again at some point if the matter was not resolved.

"Thus, we will be giving the people the option to vote on whether they wish to unify once more. It's about time you spread out to the rest of your system, regardless," Anton said.

"What people?" Lorena asked.

"The people," Anton said. "Everyone, from the most common up, with an equal say. But that won't come for some time. First, we will have everyone see what a few years of cooperation can do. And no, we aren't waiting any longer. I hate thinking of more people starving as we piddle about."

Ultimately, Anton thought he achieved positive results. It required more threats and violence than he had hoped, but less than he had feared. It was far from the worst case scenario. But he was going to have to be present in the system for some time to make sure they could actually manage peace. It was surprising how difficult it was for cultivators not to kill each other, and Anton knew he was no exception.

Captain Tiras had the squad marching almost immediately. "Since there are no convenient locations to return to, we will have to make our own base of operations. Surrender to the enemy is impossible- the Harmonious Citadel does not show mercy to those who were their enemies. So we must fight to survive." His bold proclamations did not happen all at once, but over the course of their journey. "We cannot be the only ones to survive. Other soldiers must have fled from the cities as they were conquered. The devastation our scouts witnessed was insufficient to indicate they fought to the last. The war is not over. However, this region has experienced significant losses. That cannot be denied." He nodded as he considered, "We will first establish our position, then find connections. A route to join back up with others, or have them join us. We will not give up just yet."

Chidi found the speeches a little bit inspiring. Personally, he was already filled with confidence from his successful mission. The shadow of death over them couldn't weigh him down.

The vice-captain Denitsa came up to him. "How soon?" she asked.

"How soon for what?" Chidi replied. "We haven't read all of the documents yet, so we can't know the full enemy battle plans…" Chidi shrugged.

"How soon until you break through to Essence Collection?"

"Well, it could be… a year or more. I've been on the threshold for a while and I-" Chidi took stock of himself and realized that the mental pressure had been lifted. He knew what he wanted. More of this. The elation of surviving impossible situations. And, strangely, the terror of those dangerous situations themselves. He wanted to experience the extremes… though he would most likely prefer to skew towards the positive things in life. He couldn't say that was the right choice on his path of cultivation, but he wasn't sure if anything could be more right than his straightforward desires. He realized he was going to have to study the Essence Collection portion of the Hundred Stars again- the sooner the better.

No wonder cultivators sought out adversity. If you survived, it could reveal many things.

Chapter 633

Waking up in the morning- or perhaps afternoon- Chidi felt calm and rested for the first time in what felt like forever. It hadn't even been a week since the conquest of Koton and Sieburn, but every moment had been taxing on his mind. More than he'd realized, even. Now, he felt great. Everything was just better, his thoughts racing with ideas about how they could get out of their predicament. His body felt better as well, and his cultivation…

Was no longer the same. Aconite stirred with him, his bedroll and tent being just outside her den in this more permanent camp they had set up. She noticed immediately. "You have advanced."

"I… suppose…" Chidi frowned, "I'm not sure if that's good, though. What if I did it wrong? It was too easy." He hadn't even really noticed. It wasn't actually subconscious, but it hadn't been intentional either.

"Do not worry. That is simply a sign of your talent."

"Talent?" Chidi shook his head, "I was just lucky to be born into a family that could throw everything at me."

Aconite moved her large teeth close to his face. "Don't be so harsh with yourself. The training you went through was still difficult, even if it was more accurately designed to help you improve. And we were successful in our mission. You don't think the Harmonious Citadel held back on us, do you?"

"No, of course not."

Wandering into the camp proper, he saw Denitsa, with her heavy hammer resting against the log she was sitting on. "That was a fast year, huh?"

"What? Oh, well…" Chidi shrugged. "I guess I was ready."

"Good. We need all the strength we can get. Your combat prowess wasn't bad before, but we won't be able to rely on backup now."

Chidi didn't have anything to say to that, so he let his mind wander to the distracting sensations that happened with every breath. The smells of mixed trees and various sorts of underbrush as well as soil were a level stronger, as he felt himself automatically making use of his greater energy potential. There was a certain amount he could use continuously, and his instincts were to make use of it. Useful, unless he specifically needed to hide.

Speaking of hiding, he made a couple laps around the camp, checking on the formations. He didn't have any sudden new insights into the nature of formations, but he did spot a few minor flaws that he could fix. That might not have any direct relation to his cultivation, but could instead simply be the lifted fatigue.

Instead of immediately heading out again, the Scarlet Alliance squad focused on their camp first. Aconite was out hunting, to help build up their supplies. Twenty hungry humans and a large wolf could eat quite a bit, and the rations they'd brought with them were already stretched thin.

For the sake of keeping some sense of normalcy- and because they might need it- Captain Tiras set people on a training schedule. As cultivators, what exactly they might do was generally up to the individual, but it generally involved both training energy and sparring.

Chidi was surprised to find himself approached by Ida, the oldest woman in their squad. Or at least, her wrinkled skin seemed to say so. It was possible others were older, but it was unlikely. Ida was another Essence Collection cultivator, somewhere around the early-mid stage.

"Good day," Chidi said, inclining his head. He did so in a somewhat exaggerated manner, simply because it was easier for him if others did the same. Larger body movements were much easier to read than facial expressions. "Are you perhaps interested in sparring? I am certain you are aware I just advanced, but I will do my best."

"Maybe," the woman said. "But that's not what I'm after at the moment. I don't believe we've been formally introduced. I'm Ida."

"Chidi Weston." He had his father's surname, though he could also have used his mother's. She sometimes used her old one, not because of any particular reason except 'it was already used in all of the sect documents back on Ceretos'.

"I'd like you to teach me about scouting, if you can," she said awkwardly.

"Sure," Chidi immediately agreed.

"Really? I mean, I appreciate it, but I'm old and my eyes aren't so good anymore…"

"Neither are mine," Chidi said.

"Uh…" Ida took a step back, "I didn't mean to-"

"Relax, I never had them," Chidi waved her off. "And I make do just fine. First, we should figure out what your best senses are. Because scouting is a battle of your senses against the enemy. The more you develop your strengths, the better you will do. Though you have to make use of everything you have to the best of your ability." Most of what Chidi was saying came from Velvet, and probably from her master. But it was the best Chidi knew.

Most of the interactions between Shrenn and Tenoun'a went through Anton, though he did want them to eventually manage that all themselves. However, both were more comfortable having a vaguely neutral third party involved.

He found himself busy with many things, from going along with the first passenger ship from Tenoun'a to Shrenn- carrying people looking for work- to making sure those same people were adequately housed and fed. The quality of their housing left a little to be desired, but they were constructed quickly- and not terribly divergent from the standard level of housing on Shrenn and the moons around it.

Anton moved between all of them and various parts of Tenoun'a, introducing crops both above and below ground. Crops that grew with little water were the best, but there were also plans in place to capture more. Shipping an ocean from a gas giant's icy moon was impractical, but redirecting icy comets was on the table. With some Life Transformation cultivators freed up, projects such as that which might otherwise be impractical were within the system's reach.

The first season of crops were pathetic looking- especially those grown underground on Tenoun'a- but the shriveled tubers were a step above what most people were able to get. Anton recruited many people for his projects, far more than either could have previously supported. Labor hadn't been the biggest problem, but instead places with arable land and access to water were… nearly nonexistent. Even Shrenn had practically no water on the surface, though their underground water was more shallow.

Speaking of water underground, Tenoun'a did have water even deeper- beneath the elevators that Anton hadn't previously been allowed near. It was just a massive distance beneath the surface. Impractical to retrieve, and unfortunately much of the water cycled its way back there by leaching through the ground instead of being able to be reused up above. That was a problem partially solved by a sort of groundcover that could be plucked and wrung out to retrieve the water. Such manual effort was only worthwhile because of the extreme circumstances.

Anton also had other plants- and fungus- that could grow in odd places that didn't even have soil. They were catered to have the side effect of improving the underground air quality.

Unfortunately, not everything could be solved with plants. The animal life on both plants was nearly nonexistent, and bringing a couple hundred types of seeds would only create the barest bones of a proper ecosystem. Still, with proper tending and some use of natural energy, Anton knew they could create a sustainable loop. He did bring with him some soil, carefully selected for its insect and bacteria content. Earthworms were a favorite, but with the current quality they might actually starve.

Shrenn and its moons were in a slightly better state, and with the ability to focus on their growing efforts rather than defenses, the process was faster. Especially on the moons, which at least hadn't been intentionally devastated since nobody had lived there during the long ago invasion.

On that note, Anton made sure to coordinate with everyone on the tides of the world. That meant formations- what could be done with limited materials- and technique based manual restructuring of the area. Anton had enough insights to at least begin the process of diverting the flow away from their system, so that they were not spotted as they began to regain prosperity. A standard six centuries sounded like plenty of time to accomplish any project or build up to anything, but it really wasn't. Among other things the Trigold Cluster had their thousands of years of history without themselves having been devastated, at most taking some damage in wars against the Exalted Quadrant. They only had to commit a small portion of their resources to ruin a developing world, though it did take intention. And even they would miss Integration or Augmentation cultivators.

Anton could see the system was on its trajectory, picking itself up out of the dry dirt and being able to return to some form of life that wasn't terrible. It might take a long time, but it could happen. As long as nobody screwed it up. Hopefully, they'd dealt with the people who hated the thought of everyone being able to not starve.

In its own way, Rutera was amazing. Aoibhin could see the massive difference in natural energy between them and their neighbors, even with what she learned was a century of effort to build them up. Their technology was so advanced that things that seemed trivial to them were of great value to Ekict. It was unlikely they would replace much of what they currently had with technological hybrids anytime soon, but it was important to have the information available.

Assimilation cultivators were fascinating. There was one who bound himself to a great tree. Not exactly mobile, even if his area of influence surpassed a continent. Within that domain, he could probably defeat most others. Those potentially able to overcome him included Anton, which was odd because he hadn't felt that strong in Ekict. Then again, from what she learned he seemed to draw power from stars, and didn't seem to have bound to Ekict's. He was a very interesting individual, though he was around his home system very little.

Having gained the strength from defeating upper realm invaders, Ekict hadn't thought other worlds in the lower realms would be worth their time. This place was proving them wrong more and more. They were strong, but perhaps a bit too free with their information. Not that Aoibhin was going to complain, as she'd been guided towards the path to Assimilation. The insights were quite interesting, if ultimately of no use- and others from Ekict could probably find value from them.

The strangest individuals were one human, and one ant. Though all of the ants were strange. Void ants, they were called. Apparently, they could grow to be nearly the intelligence of a human. And they could eat natural energy, while being nearly invincible to it. The Great Queen was a well respected individual, and the progenitor of all of the other queens. There was also some connection to some fellow named Everheart, which was odd because that was the same name as some guy who caused trouble for the Trigold Cluster in the upper realms. Well, it didn't matter.

The human was… kind of like a void ant. Nthanda had apparently developed some abilities they had, but she was still human. And… she only tempered her body. An anomaly. Dangerous because of it, but there were numerous others at a similar or greater level of power.

Then there was Weos. They had spread throughout their system first, with powerful cultivators rivaling that of Ceretos. Of note was an individual named Shikoba, who had led a number of others along his same path. A cultivator that could control gravity, and a sort of power that was not connected to a single place- though perhaps more powerful within their system, because of their star's qualities.

All of those were of interest to Aoibhin, and she knew of many more. She was looking forward to how these systems led to Ekict's growth.

Though there was something that threw their plans way off track. A message came to her, one of the convenient devices these systems used.

"Honored Aoibhin Halloran, there is a matter you should be present for. A cultivator from Ekict has been found to be hiding the cultivation of the Twin Soul Sect. This is a serious matter that requires immediate attention."

And so it did. Aoibhin wished things could have just continued as they were. Everything had been going so well.

Chapter 634

The bestial inhabitants of Yaitis were not necessarily pleased to have people around, and thus they kept approaching the camp. That made things easier for Aconite, since predators were still reasonable to eat. However, it was still annoying. Even if she was above traditional methods of marking her territory, the local beasts would figure it out eventually. It would simply take time for them to learn.

Like this bear. It was what, twice her size? A significant physical advantage, and it was not lacking in cultivation either. No doubt this mother bear thought this territory was hers. Unfortunately the bear couldn't speak, so Aconite couldn't correct her the easy way.

A half meter thick tree cracked at the swipe of a claw, Aconite jumping back out of the way. Traditional combat methods weren't going to work here. Something potent would be necessary… but first, something to soften this woman up. A mess of powder was grabbed out of one of Aconite's bags, both because it was difficult to be precise with such things and because erring on the larger end would be necessary for such a beast. Instead of spreading it out, Aconite just slapped it with her tail right towards the bear's face.

Recognizing it as some sort of attack, the bear swiped it away, but that was an acceptable outcome. Much of the powder would blow away, certainly, but some would cling to the paw or scatter into the nearby air.

Aconite dipped her snout into another bag, pulling out a clay container which she crunched between her teeth. Keeping it from spilling out the side of her mouth or down her throat were the hard parts, and she chewed the shards of hardened clay to get the last bits of liquid sticking to her teeth.

The wolf lunged, sinking her teeth into the thick fur at the shoulder but avoiding a troublesome swipe. She did her best to keep her grip, but the bear whirled wildly, flinging her through the air and through the canopy of a tree. Eventually Aconite came down and spit out the chunks of fur in her teeth. She did taste a little blood, and since her teeth didn't hurt too much it probably wasn't from that. Good.

The bear stomped forward, not realizing that she was already dead. Aconite just had to keep her active, the poison pumping through her bloodstream, and the mother bear would be down. It wasn't personal, nor had Aconite threatened her cubs. The mother bear had just overreacted, and that was what she got. At least as a beast she had an excuse, unlike human cultivators.

Since it wasn't possible to avoid settlements forever, Chidi had scouted out a few smaller ones. Hopefully they would have some information. Unfortunately, while their security was irrelevant, very little was written down in records. So interacting with the villages directly would be required.

That… was not Chidi's job. So Captain Tiras had come with him. "So," Captain Tiras said to the village elder. "You want us to kill this 'Goliath' for you?"

"Yes. The cultivators in our village aren't strong enough to deal with it. And because of the conflict, the local sects haven't been able to hear our request. We would be quite grateful," the man said. "And we have information."

"As long as the information is good," Captain Tiras nodded. "But if you lie to us…"

"Certainly not," the elder shook his head. His heartrate didn't sound afraid, though Chidi was willing to attribute that to how old he was. A man who had only achieved Body Tempering in his life would have to grow used to the danger of those who were stronger. "I assure you it will be quite helpful… but we do need the aid."

"What does Goliath look like?"

"A tremendous bear, the size of a mountain."

Their hunt took them back to camp where their mission had already been completed before it was assigned. That saved them some work, at least. Then it was back to the village with proof- just the creature's head was heavy enough. And though it felt like a million steps, it was actually a fairly straightforward trade. Then the information was theirs. A location where Scarlet Alliance soldiers were hiding. They were quite happy to join up with the squad, which technically made the group more than a squad. But they were still led by Captain Tiras.

Sharpness. The sort that made every blade Chidi had ever felt or imagined feel like it was about as sharp as a bowl of soup. The whole world was cut in half, including Chidi sliced into two equal pieces. It wasn't a long, drawn out process, but rather everything was over in an instant from the recognition of the sharpness to the end.

Chidi jerked awake with a start. A dream. Did it have something to do with Rakiya? Was she coming? He didn't feel anything, but perhaps it was a premonition. Cultivators got those sometimes. Unfortunately, if they had been found out it was too late. They wouldn't be able to run from an Integration cultivator, so remaining in their sanctuary was all they could do.

And Chidi wasn't convinced of that interpretation of the feeling. It felt more real than a dream. Yet strangely his memory now was dull. Distant.

In the morning, Chidi led Ida and other prospective scouts on a short excursion, away from Sieburn. They were already quite some distance away, but getting any closer would open them up to patrols which they were not ready to deal with yet. Chidi could direct people how to hide, but they would learn best if they could do it on their own, perhaps with minor correction.

Chidi was alert for all sorts of dangers. Beasts were the most common, though his improved cultivation made him less afraid. He wasn't exactly speeding through Essence Collection- it would take a total of three or four months to reach the next rank- but each small improvement meant more at the higher stage. And it also came with a confidence in his path, not for everyone but at least for himself.

There was something wrong with the area around Chidi, but though he trusted his instincts he couldn't tell what it was. He couldn't find anything hidden, traps or ambush predators or enemy soldiers. Nor was there any sort of poison or formation that he could pick out. What was it? He felt a vague directionality to it, and generally lead them along that path- though he tried to avoid being too close to the wrongness.

Some of the trainees spotted hiding animals, one of the exercises Chidi had for them. Animals without cultivation blended into the world better, and even if they weren't a threat to most cultivators it was still good training.

Then it was time for a break. They would likely be returning soon. Then Isa leaned against a nearby boulder… only for it to almost fall on top of her. But Isa, even as an old woman, was still an Essence Collection cultivator. She caught herself and twirled around, weapon in hand. To face off against… just a boulder. Or maybe two boulders, previously one except for the smooth surfaces that now separated it into two.

Chidi's hair raised up on the back of his neck. How could someone cut the boulder in half with none of them noticing? He approached carefully, taking a look at the evidence. There was no point in hiding- anyone who could do that could certainly cut any of them apart several meters further away.

After studying the marks, Chidi was relieved. At least for their current situation. Someone hadn't come along and chopped the boulder in half just now. Instead, he determined that it had been cut in half long before- but so precisely that it still clung together until disturbed. The odd part was that the same impossible thin cut continued downward into the earth below. The worrying part was how that same cut continued in both directions for as far as Chidi could sense.

"What is it?" Isa asked.

"Just to be clear, can you see this cut in the dirt?" Chidi knew eyes were very good at distance, and sometimes they picked out small details, but…

Isa shook her head. "I can't. Not directly, at least. Though along with the boulder, that blade of grass and that leaf…"

Chidi sighed. How had he missed all of that? Flat edges were totally unnatural, and though two random pieces of leaves didn't seem like a danger on their own, he should have noticed that sort of thing earlier. But now that it was mentioned, he could feel that sort of thing everywhere.

As the squad returned- Chidi wasn't suddenly going to lead them off on an expedition to find the far end of that cut- Chidi observed how trees were cut in half. Unless he peeled at their bark and prodded them, they didn't even leak sap where they were technically cut in two. Twigs and debris on the ground had fallen apart, and Chidi couldn't help but think of someone flying along, dragging a long blade below them. Though an uncomfortable feeling in his gut told him that wasn't right.

The whole purpose of being on Torthunes was luring the saints into a trap. They had hoped for fewer than three, but three was what they got. And with how things had progressed, Catarina thought they had a pretty good chance of taking out one. Yet she would have happily let them all go, leaving things a stalemate, if she had the option.

It had been more than a month since they lost contact with Yaitis, where Chidi was participating in the war. "We shouldn't have let him go…" Catarina shook her head.

"I do believe that should have been my line," Timothy countered. "But we did. And we couldn't have reasonably refused. Unless we kept him locked up."

Catarina's eyes sparkled. "You think that would work?"

"Catarina…"

"We'd only have to do it until he could break out of whatever formation I set up on his own!" Catarina countered. "So once we get him back…"

"Still not a good idea," Timothy said. "But we will get him back. After we kill a saint or two, to make him safer in the future."

"Which one do you think would be easiest to kill?"

"The axe. They're easiest to counter."

"Hey!" Hoyt yelled from the other side of the war camp.

"This is a private conversation!" Timothy yelled back.

"Not if you're talking loud enough for me to hear without trying!" Hoyt said as he approached.

"Whatever," Timothy shrugged. "Anyway, you hardly count. Sure, you use an axe… but you're no longer refusing to incorporate things like Falling Stars. And my words are still true, especially considering the Harmonious Citadel. Are you saying you wouldn't have the easiest time taking out Abhilash?"

"Out of the three here? I suppose. Though I'll admit to not being up for the task alone just yet."

"Obviously," Timothy said. "We're not Augmentation cultivators yet. That's still a good way off. But… as one of many involved in such a battle, we can target him. If we can get one pinned down by the trap formations and Tauno faces off against Luksa with the morningstar, I think we can manage."

"And then we can go kill everyone threatening Chidi," Catarina declared.

"Agreed," Timothy said.

"Absolutely," Hoyt nodded, "I'll never let anything happen to your boy… but we also have to remain here to keep the saints pinned down so they can't cause trouble there either."

"That makes sense, unless there's a saint there too…" Catarina said with a frown. "That would explain how they managed to cut off all communication at once. It would take a team of formation masters, but also overwhelming force."

"Velvet's been keeping tabs on them as much as possible… but perhaps it's possible," Timothy admitted. "Either way, we'll have to trust in what we taught him, and in Aconite. We'll reunite soon enough, you'll see."

Chapter 635

The cut through the ground did stop eventually, several kilometers from where it was first discovered. Chidi couldn't help but stop and inspect it more closely. It became shallower at the end, the very edge coming out the surface. That meant it did not align with his fanciful imagining where a flying individual cut the world below them, unless they happened to dip downward in a smooth curve.

There was only so far that Chidi could sense underground, and since the cut was so thin it didn't leave the earth open. However, judging from what he could feel of the curve, he supposed the cut should extend at least as far in the other direction, past the furthest point they'd gone. Chidi almost wanted to stay and look at it forever, but even if this wasn't a sign of immediate danger, it should be reported to the others.

So he took the burgeoning scouts back to camp, where he explained the situation to Captain Tiras. Basics answers were easy, but Tiras had some more complicated questions. "What do you think it was for?"

Chidi shook his head. "I don't know. Testing a blade, perhaps, or a new form?"

"Do you think it was Rakiya?"

Chidi folded his arms, concentrating on recalling the feel of Rakiya and her blade. "The cut didn't leave behind any traces of energy, but it just doesn't feel like her."

"No traces of energy?" Tiras frowned, "Could it have been from a long time ago?"

Chidi shook his head. "I think it was last night." He couldn't forget that dream. But while in the dream the whole world had been bisected, here that was clearly not the case. He had the feeling that the intent was there, but perhaps the goal was impossible. "The plants hadn't recovered from the damage, even the ones that only needed to fix a thin cut still held together."

"Not Rakiya. Perhaps… the sword saint?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say it would be anyone like that," Chidi frowned. "Or rather, the sword saint was here, would we not have seen evidence of such a thing in the cities?" There had been damage to Sieburn's walls from a cut, but in Chidi's estimation- that of a cultivator more than two whole phases of cultivation lower- those cuts were far too inelegant to be from the same person. And they properly matched what should have been Rakiya's level of ability.

"Who else could it be?" Tiras wondered. "One of the other elite Harmonious Citadel sword disciples?"

Chidi shrugged. "I don't know. But… perhaps I can return to inspect the rest of it. To see if there are any signs." Yes, that was a good enough excuse. And he would be inspecting the area. He would also just be taking in the feeling of it. It was like the danger of dangling over a cliff. Enticing, in a certain strange fashion.

A woman was shackled, wrists and ankles bound behind her and a metal collar wrapped around her neck to another chain pulling her head forward. It didn't look comfortable at all, and of course it was not supposed to be. It was meant to maximally restrict movement, though the enchantments in the manacles and the formations around the area were likely sufficient on their own. Still, it was clear the threat was taken very seriously.

Aoibhin took it all in, frowning. "Are you certain she is part of the Twin Soul Sect?"

The man who answered was one of the so-called Assimilation cultivators local to Facraona. Myles of the Pink Pollen Sect, if she recalled correctly. "Yes, we are quite certain."

"How? They do not easily reveal themselves."

"A method was developed here, based on previous infiltrations. It is very reliable." Aoibhin felt something as Myles looked at her. Was it a test? Well, if he was truthful then nothing would be found. She was clean of the Twin Soul Sect's filth. "Normally, we would dispose of any such individuals, but since she is a cultivator from Ekict…"

"Just because she was there doesn't mean he's part of us," Aoibhin frowned. "I thought we got them all…" It was an actual serious concern that perhaps they hadn't. "Can we learn how to detect them?"

"Of course," Myles nodded. Aoibhin felt a bit uncomfortable around him, as she felt shifting something under his robes. Whether it was the titular pollen or some other poison, she knew that an Assimilation cultivator could make great use of anything. Potentially even more than an Integration cultivator that was fully adapted to natural energy, which was a bit of a concern. "We will gladly share it with you, though I must caution you to keep it out of the hands of the Twin Soul Sect. It might be possible for them to find a counter."

"A fair point," Aoibhin nodded.

"Would you like to speak to the prisoner? You may be able to get more information than us. She's… strangely resistant to our techniques. Almost as if she was an Integration cultivator, but there should be no way they would stay around after an invasion… and she seems too young."

"I can't say I'm much of an interrogator, but I'll try," Aoibhin said.

"Great. It should be safe, but be cautious."

The cell opened, and Aoibhin stepped beyond the concealing formations. Immediately, the other woman called out to her. "Aoibhin! Please, get me out of here. They think I'm part of the Twin Soul Sect, but we both know I'm not really-"

Aoibhin's spear was through the woman's throat and out the back of her neck a moment later. "I don't like being lied to." She stepped outside, looking over at Myles. "Oh, my apologies. I let my feelings get the best of me."

"It would have been better to be able to interrogate her further," Myles said, "But ultimately, the matter was also something Ekict should be able to handle as they see fit. As for the technique, we'll distribute it to you and some of the others of sufficient status who have been properly inspected. If you cannot solve the problem internally… you know we'll happily kill invaders from the upper realms."

"I think we can handle it," Aoibhin said. "But I suppose I should quickly learn that technique." What a pain. This made things more complicated. If the technique worked properly and they really did find members of the Twin Soul Sect hiding among them it would set them back quite a bit. But they couldn't risk keeping a single cultivator from the upper realms.

Even knowing what he did, Chidi was reluctant to step across the dividing line of the slash. Obviously the attack had come and gone, but he still got the feeling of being chopped apart every time. It didn't seem to happen to anyone else, though, so he put up with it. And though terrifying, it was quite useful. Chidi liked to imagine his sword skills improved with every moment. Not that such a thing could actually be possible, because he had not the slightest idea how to replicate such a feat.

It wouldn't be enough to have a powerful cultivation. There had to be more to it. Some sort of stance, a special motion, and greater understanding. He couldn't pick that up just from the lingering effects of something, could he?

He collapsed to his knees as they approached a particular point. It was just the same as everywhere else, just more of the same slash. But here, the feeling was stronger. For a moment Chidi felt a powerful presence looking down, a sword moving yet never changing its position. Then it was over.

"Sir, are you alright?" Ida asked.

"Sorry," Chidi climbed to his feet. "I'm fine. I think this is the central point, where the grandmaster stood. Also, you really don't have to call me sir. Your cultivation is higher…"

"It is for now," Ida agreed. "But I'm never going to have any real position besides being a footsoldier."

"That's not true," Chidi countered. "You can definitely become a proper scout with enough training."

"Even if that is true, since I am being taught by you it would be quite appropriate to use honorifics."

Chidi couldn't argue with that. Usually, people were polite because he was blind or because of his parents- those who were not polite and formal with everyone, of course. This time, he'd actually done something… even if it was only clumsily replicating the training of the spymaster.

They followed the slash to its other end, totalling tens of kilometers. It was much more concerning that the attack reached everything along that range, though the maximum distance was also more than Chidi could reasonably think about. If he stretched himself, he could perhaps reach a dozen meters beyond the tip of his blade, but his power would significantly wane. He would grow many times stronger throughout Essence Collection and then Life Transformation of course, but it was still hard to comprehend.

Rather than sneaking into occupied cities, the best way to get some information was catching messengers. Why would the Harmonious Citadel use messengers? Partly because they did not know how to produce communication devices that worked to the same standards. Maybe a sense of traditionalism, or because they were concerned to allow the messages to be intercepted. That was apparently something that could happen, though Chidi knew that like anything countermeasures could be taken. And perhaps counter-countermeasures, in an endless cycle where nobody could be quite sure what was secret.

The easy answer at the moment, of course, was that the formations that prevented Chidi's messages from leaving the planet also restricted the Harmonious Citadel. Thus, they could send runners, riders, or fliers. The latter was usually messenger birds- cultivators who could fly were usually too important to use as messengers. They would more likely have a message delivered to them.

The fliers Chidi had no hope of dealing with, though they did have some archers among their group. Unless one flew just over the treeline, it would be too far for Chidi to feel except perhaps through the disturbance of the air propagating downward. He didn't have the range either way, and it would be difficult for him to determine if it was carrying anything of note. Those on the ground, however, had to follow roads. And if they were riding a swift mount, Aconite would be perfect for chasing them down. It was difficult to get mounts that could outpace an Essence Collection equivalent- though they likely had some. The plan for those was to catch them in a trap, anything from a pitfall to a bear trap to simply blocking off their retreat with more people.

So far, they had caught two messengers along this same road. The contents of their satchels hadn't been terribly important, but eventually… they could get something of value. And though Chidi had been quite satisfied with his infiltration of Sieburn, he wasn't looking forward to repeating the process. Especially since they'd be watching for tunnels.

Chidi ducked, but he was too slow. His arm was cut off at the shoulder, then his head came off his shoulders. Except… there was no pain? And no damage around him. His neck was exactly where it should be, and Chidi didn't have even an impossibly thin cut. That was good, because he honestly wasn't certain what that would do to a living person. But he'd certainly gotten the feeling.

Aconite prompted him. "What is it?" her head darted in all directions.

"Just my imagination, maybe. I'm getting jumpy because of that sword slash." He heard a sound down the road. "Someone's coming."

Good. The waiting had been getting to him. From the rhythm of the movement, it should be a rider. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Aconite while the others spread out on their side of the road, keeping far enough back to stay properly hidden. They were still learning the finer details, after all.

Then it didn't matter, as Chidi and Aconite pounced. Covering the intervening dozens of meters in an instant, Aconite took down the steed- a large bull of some sort. Chidi cut the messenger's satchel off, his blade stopping before it cut deep into the woman herself. Perhaps if she survived they could interrogate her.

Something was approaching. Something recognized, if not strictly familiar. A dangerous sharpness at a concerning speed. So that was it. A trap. Three times was too many, it seemed.

Aconite was cut in half. No, she was going to be. Chidi shoved her away with his right arm, for a moment feeling his arm separating at the shoulder. But he managed to pull back just in time for both of them to be safe, the flying slash cutting a wide gouge in the ground. The width of a fist at the top narrowing down to a point below, at least a dozen meters long and launched from hundreds of meters away.

The blade was Rakiya's… and Chidi knew he was dead. Avoiding one casual attack wouldn't change that.

Chapter 636

Chidi was dead.

Or he would be. A blade with the force sufficient to bisect a mountain sliced towards Chidi. Instead of doing something sensible like dodging- not that he had time to do so- Chidi thought about how true that thought was. Could that blade cut a mountain? Perhaps not. But if he were to compare himself, the attack coming for him, and the one that had cut a concerningly large slice of the nearby province, the latter two were closer together in magnitude than he was to what was about to kill him.

Yet somehow, his brain managed to finish that thought. "Hey," said an unfamiliar but distinctly feminine voice. "You seem like the sort that should have noticed my challenge."

Ah. There was a woman standing in front of him. And… a hundred swords? He couldn't quite count, but it was a field of death. One he didn't belong anywhere near, nor did he have any intent of listening in on their conversation.

"You've finally shown yourself!" That was Rakiya's voice. "You've been hiding for two decades, and you finally returned for our rematch!"

"Hey, who is that?" the strange woman's head turned towards Chidi as he was just backing away. "Do you know her? Also wouldn't you have been a baby two decades ago?"

Chidi froze. He didn't want this attention on him. "That's Rakiya."

"Who?"

"Don't pretend you don't remember me!"

Strangely, Chidi was unable to feel the incoming sword swipes. It was not that they were concealed, and he heard the sound of blades whistling through the air. But it was like there was an impassable barrier where danger ended, just in front of him. There was no longer a sword moving with great speed towards him- it was just a device made of metal, incapable of attacking.

"No really," said the strange woman. "Who is she?"

Chidi felt like he should answer. "As I said, she is Rakiya. Most notably, she cut off the arm of Grandmaster Chikere."

"Oh. Oh!" Two sword-wielding arms pointed towards Rakiya, changing their stance. Except… one of them felt wrong, somehow. "That was you?"

"As if you could ever forget!"

The perfect counters for the incoming strikes flashed in Chidi's mind, ingrained there from years of practicing Citadel's Downfall. And the swordmaster blocking the way… did none of them. One of her swords just floated out, touching the tip of the incoming blade and just… completely negating its momentum.

"Yeah I totally forgot about that," the odd woman said. "Whatever. I can beat you with one arm."

"You can try, but-"

The odd woman turned around and looked directly at Chidi. But her right arm… stayed in place? "Seriously, it wasn't that big of a deal. I don't get what her problem is."

"Sorry, um, grandmaster… do you happen to be Chikere?"

"Obviously. Don't you recognize me?"

"I've never encountered you before in my life," Chidi said. "You went away before I was even conceived."

"You've got a good point there," Chikere nodded. Her floating arm was deflecting all of Rakiya's attacks.

"Your, um… your arm came off."

"Yeah, it does that," Chikere agreed. "I mean, technically I'm not supposed to disconnect it. But it's my arm, you know?"

Chidi literally had no words.

"Anyway, you're uh… Chidi, right?"

He nodded. "My parents named me after you. If you are Chikere."

"I am. And I can prove it! But since you can't, I guess I can't have you compare to a picture of me. Oh, I know." The sound of clashing steel. A blade whirled through the air, landing in the ground twenty meters behind a stunned Rakiya. "I'll teach you to defeat her. Then you'll know I am who I say I am."

"What?" Chidi asked.

"Yeah, what?" Rakiya had no weapon, but Chidi could feel her glare settling on them.

"I said," Chikere waved her hand. "I'll teach this kid to defeat you. Just give me… I dunno, thirty years."

"... I just entered Essence Collection," Chidi said.

"Twenty-five, then."

"That's not better!" Chidi choked out. "She's an Integration cultivator!"

"So?"

"I don't even know if I can reach Life Transformation by then!"

"Hmmn."

Suddenly, the entire world was blades. Chidi couldn't do anything but pull his arms in and rotate his body slightly, as if that could somehow save him from the surrounding field of death. But it did. Sure, he knew the blades were heading towards their current positions, but why would they stop?

"What, did you think I'd actually stab you? We haven't even started training yet!" Chikere said. "Your sword is fine, by the way," she said, almost touching it with her face as she leaned towards it. "And yours sucks!" she yelled over her shoulder toward Rakiya. "What did you even do to it?"

"My blade is attuned to the essence of the Sword Saint," Rakiya said with teeth gritted. Every time she tried to move to retrieve her blade, or pull out another one, the floating arm poked the sword it held slightly further into her neck.

"Ruined. Utter garbage. Can't even perform a small percentage of the best techniques."

"It is optimized for the perfection of the Harmonious Citadel's style."

"See, little guy, this is why you can beat her. Anyway, we're going now."

She started walking, indirectly herding Chidi with her field of blades. Aconite stood slightly further along the path, confused.

"Oh hey, Spikes! You're uh… smaller?"

"This is Aconite," Chidi introduced her.

"Cool. Wanna learn how to use a sword?"

"I don't think that would… work."

Chikere seemed to understand wolfspeak… enough. "Don't wanna? Well, your loss."

Chidi made sure to grab the messenger's bag as they walked along the road, the rest of the squad joining them. He wasn't sure if it would have anything useful- especially if it was actually intended as a trap- but he didn't want to just leave it.

As for Rakiya, she made one more move to follow- and ended up with her foot impaled to the ground. Chidi felt it probably wouldn't have long-term effects, but it seemed enough of a deterrent. He kept his senses focused behind them just in case she chose to follow, though.

"Don't worry," said the odd woman who was the source of his name. "She's not coming."

"How can you tell?"

"Her sword is still back there. Obviously." A moment of silence. "Hey my communication thing seems to be busted, can you fix it? Your mom made it."

Chidi took it in his hands. "It seems to be in working order. There is, however, a planetary formation limiting them."

"Oh. Maybe I could…" Another silence.

"Maybe you could… what?"

"I was thinking about cutting it apart, but we're going to be busy with training so I'm not gonna."

"We could really use that formation being taken out…" Chidi frowned.

"Eh, I'll think about it. First, did you feel me challenge?"

"Was that the mountain you cut apart?"

"Yeah! I knew you'd feel it, little me. I considered trying to cut apart the whole planet…" Chidi shivered, recalling the dream, "But I stopped with that. I wasn't that confident and I didn't want to get most of the way and look like a doofus."

"... Also people live here."

"Eh, it wasn't going to fall apart. Not that way."

"... Could you really have cut Yaitis most of the way in half?"

"Yaitis? Oh, this planet? Yeah probably. Maybe even the whole way but… well, I have some insights to digest still."

Chidi was not dead. But he was still wondering if he was going to be okay.

Catarina's gums were bleeding from how hard she was clenching her teeth. Each swing from Abhilash was a tremendous echoing of power as his axe nearly cut through space itself to slice apart her, her husband, and many others. But her manual control of the formation had the area on lockdown, and she was manually tuning it to his energy and style. At the current moment, the power of formation was based in ice- but the sun was coming out. Bad timing, but that was how it was.

She was almost knocked off her feet, but held steady. Timothy stood with her, a comforting hand placed on her shoulder as she focused her energy on the formation. Years of work had gone into the formation's creation, though it wasn't as powerful as it might have been with access to greater resources on a planet that was properly populated. Months of work had gone into the plan, and it took weeks to actually lure Abhilash in- while at the same time keeping the others split up.

If all was going well, Tauno was in combat with Luksa. That would leave only the shield cultivator, Eterna. Her offensive capabilities were least concerning of the group- though she would still need to be pinned down by a dozen or so Integration cultivators.

From here, they had several paths to success. First, Tauno defeating Luksa. That was unlikely, even if he was the stronger of the two. Preventing her retreat wouldn't be simple, and she would not be without her own forces. However, if he did manage to kill or seriously injure her, that could snowball into killing Abhilash as well.

Though Catarina would have preferred to make a directional formation through which to continuously assault their captured enemy, it would have lost some efficiency. And considering that it was barely putting up with the strain as it was, that would have meant it falling apart almost immediately. At some point, raw power overtook planning. Unless they could counter with their own raw power, but keeping a formation like this secret but effective was the most important. If Abhilash had been able to sense it, he would never have stepped into the area. That came with restrictions in power- or another decade of construction they simply did not have time for.

"A message for councilor Catarina!" a messenger appeared sometime during the wrestling match- though Catarina felt she was winning. The formation was not going to easily run out of power, but Abhilash would fatigue himself attacking like that. If he weakened himself too much, they could just kill him. Potentially.

"It better be an emergency," Catarina said with clenched teeth.

"You were instructed to receive the information even in a combat scenario."

"What is it? News about Chidi?"

"Y- uh, you'd better read it. Or…"

"Have Timothy read it."

Timothy looked it over himself. "Chikere is back."

"And she's coming here?"

"She showed up, asked questions, and then commandeered a ship. But it does not appear she was heading towards Torthunes, but rather Yaitis."

"... She'd better take care of our son."

"I'm certain she… won't let him die."

Catarina focused on the frozen red pillars around the formation, now dripping a substance that was conclusively proven to be at most a small percentage blood. Too bad it had no power there. Instead, it was melting. That meant switching over to the heat based power.

"Timothy."

Catarina said only that, with no other instructions. But he nodded, standing ready.

Three formation plate were in front of Catarina, carved with various runes connected in different ways to the formation as a whole. The first she flipped over, a momentary fluctuation letting Abhilash shake the surroundings. No doubt he would have noticed the change. Otherwise he would have never become an Augmentation cultivator.

She skipped the one in the middle, flipping the one on the right. Flames began to pour into the chamber, as the sun rose into the sky to melt and boil. Abhilash swung with his great might, cutting into the melting icy pillars. The formation was not quite down, but it was not at maximum solidity.

The next step had to be perfect, or the whole thing would fall apart within the hour. Catarina pushed a surge of energy through the system, but Abhilash didn't fall for her feint. Then she placed her fingers on the third formation plate… twisting it, rotating it within its confines instead of lifting it out. The fluctuations would be different, which was why she saved it for last.

Outside of the formation, a great axe rose into the sky. It chopped downward like a guillotine, aiming for Catarina and the formation plates and everything else. It cut through the sky until it stopped, quavering.

Timothy held his shield high, prepared for this possibility. He strained against the power. Even though it was transmitted out of a half effective formation, he couldn't fully withstand it. But his style was meant to counter a stronger offense. Some of the power vibrated back along its course… and Catarina's transition finished the job, snapping the gap closed.

Flames covered Abhilash, who seemed to find it to be optimal to conserve his energy for the moment, forming a protective bubble around himself… and waiting.

Timothy looked at his left hand, fingers and wrist swelling already. Whether anything technically broke he was not sure, but he also felt the strain in his elbow and shoulder. But he wasn't dead- and Catarina was uninjured. His body would heal… and he would be one step closer to Augmentation himself. Though that had never been the intent, surviving an attack like that was useful for anyone's growth.

Chapter 637

Yesterday, Chidi had plans to creep around in the wilderness trying to find scraps of information. Today, he just had to try to survive. Up to his current point he had not considered training to be dangerous, had not feared for his life except on missions where he was supposed to experience danger. Even there, it was only his inexperience or mistakes that brought him to the edge.

He leaned back, a line of blood drawn across his throat across his skin. Any deeper and it would have nicked something critical. His sword came up to parry a thrust, deflecting it passed his ribs. For the situation being almost exactly fair, he'd never felt anything more unfair. With Grandmaster Chikere matching or even undercutting the amount of energy he was using, he couldn't get in half a move and could only defend. Her sword was held in two hands, at least for the moment. At any point, she could switch to dual blades or her preferred fighting style. Chidi couldn't deal with any of them.

"Enough!" he said, pulling back. "I can't keep up with it. You're too fast."

"Hmm, really? I was just getting started."

"I can't see your blade. I can only hear it cutting through the air, and I can't react fast enough." Plus the force of her blows was somehow more than he could deal with, always coming in at the worst angles for him. "My energy senses just get thrown off from the fluctuations of our clash."

"Ah, there's your problem. Sure, sight is a useful tool… but none of your senses will keep up with proper training."

"But my training… this is way more than my parents required. And you haven't taught me anything." Grandmaster Chikere… she might have been a genius, but Chidi couldn't say she was a good teacher.

"You aren't going to learn anything from me if you can't push yourself a little. And you've definitely learned something, because I've seen your improvement already. Otherwise you'd be bleeding on the ground. But… I think I get what your problem is. Your senses just aren't working for you. But you need to feel the swords."

"I do," Chidi said. "I can feel their sharpness, their smoothness, their weight. But I can't do anything about it."

"Well, that's interesting at all, but you don't really feel them. Like, which sword is in my right hand?"

Chidi frowned. Her power had suddenly spiked, preventing his energy senses from getting anywhere close. His enhanced touch relied on the same thing, and with the blade perfectly still he couldn't discern anything. Maybe if he listened to the wind? But her aura was suppressing even the moments of the air around her. "I don't know. I can't pierce through your aura," Chidi admitted reluctantly.

"That's the point. You need to feel it."

"How?"

"You just do." With frustration evident on his face, she continued. "Perhaps it's not natural to you. I thought it would be, as you seemed sensitive to such things. Well, in that case… training's over."

"What, like… for today?"

"Maybe forever. I can't really teach that so…"

As unfair as the training had felt, suddenly having the chance withdrawn was much worse. "But- wait, please. I need to be stronger."

"Oh, well if that's your goal I couldn't help you anyway."

"What do you mean? You're one of the strongest people I've heard of, one of the strongest my parents know."

"Yeah, well, I don't know how to be strong. I just know swords." A slight breath as she pondered. "How about this. I have some things I should have probably done first here on Yaitis. I'll be gone a week or so. Until that time, spend time with your sword. You're not allowed to sheathe it or put it down until I get back. Then we'll see."

Chidi didn't know what any of that would do, or really how his namesake thought at all. But it was, at least, the first clear instruction he'd receive. He'd try it, with the intent to learn… whatever it seemed he was missing.

At first Chidi got odd looks, but when he said it was instructions from Grandmaster Chikere everyone just sort of shrugged it off. He carried his sword around, swapping hands as was convenient. Eating and changing clothes were the hardest, or anything that normally required two hands. Without tables, he had to balance a bowl in his lap and spoon food in, which was a bit awkward.

Every way he held the sword was awkward unless he was actively training. Was that what she wanted, for him to practice forms nonstop? To spar? She hadn't said anything about any of that.

The balance of the blade was just slightly in front of the crossguard, as was the case for many straight swords. For some reason, that made Chidi want to hold onto it there, but he resisted the instinct for a while. After all, he couldn't just go wrapping his fingers around a sharp blade… could he?

His conscious mind might have considered that, but his subconscious didn't let it go. The thought remained in the back of his mind until he woke up wrapped around his blade. Chidi knew that even with the enchantments on the blade, without speed it likely wouldn't cut him with the automatic amount of energy he coated himself with. But it was still disconcerting.

As his fingers held onto the blade, he could feel the sharpness a tiny distance away. And he wondered why he was shying away. He knew how blades worked well enough. Even without his energy he should be able to hold onto it without hurting himself. As long as he didn't squeeze directly on the sharp edge or slice his fingers by moving the blade, it should be perfectly safe.

Later that day he was carrying it around exactly like that, with his left hand. It dangled at his side more or less how it would in a sheath. It seemed quite sensible to start with his less important fingers, but ultimately he decided his familiarity with the blade wasn't growing enough and swapped hands.

He tried every method he could think of, and wondered if there was any point. Was he really gaining anything? Even if grandmaster Chikere agreed to continue training him, could he really learn from her? He wasn't certain, but he also knew he couldn't afford to not try.

He clutched cold steel that would soon be warm in his grip, unconsciously fiddling around with the weapon even as he thought about what needed to be done to continue surviving on Yaitis.

Anishka was done learning about technology. She didn't know everything yet, of course. Some might say she had barely started. But she was drawn to other things, for the moment. She would go back, she knew that. Unless she suddenly lost her desire to know everything, there was always going to be more time spent on… everything. But her focus shifted few months, a year at most.

She'd had a brief stint with the law, learning some of the standards for interplanetary law. Every planet and country and city and sect had their own laws they enforced in various ways, but a basic structure had been laid down with each member of the Trifold Alliance agreeing to the laws. Though laws had the potential to be infinitely complex and impossible to parse, great effort had been taken to form not only the words, but the meaning behind them. And unlike some things, the true meaning could not be mistaken. Just like a manual for a cultivation technique, the intent was imbued into the codices themselves. Anishka still heard of ways people tried to skirt around or abuse the intent of laws, but it was more difficult. Not that they needed to, because the laws weren't as burdensome as some.

But Anishka was done with that stint as well. She was back to farming. Her grandfather with some number of greats was very interested in that, and while he wasn't around at the moment she wanted to have more to discuss with him next time he returned. The various ways plants could synergize or be bred to serve a purpose were fascinating. There were an unfathomable number of plants, and some that had previously been deemed of no use to humans were now very important.

And other places had even more interesting things. Relations with the Sylanis Cluster were still strained, but Anishka was planning a trip to Ekict. It was a big commitment given the time investment for moving between the systems, but Anishka's instincts pushed her to continuously broaden her horizons. And she was in the fortunate position where she could do these things.

"You need to be careful, dear," her mother cautioned her. "Even if Ekict is friendly, there might be individuals who would want to cause you harm."

"I get it," Anishka said. "But you said when I broke through to Essence Collection I would be strong enough to take care of myself."

"I know what I agreed to," Annelie said. "I just wish you were older."

"I'm an adult," Anishka countered.

"Barely. Twenty is one thing, but as a cultivator you will be young until your first century at least."

"... I hear some people don't cultivate on Ekict."

"Yes, well… not everyone has the same opportunities we have here."

"I could teach them."

"Is that so? Perhaps we'll have another Anton on our hands soon enough," Annelie said. "But I would caution you to start small. Don't rush."

"It's fine," Aniska assured her. "I just don't know where else I'd have the opportunity to teach someone who knows nothing about cultivation. Or at least, close enough."

"You could have children," Annelie pointed out. "There's a lot of teaching involved with that."

"Really, mom?"

"I'm not saying it has to be now. Or ever, if you don't want. I'll have plenty of grandchildren running about without it. But it can teach you a lot, once you're ready."

"Someday," Anishka said. "But definitely not anytime soon."

Something was bothering Anton, tickling the back of his mind. He was unsure why. News had been good, for the most part. It was unfortunate that Ekict had remnants of the Twin Soul Sect- he should have spent more time in their system. But they were capable of handling it, he was certain. As for his current location, Tenoun'a and Shrenn were entering a new stage of prosperity.

Or as Anton might have called it, basic subsistence. They were just beginning to recover, finally breaking out of the rut they'd found themselves in for centuries. What bothered Anton was that everyone seemed happy. He wanted that, of course. The two planets were working together, and blending. Eventually they might be one people again, one system. Maybe they'd even come to agree on a name someday.

But Anton knew that as a cultivator he shouldn't ignore his vague feelings. So he kept an eye out for trouble. He didn't need to solve it himself- though depending on the problem he absolutely could. A few people being ostracized. Someone who was having trouble cultivating. Those he could deal with.

If he found a significantly uneven distribution of the new food sources, which doubled as measured to improve the energy of the planets, he would have to speak to some authorities. But he knew all of them. And pretty much everyone knew him.

Anton knew he could leave soon. But he didn't have to. This was a place that could still use him, unlike Ceretos. What would he do there, except teach people about archery or reiterate the same points on farming or basic cultivation to people who already had access to such things?

He even had permission to bind the local star. Strangely enough, as eager as he had been to do so before… now that things were relatively peaceful he almost didn't want to. He was afraid of what he might need the strength for.

But he also knew that if the time came and he didn't have that bond, an improvement in his cultivation, then he would regret it. So he found a good lull in activity to fly out into space.

A giant blue star was there to greet him. By some measures, it could be said to be dying- though even by the standards of a cultivator it would be a very long time yet before it was actually a concern. Years measured in the millions. Anton had yet to even see a thousand. He was a little bit short of a third of that. A thousand times a thousand… and more. No, it was not truly close to the end of its life.

Great warmth and power filled Anton as he reached out for it. The massive size stretched the area of influence it had, and Anton felt confident he could deal with any and every problem Shrenn and Tenoun'a would encounter that could be solved with martial force.

He also hoped that he would be called upon for nothing of the sort. He did not mind being a guiding force, but he did not want to be a weapon.

Chapter 638

There was a moment when Chidi realized he was being foolish. Sure, the grandmaster was probably disappointed that he was not up to her standards but… she was still his parent's friend, right? She had come here, so she had to be able to get them out on the same ship. Not just Chidi and Aconite, but all of their squad and the other stragglers they had picked up could squeeze into anything worthy of carrying an Integration cultivator.

His thumb rubbed along the edge of his sword, feeling the sharpness of it. Yes, it was better to accept his failure, to accept he hadn't been ready for this world. He could hardly imagine resisting any of Rakiya's attacks- not if she was even slightly serious. Of course, Grandmaster Chikere's attacks and counters had been beyond imagination. It seemed as if even Rakiya couldn't touch her. Chidi pondered that thought. How could cultivators of similar cultivation levels be so far apart? It wasn't as if Rakiya was some average cultivator. She was a disciple of the sword saint, one of the rare individuals who would ever make it to Integration.

It shouldn't be a difference in equipment. Except for having more swords, the quality of weapons shouldn't have a drastic gulf between the two. Chidi also understood the limits of Citadel's Downfall. It didn't make someone invincible. There had to be something, but he couldn't grasp it.

Not that it mattered. He would be returning to Xankeshan, waiting for his parents while spending his time in proper training. In a century or less, he could step into Integration and make his own mark on the world.

He felt a strange wetness. Strangely, the cut on his thumb came with no pain, even if he left a notch in his nail and cut through his skin. It was a clean cut as should be expected of a quality weapon. He shouldn't have gotten cut, though. He was supposed to be past such accidents. Maybe true mastery of the sword really wasn't for him.

Chidi dreamed of swords. Hundreds of them, just sitting out in the woods… impaled in the ground, boulders, and trees. Some were just laying on the ground, others balanced across branches. It was a strangely beautiful scene, the flow of energy almost coalescing into a formation from the display. Chidi trailed his fingers over the various swords, feeling their hilts, guards, and blades. The swords varied from long and straight swords to those that were shorter and curved. Single or double edges, various points and thicknesses and weights. Though none of them were the particularly heavy sort that were only usable by cultivators. These were all something that could be used by anyone of basic fitness… though many would not have reason to.

He focused on one in particular. It lacked much in the way of ornamentation. No sparkling gems embedded in it- whatever sparkling was supposed to be. The facets of gems were kind of interesting to feel, but the rough leather wrappings around a simple hilt appealed to Chidi more for some reason. He imagined picking it up and flipping it around, finding the balance perfect and the sharpness unparalleled.

When Chidi awoke in the morning, the memories remained strongly in his mind. All of the swords were impressive, but the one in particular remained in his thoughts. Speaking of which, he felt many more approaching. That had to be Chikere. He resolved himself to go meet her, his decision made.

"Grandmaster Chikere. Did you complete your mission?"

"Yeah, I chopped up some people."

"... were you retaking a city?"

"What's the point of that? I'm not going to occupy it. And neither are you, with this group."

"That is true," Chidi nodded slowly. "In fact, our squad can't make much difference at all in the war, as we are. That was why I was hoping your ship could take us off planet." Was that really the right move? Was it fair, to those who remained behind. "Or to one of the Scarlet Alliance cities, to rejoin the war."

"My ship?"

"I understand if you feel it is beneath you to shuttle-"

"I don't have a ship," Chikere answered.

"... Were you dropped off?"

"Nah, I cut my way here."

"That's… I'm not sure what you mean by that, to be honest."

A sword slash was coming for him. He felt it too late to react, but before he was dead. Was that an accomplishment? He somehow discerned the attack wasn't trying to kill him, but the lethal intent behind it and the fact that it would be passing through his physical location meant it didn't matter.

But the attack never reached him because… it was behind him? Along with Chikere and all of her swords. Yet she hadn't gone around him.

There was a loud boom, as something collapsed. Chikere casually rested her sword on her shoulder- the shoulder that was not real, if Chidi recalled correctly. "Like that."

He could have understood if she used some sort of movement technique to go around him. It would have probably been easier, even. He could still feel the air vibrating from the disruption, a great overflow of energy that wasn't even connected to her actual goal. How did it work? He had no idea. It wasn't just strength and speed, though.

"Well," Chidi said. "Can that… transport other people?"

"Haven't tried," she replied. "Maybe. Either it works, or you die."

"That seems risky."

"True. Better to learn it yourself. But that's not first on the list."

"About that… I was hoping you could somehow get us to safety."

"Oh. Is that what you meant? Why?"

"Why…?"

She stepped closer. He wasn't sure if she had no concept of personal space, or intentionally chose to ignore it. He could feel the bristling swords around her, a lethal field of danger regardless of whether she drew them from their sheaths. "How did your week go?"

A question Chidi knew was more than casual, and not for the same reason people might normally ask. "It doesn't matter. I've chosen to give up the sword. I'll fulfill whatever obligations I have here first, but I can't walk your path."

"Yeah?" her voice was casual. "Strange thing for someone to say, walking around with an unsheathed blade."

Chidi's focus shifted lower. Indeed, he was still carrying the weapon with him, as he'd grown used to over the last week. "Well… I was trying to do the thing you said. But… I sensed in myself the fear of death. I had the feeling that even if this path made me stronger, it would also bring me closer to dying. Does that make sense?"

"Oh, sure. Completely."

"You understand my fear of death."

"Not a bit."

"Great. Wait, you're… not afraid of death?"

"What would I be afraid of death for?"

A good question. "I guess with you strength, there's no way you'd get killed."

"You think so?" she asked. "Tell me, do you know why I'm here?"

"... to help with the war? And maybe to look for me on the side."

"I am here to look for you, and to draw out the sword saint. When he shows up, I'm going to fight him and one of us is probably going to die. It could be me," she said clearly. "But I don't care."

"Why not?"

"Because not doing what I want is worse. Listen, kid. I don't really understand you being afraid of death, but I know it's normal. And I've had another apprentice that was afraid of death too."

"... Just one?"

"Everyone else died or quit before they were actually an apprentice."

"I'm not sure if you're doing a good job of encouraging me to try."

"If you want encouragement, talk to a friend or your parents," Chikere said bluntly. "Do you want to learn from me or not?"

"Can I…?" he asked. "I'm missing… that thing you needed."

"Why did you come out here?"

"To talk to you."

"You knew I was here?"

"Well I… felt your swords."

The silence just sat between them for a few seconds before Grandmaster Chikere broke it. "So I guess you can learn it. I don't really remember a time when I didn't feel it, but your parents… they're good at what they do, but they just use swords. They don't need them."

"... They would likely find it difficult to fight without."

"Nah, they could pick up literally any other weapon, and it would be the same to them with a bit of practice. And maybe these saints or some of their disciples got that thing for non-swords. But it's different." Chidi could feel her gaze on him, not hidden but intentional. "So, I'm going to ask. Do you want to learn from me?"

"I do," Chidi answered without anything letting him do otherwise.

"Great. Oh, and you liked… this one." Out of her bag the grand master tossed a blade. A strangely familiar one.

"... This was real?"

"Obviously. I can understand waking up in the middle of the night to the call of swords, but not believing in them in the morning…" she shook her head. "You need to be better than that, little me."

Chidi just laughed. "Am I really like you though? You achieved greatness on your own, but here I've had all sorts of help just to get this far."

"Hmmn? It's not like I learned from nothing. I had lots of help. Sure, tons of those people wanted to kill me… but that just made my progress faster. And you're named after me, so you're a little me regardless of anything else. Now then…" blades drew from the sheaths around her. "Time for morning training."

The Sergeant had a very important mission, given to her by the Great Queen herself. It was not for the Sergeant to question orders, nor could she allow herself to fail. Or worse, be captured. Thus, she used utmost caution infiltrating the ship, hanging off the edge of a sleeve as one of the proper passengers boarded.

It was good for the Sergeant that she was one of the smaller members of her kind, unlike the Royal Guard. It would put her out of notice, though a keen cultivator might still spot her. Thus, it was important to take concealment in the folds of clothing. Their energy would not find anything where she was, but that was not an issue unless the enemy was specially trained.

In theory, nobody from Ekict should have such training. They were aware of the void ants, of course, but they should not have cause to train specific techniques to root them out.

The Sergeant's mission was twofold. First, she was to determine the suitability of Ekict for habitability. It could easily be assumed that anywhere humans lived would fit void ants as well, but that was not always the case. Second, it was an infiltration mission to determine more about their potential allies.

Similar missions had been performed on Rutera and Weos before they proved themselves. Even the most trusted allies were kept unaware of such operations. If the Sergeant was compromised, it was best to accept death in a manner that seemed to make her a normal ant. As long as she did not resist energy to any significant extent, few people would be able to notice or bother with an autopsy.

A tertiary objective was to keep an eye on an allied princess. A descendant of Anton, and of an influential sect head in Ofrurg. This was in fact the very same individual she was posted upon.

"Oh, an ant."

At the sudden voice, the Sergeant froze. Then she let herself drop, falling to the floor on her back. She remained still, unmoving.

"Normal ants don't play dead, you know," the voice said. "Not that I wouldn't have noticed one crawling on me."

A finger descended for the Sergeant. At least she could keep things in doubt by allowing herself to be squished. Someone else would have to take on her mission.

The Sergeant was prodded very gently. "Hey are you sick? I can't help you if you don't tell me how. Just do the antenna thing, I mostly understand it." Another prod. "I know you're a void ant because you didn't get squished from a little energy."

The Sergeant pondered if she could possibly break her own limbs. No, that might not kill her. Perhaps throw herself into a fire. Or something electrical, but those were harder to get inside than it seemed.

She was flipped over. "Seriously I know you can hear and see me. You can't even close your eyes." Anishka's fingers wriggled in a crude approximation of the void ant sign language. "You can't hear?" The Sergeant twitched. "Aha! I saw that!"

What a situation to be caught in. She couldn't pretend to be dumb, nor could she take out the one who spotted her because she was a person of note. The Sergeant's first true mission was an abject failure from the beginning, and she couldn't even bring an end to it. She moved her antennae and forelimbs. "... Can you not tell anyone?"

"Sure thing, little guy. Or lady, more likely. Everyone wants to go on an adventure sometimes."

This was still a failure. But the Sergeant might be able to accomplish some of the objectives nonetheless.

Chapter 639

At the end of the training session, Chidi found himself with at least a hundred cuts, sweat and blood dripping down his body. And he hadn't been introduced to a single form or told how to do anything at all. And yet… he felt better, somehow. It was hard to describe.

It was the difference from how his parents taught him, where they held back to give him an appropriate level of challenge. The grandmaster did not hold back- only limited herself to a certain level of power. And… in how she struck him. "Is this okay?" Chidi said, pointing to a hole in his chest. "This doesn't feel okay. I'm pretty sure I could see through it, if I could see."

"Nothing vital was damaged," Chikere said. "You will learn to deal with such trivial things."

At first he thought she meant he would get used to it, but she did actually mean dealing with it as they directly moved on to post-combat recovery. That involved a lot of stitches, including internal ones. Chidi found that using a needle kind of felt like stabbing a little rapier through things.

Once his body was no longer oozing so much, he focused on using his energy to promote healing. Chikere did not need to teach him anything there, which was good because she didn't. His previous training had been sufficient for that. And though he hadn't yet had many life-threatening injuries, the same process applied. Just with more urgency.

Though Chidi was unsure if he was stronger, he at least now felt like he could manage the training. In fact, he felt strange to have even wanted to reject the opportunity. "... Why were you going to stop training me? Because I wasn't learning fast enough?" Chidi wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but he asked it regardless.

"Because you wouldn't have learned."

"...Sorry."

"For what?"

"Not understanding."

A few moments of silence. "If I were a good teacher, I could have taught you anyway," Chikere said. "Your parents raised you to how you are now, did they not? But they are not, for all their positive traits, sword cultivators. I am uncertain about your father, but he focuses on the shield. Though perhaps for the sake of protecting others, rather than a devotion to the concept. Your mother, however, is much like myself… but with formations. To her, they are not a tool. They are everything."

"I wish I was better with formations," Chidi sighed.

"Then get better."

"I… can't," Chidi said. "Not really. I'm just as good as I always am, but with more learning. Does that make sense?" He shook his head. "Obviously not. But I don't know how to say it."

"You find yourself lacking in aptitude?" Chidi nodded. "I understand. I have a question for you. How do you sense swords?"

"I already talked about this. I feel the metal, the sharpness, and hear them move through the air."

"That is how you used to sense swords," she agreed. "But how do you do it now?"

Chidi frowned. "I just… have a connection?"

"Then if you want to be better at formations, form that connection. Unlock your aptitude." Chidi could hear how the grandmaster's body moved, the complicated play of muscles and bones for a simple shoulder shrug. "Though I can't say if that works. I have the feeling you were always capable of this connection to swords, and simply found it."

Chidi bit his lip, "But if it's able to be created, then others could learn from you."

"I suppose so," Chikere admitted. "If they have the proper resolve, I would not mind teaching others."

That… was something Chidi had to think about. Could people learn this, like him? It was an amazing feeling, even though he was just starting to grasp what it really meant. On the other hand, if they could… was there anything that made him special? Should there be?

And why was he hesitant about this, and not about his training with scouting? He was certainly eager to share there. Knowing about his great-and-some grandfather who apparently loved teaching people, Chidi thought he should have gotten some of that.

Ultimately, he couldn't think of any good reason to keep things to himself, when the whole squad needed as much strength as they could get. Sure, Chikere might be able to lead them through enemy territory cutting down everything in their way. But she had also intentionally provoked the sword saint and being in a predictable location with her was basically the same as signing a death sentence if he showed up.

"I already sleep next to my weapon," Denitsa said. "I have no desire to roll onto it in the night and get spikes in my face."

"No," Aconite barked bluntly. "If there is some sort of calling, I have found it. I have no desire to attempt to learn the sword, especially not from a humanoid."

"She'd actually be willing to teach us…?" Captain Tiras scratched his cheek. "I'd like to try it, at least."

That was more or less the gamut of answers he got from everyone. Some were tied to their weapons, or afraid of the seemingly pointless risk of keeping an unsheathed blade in their hands at all times- including while sleeping. Others were willing to give it a try, mostly because of Grandmaster Chikere's fame. Though a few also rejected the idea for the same reason, citing dead wannabe disciples.

Among others, Ida was one of those willing to give up her previous weapon and attempt to attune with the sword. As they were already avoiding combat or risky missions- Rakiya almost cutting down their scouts being a big deterrent- people had some time to spare.

A few quit after one night. Or rather, before the night was over. Perhaps due to their sleeping habits, having an open blade next to them was not appealing. No serious injuries came about, and some still attempted to keep a blade with them at all times- if in a sheath- but Chidi had already written them off as a failure. Perhaps that was his own bias, or perhaps it was some true insight into the state of things. He couldn't really say until the end of the first week.

At that point, Captain Tiras, Ida, and one other fellow named Martin were different. They didn't seem to have quite awoken whatever it was that was necessary, but Chidi felt a discernible difference. The swords they carried were theirs, not just things they happened to be holding. It seemed it would take them a bit longer, but they would almost certainly achieve the necessary state.

Chidi wasn't sure what to feel about that. Sure, he might have been technically faster than them… but a week or ten days wasn't really that different. He clearly wasn't special. On the other hand, there were six or seven more people still trying to form this bond with their weapon that just… weren't going to succeed. Chidi was completely certain of that, but they hadn't given up. It might still be good for their training, but they'd never achieve… it. Whatever it was. Some step, maybe part of a person since birth.

On the other hand, everyone had told Chidi he was going to be good with swords because he was named after Chikere. As if that mattered. And he'd thought he was good until he met her, and then he thought he was awful, and now he thought that maybe one day he could be a swordmaster. But he'd have to find out.

Chidi tried to focus on the parts of his opponents that mattered. The wrinkles and slightly loose skin weren't important. The muscles underneath were, though somehow he felt that was less and less true as he began to focus only on the sword in Ida's hands. In a way, she was the least impressive member of their squad. She was old, her cultivation barely better than Chidi and behind the captain and Denitsa. She had nothing particularly special to recommend her.

It almost made Chidi want to go easy on her, but that was exactly the thing he couldn't do. So instead he knocked the blade out of her hand, then poked the tip of his blade into her throat. Just enough to nick the skin. The grandmaster was fine with more, but he simply didn't have the level of control to be comfortable with that. They didn't want anyone to die not to the enemy, but to themselves.

Ida walked over to her sword, picking it out of the dirt. Chidi wondered what she felt. Anger, frustration, disappointment? He wasn't sure. He might feel all of those, if he lost to a five year old. A fair enough comparison, for someone a quarter of his age as he was to her. Vaguely.

But… the very fact that Ida had nothing special to make her stand out among cultivator was exactly what Chidi found was the best part of her. Because she was trying to be something regardless of what she currently was. She'd come to him to ask for training in scouting techniques, even if he was just a sightless Spirit Building cultivator at the time. And she did the crazy thing of trying to learn from Grandmaster Chikere.

"Alright, alright," Chikere's voice called them to attention. "We're done with one-on-one. Time for group combat."

"Two-on-two?" asked Martin, the last of those to actually manage his 'attunement'. He was also not particularly young, which was unfortunate for him because if he had been able to go down the same path decades earlier, his life would have likely been completely different.

"Oh, that's a good idea at some point actually," Chikere admitted. "But not right now. No, we're moving to four-on-one."

Four-on-one was… not fair. Obviously Chikere meant Chidi, Tiras, Ida, and Martin against her. And that was totally unfair. They would need at least a hundred for it to feel a little bit even.

And of course, they were right. With four of them they got in each other's way almost as much as they helped, even when they eventually spread out to come at her from all sides.

But what was even more unfair was when it was Chidi's turn next. Suddenly, he had to face Tiras, Ida, Martin, and Chikere herself all at once. It didn't seem like it should be that much worse switching from a hundred to a hundred and three swords he had to deal with, and perhaps it wasn't, but he couldn't really do anything.

Not consciously, at least. His sword flashed, deflecting blows as his body moved to avoid as many attacks as he could. He was aware of lethal blow after lethal blow, but the battle never stopped. Even when he was actually impaled. Chidi was just glad that the grandmaster's sword redirected Martin's sword to go slightly above his heart. There would still be a lot of damage to muscle and the like, but that was how things were.

They cycled through everyone, and Chidi was amazed that none of them died. He was also amazed that none of them quit, because while Chidi knew that Ida had some determination to make something of herself he had no basis for how to judge Martin, who had been just another individual who seemed to have signed up for the war because he felt obligated or desperate.

"Alright, well, I'm off." Chikere declared at the end of one of their sessions. "See you guys in a week or two."

"But uh… we're planning to relocate," Chidi reminded her. "Try to find our way closer to friendly territory. Or at least somewhere not looking for us specifically."

"Don't worry. I'll find you."

"How?" Chidi asked. Then he realized that was a stupid question. "I mean… how far away can you sense swords?"

His question was not answered… directly. "Back on Ceretos, I was quite friendly with the Million Sword Vault. Of course, they never had that many blades before I ascended. But if I was motivated to collect a bunch of garbage on Yaitis, I think I could probably call myself the same thing."

Chidi wasn't sure how many people were fighting on Yaitis itself, or how many used swords… but he was quite confident that there weren't that many within anything he would call a reasonable distance for mixed Spirit Building and Essence Collection cultivators to travel within a week. It was at least the continent, though they would be lucky to get out of the province safely anyway.

He had a long way to go. But this time, he didn't mind seeing that distance quite so much.

Chapter 640

Though the situation on Torthunes had swung in the favor of the Scarlet Alliance, it was hard to say they had achieved a victory. Tauno had fought against Luksa, causing her more injuries than he himself received but he was unable to kill her. Abhilash escaped, fatigued but only mildly injured. The Harmonious Citadel still had another saint unhindered, and they would be more cautious about their movements to avoid being trapped in another formations. But they remained on Torthunes to continue the fight.

That was probably best for the Scarlet Alliance, but troublesome for Catarina and Timothy. Though they had prominent positions, they couldn't just go running off as they pleased when trouble could come again at any moment.

"I should have made a killing formation," Catarina said, biting her lip. "He wouldn't have known what hit him."

"Perhaps," Timothy said, placing a hand comfortingly on her shoulder as she looked at her work. "But if it had been Eterna who we entrapped, it would have been a monumental waste of our resources simply to tie her up for a while. Your formation still worked, it just didn't suddenly change the flow of the war."

"If he was dead we could go find Chidi."

"Or we would be even more necessary here, to take the opportunity to slay two or three saints in quick succession. It would have been hard to justify anything other than following through with such an attempt." Timothy shook his head, "But we can't change the past. What we must do now is believe in our son. And… our friend."

"We don't know if she even looked for him. Or found him."

"True. But we do know that her presence will change the balance of power on Yaitis. Regardless of direct aid, it should relieve the pressure on Chidi. And we can't always be there to save him. We let him go, so we have to honor his decision." Timothy's face remained stoic. "But if it ever became the next most practical step, going to Yaitis and reestablishing communications would be a worthy endeavor. As it is, we have to rely on the fleets attempting to regain contact on a smaller scale. We just have to wait on their reports."

Catarina nodded, then shoved her hand into a pile of shattered materials that had once been part of the formation, pulling out a melted hunk of something. "I don't want to wait. The next formation is killing a saint or…"

"Or what?" Timothy asked.

"We just need them to not be around. A forceful teleportation might do. Just need enough power for it to activate quickly."

"Where would you send them?" Timothy asked. "If it's not dangerous, they could just immediately return. And there's the problem of power."

"It only has to work once," Catarina said. "I can empower it with the formation's future. As for something with power and danger…" she looked up at the sky, towards the sun that was currently boiling the red seas, "It's quite a bit further than the moon. But it's free energy."

During his time on Shrenn and Tenoun'a, Anton couldn't help but pick up apprentices- formal or informal. Despite having a similar style, Anton didn't do much with Admetus. It wasn't simply an issue of using a crossbow, but rather the man's style was solid enough and happily on its own trajectory. He didn't need much guidance.

Anton worked with Docia because he admired her capabilities in practical matters- but he also knew that improved cultivation would help her with negotiations or simply continuing to work as she had. She coordinated much of Shrenn, though she had been convinced to pass off some of her work that didn't strictly need to be performed by a single individual.

On Tenoun'a, Aurelianus was the most sensible of the prominent figures. He was a decent student of both combat and philosophy, and Anton felt confident he would at least make well reasoned decisions for his future choices. Strangely enough, Anton would have preferred if he were weaker so that he could be molded from the beginning… much like Varghese.

He wanted to check up on the lad… and In'istra as a whole. There was still the issue of them being plagued by the Twin Soul Sect, and perhaps other spies from the upper realms. The longer they were left to develop after the invasion, the more they could weave their way into every developing or regrowing sect. Anton didn't want to wipe them all out himself because it would be better for In'istra to handle their own affairs- with some guidance.

But first, Anton had to make sure this system wouldn't tear itself apart as soon as he disappeared. For that matter, he began to show himself in public less frequently- and to limit other forms of communication as well. He wanted to see how people reacted. If things looked like they were going on a negative path he would show himself and stop things before they went anywhere, but he really hoped they could maintain their peace and build towards mutual prosperity. They'd been trapped in a hopeless cycle for so long that an outside influence like Anton had been necessary, but he didn't want them to rely on him except as the catalyst for change. Once he was reasonably certain things would be stable, he could return to In'istra, perhaps visiting a few other locations on the way. One he still didn't even have a name for, despite it being populated.

It was quite a sight to see the grand formation protecting Ekict, spread between their planets to provide a defensive barrier for everything. It must have come at great expense, and Anishka wondered how they could provide the energy to keep it running.

She could understand why they had it, of course. She was born after the latest invasion, her mother having been pregnant with her, but she had no father because of it. And she knew many others who had lost their family. For that reason, it was reasonable to go to any extreme to protect against invasions from the upper realms.

Like Weos, they were fully spread out among their planets, though with the overall population being much lower. How much, Anishka didn't know. There were approximate populations given by various visitors from the system, but no official data as far as Anishka was aware. Nobody from out of system had been able to do a survey, obviously, and even if they had the inclination or the time it was only in the last couple of years that they were even willing to accept more than a few diplomats. That likely came from an ingrained distrust of outsiders.

Not that Anishka could say anything for sure. Here she was barely two decades into her life among those who could live for centuries.

Arioron, the city Anishka was landing in, did not have a starport made for the variety of ships that came from Ceretos and the Trifold Alliance. Not that there was a huge difference in the requirements- open space, mostly, preferably flat.

Most notably they didn't have proper ways to unload people, not that Anishka needed it. She could have vaulted over the railing and landed on her feet below, if it was necessary. But she waited for a ramp to be set up, to do things properly.

She hadn't gotten a good look as they were flying in- they went for a practical landing rather than a touristy approach. Arioron was a flat city, as far as Anishka was concerned. A few tall buildings here and there, but it mostly spread out and not up. Eventually the locals might find the need for that, if urbanization increased and the population growth didn't stabilize. She didn't know if it would, given the information she had available. Everywhere she could get access to was still in a growth phase, and the Sylanis Cluster seemed to support planets overpopulating instead of settling their growth when they reached their limits.

It was weird to not be scanned in by any sort of device, though there were guards who watched over all of the incoming individuals, their energy passing over them. Anishka wondered if they would notice her stowaway- but it didn't seem they did. Not that it would have been likely. Even with a decent knowledge of void ants, she had been lucky to notice one.

Anishka wondered why one would want to sneak to Ekict, but while as far as she knew the void ant colonies didn't have exiles or whatever, she could see one getting wanderlust. This was the furthest from home they could get, if they wanted a change of scenery. She'd tried to ask, but her guest didn't do much but play dead or dumb if she got personal.

The main part of Anishka's studies would be performed under the guidance of the Enkindled Sun Sect. Ekict was a planet of cultivators, after all, so there wasn't a big fancy university she could go to. Though Anishka wanted to understand everything, she also understood that she should stick with fundamentals for cultivation, or she would end up a mess. Fire and ice were her foundations, and she found them to be a practical base for her power. And for combat, if she should need it. She would presume not, outside of sparring, but while she would be safe in most places because of her status as a visitor, she wasn't going to let herself get careless. Especially since a possible fallout wouldn't bring her back to life, and would only cause trouble for both Ekict and her home if something happened.

The Enkindled Sun Sect had a decent understanding of fire, though Anishka didn't plan to incorporate anything she learned within the first few days. It was just… basic. The Fire and Ice Palace had deeper insights. Though Anishka supposed gently pointing such things out was the point of this exchange. As for the sun part, she trusted Anton to have a deeper insight. Still, it was only the beginning and Anishka didn't expect to be graced with their deepest secrets during her first week.

Instead of spending her time cultivating in the moderately dense natural energy, Anishka preferred to explore the city of Arioron itself. It was quite different, from the style to the practical uses of the buildings to the people themselves. Especially the fact that some people weren't cultivators.

The market was the best place to see people, though Anishka didn't plan to buy much. Partly because she was only given a modest budget for her needs with the rest of what she considered money not directly usable- though she could likely get people to trade for cultivation resources if she could convince them of their quality. The other reason she would not buy anything was because nothing was necessary- she had what she needed, and the offerings were honestly mediocre. Then again, she wouldn't expect the best goods to be present in an open air market.

As she moved around between stalls catering mostly to cultivators with equipment and natural energy infused goods, she came upon a small stall that didn't seem to have a theme. There was a basket of infused grain, some sort of fruit, tubers, and more with other sorts of food. So a food stall, but the quantities of each were rather slim. But that wasn't all, there were small baskets of ore and slivers of wood and strips of cloth.

"Quite a variety of good you have here," Anishka began a conversation with the woman running the stall. "Where do you get them all? Or do you just sell for someone else?" The woman had no cultivation of her own, so the latter was fairly likely.

"Everything is the gleanings of the highest quality fields," the middle aged woman said. "Plucked by hand, perfectly fresh. Look, inspect the density of the energy," the woman held up a stalk of grain.

"Well, it's… fine," Anishka said. "But how do you even know? You shouldn't be able to sense it yourself."

"Sense it? No, perhaps not. But you can see the quality with your eyes," the woman nodded. "And my regular customers know the quality I provide."

"You have regulars?"

"Yes, of course! I provide more cheaply than the large vendors," the woman nodded seriously. "Close to half their price. You will not be able to supply a sect here, of course, but you can make yourself infused meals throughout the week. Or forge yourself a new weapon," the woman gestured to the lumps of ore. "Or your clothes…" she paused when she said that. "I suppose you do not need them to be replaced. A fine weave. It must be well imbued, yes?"

Anishka nodded. "They're enchanted to suffice as armor. As for weapons, I generally fight without." She didn't really need food either- the options provided by the sect were adequate- but she pointed to an unfamiliar but tasting looking fruit. "How much for one of those?"

"Only a few coins," the woman quickly placed it in Anishka's hand, holding out her own for payment.

"That's too cheap," Anishka said, even as she paid. "You should know the quality of your own goods. If you cultivated, you could judge more closely."

The woman shrugged, "I make enough to survive. What more could I ask?"

"You could thrive," Anishka said. "Want to learn?"

"Alas, I have no money to buy whatever manuals you wish to peddle, nor anything else to offer. I am fine as I am."

Anishka surrounded them with a small bubble of privacy. There was enough of a crowd that it was better to be safe. "It would be free."

"I… why?" the woman furrowed her brow suspiciously.

"Because I want to teach someone," Anishka said. "It seems like it would be a good experience."

"Do you have the necessary experience?" the woman asked. "I don't mean to be rude, but you appear youthful and I cannot tell your cultivation, obviously."

"Oh, I'm actually just about twenty years old," Anishka said. "But I am a peak Spirit Building cultivator. I can at least guide you through Body Tempering. Any cultivation would make carrying your baskets much easier."

"Well, I… if your offer is true, young lady, I will gladly accept."

"It is. What's your name?"

"Patka."

"I'm Anishka, of the Fire and Ice Palace."

"I am afraid I have not heard of your esteemed institution," Patka inclined her head. "But I am happy to accept whatever guidance you wish to offer."

"Well, you wouldn't have. I'm from Ceretos."

At that, Patka looked slightly relieved. "Truly? No wonder you… acted outside of my expectations."

"You can say I'm weird for offering something for free," Anishka said. "It's true."

Chapter 641

Just because he had a thousand cuts and punctures throughout his body causing every movement of his body to ache didn't mean Chidi could just take the day off. They still had to move, their destination decided by Captain Tiras. Shutoll was a city a few hundred kilometers distant, less than a week of travel by road and potentially quite a bit more with a whole squad moving in secret.

The location was chosen for being the most likely of the vaguely nearby cities to still remain under the Scarlet Alliance's control, based on what they learned from stolen plans and its position. It was their best bet for meeting up with others besides the ephemeral Chikere, who didn't seem to care about the particulars of what cities were under whose control. Most likely, if she wanted to go somewhere she just would, regardless of who technically controlled an area.

Picking out enemy squads had become easier, as long as any of their members carried swords. That was fairly common, as cultivators of certain branches of the Harmonious Citadel tended to stick to their superiors. Thus, with Rakiya present there were many other disciples of the sword. It was also practical to have a mix of different styles, but as far as Chidi was aware they didn't really consider that for squad composition.

When people took the effort to conceal themselves at all, they rarely considered their weapons. Even Velvet hadn't really brought up the topic, which made Chidi wonder what this connection was. Could he gain the same sort of understanding for other weapons? Swords were among the most popular for one to wholeheartedly devote to, so it was likely possible. Though Chidi was unsure if it was possible with more than one weapon at a time. And… if it was reasonably possible to achieve, why the majority of Harmonious Citadel cultivators didn't seem to have that connection. Except for the path of light, they were all devoted to a weapon.

Chidi wasn't going to assume that none of the enemy possessed the trait- just that the majority didn't. So he would have to figure out some way to hide his sword. Swords, technically, though the one from his parents was now just a backup. He would get in some training later with Captain Tiras and the others who developed the connection, as they would be able to sense if his attempts to conceal his blade actually proved fruitful.

Where enemy squads didn't have sword cultivators, Chidi could still rely on traditional methods of detection… except for sight, of course. Aconite was responsible for that one. Or Ida, soon enough. Or several of the others, if they survived a few more months.

As Chidi walked, the aches and pains in his body reminded him that even if bone, muscles, and organs were only minimally damaged in an assault, there was no way to avoid some sort of injury if a blade went through someone. That should seem obvious, but even when a blade wove through muscle fibers it still strained them even if it did not cut them. The path to recovery was much shorter, but there was a limit to how quickly a body could recover. And though Chidi had a storage of personal medicines, he didn't want to use them carelessly on trivial injuries.

Aconite startled Chidi out of his musings. "You know," she softly growled, "I don't think you have any basis for denouncing my mithridatism training anymore. You're getting hurt just as much."

"I didn't choose this method, though," Chidi pointed out.

"You did, simply by accepting Grandmaster Chikere's offer of training. You knew what it would be like. Meanwhile, I am simply accomplishing my own training through similar methods."

"Sure but… the point of the training is for me to get better so this doesn't happen to me anymore."

"And the point of my training is so it can't happen."

A few moments of silence. "Have I been so negative about that?" Chidi asked. "I just don't like seeing you in pain."

"The same with myself, and being in pain. But it is merely the process of growth. A cultivator must choose how much pain they can or should endure along their path of development."

That was basically true. And while Chidi didn't like pain, he also knew it was a valuable experience on its own. And he was quite glad when it was over. But as one of life's many sensations, it was a part of what he would eventually have to experience. He just wouldn't seek it out, but let it happen organically.

It took some time for Anishka to realize an important feature of the world. It was something she hadn't really comprehended until she came to Ekict. That thing was that Assimilation cultivators weren't everywhere.

Obviously she knew that. She had a pretty clear idea of exactly how many there were… but that also meant an understanding that anywhere in the Trifold Alliance she was rarely ever more than a few moments away from one. At the speeds they could move, of course. For her, it could be much longer.

In Ekict, the number was known even more precisely- because it was exactly zero. Unless any had sneakily popped up in the last decade or so of interaction. Which didn't seem likely, because they were hungry to know how Assimilation worked, even the weaker cultivators.

Even Patka, who was literally just beginning her cultivation and could barely even light or put out a fire. But it was a natural curiosity, at least for those who had the knowledge denied them. Strangely enough, Anishka was in no rush to find out as she knew she could at any time- at least when she actually needed it.

Guiding a beginning cultivator was a lot harder than Anishka thought it would be. She thought of it like basic arithmetic or reading and writing, but it was definitely more than a few stages removed from that.

Patka had basic questions that showed a serious lack of fundamental understandings of the world Anishka just thought everyone had. "I find it difficult to imbue something with cold."

"Well," Anishka tried to explain. "What you're actually doing is removing heat from it."

"But… it doesn't make me hot," Patka said.

"That's because your natural energy is absorbing the change."

"Why?"

That question was a lot harder to answer than it seemed. It was because natural energy responded to intent and control more than it performed a specific action. Because people didn't think of something getting hot when they froze something. Because… it was easier.

Anishka frowned. Why should she not get something out of the heat she removed? That would be more efficient, even. And she wasn't an ice cultivator, like her mother. She was brought up in the Fire and Ice Palace, and learned both styles. There were others like her, and while the two styles got along very well they were still quite clearly two groups with people taking part in both. Unlike their home, it wasn't really a proper fusion technique.

"Are you alright?" Patka's words brought Anishka back to reality.

"Oh, sorry. For the short answer, natural energy tends to soften the unintended side effects of people's actions, which is good because otherwise early cultivators would really screw themselves up quite often. But there's more to it that can be understood with time."

"I see," Patka nodded. "Well, if you'll excuse me I should be going. I have customers to satisfy."

It was unfortunate, but true. Patka needed to keep up with her work, not just to provide money for her survival but also to hopefully obtain extra gleanings for herself. That sort of scarcity was something Anishka hadn't had to deal with, and not just because she was the daughter of a sect head. Most of the Trifold Alliance was prosperous enough, and cultivation ubiquitous enough, that there wasn't really a question of finding time to cultivate. It was just how much time people would spend after they developed into adults and augmented their body and mind to perform tasks better.

Anishka made her way back to her room, since she didn't really have any other friends nearby. Except for the Sergeant, who frequently insisted that they were not friends and that she was not actually there. The void ant, that is. Obviously they both knew Anishka was there. Even finding out the ant was a Sergeant was difficult, but after once insinuating that the ant might be part of the Royal Guard, she had been very insistent that was not true and her own rank was quite a bit lower… for the moment.

"Did you find anything interesting, Sergeant?"

"The state of natural energy is somewhat lacking here," said the void ant in their sign. "And the natives-"

"What about the natives?"

"They are perfectly normal individuals who might squash an ant if they saw it. So I remain concealed."

"Yeah, that makes sense. What if you were bigger, do you think that would change?"

"That would compromise my… position. And simply make me more of a target."

"Alright, well, you can still come with me. The folds of my collar should be safe enough still."

There was no official response to that, but Anishka knew she would likely find an ant waiting by the exit of her room come morning. She wondered if she should get some more friends, since one was significantly older and the other was an ant that didn't want to talk. Not that she personally felt the need for many, but that seemed like too few.

Anton left his most recent location behind, with the important qualifier that several individuals had methods to contact him in case of an emergency. He didn't want to be in a constant state of being used as an emergency contact, but he could manage a couple planets and one system at a time. Ceretos and the Trifold Alliance were just fine without him, though he would obviously not refuse a call for help if they sent one.

He returned on his path towards In'istra, taking a somewhat wandering path with one specific stopover in mind. The planet he wanted to visit was around a cool white star. By moisture quantity it was clearly a desert… but it was not lifeless like the intentional devastation of Tenoun'a and Shrenn.

This place still had not had any real contact with Anton, including telling him its name. That was something he planned to change on this visit. As expected, his approach resulted in people scurrying inside. If he wanted to, Anton could have approached with stealth or sufficient speed to catch them. But both options seemed like they would have negative side effects. So he allowed them to notice him at a great distance, and approached the same settlements. Nobody came out, but this time he left notes. Unless this planet was particularly divergent, they should at least be able to read them.

There was the slight issue that all of his ink and paper were imbued with natural energy to make everything durable, but that was easily circumvented by writing in the dirt. His message was simple. He was a wandering traveler, curious about the place. And he would very much like to know their name. Hopefully they would supply that.

He did as his messages said and moved to a particular part of the wilderness that should seem like a reasonable distance away. He could still sense the various settlements, of course, but he used only the smallest strands of energy to detect changes. People did return outside, and they at least approached the messages.

After one week he returned. Scrawled on the ground next to one of them was a simple answer. Xicil. That had to be the name of the planet, since he wouldn't have received an answer if communication was not possible. The one thing that was noticeably missing was a request to never come back. Perhaps they had not considered that it would do any good, but now Anton had infinitely more connection to the area.

Before he left, he looked over their various crops- mainly succulents and other desert dwelling plants. They were quite well managed, and it made him quite happy to see. Perhaps he could provide them a gift, though he would have to be careful that it would not disrupt the ecology. They had a nice balance at the moment that he didn't want to disrupt.

Chapter 642

Being instantly revealed by Anishka and failing a vital component of the mission had been unfortunate… but the Sergeant still believed she could fulfill the mission. And as Anishka didn't seem to be an enemy, secrecy was still intact for the moment.

There was one problem unforeseen by the Sergeant. Any sort of spying had to be done in person, and everything was far. She was, after all, just a tiny ant. At her comfortable speed, she could travel only a few kilometers per day- the same sort of distance a non-cultivator human could cover in a single hour. Some void ants were capable of going much more quickly, of course… but the Sergeant was not large or powerful.

Determined strides could bring her a bit further. Pushing herself to go longer, she could achieve ten kilometers in a day- but if she wanted to return to a specific point the same day, she was quite limited.

It took the Sergeant several days to find a reliable way out of Arioron, to see anything that was not city. It was a half day's travel in the shortest direction.

Trudging through the wilderness was a dangerous task for a lone ant. Leaving behind pheromone trails would do the Sergeant no good, except to find her way back. No reinforcements would be coming, at least none she had been informed of. Perhaps there were other independent agents, perhaps not. The Great Queen had not said, and it was not her place to ask.

Food was abundant, at least. The Sergeant began idly cutting pieces of a leaf before realizing there was no colony to return gathered food to. It was better to take tiny nibbles of things, after checking for toxins. It was lonely, having no one to share with.

But being alone was not just mentally taxing, but dangerous. The Sergeant spotted a massive beetle charging towards her. Alright, so what if it was smaller than a human's pinky? It was still probably a hundred times her weight, or more. Massive jaws opened, intending to swallow her whole but the Sergeant wanted none of that.

If she were back home, she would have an army of hundreds to call upon to make optimal use of the communal nature of void ants. Here, she could only dodge to the side- a move that seemed to confuse the beetle. If confusion was even something it could feel. This was the void ant's main advantage- where energy was out of the equation. A thinking mind, and though the Sergeant knew that her age limited her cognitive ability, she was still far above a common insect.

She ran, not away from the beetle but under its legs. As it spun around to try to catch her, she latched onto one leg, climbing up close to its carapace. It didn't even seem to notice her. Instead, it just looked for more prey, moving far faster than the Sergeant could hope.

Then she spotted something- a bird, diving from the sky. The sparrow snatched up the beetle in its even more massive jaws, a fitting retribution for its attempts. The Sergeant of course detached herself before that moment, flopping to the ground… and being ignored. Even as one of the smaller birds, a single ant was beneath its notice. Hopefully.

The next danger was a massive undulating monster- a caterpillar. It nearly got her, but its reflexes were too slow. Understanding that it was a larger target, the Sergeant merely latched onto its side to be further from other aggressors. And, as a show of dominance, she nibbled on the significantly softer creature, feeding on its power. Surprisingly, the mouthful of flesh not only had nutrients but also a small amount of natural energy imbued in it. That was a good sign for habitability. Void ants could live anywhere normal ants did- but they would hardly be elevated above any other without natural energy to feed upon.

Eventually the Sergeant made it back to the city. Obviously her survey was not conclusive, but if any portion of the planet even closely resembled that wilderness, the void ants could establish a number of colonies. It was not up to the Sergeant to negotiate for such a thing. The Great Queen would likely take care of that job herself.

The fastest way around Arioron was, of course, riding upon a human. As long as the Sergeant could avoid being directly stomped upon- actually easier than it seemed, given the propensity for human footwear to not impact every portion of its sole with significant force- she would be an unnoticed passenger.

Going places quickly wasn't that useful when it wasn't somewhere she wanted, but the Sergeant had compromise. Asking Anishka could have worked, but not only did she not want to push the good will of the individual keeping her secret, she could stumble upon the other purpose for her presence on planet. Though simply going along with Anishka to monitor her allowed her to continue the tertiary objective. Though that wasn't much different from knowing where she stayed at night, because the Sergeant couldn't actually provide any sort of safety. At best, she could try to share information of peril, if something should happen. Not exactly something she was equipped to accomplish. But it was her duty to do her best.

Anishka's energy was both hot and cold. Like a frozen chili pepper, full of deliciously fatal compounds. Except of course in the form of natural energy, it only helped the Sergeant develop.

Though she was fairly certain Anishka wouldn't notice or care, she still restrained herself from taking much. She did not want to antagonize the princess nor bloat herself on too much energy. And humans were not meant to be fed upon.

All of the other cultivators were part of the mission. The Sergeant did not know any other way to determine the efficacy of future allies, and her instructions had been nonspecific.

Anishka's friend Patka had the same flavor, of course, but her energy was weaker by more than an entire tier. She was just a beginning Body Tempering cultivator, after all. The Enkindled Sun Sect tasted like soup that was a little bit too hot. Perhaps that was simply in comparison to other spice, but the Sergeant couldn't help but compare. Not only to Anishka, but also to that one time she'd been allowed to visit the colony on Paradise and one of the phoenixes had let her nibble their energy.

There were the sharp flavors of weapon focused cultivators, the vegetal taste of plant cultivators, gritty stone cultivators, pure water cultivators, and various sorts of weapon focused methods. Cultivators ranged from weaker than Aniskha, around the threshold of Essence Collection if not quite there yet, to all the way into Life Transformation.

Then she tasted one that tasted like nothing. The Sergeant thought she'd somehow not grabbed anything, so she took another larger bite, which almost killed her twice. First was the surge of internal energy which still tasted like nothing, second was the man swiveling his head. "What was that?"

Of course a powerful cultivator could sense even a tiny fluctuation in their own energy. The Sergeant stood perfectly still as an uncomfortably absent energy flowed over her. But it would not pick her out. And unless one specifically trained to detect millimeter pockets of lack, void ants wouldn't be noticed. That was the only thing that saved her. If the Sergeant was any bigger, she probably would have been spotted visually.

The cultivator left, but she didn't move. She couldn't risk disturbing the energy inside her, which felt like the vastness of space trying to explode her from the inside. This was not Life Transformation energy. It had to be Integration. No, that should involve ascension energy- the taste had been described to her, and even if the flavor of a cultivation would change it, it should be recognizable. No Ascension energy. Then, a Worldbinding cultivator? Assimilation?

How? Ekict wasn't supposed to have any of those. And they'd driven off the invaders from the upper realms… right?

The Sergeant had a bad feeling as she watched the figure continue along the road. She was going to have to follow him… placing herself in greater danger. But this was clearly the true mission. The Great Queen knew, somehow, and the Sergeant had to provide proof.

Back on In'istra, Anton was reunited with a Spirit Building Varghese. It had been several years, after all, so it was only natural progress. Anton was glad to see that Varghese had shared the Hundred Stars with his family. They seemed to be the first, but there were a few more among the Iron Plate Mercenaries.

Obviously the kid was no Vincent, but could he really be blamed for that? Vincent was the only one like him, and if Anton were to compare in percentages then technically Varghese had recruited a higher proportion of the local planetary residents. It should be everyone but himself, in fact.

After observing the situation for a time, Anton finally approached when Varghese was practicing on the same abandoned rooftop with several others. He greatly restricted his energy and climbed up the same route the others would have to take.- past the western creepers which were carefully maintained.

Sensing his arrival, the closest woman greeted him. "I was not expecting new arrivals. Welcome, bro…ther." She stumbled over her words upon seeing Anton properly.

Anton had all sorts of responses to that, like pointing out that even old men could be brothers. But she had probably sensed a portion of his true energy, and Varghese had also focused on him. "Sect Head," he clasped his hands and bowed deeply. Everyone else panicked for a moment and followed suit. "I did not expect you."

"I said I would return when I found time. I have time." Anton waved his hand towards the group, "Go ahead and raise your heads. I am a Sect Head, but as far as I'm concerned Varghese here has a similar position. He just has less experience, and I suppose I'm technically his master."

"There are many reasons to show respect to someone like yourself, Sect Head Anton."

"I will gladly accept respect. But people can also look at me. I'm not going to get angry about that." Anton took a good look at Varghese- though he was already well aware of the man's status from his observations. "Spirit Building, of course. Well on your way to Essence Collection, even."

"I'm not so certain about that," Varghese admitted. "It's a slow process."

"Don't be silly. Your lifespan is still expanding much more quickly than you're using it up. I'm not going to speculate on you going beyond Life Transformation, but based on my judgments you should at least get that far."

"... Beyond Life Transformation?" the woman who'd first greeted him asked.

Anton shrugged, as he was slowly letting his true cultivation be felt. "Of course. Ascension is but one branch. No one knows what the limits of cultivation are. So, Varghese. How have things been going?"

"As you can see, I have recruited some disciples. I… admit my hands are full with only a few and my own training. Plus my work with the Iron Plate. I do have to earn money somehow."

"True," Anton nodded. He could have thrown a huge pile of wealth on Varghese, but that would have only gotten him robbed and killed. Teaching him a new cultivation technique that would feel just like one of many until the true power shone through at the later stages- where they could properly protect their position- was much more reasonable. "And what about… that other task?"

Varghese nodded, "You can speak of it here. I know none of those present are part of the Twin Soul Sect. Though of course you can discern that for yourself. As for our progress… I have little impact, personally. Perhaps if I reach Essence Collection, as there aren't too many Life Transformation individuals left on In'istra." Varghese frowned. "There has also been trouble with some particular members or suspected members."

"I'm not here to solve your problems," Anton pointed out. "But… the Twin Soul Sect also isn't just your problem. They're everyone's problem. So I might be inclined to help out somewhat. But first, something even more important. Speak of your cultivation woes." Anton sat down on the edge of the roof. "All of you. I am certain you've run into struggles that Varghese is not yet experienced enough to perfectly handle… and that's alright. That's what those of us who've been around a while are for."

Chapter 643

To reach Shutoll, at some point the squad was going to have to go around or through the Iron Heights. After consulting with the scouts, Captain Tiras brought the squad together to explain the plan.

"The Harmonious Citadel controls the route to the north around the Iron Heights, as well as the major pass to the south. However, there is a smaller path in between shown on our maps- and confirmed by our scouts. While it is true that the risk of running into powerful beasts will go up significantly, I have determined that it is still safer than going near human-controlled territory." He looked around at the squad to make sure his words settled in. This wasn't a discussion, merely a statement of what would be, but he still wanted everyone on board. "If we make our way across the mountains, we might find ourselves in Scarlet Alliance territory. If not, we should only have a few more days of travel to reach the control of Shutoll."

He didn't bother mentioning the possibility that the Harmonious Citadel would have already taken it over. If they had, there was little hope for the squad. The best they could hope for was dispersing into the populace and not being recognized as members of the Scarlet Alliance. But he didn't want to suggest or promote such a possibility, especially with the risk of failure. If they all stayed together, they should have the best chance. There was also the factor of Grandmaster Chikere's presence- though she was not someone they could rely on, as long as she was on Yaitis there was still hope.

At first, Chidi presumed that the Iron Heights were just another name for a place. Mountains and stone were generally hard, so the name would fit anywhere. In this particular case, there was a bit more to it. Not only were there exposed ores- though generally of little value- the whole mountain had a strange flow of energy about it. Chidi could feel it, tugging on him and to a larger extent his blade. Magnetism, with the exposed rough ores being prominently magnetite. The fields fluctuated from completely ignorable to strong enough to cause the soldiers to sway unsteadily as their weapon or armor were pulled off balance.

Aconite was the only one completely unaffected, mostly by coincidence. She didn't use weapons herself, and her fur was the best armor she could realistically have. Her parents and some siblings had tried more armor on top, but most of it was too bulky and led to overheating fatigue, along with the fact that even with armor designed to fit them it limited mobility. Humans had untold generations of experience working armor for themselves, but they had not worked out all of the little quirks for other creatures, even she smiths who specialized in beast mounts.

"Mother would like this place," Aconite commented to Chidi.

"Would she?"

"Indeed. The earth itself is quite interesting, I am sure she could learn something."

"... My mother would either love it or hate it," Chidi replied. "Magnetism can augment formations… or completely ruin it. This is just one big complication. Or half of a setup already done."

Their ascent was not terribly interesting, as bare stone and metal ores were the main sight, with only thin dirt on the slopes and few other features. Only a few scraggly plants growing in the rocks, using what soil they could find.

Aconite led the way up a scree slope, an endless number of loose and often sharp rocks… and of course magnetite chunks. Every time Chidi leaned forward, the ground was liable to jump up and grab at his sword. When that happened, rocks loosened and nearly caused a cascading effect. Fortunately, as cultivators they were able to prevent themselves from slipping if things shifted suddenly, and the magnetic rocks tended to clump together. That meant they could partially be avoided or otherwise dealt with. Even when there was a large shift, it made the whole section more stable for those following behind.

Along with the larger chunks sticking to his sword through its sheath, Chidi sensed a small coating of dirt. No, that wasn't quite right. As he tried to brush it off, it merely moved around- and when it built up in one spot it stood out in strange patterns. Iron sand, then, reacting with the general magnetism of the area. It was interesting to see how it spread, but it would be inconvenient to fight with its interference. It seemed like only a small detail, but Chidi was beginning to understand how small changes could significantly impact a battle, when perfection of motion was demanded.

As they got closer to the pass, a lower section that would require less climbing and otherwise risky traversal, the ground trembled sending scree flying over the Chidi and Aconite, then the squad further behind them. At first it seemed to be an isolated incident, but it came again.

"I smell something," Aconite said.

Chidi also smelled something, but he wasn't sure if it was relevant. Mostly, it was metallic. As they continued a bit closer, he felt fluctuations of energy. Then there was another trembling, preceded by a burst of natural energy. "Something's fighting."

"That does seem to be the case. Bad luck."

"Perhaps," Chidi said. "Or we can slip past. There's something big… but I can't quite tell what's fighting it."

"Human cultivators," Aconite declared. "The winds shifted. I smell them now."

"Great. Harmonious Citadel, or…?"

"Unfortunately, I don't believe they will be friends."

Chidi held back to relay the message to the captain, who ordered the soldiers to suppress their energy. They were keeping it somewhat constrained already, but they couldn't keep a hold to the maximum effect all of the time. Even if some weren't stealth experts, they could get a bit closer to their goal unnoticed if everyone put in the effort.

"If you can find a way around, lead us there," Captain Tiras said.

"Of course," Chidi nodded. He strode upwards to catch up with Aconite, only a couple hundred meters ahead. He kept track of the battle, able to hear the sounds as well as feeling the vibrations. No sword cultivators, he was quite certain. Spear, perhaps? They had lost their saint, and so they went wherever they were told or thought they could regain some prestige. Even if the Harmonious Citadel tried not to admit the loss, people had to know.

The sounds of combat continued to become more and more clear. In fact, it seemed as if it was moving closer faster than Chidi could climb the slope. Then there was a great shattering sound, and a strange tube came flying towards him.

Fortunately, it wasn't as close as he first thought. It was just the massive noise its body made moving through the air, and the speed with which it had happened. It landed far short of him, though it still started a cascade of semi-magnetic scree. Chidi blocked his face with his arms, trying to determine where the giant snake was looking. Its head… turned towards him? He wasn't quite sure about that, because it was still some distance away. And as long as he'd gone without it, he'd come to rely on the feeling of a gaze to determine intent.

Then the time for thought passed as it flipped about, several more figures descending towards it in a clear display of their cultivation. There was no way they would miss the squad down slope from them, with absolutely no cover.

"We can't let the humans live to speak of us!" Aconite barked.

Chidi agreed, drawing his blade. Immediately bits of the mountainside reached up to try to grab onto his weapon, but he slashed with the intent to leave it behind, then began to make his way upwards. Though he ran at an angle, because he didn't want to run into the snake. It was at least a meter thick, and dozens long. Quite enough to swallow any person whole, should it get the opportunity. Though usually they would not feed during a battle, Chidi knew beasts with cultivation such as it had could circumvent normal animal activity.

He didn't really intend to help the snake… but they had a mutual enemy at the moment, and couldn't just stay out of the fight. There were at least five Essence Collection cultivators among the enemy, and a couple dozen more in Spirit Building. A dangerous group for just their squad to fight, but if they ran now they would just be hunted down in a day or two. And the enemies weren't exactly fresh.

Aconite avoided entering the thick of the battle- she was smarter than that, and only Chidi was with her at the moment. The rest of the squad was moving, but while they waited Aconite picked off one of the cultivators that strayed away from the rest. She lunged forward, grabbing the leg of a surprised individual. Then she spun him towards Chidi, who reacted by slicing with his sword. The two of them had developed their teamwork over their time together, but Chidi felt his own movements were even smoother now.

Obviously the enemy wouldn't just ignore one of their own being killed. Nor would being engaged with a large snake distract them enough to not notice. Immediately, half of the weaker cultivators charged towards the pair. It was a sensible arrangement- a handful of them could fight Chidi and Aconite respectively and overwhelm them. But the two did not let themselves get split up… and Chidi was imbued with a deep overconfidence.

At least, he had to assume it was overconfidence until he was proven otherwise. It was crazy to let a spear nearly brush the tip of his nose, but he did. At the same time, his sword slashed up towards his opponent's arms. The only thing that saved them was the slope and Chidi suddenly being pulled down. Massive ripples of power had suddenly spread out from the snake, reaching the secondary battle only a couple dozen meters away. That was practically right on top of it, as it could stretch that entire distance.

Somehow, it had increased the magnetism of all of the scree. Now it coated its body like a second layer of armor, while sticking to the weapons and armor of humans who were not expecting it. Chidi didn't like the way his weapon was suddenly heavy, but he was unable to shake anything off his weapon.

With a moment of focus, he shifted his thoughts. If it would not let go, he should make use of it. He felt for the flow, both of weapons and magnetic fields. Citadel's Downfall had much to say about the Harmonious Citadel's flow in combat, and capitalizing on a shift in energy he swung his blade. It seemed to be going high, but instead it followed the shifting lines, coming down on his opponent's shoulder while their spear went over him, slightly deflected by the fields and partly due to the angle.

One enemy fell, only to be replaced by two. Another fell, to be replaced by a third and a fourth. They surrounded Chidi on one side, with Aconite held back on the other. But they were not the only ones with allies. Denitsa leapt into battle, swinging her warhammer down, disregarding whatever tried to stick to her or the enemy. It was an appropriate move, as the random magnetic scree around her hammer physically deflected the spear, while her focus on simple momentum brought her weapon straight towards a breastplate, the force of her blow crushing it and opening her opponent up to be finished off in the next swing. Chidi appreciated the straightforward power, but he knew that wasn't for him. He liked the efficiency of a well maneuvered blade.

A moment later, Chidi nearly found himself impaled on one of the enemy Essence Collection cultivator's spears. Not because they had chosen to come face the squad, but because they were slapped flying backwards. Without the pressure of the full group of Harmonious Citadel individuals, the giant serpent had found an opening. Chidi could smell the blood dripping from it, some of it even on the spear that trailed past his ear, but it was clearly not down and out yet.

Chidi tightened his grip. They would get through this still. He was confident, and he'd have to trust that his training was good enough. It always had to be. Because he was going to survive, and go apologize to his parents for thinking he was ready when he really wasn't.

Chapter 644

The sharpness of spear points drew lines through Chidi's position, and his body moved to negate their intent. A half step to the side on the scree, a twist of his blade to deflect a trajectory, and many other small movements in rapid succession. Then when the time came, he would step inside the range of one opponent and make his own attack, creating his own line through them. Often enough it was successful, and when it wasn't it forced his opponents to retreat to a non-optimal location. Such as closer to the giant snake, which was still present.

Occasionally the battlefield shifted under the will of the giant snake, either pushing or pulling some of the magnetic scree and many weapons and armor. Lesser members of the Harmonious Citadel were the first to fall, while the Essence Collection cultivators were only just realizing the danger they were in. Though the Scarlet Alliance squad couldn't assume the snake would assist them, keeping their opponents between them and it was sufficient to pressure them.

Chidi got locked in battle with one for a few short moves. His body reacted more than his mind, and a moment later he had a large gash on his left side as the spear grazed past with energy extended- but his opponent lost an arm in the exchange. The wound on Chidi's side wouldn't matter that much if he immediately treated it. But first the battle had to be won.

Captain Tiras as well as the vice-captain Denitsa had each taken out another of the Essence Collection cultivators. The snake crushed one beneath its body, and then wrapped itself around the remaining one, crushing his bones.

There was a tense moment of groups facing off with each other. Chidi tried to determine where the snake was looking, but he could only feel its motions. A tongue sticking out, detecting heat. Further up its rather large head, he felt… trails of blood. So the creature's eyes had been stabbed out. Chidi felt a bit of pity for what it had lost, though he didn't know sight himself.

A roaring growl came from Aconite, not one with meaning besides the obvious. A threat, and intimidation. Neither side moved for a moment, before the serpent began to retreat, cultivator still clutched in its tail. They let it go, because they had no reason to hunt it. Material wealth wasn't worth the very real risk to their lives, especially if they couldn't reach anywhere that would make use of the materials.

Chidi pulled out a medical kit, ready to stitch up his side, but he stopped. He wasn't the only one injured. The squad had lost a few people as well, despite attacking an enemy who was already engaged with a powerful opponent.

The one that stopped Chidi was Ida. A survey of her physical form might have made Chidi think she was dead, a hole through her chest. And certainly, she would be soon. However, her body still pumped blood and retained heat.

The things taught to Chidi by Grandmaster Chikere did not make him a doctor, but he was qualified enough as a basic combat surgeon. Needle and thread found their way into his hands, where he began to stitch up the worst of the damage. It wasn't going to be enough. Chidi also pulled out a medicinal pill from his bag, only to wonder how she was going to swallow it. There was a hole right through her sternum, which went through her trachea and esophagus along with damage to her heart. She couldn't swallow it, but he could shove it straight towards her stomach.

It began to dissolve naturally, but it would be better if it was consciously circulated. Unfortunately, Chidi couldn't do anything about that. All he could do was stop the bleeding- he was very good at 'undoing' cuts, as his training had made him quite familiar with them. It was only a short time directly under Chikere's tutelage, but the comparison to the offensive end of things made it stick with him. And it was better to try than not.

The blood of Chidi's first scouting student was all over his hands as he frantically tried to get it back in her. If he'd been relying on sight, he would have been completely incapable. His access to inside of her closed up with muscular action, but his energy wielded needles like tiny rapiers, drawing patterns that held the body vaguely in shape.

When he finally got to stitching up her outer wounds, Chidi was honestly shocked she was still alive. That could only be partly his own efforts and the medicine. Proper body tempering training made people more durable, but there were still limits. This required determination to live, and probably a good bit of luck.

Ida did not open her eyes, and Chidi did not want to force her… but they had to move. So he hoisted her onto his back, the same as other squad members were doing for those who could not move. Those who did not survive had received quick burials- the enemies were left for beasts to consume.

Chidi realized he hadn't yet worked on his own side. Fortunately, the blood had clotted, partly because of his undershirt. It was going to be a royal pain to disentangle that without ripping open his side, and there was still some internal bleeding, but Chidi circulated his energy and focused on promoting recovery as he moved. This was another sensation he only wanted to experience once. It hurt much worse than the cleaner cuts of the grandmaster.

So far, Anton had not needed to kill anyone on his own. While techniques to reveal the true cultivation of the Twin Soul Sect weren't perfect, Anton had a cultivation advantage. Twisting a jolt of energy into an arrow that moved near the speed of light, he turned heads to focus on the targets in the most inopportune of circumstances. Just now, he had done his deed at a meeting of four local sects.

"What is this?" demanded the woman of the hosting sect. "The energy of invaders!"

"No, it's-" the man frantically searched for an excuse. "I felt something. I was poisoned!"

The quick thinking saved the man for the moment- but it did not stop the other three from restraining him. They were able to verify the path of the arrow as it pierced into the building, but following that trajectory they would never spot Anton. He was a hundred kilometers away, not quite on the opposite side.

"I heard there is a technique being distributed that can detect the Twin Soul Sect…" one of the others said. "I can have my contacts verify the information and see if we can get our hands on it."

"It's just a temporary fluctuation," the man pleaded. "You know I'm not one of them."

"Do we?" said the final one. "I'm sure you can see why we would be hesitant. Until we can verify one way or another, you will be taken into custody. Should this truly be a mistake, we will apologize and help you hunt down whoever framed you." Nobody sounded convinced, of course. But they didn't want to kill a Life Transformation cultivator or the head of a sect without sufficient proof. It might bolster their positions slightly, but it would weaken the province with respect to other sects that might want their resources.

Anton could imagine that was how they were thinking, at least. Hopefully he could continue helping In'istra rebuild and prosperous enough they wouldn't default to conflicts. That would require some other sorts of guidance as well, though hopefully some of that could be done by the burgeoning Order of One Hundred Stars branch. Varghese was a fine young fellow, of strong character that would hopefully lead others to be the same.

Everheart was bored. Normally that would lead him to go do something to relieve his boredom, but he was at a critical juncture of setting up his little system. It wouldn't be fully done for a decade, but the basic components necessary to fight a few Augmentation cultivators were there. He was confident in beating saints one-on-one, of course, but they were traveling in batches. And there should be a couple other Augmentation cultivators that wanted to take him out. Rather than having to fake his death again, spending a bit of time to prepare was best. If the Harmonious Citadel thought he would stop with just one, they didn't know him that well. Their whole empire needed to collapse in embarrassment as their leaders were publicly shamed. Or killed, he supposed. Whichever was convenient at the time.

How much further to Shutoll? That was supposed to be the question answered by Chidi, but he couldn't help but wonder himself. It shouldn't be far, but it felt like forever. At least Ida could walk again. If barely. He had no idea if she would ever recover to a point she could fight. Or if her wound might get infected. Usually cultivators didn't have to deal with such a thing, but when severely weakened it could still be trouble. On the other hand, sometimes there were infections that could harm even otherwise healthy cultivators. Just one more reason to get to a city and a proper doctor, not just someone who would stitch things closed and barely shift bones back to where they should go.

Just as Chidi was about to ask Aconite if she could see the city, he felt something coming. This time, he was fully ready for it and found it comforting. A large number of now familiar swords, and thus the person who came with them, bounding along the ground. Which was weird, since she could fly.

"Nice scar," Grandmaster Chikere said.

"... Thanks?" Chidi tilted his head. It would have been better if he could have avoided the big scar on his side instead. That was going to take a lot of work to properly recover, since the early healing process wasn't optimal.

"I'm both glad and disappointed it wasn't from a sword."

"Because…?"

"It would mean you failed to avoid an attack properly, but it also means you were fighting people who barely matter."

"Harsh."

Chidi could feel her looking around, specifically the way her energy senses roamed. "You left a needle in there."

Before Chidi could ask more, Chikere had stepped a hundred meters over to Ida's location and slapped a palm on her back. There was a tiny shimmer as a needle came out of her. Then Chikere held it in front of him. "Don't lose it."

"Dammit. Was that why she's not healing well?"

"Nah, probably didn't matter. Looks like she got it pretty bad. But you really have to pay attention to those things."

He had been paying attention, of course. As much as his mind could process at the time. But even now, he was still in a daze, wondering if he would survive. Though at the current moment his body was already wilting with relief. Maybe too soon, though.

"Grandmaster, are you able to tell if Shutoll is still under Scarlet Alliance control?"

"Who and what now?"

"... the city that way," Chidi pointed. He really hoped there was still a city there.

"Oh, yeah. I recognize those swords. Not held by the Citadel, either. So you're probably good. And if not, I guess you can settle there anyway."

"Yeah, as if we can defeat a whole city."

"I mean, I don't plan to fight your battles for you. But it's not really out of my way, and its easier for me to train you if you settle down."

"... Right." For the sake of Shutoll, Chidi hoped they had not been taken over by the Harmonious Citadel. Otherwise, he wasn't certain the buildings would survive. He could see Chikere just slicing the whole city in half at chest level to kill an occupying army and wondering why everything toppled over. But that was just his view of the woman he mostly knew about from legends.

Chapter 645

The Sergeant was feeling much better about her mission, after having spent a whole year without being compromised… twice. And being able to openly visit Anishka made everything easier. Such as the transition to another location. It would have been possible to sneak onto another ship going towards the poles, but that would have required waiting around in the proper location for a long time. And she would have had a difficult time finding Anishka's location in such a situation, except for the particular circumstances they were in.

Specifically, the Northern Glacier Sect was located exactly where one would expect, and with as much population and traffic as could be expected. Which was to say, they had a sizable population of cultivators making up their sect and few other permanent residents.

Everything was cold. The area was cold. The people were cold. Their energy was cold.

The only thing that warmed the Sergeant up was nibbling on Anishka's energy, unless she was training- which was kind of the whole point of her being in the area. If only Patka were around, she was doing a good job of learning the basics of cultivation, and thus was half fire. But sadly, she had not been able to come with them. The Northern Glacier Sect was willing to accept a visitor from Ceretos, but not some random peasant from their own planet.

Technically, they didn't say peasant- but the Sergeant knew what people were thinking. And for an ant coming from a society with a defined group of queens, the local class structures were both insulting and inefficient. That might put Ekict on the uninhabitable list.

There wasn't really much for the Sergeant to do, so she put up with the freezing cold and chomped on people energy. Cold. Cold. Cold. Existential. Cold.

Wait what was that one?

The Sergeant focused on the feeling. She had been carefully inspecting the upper echelon of the sect. The energy was a bit strong for her, so she wasn't digesting it. She went back just in case.

Her initial impression hadn't been wrong. There was an icy tint over the existential uncertainty, but the flavor was quite clear. It reminded her of… nothing she had ever tasted. But was somehow familiar. What was it? And why was it so potent?

This wasn't the first odd source of energy. There was the nothingness… and one more thing while she was in Arioron. An impossibly powerful taste that she'd convinced herself was a mistake both times, given how far apart they were. This could be the third mistake. But it was easily replicable.

Who was this person? A young woman. Too young, for her strength. Except that was never true. Human cultivators had the possibility to grow with frightening speed on occasion, based on natural talent and circumstances. This, then, should be the same.

But it was still highly suspect. How could she find out more? Obviously it was too risky to ask Anishka for information. That would only lead to many questions, and people looking for answers that couldn't be given along with danger for the young woman.

She had to think. Who could she follow, to learn this information? Then she remembered something. Something very human, yet so useful she'd forgotten. Writing. Humans did that, and she even knew how to read it. Mostly. She hadn't thought she would be sent off on a spy mission, and it wasn't necessary around the colony.

So, written records. Those would have to exist- Ekict didn't have technology, like everywhere normal. Though many sects kept their records apart from technology anyway. That gave her a goal, and it only took a day of wandering the overly large halls while freezing her lower limbs off. But fortunately, her durability had grown during her mission, possibly due to eating such powerful energy. And that wasn't counting the three anomalies. A little bit of cold wouldn't actually kill her, which was a serious concern if she had been a normal ant.

She found the records, and proceeded to walk under the door. It almost worked, too. But a formation extended beyond the door itself. Chewing through it… didn't work. It replenished the damage too quickly. If the Sergeant was bigger and stronger… no, that wouldn't work. The gap was really quite small. Stronger, then, without growing larger. That gave her a goal, though she wasn't sure if she could accomplish it.

Shutoll. Chidi remembered the great relief he had felt upon reaching it. That relief didn't last long, however.

Not because the city was compromised, or anything of that nature. No, because even as Captain Tiras was giving reports to the local leadership with Chidi waiting out in the hall, Chikere decided she was done 'holding back' with training.

It was silly of him to ever imagine Chikere cutting a city in half. She didn't even scratch the walls as she came for him, avoiding all collateral damage if the strings holding his storage bag didn't count. Which for her, they must not have.

That was fair enough, because she wouldn't let something stop her attacks. On the other hand, Chidi was fairly confident that the grandmaster could maneuver her weapon around any obstruction without slowing. That was what it felt like every time his sword came up to block, or parry, or anything.

Then Chidi had to give a report while covered in blood- not dripping, because his wounds were stitched up. But he didn't have time to clean.

"We really need to step this up, you know," Chikere commented afterwards. "I'm not saying you're learning slow. But if you want to achieve your stated goal of defeating Rakiya in twenty-five years, we can't afford to waste time."

"That was your goal," Chidi said.

"Even more important, then."

He would have complained, but everything hurt… and he did want to be strong. Anything to let him sort through his actions to conclusively determine whether everything had been a big mistake.

Even at his age, or perhaps especially at his age, Anton needed to take some time for himself. He'd spend one lifetime focused on others, and he couldn't say that his second had been all that different. But he still recognized some difference. Perhaps it was just that he was more capable of doing what he thought he should be able to do. He hadn't dealt well with getting old.

Now, when he was away from a bound star he was weaker than normal. That hadn't proved disastrous in the brief battle involving Shrenn and Tenoun'a, but the sibling planets could have certainly caused him to be in real danger had either focused on him for some reason. Even though he considered himself above Life Transformation cultivators, he was not so far ahead of them that the difference could be ignored. Outside of the proper radius of one of his stars, at least.

For his own sake, he had taken the relatively short hop over to Azun. In'istra was only a few systems over, turning the trip from a lengthy process to a short vacation measured in weeks on the top end. His ability to move through the void between stars was always improving, especially having traveled four hundred lightyears and back, then out again. Even if he hadn't necessarily been in all of the intervening space, it was a truly unfathomable distance that meant nothing to him except for that it was between systems. The same was not true of travel in other ways, with roads built on the hard work of those who came before.

… Star roads. There was a thought. Not something he would actually get much done with, of course, but perhaps someone else could determine if there was a viable concept there. Though the various methods they had worked far better than he could have anticipated even when he was in Life Transformation. Assimilation was a big leap forward.

Azun was a great comfort. It was a roaring fire in winter, a heavy blanket coating him. And, yes, he understood that such a fire could overwhelm him and turn him to ash. The weight of the neutron star could crush him with himself. But the same was true for many interactions Anton was involved with on the other side. He simply trusted that it would not do such to him, as he avoided doing to others. Though of course, Azun probably didn't think or have will.

Anton couldn't be completely certain of that, even if he hadn't seen any real signs of it from Azun or any other star. Because anything of such vast power could quite possibly have a consciousness he was unable to understand. If so, Anton was glad it did not mind sharing a little bit of itself.

He reveled in the fire and weight, as well as the magnetism which was so powerful as to reveal how it affected anything with the slightest notion that it was magnetic, the field affect it all with so much vigor that his clothes felt like metal weights holding him back. But as he moved around through it, he felt how it resisted the motion… and cataloged insights to share with Varghese. Anton wanted to bring the young man to this place some day, but he would have to be able to survive the trip. Anton could manage most of that, but to be safe it was better if he was stronger. And perhaps facing the overwhelming power of it would have the opposite effect, if he was not ready. Some people were discouraged by what they felt they could not reach. Anton had never been the sort, and now he was not truly convinced there was any height he couldn't reach.

Even if Domination was another order of magnitude beyond his comprehension, he could still envision reaching such a level of power at some point in the future. Assuming he lived that long. He was no longer considering that as a factor in anything he did, but it was an important point. He was fairly certain that his lifespan was growing and depleting at similar rates, or perhaps expired but somehow not falling over the threshold. The latter seemed more unlikely, but he wasn't truly sure.

He should set up a farm. The thought went through Anton's mind anything he was not on a farm, admittedly. But it was particularly ridiculous where he was. Azun wasn't exactly a good source of anything but gravity, and it didn't have planets anyway. Unless he could get something to grow in space, orbiting around the star…

But Anton was not a creator of life. Even selective breeding of plants didn't reveal new traits, only recombining what was already possible. Anything beyond that was not in Anton's wheelhouse. But should he stumble across something so miraculous, he would consider putting some here.

Though there were no messages going off planet at the moment, Chidi still gave one to be delivered should the time come. It had alternated between asking his parents for rescue and telling them he was fine and without worry. Ultimately, he just noted that he was alive along with Aconite.

He was unsure if the message would reach them. Technically, he didn't even know they were alive- he just believe they would be, despite intending to go up against saints. And if they could plan to take down Augmentation cultivators while only in Intregration, couldn't he do the same thing? It was just… he wouldn't even be peak Life Transformation in twenty-five years. In fact, he might not even be early Life Transformation. Did Chikere not remember how long it took? If he recalled correctly, she took around the full century that was the minimum training time of those from Ceretos. Though information on her was often sparse, her ascension had not been subtle.

All of those thoughts were for later. Training, too. For now, he needed to enjoy the small break that Chikere's absence provided, before he had to contribute to missions for Shutoll. They would still be scouting, of course, but Chidi wasn't sure if he would be part of the same squad, or what would happen with any of the others. He would still help train anyone who wanted it while they were together, if either side was up for it.

"How do you feel about all of this, Aconite?" Chidi asked. "We've survived. For now, at least."

"And we will continue to survive," she declared. "We cannot leave, not without considering our ability to engage in space combat, but I also do not think we must. This is what you wanted, a good tempering ground."

"It is, isn't it?" Chidi sighed. "I wish it didn't come with so much death. On our side, of course." Though he wasn't fully comfortable with the enemies he'd slain either. He had to do it to survive, but aside from a few of them, were the Harmonious Citadel disciples really here by choice? Even more reason to kill those leading them. But he was not going to hold back in a combat situation, especially not with how close things had already been.

Chapter 646

The perspective of the Northern Glacier Sect on cultivation was interesting, but not as interesting as their physical location. Anishka knew that a glacier on the edge of the ocean was prone to dropping chunks of itself as it made its way into the sea, but something about the specific natural circumstances let it extend further, and some formations had stabilized it further to let them place their sect buildings directly on the glacier, slowly but inevitably drifting out to sea.

She was looking down into the sea, watching the relatively rare ice floes drift about. Then her concentration was broken by something. "Oh, yes. I'm ready."

The technical reason she was at this position was a formal spar, for training. In truth, she'd been looking forward to it. Not because of anything due to the man she was going to be sparring with, but because she had ideas for a new usage of her abilities.

"Begin!"

Anishka took her stance, carrying no weapons. On the other side, her opponent had a wide-bladed axe. She wouldn't be blocking that directly, though on the other hand her opponent wasn't going to use it only for direct attacks. It was a tool that enhanced the Northern Glacier Sect's style.

A wide sweep proved exactly that point, slicing the air into shards of ice that flung themselves towards her. Anishka waved her hand, a burst of flames that were only just hot enough to melt the tips of a portion of the ice shards filling the air. She wasn't confident in dodging every single one of them. Combat was something she only did as necessary to attain enlightenment, instead of as her primary focus.

The two cultivators moved around the area. Heavy snow limited their motions, but beyond that Anishka's opponent also sneakily hardened layers of ice beneath their steps. When Anishka followed after them, or even stepped close to anywhere they had been, there was a chance she would step onto slippery ice, weakening her footing and opening her up for attack.

Even though she was repeatedly bombarded with attacks, Anishka remained passive. She already knew she could overwhelm people with flames, so competing in a contest of pure strength didn't interest her. It would also bring too much interest upon her, and more people would want to spar. Anishka liked the opportunities every once in a while, but not nearly as much as anyone from Ekict.

Then the time came. She got close to her opponent, and the man took a deep breath. Icy winds coated her as he exhaled, a layer of ice coating her. He stepped forward to take advantage of the opening, then froze himself. Ice melted off of Anishka as she considered the situation. It wasn't quite as efficient as she wanted, but she couldn't say she was disappointed either. Instead of creating the heat herself, she simply pulled it from her opponent, letting it perform double duty. She'd done so rapidly enough that she even flash-froze a layer of natural energy around her opponent. Sure, he wasn't particularly powerful, but their cultivations were similar enough.

That layer shattered a moment later, but Anishka already had flames swirling around her hand, reaching out towards him. He looked as if he would continue the fight for a moment, then he shook his head. "I concede."

Good. That would save them both time. "Well fought," she said. That was the polite thing to say, and she tried to mean it. She wondered if she should attempt to go up against someone more firmly in Essence Collection. Perhaps that was too arrogant, but she'd undoubtedly learn something.

The Sergeant had no choice but to consult with Anishka. It was risky, but she felt she had discovered important information. She wasn't growing stronger quickly enough to be certain she could retrieve the information. They might be here a year, or only a couple months. Asking Anishka to wait longer in the latter case would also be suspicious.

"What would taste existentially vague with a coating of ice?"

Anishka closed her eyes, thinking. Then opened them. Surely she had a profound answer. "Sorry, what? That was a very complicated sentence."

Oh. She did say her void ant sign wasn't perfect. And she was still quite young. Many people didn't learn it at all, so the Sergeant couldn't truly complain. "I found something that tasted cold, with another strange thing inside."

"What sort of thing?"

"... someone's energy."

"So, cold concealing… something else? Another cultivation technique? Or maybe an offshoot of the Northern Glacier Style."

"It was completely unrelated," the Sergeant declared confidently.

"Sorry, can't think of anything," Anishka shrugged. "Except the Twin Soul Sect. But they should be…" Anishka frowned. "Dammit. Who?"

"I can't tell you."

"You don't remember who?"

"Too dangerous."

"That's even more reason for me to know!"

"... I don't know her name," the Sergeant admitted.

"Aha. So it's a woman."

"N-no! Not necessarily. That's the default void ant pronoun."

"Definitely a woman," Anishka nodded. "Is it… the sect head? Arzu?"

"No. I mean, I won't tell you who."

"Not her. One of the other Life Transformation cultivators. Seems dangerous."

The Sergeant twitched. It was her duty to provide accurate information for the queens. But Anishka was also a princess. How complicated.

"What is it?" Anishka was annoyingly perceptive.

"Stronger," the Sergeant admitted.

"Stronger than the sect head? Is there anyone like that?" Anishka frowned.

"Stronger than Life Transformation."

"That's… not even possible," Anishka said. "You must have been confused."

"Your own mother is beyond Life Transformation."

"Well, yeah. But she's an Assimilation cultivator. They don't have those here."

The Sergeant didn't respond.

"Unless it really is the Twin Soul Sect, with a hidden Integration cultivator… we have to tell someone!"

"Who?" the Sergeant had to wave wildly for a while to get Anishka's eyes to lock back on her and repeated the question. "Who would we tell? Nobody could protect us."

"I could message my mother…"

"Will she accept your word?"

"Of course!"

"Even if your word is just what I tasted?"

"Uh… well, she'd definitely… do something."

"Could you be certain your messages would reach her safely?"

"Yeah, obviously. Ekict doesn't have the technology to intercept it."

"They also don't have post-Life Transformation cultivators."

"... Dammit. What do we do? Should I just ask to go back?"

"Not yet," the Sergeant was in deep. With missions conflicting, she was stepping far beyond reasonable bounds. "Just wait for me to grow strong enough to sneak into the records room."

"You need to get in there?" Anishka asked. "I could help."

This was not what was supposed to happen. But also… the Sergeant couldn't be sure a successful intrusion would go unnoticed. "... Fine. I will allow it."

"Thanks for this," Anishka said to the man barely older than her who opened the door for her. "I'm really interested in organizational structures. Is that weird?"

"N-no, of course not," he said, blushing. "I-I also like… records."

Anishka was glad for the old remnants of the emotionless techniques of the Frostmirror Sect. She didn't want to show her nervousness. Confidence was key. And just doing something forbidden was nerve wracking. She also didn't want to convey the wrong idea to this gullible disciple.

Anishka was bad at lying, but she was interested in organizational structures. It was part of everything, after all. She might as well use this time to actually learn something. And as she picked through the records, with careful eyes on her to make sure she didn't go towards anything secret, a tiny ant crawled down her arm and onto the shelf.

Shelf to floor to shelf to floor, it was an unfathomably large journey. Unfortunately, the shelves were not set up such that an ant could see the labels on them from the ground. That required climbing up for a better angle or even crawling over the lettering and slowly discerning its shape.

The Sergeant realized she'd left out some crucial information when Anishka offered this. Like the fact that she could only sort of read. But she was going to get a whole lot of practice, once she could figure out whether she wanted 'disciple records', 'elder records', or 'sect records'. One would presume the individual in question was an elder, but they might be part of another category entirely. Perhaps pretending to be a lowly disciple, or at least someone of less note.

There was another issue. Reading was meant to be done in a specific manner, by people with hands on a flat surface. Not in books standing vertically, or rolled scrolls. The Sergeant squished her way inside many a book and the rolls of scrolls, pressing her face against one letter at a time, while simultaneously trying to let light past her so she could see.

During her efforts there were some… accidents. Small tears people probably wouldn't notice, but that seemed blatant to the Sergeant. And if there were enough of them, people would get suspicious.

Then there was another problem. Not knowing how much time passed, the records room was quiet. Not even the sound of giant humans breathing. That meant Anishka had left without her. She was supposed to have climbed back on her, but… apparently missed it. And Anishka might not have noticed she wasn't there. It was quite sensible to think the Sergeant would be well hidden.

… The Sergeant was also hungry. At least there was always natural energy to eat. There wasn't much ambient energy, but the formation barriers at the exit was there… and one of the sections of records.

That was what the Sergeant needed. Time to dive into this.

"What the hell, Sergeant?" Anishka said with surprise when her friend returned. "You've been gone for a week! I went back into the records room but I couldn't find you. Where have you been? What have you been doing?"

"Reading."

"Did you sleep in the records room? I guess you're small enough to not be noticed, but that can't be comfortable."

"I do not sleep."

"Wha- of course you do. At least a little."

Legs and antennae waved about slowly. "Perhaps peons sleep, but I have transcended such needs. I am reborn."

"... That sounds like something someone who hasn't slept for a week would say. Did you find the information."

"Yes." She signed the individual letters for a new name. "Nurcan."

"Nurcan… what?"

"Just Nurcan. She was a disciple during the invasion. Peak Life Transformation. Then records say… Transferral."

"What does that even mean?" Anishka asked. "Hello? Sergeant?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"What does Transferral even mean?"

"To move something."

"I know that! But like, as a cultivation thing. Did this Nurcan have a Twin Soul Sect cultivator transfer into her? And the sect knows about it?"

Silence.

"Sergeant?"

"Yes! Princess! I am fully conscious and alert!"

"... Have you eaten anything in the last week?"

"I have consumed sufficient quantities of natural energy."

"Have you eaten food?"

"... I am uncertain if I can properly digest paper."

Anishka sighed. "We need to have you eat something. Then figure out what this Transferral thing is."

Aoibhin sighed. It had obviously been too good to be true, outsiders offering aid and enlightenment. Sure, they weren't part of the upper realms… but they hadn't really shown up to provide a benefit to Ekict. They wanted something of their own. The promised enlightenment was dangled like bait, and now there were spies on their planets.

Sure, they were there for cultivation exchanges… but they were all spies. After all, that was the same with Aoibhin. She was tasked with finding out about Assimilation and Worldbinding, but despite what the Trifold Alliance had said, it had been more than a few years and there was no dissemination of such information.

But that was only to be expected. This was just how cultivators operated, keeping their secrets. It was all about who could maneuver to achieve the upper hand. And though the Trifold alliance was clearly powerful, that was exactly what was going to benefit Ekict. Aoibhin herself was merely there to look, but there were a good number of prospects ready to undergo Transferral when they obtained an opportunity.

Chapter 647

The Harmonious Citadel forces had slowed their aggressive expansion, though on the side of the Scarlet Alliance only a few larger cities were in contact with Shutoll. The fact that they weren't being assaulted immediately implied other restrictions on the Citadel's movements, but with the long range communication options suppressed information had to be disseminated manually. Human or animal messengers were the main source of communication between the neighboring areas.

If Grandmaster Chikere had been the cooperative sort, she could have helped with the delivery tasks. But she wasn't… and her current activities might be strangely important. She was never entirely clear on what she was doing, but Chidi knew it would be disruptive to the enemy, simply by her nature. And while attempting to draw in the sword saint was also a risk, it made enough sense for her.

The biggest problem was still the lack of off-planet communication. While the enemy would most likely have the same restrictions, they could still communicate off-planet if they sent ships into space. Something the Scarlet Alliance couldn't do, as their vessels were taken down any time they made an attempt. If they could coordinate with other areas they should be able to obtain air superiority with their superior vessels, but they could not outcompete a fleet that currently outnumbered them so significantly.

The biggest problem was the formation limiting communication, and it had been the focus of Shutoll to find any nodes they could reach. It shouldn't be possible for the whole formation to have been inside Harmonious Citadel territory. Chidi was well aware of that fact, as well as anyone studying formations even casually. There was a limited domain of influence outside of the physical boundaries of a formation. For something to cover the whole planet, nodes would have to likewise be placed around most of the surface.

Unlike certain forms of formations, the scale of this particular one wouldn't result in astronomical energy costs. In general, messages were low energy to transmit and receive, so simply disrupting that process was much easier than sustaining a barrier under a barrage of attacks. It wasn't free of course. At such a scale, it would require some sort of additional energy beyond the ambient or it would risk dropping off. Just a few messages leaving could completely ruin the whole effort.

Likewise, dismantling a few nodes could be a serious victory. They were just a lot harder to find than Chidi could have anticipated. But, because of his particular circumstances, he was one of those most suited to the task.

"... I could really go for another year or two of formations training," Chidi sighed, commenting to no one in particular. Which basically meant Aconite. He had been following the flow of energy, but had yet to run into any sort of conflux of power along the way. It was as if the formation was everywhere, evenly distributed around the planet. He knew that wasn't possible, of course. Or at least practical. If the Harmonious Citadel had forces that were able to infiltrate Scarlet Alliance territory and take part in setting up a well calibrated grand formation, they could have done so much more.

"Swords seem more practical," Aconite countered with a few growls and barks.

"Are they? Because our whole problem here is this formation. Just because it's not directly killing us doesn't mean it isn't the most effective weapon we've come up against."

Captain Tiras was not far behind, along with the vice-captain. They had to maintain a balance between stealth and security, and the ultimate choice had been to continue developing the squad's ability to remain hidden as a group. No longer did Chidi have to stop and set up a concealment formation if they got close to enemies. Now, as long as there wasn't some sort of chokepoint, they could continue moving together as a group with their energy concealed. And though that sometimes also involved formations with the help of Chidi's formation flags it was much less nerve wracking to know that they wouldn't easily be given away by someone's mistake.

Obviously there was still that risk with more people, but the squad had shrunk back down to its original size, with some of the original members and some of the stragglers choosing to go on to other duties around Shutoll, while others stayed. Including all of those who had been serious about the scout training with Chidi.

Ida was the only exception, because her injuries had been great enough that even after a year she was not fully recovered. Perhaps not even that close, because given the current circumstances people were pressed to continue their duties in most circumstances, and the physicians still wanted her to refrain from going out to the battlefield. Then again, it might not be for her own sake as much as others, as she could be more of a liability.

She wasn't sitting idly, of course, as she worked on her cultivation and focused on her wounds she also continued to train with Chidi. They couldn't get as much practical training in with her remaining in the city, but stealth and perception training in busy places with limited mobility was also valuable. Chidi picked up a few things from those circumstances as well.

"What do you make of this pattern?" Captain Tiras said.

"What pattern?"

"The flow of energy we're following. It splits and branches. Here, it's…" he gestured with the map he was making. "Uh, let me show you."

He scratched the map into the ground, which made it much easier for Chidi to comprehend. "These are… the Iron Heights?"

"That's right," Captain Tiras nodded. "And the Sendaline river is here," he gestured with his hand over the gouge in the ground.

"It's a mess," Chidi said. "I can't really detect the pattern you're talking about."

"Maybe it's nothing," the captain shook his head.

Surprisingly, it was Denitsa who had an idea there. "I can certainly make something out. But I think it might be easier for Chidi to comprehend without the terrain features."

They flattened the dirt, then drew only intersecting and curved lines. It did help significantly, because there were often roads crossing or in parallel to the route Chidi had taken, which also wasn't the exact flow of energy. He just hadn't been able to make a map, so he gave general instructions on where the flow was, such as running parallel to them a kilometer to the northeast, or running off into the distance directly northwest.

With only the bare flow of energy visible, there was less clutter. Chidi could feel the pattern- though it wasn't exactly that. The lines stretched similar distances and generally followed the same angles, but it wasn't quite right. Of course, they hadn't been everywhere and failures in description and cartography could have distorted the information.

Revealed was a fairly regular network of energy flow, which wasn't exactly news to Chidi. It would have to be that way, to cover everything. But what was of more interest were the places between the flow of energy. The regions they covered.

"It's like a bunch of soap bubbles," Chidi said. "Edges all mashed up together and blocking off everything behind it."

"Soap bubbles are clear," Captain Tiras said.

"Are they?" Chidi frowned. "Weird." Glass was weird too. Especially glass that couldn't be seen through, for whatever reason. Something tickled at the back of Chidi's head. "I almost get something. I took some lessons that had something like this."

"Some special property of formations, perhaps?" Denitsa said.

"Nope. It was, like, mathematics or something. I think my teacher was one of the Ruterans…"

"Beats me," Denitsa said. "I only learned arithmetic."

"It wasn't even geometry," Chidi said. "Because I had blocks for that. It was a bunch of strings." Chidi fell back into his memories, feeling the strings in his hands, hearing her voice. "Oh, it is named after soap bubbles!" Chidi said excitedly. "It's a kind of graph."

"Does that help?" Captain Tiras said. "It's just a way to look at information, which is what we're doing. I thought it looked special though."

"It is special. Because, uh…" Chidi reached his hand out, drawing in a bunch of pine needles, then stabbing them vertically into the ground. "These should be something like the centers of each area. And then their sphere of influence pushes out until it intersects with another, creating these lines." Chidi was becoming more certain by the moment, mentally measuring everything.

"... And that means?" Captain Tiras prompted.

"We've been looking at exactly the wrong places, literally as far as possible from where the formation nodes should be." Chidi nodded confidently, "Where's the nearest one of these points? I don't remember which terrain this matches with now."

"It should be… over by that lake we passed. Or perhaps in it."

"Then let's get ready to swim," Chidi grinned.

If she were anywhere else, Anishka would have just gone up to someone and asked them what Transferral was. Like Nurcan herself, who had to know about it. Unfortunately, that was exactly the thing she shouldn't do. The information would be secret for a reason. And regardless of the woman being part of the Twin Soul Sect or not, the Northern Glacier Sect obviously didn't want to share the information.

The question being whether it was limited to the Northern Glacier Sect or not. Transferral of what? Power, presumably. Somehow. And the Twin Soul Sect knew about it while having someone with impossible cultivation.

"Feeling better, Sergeant?"

The void ant nodded- a habit they picked up from humans. It was only a very tiny nod, since she was hardly any larger than a standard black ant, but it was clear to Anishka.

"Good to hear. You still need to eat food, you know? There's a reason void ants didn't subsist on just natural energy."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," she signed. "Also I didn't have much choice."

"You could have left. People had to have gone in and out, right?"

The Sergeant didn't respond for a few moments. "... I suppose it would have been less obvious to wait on the inside, since the only passersby would also be me escape plans." She straightened up, "But also, I had to complete my mission. Failure is not an option."

"Your mission was to find out about Transferral?"

"... No."

'You do know that you don't have to accomplish a mission all at once, right?"

"Of course. I properly broke things down into steps."

"Did you make one step 'solve this entire mystery'?" Silence said volumes. "Can you tell me what you are here for? I might be able to help."

"Unnecessary. My objectives have been accomplished now."

"But I thought finding out about Transferral wasn't your objective?" Anishka tilted her head.

"Correct. But my objective has been resolved nonetheless."

"Then… can you help me find out more about Transferral?"

A pause. "It will be dangerous. You should avoid the risk. I will do it all."

Anishka frowned, "Is it less of a risk for you? Because they might not squish an ant, but they might decided to just do that regardless of reasons, if they spot you."

"Irrelevant. Your life is worth more than mine."

"Why?"

Anishka's quick answer clearly confused the ant, whose legs and antennae wobbled wildly, as if searching for an answer to something that was so obvious as to never have been questioned. Finally, there was an answer. "You are a princess."

"A princess of what?" Anishka raised her eyebrow. "I mean, sure, I get it. My mom's a sect head. Some people might think I'm more important, but that doesn't really mean my life is worth more than yours. You're still a person."

"I am simply a sergeant among the void ants. One of many."

"I don't know if that works. There's only one of you. You couldn't just be replaced with another sergeant. Who told you you weren't important?"

"... Nobody. Everyone just knows that lesser ants aren't important."

Anishka made a face. "That's crazy. All void ants are still people."

"Incorrect. Many of us are not properly sapient."

"Well, okay, maybe. But you are. You're a person, just like me. Except smaller."

The Sergeant thought for a few moments. "I appreciate the sentiment. That is even more reason I should be the one taking on the primary risks."

"Aha. So there are other, lesser risks I can take on, right? You can't do everything yourself. And you should know that. Your colonies are all about cooperation. Why are you even here alone?"

"... The Great Queen declared it."

"So you just listen to everything this 'Great Queen' says?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I should have seen that coming," Anishka shrugged. "Well. I guess we'll have to look into things carefully. I can help you move around, and you can get into places they don't want you to be."

Chapter 648

Redirecting the squad towards the lake took about a day. As the Scarlet Alliance squad had been following the flow of energy, they were at the furthest point they could be, assuming there was a center to be had. It was more than fifty kilometers to their goal, something they could walk much faster if they were on the road… and not concerned about wild beasts. Or, when they got close, enemy cultivators.

They ran into neither before they reached the lake, and for the sake of safety took the time to search around the shores to make sure there were no tracks. Chidi only found beast prints, and Aconite confirmed there was no scent of humans before them.

"How is it?" Captain Tiras asked.

"I don't feel anything," Chidi admitted. "The effect on the flow of energy might not be sufficient here. I was expecting to feel something as we got closer… maybe this idea was wrong."

"It was partially my idea," Captain Tiras reminded Chidi. "For better or for worse. Our job is to check out the possibilities, so even if we don't find anything, striking it off the list will be useful. Now then, about this lake. Could be dangerous beasts, so we're going in groups of six or more. We need trained senses in each, so we're going to have to split you and Aconite."

Chidi couldn't argue with that, both because it made sense and because they had a lot of lake to cover. But if there was trouble, the lake was moderately sized enough that they could get to each other. Assuming they could move quickly, of course.

It was amusing to watch Aconite paddling around for a while, before she figured out how to go down. With full control over her natural energy she could manage better than most wolf form beasts, but Aconite's biggest hangup was her bags. They were waterproof and otherwise sealed, durable enough to not tear open in combat. But while the design could compensate for accidents, when they were actually opened for retrieval there wasn't much that could be done to stop the ingress of water. Thus, Aconite would not be able to use most of her poisons. Not without flooding the entire lake with toxins, only some of which would lose their potency in water.

As he dove into the water, Chidi found he wasn't a huge fan of it either. He could feel the way it restricted his movements, and performing a proper slash would be much more difficult. Denitsa who was coming along with him would be even worse off with her hammer. It also needed a swing to build up momentum, and unlike Chidi she couldn't hope to make contact and then perform a draw cut. The momentum was the main thing.

Chidi knew that stronger cultivators could refresh their breath underwater… or even somewhere completely without air. His parents could even fight in space, if they had to. In early Essence Collection, he just had to rely on his tempered body and conserving his air.

His first dive down near the shores wasn't of much interest, and he knew the target was most likely deeper, if it was even there at all. It would be better hidden. And though it would also be less effective, if it truly covered the range he thought it might then a little water wouldn't be that much different after tens of kilometers.

Going deeper, besides water getting everywhere and being annoying. It got in his nose and ears, the former reminding him that this water was not pure but lived in and the latter making him know that later he'd have to thoroughly dry out. He couldn't just completely cover up his head in a bubble of energy, since that would limit his hearing. Smell wasn't going to be used, and he had no eyes to worry about the mounting pressure.

The pressure certainly made its presence known on his eardrums, and he had to soften its effects. His body was most sensitive to the change in pressure there, but as he went deeper with the others he felt it more and more across his body.

It was almost comforting, in the way only a cold and forceful pressure could be. Maybe not something everyone would appreciate, but he hadn't gone terribly deep in water before since it had been unnecessary.

Chidi clutched his sheathed blade, ready to draw it as necessary. It would require some maintenance when the day was over as well, but the enchanted blade wasn't going to easily lose durability.

The next time they surfaced, the vice-captain Denitsa commented, "It's getting darker."

"Oh. I heard that would happen."

"I mention it so you can pay attention for us drifting. If we get too far, make sure to grab our attention with a tendril of energy."

The squad was trying not to disturb the local wildlife, not knowing how dangerous it might be. So far they hadn't sensed beasts with concerning cultivations, but their senses didn't stretch as far underwater.

As they dove, Chidi had to admit an area of weakness in his scouting abilities. He was less familiar with underwater creatures, and what sort of tracks they might leave. He could detect energy from their interactions, but the trails of particles didn't tell him as much as he knew they could, if he had the proper knowledge. The Harmonious Citadel didn't make their home under the water, but there were sects that did, and some planets where people hardly had any choice. He would have to learn more about that, when he got the chance.

Ripples in the water were the biggest thing he was learning to sense. It was the same as his other touch based senses, but it traveled further. So even as sound and apparently light were muted, he found some of his senses had grown. The greater pressure somewhat distorted his sense of touch, but he could still feel people moving around, along with other things. Like very large fish.

Chidi almost prepared himself to attack, but he thought better of it. His tendrils of energy nudged the others after him on a slightly different route, avoiding at least the direct radius of the incoming fish. A few meters across, potentially able to swallow a person whole- though its natural energy only bordered on the strength of Essence Collection. No doubt he and those with him could kill it, if they had to. But the risks were greater due to their unfamiliarity with the water, and frankly there was no point.

It wasn't quite clear where its territory ended, but either it hadn't sensed them or Chidi had led them far enough. They continued deeper, presuming that whatever they were looking for would be on the bottom and not floating in the middle of the lake. Though Chidi couldn't guarantee the latter wouldn't end up being the case. He knew it was possible, but it would restrict materials or make it much more obvious.

And the whole point of these theoretical formation nodes was to be subtle. They were either very good at it, or this was a wild goose chase. But even when they took a break for the night and the squad got to smell the wonderful scent of a wolf wet from a dirty lake, Chidi found himself confident about the next day.

Instead of facing off against a large fish, Chidi found the first attacker was a whole school of little biting snappers. He didn't know their actual name, only that they traveled swiftly and soon overcame their little partial squad. Denitsa had an awful time of it, taking a few pathetic swings before stowing her hammer and just reaching out to grab the forearm sized toothy predators.

Chidi and Denitsa were relatively safe, as they were both in Essence Collection, but the rest of their group was in Spirit Building still. They couldn't afford to let the creatures gnaw on them, though they could kill them if they stopped to chew. The fish seemed to realize that, and darted in for quick bites, then moved away into the school.

It was hard to pick out any individual, though Chidi wasn't blinded like the others. Thus, he had to be more effective. There were tons of them, could he really swing his sword and not cut any?

The answer was yes. Though not because his trajectory was wrong, but because he was too slow. His blade took to long to reach them, the fish darting away from the incoming ripples. Chidi didn't like that. It was pathetic. He couldn't help but think back to the best sword slashes he'd ever seen. Not his parents, though he'd thought they were astounding at the time. Not Rakiya attempting to kill him, but obviously Grandmaster Chikere. Not just any move, either, but the one she used to cut open space. Chidi wasn't sure if that was quite right, but it was a move that released a lot more power than it looked like it could… and where her arms didn't even seem to move along the length of their path, only being on either end.

Chidi's first attempt to replicate it almost made him drop his sword, and the second was pathetic. The third didn't even manage to capture a small percentage of the attack's glory, but it was by far the most effective. The water split apart before his blade, almost as if it was afraid to be cut. It barely even dragged on his arms.

Blood filled the water- from a few fish, nearly matching the amount of human blood. Instead of waiting for the fish to flee or become more aggressive, Chidi repeated the motion a dozen times in different directions, at different angles. He was not concerned about accidentally cutting a companion- with their movements slowed by the water, he was even more capable of that level of precision. He cut the head off a fish chomping down on one of his squadmate's arms, the teeth little threat without the power of jaws or the little natural energy the creatures had.

The school took a few moments to recognize the danger, and Chidi was ready for it to charge him. But instead, the began snapping up their dead members and retreating. Good enough.

After a quick return to the surface, where Chidi helped with a few stitches and wet bandages, they went back down. And finally found something.

It was basically exactly what Chidi expected. At least in the broad strokes. Chidi would have assumed there was a wide platform of stone engraved with complex patterns. Instead, he got the same thing but it was a tall pillar only a couple meters across, driven into the sands below.

Chidi swam around it about a dozen times, feeling only the slightest fluctuations of natural energy from ten meters away, but inside that zone he rapidly felt it. He didn't approach, wary of defensive formations, but after a few loops he risked getting a little closer.

He could feel the surface, which meant no direct barrier… and let him pick out the effects of the formation. Much of it was lost on him, his training and experience simply insufficient to learn the complexities. But he knew enough to be certain this was part of what they were looking for. And he was confident enough that it was not dangerous to touch it.

It was much less dangerous than a lot of the formations he'd touched when he was a quarter of his current age. So his confidence wasn't for nothing. He was taught to recognize that sort of danger, and he hadn't been wrong enough to get himself killed yet. Though some of that was his mother watching over him.

Feeling the intricacies with his fingers, Chidi determined it was the work of more than one set of hands. Each ring seemed to be carved by distinct individuals, and he could feel thin seams between them. Perhaps they were carved separately, then assembled together? He thought that would make them worse, but clearly these were doing their job. Though Chidi couldn't say for certain. If his mother were here, she might have found them before they were even active.

But while Chidi knew he couldn't match her, and he probably couldn't match the people working on these, the restrictions they had meant it was still imperfect. Though they had done their job well enough for them to activate unnoticed and remain in place for about a year now.

After returning to the surface for air, Denitsa sent one of the squadmates back to the shore- the surface of the lake was known to be safe, and his job was to spot others surfacing and call out to them. They wanted something less obvious than a flare.

"So, you found it," she said to Chidi. "Can we just smash it?"

"I think so," Chidi said. "I don't detect danger. But it would be better to retrieve it for study. Too bad we can't, though."

"Why not?" she asked.

"It's too big and heavy."

"Pfft, how much could a hunk of rock like that even weigh?"

"... Like a hundred and fifty thousand kilograms?" Chidi estimated. A couple meters across, and several times that in height. Even if it was a lighter stone, it would be massive."

"They carried got it here," Denitsa said, "So we can carry it away. Maybe we can toss it in a storage bag? Nah, too big."

"Mine can barely fit it, but we'd have to actually lift it," Chidi said. "I don't see that happening."

Denitsa raised an eyebrow, "I sometimes forget you're a rich kid. How much did your storage bag cost?"

Chidi shrugged, "My mom made it."

"... Yeah, I don't know if that lowers or raises my price estimation. Well, whatever. Time to get started."

What she meant by getting started was diving down and… shoving the pillar of stone. It did nothing, of course. Partly because it was driven into the sandy bottom of the lake, partly because there was only so much force one woman could generate. But instead of giving up, it made her even more determined. She had a trench dug out around the bottom as she swam at it with great vigor, slamming it with her body repeatedly to try to topple it. For some reason.

There were no results that day, and they returned to camp. That was where Chidi found Aconite, her fur matted in blood. He rushed over to her, calling out in worry. "Are you alright?! What happened?"

"Giant eels," Captain Tiras explained. "Some of that blood isn't hers."

Aconite nudged Chidi in the belly, a small growl letting him know she was 'fine'. But also not terribly up for talking at the moment.

"Guess not everyone could avoid all the nests," Chidi sighed. Then he frowned. "Did you… even try?"

Aconite looked away from the stakes over the fire with meat frying on it. Well, she was allowed to make her own bad choices. He could still chastise her as a friend though.

Chapter 649

Though Denitsa could not topple the pillar on her own, with the help of the entire squad it was dug out and knocked over onto the lakebed, where they then slowly rolled it through the sand and muck towards the edge of the lake. That took another day of work as it moved only a small amount at a time. Then they were out of the lake, rolling it along the road towards Shutoll.

Watching for approaching enemy forces was especially important here, as nobody was ever fully fresh to fight. It was good that the Harmonious Citadel's advance had stabilized, partly due to the presence of Chikere, and the Scarlet Alliance shifting their tactics to respond to the sudden aggression.

Chidi felt the clods of mud sticking to the formation pillar as they rolled it along, as well as letting his hands brush over the various runes carved into it. He was becoming very familiar with it now, and he was paying attention to how moving it disrupted the flow of energy. It wasn't as much as hoped, but if the grand formation was that delicate then it likely wouldn't have worked in the first place.

Though he didn't know what every rune did, he was beginning to feel the big picture from his interaction with the pillar. He might be making some wrong assumptions, but perhaps he could discuss with any formation experts in Shutoll. But even without understanding, they now had a target. Simply destroying these formation pillars would eventually provide a break in the formation- though whether it would collapse or leave a hole Chidi didn't know.

The relevant difference would be whether or not the enemy knew the change happened. Most likely they would attack if they knew communications were restored, to press their advantage. But if they only took out a small hole, the information wouldn't necessarily reach the Harmonious Citadel before reinforcements could be coordinated. And if Yaitis was on its own, then they could at least establish quicker communication among their own cities and fight back with better cooperation.

Chidi did his best to push the pillar along as his fingers traced over it, though he felt he was probably not that effective. Even so, they were constantly moving. This was real progress, as long as they could make it back to the city.

In'istra had one area where Anton did his best to take full responsibility, which was making sure that the souls of the Twin Soul Sect members didn't make it to the upper realms. Unlike Everheart, he wasn't able to set up a planet spanning formation to capture them all. Instead, he did his best. Some would slip through his fingers, but he had learned something about how the souls made their way. It was something like ascension, with traces of energy he could pick out. And an unbodied soul with no cultivation was rather easy to destroy, or at least dissolve. Anton couldn't guarantee there would be nothing left for them to remember if they reincarnated, but perhaps mixed and muddled memories would be more to their advantage.

The more important activity came next, with what In'istra would be doing with their future. If they weren't limited by spies, their growth over the next six centuries should be able to outpace any attackers the Trigold Cluster was willing to send for a single planet's worth of resources. That growth would of course be helped along by Anton, who planned to introduce Assimilation when the time was right. Obviously he couldn't be around for all of their growth, but he wanted them to be an example of a victory without reservations. Not a failed opportunity like the sibling planets of Shrenn and Tasun'a, and it was unlikely they could maneuver towards hidden prosperity like Xicil.

So they would have to properly achieve a victory. This time, at least, they had a full cycle- and with the removal of interference and the benefit of Anton's experiences they could strike back against the upper realms.

The Sergeant couldn't read quickly, both due to a matter of practice and physical limitations. Even so, she did her best to not waste the opportunities provided by her partner in crime. She also did her best to remember to take breaks, and to eat things that weren't just natural energy.

So far, there hadn't been anything with a convenient label of "Transferral" or the like. Learning about it was difficult, but they were making slow progress. Secret areas of the library were delved, and the Sergeant even began to pry into offices and private quarters. Those of Arzu, the head of the Northern Glacier Sect as well as those of Nurcan, the anomaly with Twin Soul Sect cultivation beyond Life Transformation.

Anishka carried her past such places, while occasionally providing distractions to draw people's attentions away from small fluctuations in formations. The Sergeant was getting much better at chewing through such things, and she only had to fit herself through. It was quite a small area required, and void ant's natural physiology aided significantly with preventing the hole from regrowing while she had mandibles piercing through.

So, what could she learn today? Where to look? There was a page atop the desk that was quite tempting, only half covered by another.

Ekict had finished their survey, and had picked a few prime candidates. At first they had planned to limit themselves to Ceretos, but upon determining the bonds of the Trifold Alliance, it was clear that an attack on one would be perceived as an attack on all three. If that was to be the case, they had to make it good. They needed to boost their own power enough that they could handle any incoming retaliation.

They had considered the Sylanis Cluster instead, but ultimately found them lacking. The history of the war between them and the Trifold Alliance came down to their lack of mobile cultivators, their 'Worldbinding' individuals being less able to enter other system than Assimilation cultivators. Though some of the latter were also limited, that just meant they weren't good candidates.

Chief among those was Lev of the Grasping Willows. His power came from the sect itself, so even if it could be taken it would be pointless unless they could conquer Ceretos. That was infeasible at the moment, so they had to focus on others. Elder Vasu of the Million Sword Vault was on the borderline, having a connection to a desert. They were considering the risk of trying to relocate after Transferral, but the candidate's relative isolation was appealing.

Myles of the Pink Pollen Sect was a decent candidate, being on the eastern edge of Brogora. Annelie of the Palace of Fire and Ice was also appealing, though the central location and power of the sect brought more risk. They also had the potential leverage of her daughter to force her to hesitate at a critical moment.

From the Order of One Hundred Stars, the wandering recruiter known as Vincent was a good candidate. Outside of Ceretos, Rutera had Ty Quigley. If he could be found alone, then he would be another good option. There were others throughout Weos, including a married pair of the Ranik family who seemed to be on the weaker end of Assimilation. That was unfortunate, but it would also make them easier to subdue than waiting for them to gather greater strength.

Aoibhin and others who had already undergone Transferral would provide support for their new candidates. The efforts would require much coordination, but the benefits should be vast.

The sudden arrival of Patka at the Northern Glacier Sect was a surprise Anishka was not ready for. "What are you doing here?" Anishka asked. She did not mind seeing her friend and apprentice, of course, but she was quite unexpected.

"I simply came for a visit," Patka said. "Can I not?"

"No, it's fine. I just didn't think you could."

"I know I'm not deemed as that important with just a Spirit Building cultivation, but the sect here was kind enough to allow me an opportunity to train with their disciples," Patka explained.

"And what about your livelihood?" Anishka asked.

Patka smiled, "I couldn't afford to pass up the opportunities here. Though I will need to put in some effort to obtain training resources, I think it is worth it." She reached out her hand to Anishka, "It is good to see you again." When their hands met, Anishka felt cold energy swirling in her palm. "I hope to show you how my talents have advanced."

"I look forward to it as well," Anishka said, looking at her palm as Patka stepped away. Thin ice was frozen on her palm spelling out a simple two word message. 'Be careful'. Of what, Anishka didn't know… but if Patka came all the way here to pass along that message, Anishka had to do her best. And she also had to find an opportunity to speak with Patka in private, so she could get more information.

She'd found it. The Sergeant finally had in her mandibles the information she had been searching for. The papers on the desk were just stupid business stuff about trade, but poking into the desk she'd found a diary. Locked with deadly energy, but the burst had been targeted for someone with a human bodily size. The density of the energy wasn't sufficient to do more than crack the Sergeant's carapace, and it didn't rip a hole in the office.

It would be… a little bit obvious when anyone checked inside. But nobody had come running to the door, and the Sergeant had frantically read every bit of paper she could get her eyeballs on. It did involve some tearing of pages in her haste, and certain bits were probably out of order, but she got a good couple paragraphs talking about Transferral in good words. From a first-hand practitioner, even.

"The time has finally come. The Northern Glacier Sect has chosen me as a candidate for Transferral, and we have captured an enemy Integration cultivator. She should be as compatible with myself as possible, but I have to be ready. The bindings will weaken her, but there will still be a struggle."

"It's over. The horrified look on her face as my hand tore into her dantian was second to none. These traitors deserve every ill that can come to them, and the pain was just the start. No doubt she thought the worst I could do was destroy her cultivation, so she was not ready for me to begin the Transferral. Pulling her cultivation into myself made me feel sick, as if I were about to burst. But the rush of power, and the knowledge of how I could take from those who have taken from us was enough to help me push through. And the look of emptiness left on her face afterwards, having lost everything, that I will think of fondly every night as I go to sleep. I will enjoy killing her sect mates with her own power."

Nothing told the Sergeant how Transferral worked, but knowing what it did was sufficient. The Sergeant fully agreed that invaders from the upper realms deserved everything that came to them. Keeping such a thing secret seemed unnecessary, though it was perhaps a bit cruel in execution. Void ants generally killed with dispassion, out of necessity for food or survival.

This was good news, though. It meant that Nurcan was not truly a member of the Twin Soul Sect. Ekict should be free from the influence of the upper realms. That also meant Anishka's safety was less in question. It would still require some debate among the queens if hiding such a thing was acceptable, and how an alliance might proceed, but it was all good news she couldn't wait to tell Anishka.

This time Anishka wasn't waiting outside. That was too suspicious, and nobody knew how long it would have taken to find something. So she would be performing her normal routine. Returning to her room took a while, but at least the ceilings were safe to scuttle along. Though when the Sergeant got down to the doorframe, it was strangely hanging open slightly, unlocked as well. Inside… everything was normal as far as the Sergeant could see. Except for traces of energy, both Anishka's and members of the Northern Glacier Sect. Not just a casual taste of their passage, either, but raised energy as if they nearly engaged in combat.

That wasn't good. Disagreements between future allies would only make things more difficult. Anishka had to be found both to make sure she didn't end up with a grudge of some sort, and to explain the wonderful discovery.

Chapter 650

Meetings were boring. Diplomatic meetings especially so, but Nicodemo understood they were important. At least this one was taking place on The Independence, out among the stars. It was more of a tour, really. Or a demonstration of power for the sake of their new allies.

"I've heard much about Ruteran technology," said Ekict's representative. Aoibhin, if Nicodemo recalled correctly. "A demonstration was mentioned?"

"Of course," Nicodemo nodded. "We are approaching a sizable asteroid for that very purpose. The metals will be harvested afterwards so this isn't just a waste of energy." Though Rutera didn't have huge problems with energy anymore. Most of their energy production and capture was self-sustaining.

When they arrived in position, Nicodemo took control of the cannons. It only took a pair of shots, one to guide the way and the second penetrating deep into the rock, tearing it apart from the inside. There were many more weapons systems available for The Independence that would not have demonstrations today.

On the bridge of The Independence, Nicodemo was about as strong as he could ever get, with one particular exception. That exception reared its ugly head at the same time as the knowledge that he'd gone soft over the past couple decades.

He didn't even really notice movement. He just had a spear sticking through him. When he moved to react, his arms were held by two of the others with Aoibhin, energy restricting shackles placed around his wrists. Even so, he managed to throw them off and lurch back from the spear lodged in his guts. With one hand he reached into the breast pocket of his uniform, pulling out the handle of a rifle from its internal storage.

Without his own internal energy, he would only have one burst. He needed to have the greatest effect possible, shoot where he could cause the most damage. He leveled the gun at Aoibhin… and shot the control panel behind her. He didn't know why this was happening, but he wasn't going to let these bastards get away with an easy takeover.

Surprisingly, he didn't find himself dead- though Aoibhin's next two moves pierced through his shoulders, destroying the structure in his muscle and bones. "You're… not supposed to be this strong," Nicodemo said as blood dribbled from his mouth.

"We find it helps to be underestimated," Aoibhin said without any emotion.

If he knew what was coming next, Nicodemo would have taken every effort to destroy himself to stop them. In a way, he had been too humble. He was the priority target, not the vessel.

Training in the Ruteran military taught Ty to be cautious but not hasty in his actions. He couldn't afford to be twitchy and injure civilians for nothing.

Then his training with Chikere had taught him to stab first and ask questions never. All of the individuals who approached him were perfectly allowed to be present on the base, and to carry their weapons. There wasn't even anything strictly wrong with one of them resting her hand on the axe at her belt.

But the instant it happened, Ty cut off her hand. He didn't even consciously register others reaching for their weapons before slashing a complete circle around him, slicing completely through one of the visitors from Ekict. He did feel the twin swords aiming to slice his head off as well as sever him at the hips.

Twin swords. That was an order of magnitude less than what he'd trained against, and the wielder was also lesser than Chikere. No offense to this woman Ty was going to kill, but she was just missing something.

His body suddenly went horizontal as he fell away, oriented between the two horizontally slashing blades. They changed their trajectory to try to catch him, of course, but only the lower one had a chance. It was deflected down into the enhanced tarmac beneath them.

He fell away, directly towards his ship. He landed on the tip of a wing, one of the sharpest parts of the vessel. The ship's engines started with an injection of his will, the vehicle rotating in place as circular gravity reoriented it.

The woman who was somehow an Integration cultivator of the Slithering Serpent Society despite not being from the upper realms was upon Ty in an instant. Perhaps she wasn't as simple as she seemed.

Ty and the ship were one, a great blade slashing forward. This was going to be fun. She would live, of course, because command would want to know why this happened and Ty had no idea. But living didn't require as many limbs as people thought.

The tea smelled wonderful. Vincent took a deep sip of it. "It's a pleasure to meet with you," he said. "I find that one of the greatest joys of life is meeting new people and becoming friends, don't you agree?"

"That's right," said the man across from him, likewise sipping his tea. "I've heard much about you, and I would love to learn more about your recruitment techniques. You are not only prolific, but from what I hear the disciples you recruit are exceptional."

"Oh, that? Let me tell you a secret." Vincent leaned in. "It's a little thing I like to call practice. You see, if you meet enough people, you get good at reading them and…" Vincent spit the tea he hadn't let make it all the way down his throat into the man's eyes. "I have a lot of practice." Vincent smiled. "Oh, it seems the poison absorbs through the eyes just as well as the stomach. It's strong, too," Vincent nodded to himself, taking the man's cup of tea. "Enough to incapacitate an Assimilation cultivator. But not deadly. I'm surprised, and a little bit concerned."

He took a sip of the man's non-poisoned cup and then prepared the other to splash on the other individuals from Ekict. He wondered if this were some sort of isolated incident… but it wouldn't take long to learn the general extent of it.

Vasu looked down at his left wrist, or what he used to call that. At the moment, there wasn't enough of it left to really call that name, though it was still technically attached. The disappointing part was that it wasn't even a clean cut. He looked down at the red sands below him, normally reflective like a mirror. But at the moment it was filled with an entire squad of buried enemies, so it was a little bit blood-splattered.

Anzela clenched her teeth as she watched a ship fly off with her husband. She'd only barely protected herself with Ruteran weapons. Neither of them were great combatants, but her husband was only a diplomat. They'd both been lucky to barely step into Assimilation, or so she'd thought. But if that hadn't happened, would they have been targets?

She clutched her side as people rushed to support her. She'd avoided combat most of her life, even if she technically received some training in case of danger during exploration. But now she understood why some were obsessed with combat. She needed to find someone who could make her stronger… so she could get Rikuto back. Or avenge him, if it came to that.

Anishka woke to something tickling the inside of her nose, causing her to sneeze. There was a strange rattling sound as she did so… and she felt strangely cold. She never got cold. Just a little bit of natural energy and she could… she could…

The world came into focus slowly, starting with the cold metal on her wrists and ankles. Around her was an icy prison, though truthfully everything had been icy. But why was she locked up? She vaguely remembered some disciples showing up at her room, an exchange of words followed by something like a battle. Her aching ribs came to her attention reminding her of injuries, though the pain was somewhat numb from the cold.

Among the blue-white ice, she spotted a black dot. Her eyes focused on that. "S- Sergeant?" Anishka half stammered, both because of the cold and because she almost shouted but decided she should perhaps not halfway through.

The black spot remained still for a moment, then there was the sound of tiny cracking ice. It began to crawl closer, then up her leg, her side, then down her shoulder and along her arm to the tip of her thumb.

"My apologies, princess," the Sergeant signed. "I have failed to properly protect you. My understanding of the situation was insufficient, and I was not there for you in your time of need."

"It's- I don't think you could stop it," Anishka whispered back. "What's going on?"

"The situation is not entirely clear, but I learned about Transferral."

"How is that relevant here?" Anishka hissed.

"Transferral is soul stealing. Or cultivation stealing. Or some combination of those."

"They're going to-?" Anisha stopped her reflexive shouting. "They're going to steal my soul?" she whispered.

"Unclear. Likely not, as your cultivation is insufficient to be worthwhile. But it is clear that Ekict is hiding much, and they are not our friends."

"Obviously," Anishka grimaced. "I could understand being locked up for causing trouble even with my status, but not like this. And I didn't even do anything. I-"

The sound of footsteps echoing off icy walls came down outside of the bars, then the jangling of keys. "Good. You are awake." Into the cell stepped Arzu, the head of the Northern Glacier Sect. "Do you know why you're here?"

"No," Anishka answered plainly. "Why?"

The slap stung her face. She'd been injured plenty of times, in a spar or even a couple times in actual combat. But there was something more viscerally painful and discomforting about this lesser pain that she could not avoid, especially as the momentary warmth lessened the numbing of her nerves.

"Wrong answer. It's because you are a spy. And you are going to tell us how many others are doing the same. Is it all of your visitors? What do you know?"

"I'm not a spy!" Anishka retorted. Though she kind of had been acting like one. She wasn't going to admit that though.

"Of course you are. There is no other reason you would have come to Ekict. But we want to know what you were seeking. But you shall have plenty of time to ponder your answers as the cold seeps into your bones."

Anton received a message. And then another one. And another. He was flooded with a bombardment of information, and upon reviewing them he was filled with anger, confusion, worry, and a return to rage. Somewhere in there was disappointment with himself. He was the one who had found Ekict, who had introduced them as future friends of the Trifold Alliance. This betrayal was his fault.

Second only to them, of course. They were still the ones who actually performed the deeds, after all. Anton prepared to rush off to inflict some sort of apocalypse upon them… but he stopped himself.

He was going to go. But the messages would have already taken several months to reach him at his extremely remote location. And the people here also needed him. People were in peril, but by the time he arrived the immediate troubles would have been resolved. It would likely take him a year to join them. Leaving a few minutes or days earlier wouldn't change that significantly.

But here, on In'istra, he could make sure he did the most good possible in the time he could spare. At the very least, he owed it to Varghese to let him know that he would be leaving. But before that, Anton flew up out of the atmosphere to get a good look at the stars. His eyes settled on the extremely faint sparkle of theirs. If he'd been in the system, he would have bound and destroyed their sun in that moment. He knew he could do it, though not the consequences to himself.

Though it was a horrible thought, he couldn't put it out of his mind. But he would have time to think on it as he approached, and the situation developed. Meanwhile, he had matters to settle. And replies to write, telling people he received their messages. He would be on his way… and even if many of them hadn't asked for his help, and in fact the Trifold Alliance should be able to handle things without him, he couldn't not go. They were his people.

But he also had people here he had to do right by. Sacrificing one for the other was no good. If he spent a little extra time here, all he had to do was improved his travel techniques to arrive at the other end a little bit faster. Yes, that was the best option.

And then when he got there he was going to destroy a system.

Chapter 651

The void of space was often said to be cold, and by an absolute measure perhaps that was the case. But for a cultivator able to regulate their own heat, the fact that it was not actively draining made it a simple inconvenience. Thus, it did little to cool down Anton's anger.

What mitigated his fury was time. Time spent in In'istra, uncomfortably tying up loose ends, and then a longer time traveling between systems. Even so, Anton was still seriously considering destroying Ekict's sun. Not as an overreaction, but as a calculated maneuver to end the war. And there was a war.

Incoming information told him Ekict in fact had dozens of Integration cultivators. Not Assimilation, but actual Integration. Anton's first thought was that they had been fully consumed by the Trigold Cluster and were simply a trap for people like himself. But he'd felt the resonant truth of Aoibhin's hatred.

That was where he'd made the mistake. He assumed their traumatic experiences with the upper realms and eventual victory would lead to the same results as the Trigold Cluster. Instead, it had left them broken and bitter. Perhaps they wouldn't trust anyone else.

As for how they had Integration cultivators, Anton could only speculate. But based on how they captured Assimilation cultivators at great cost, the theories all lead to the same idea. Stolen cultivation, by some method or other. And nobody would have had an inkling if they hadn't detected the Twin Soul Sect.

He should have returned immediately upon learning that information. He could have… done what? It was only knowing what he knew now that he had any cause of action. Trusting people was not wrong. But perhaps it had been given too easily.

So he would destroy their star. They had far too many Integration cultivators. The fact that they had retreated to their system after the initial assault, their defensive formations around their system… they likely could not compete directly. But that did not mean they couldn't kill many people during a war. And they couldn't be allowed to get away with no consequences- there was every reason to believe they would simply repeat their action, but stronger. Depending on if they could steal Assimilation cultivation, which they had to assume was possible or they would have been crazy to attack. And Anton didn't think they were fully insane. But perhaps they'd been pushed past the point people could withstand.

The way things had happened was Anton's fault. But he struggled to accept that more than that it was the fault of the Trigold Cluster, and most of all Ekict. Because no matter what happened to them previously, they made the choice for hate when friendship was offered.

After some time, Anishka didn't even feel cold. Sure, her body was still stiff. Some of it was probably freezing. Would she get frostbite? Her tempered body would prevent that in normal circumstances, but she wasn't merely left somewhere cold. Active formations drained life and heat from her body. It tried to drain her consciousness too, but she somehow kept a spark of fire inside herself, despite the restrictions on her cultivation.

The bindings weren't perfect.

And if she were stronger, she could have exploited that instead of merely surviving. Instead, she just lived. Day after day. The sect head came to ask her questions, but Anishka didn't have answers for her. There wasn't anyone else to give up. Except… the Sergeant.

Perhaps Anishka might have given her up, if she weren't the other one who came to visit frequently. It was almost comical to see her carrying a tiny crust of bread, as if it were moving on its own. Yet it was always exactly the amount the Sergeant could move, and she would place it in Anishka's mouth. She would chew it and swallow. Then over a series of dozens of trips, the Sergeant would carry drops of water to her.

"You can just… let me die," Anishka said. "They'll find you."

"I cannot," the tiny ant signed, slowly. Stiffly. Frost covered some of her joints. "We will get you out of here."

"Who is… we?"

"Myself and Patka."

"... She isn't strong enough. None of us are," Anishka stated factually. "You should just go."

And so she did. Truthfully, Anishka did not know what the Sergeant was doing except when dragging bits of food to her. Her range of vision was quite limited, and the ant was quite tiny. She didn't even know the ant was coming except when she saw the motion of something much larger than the ant being carried. She couldn't even feel a tickle in her nose or an itching on her finger anymore.

It was pathetic. Was she even a cultivator? Her first real trials, and she had already given up. But she couldn't do anything but keep the spark of warmth in her thoughts. Though it did feel like sometimes the restraints slipped up, allowing her to control just a bit of energy. And though it seemed as if there was no warmth to be had in the room around her, if given the chance she could take more away from her surroundings into herself. Just a bit, but she had to try.

Ruteran fleets were quickly organized. The loss of general Nicodemo and The Independence was a huge blow, but though as a pair they functioned at the level of an Assimilation cultivator… it was the first battleship they had built. Technology had grown slightly, and two more had been constructed. Still a great loss, but it was not their only option.

Weos provided many of their own ring-style ships, which joined up with the cultivators and fleets of Ceretos. Ekict was nearly ten times as far from the systems as they were from each other, so they couldn't be careless in their organization. There would be no supplies, no backup. But there was never a moment that anyone considered not retaliating. If that was the case, they might as well just lay down and die. They would have done that centuries ago, in fact. And though Rutera hadn't faced attacks from the upper realms, they did fight the Sylanis Cluster.

The presence of which was the biggest factor restraining the Trifold Alliance. While the relations with the Sylanis Cluster had risen to the all time high of reluctant trade partners, there was no guarantee none of them would be interested in revenge. Factoring in the possibility of coordinated attacks by Ekict, each system reserved a portion of their forces for defense, while increasing their monitoring. Any unexpected arrivals could be hostile.

The assault force was prepared to respond to resistance as necessary. Given Ekict's lies, it was impossible to know for certain what they would be facing, beyond Integration cultivators and the system spanning formation. Their ships weren't supposed to be of much interest- it should only be the ones purchased from the Trifold Alliance over the duration of their acquaintance that could easily move people between systems. But they would be ready for facing fleets of significant power, just in case. As they waited, plans were drawn up for which planets would be assaulted in which order. They had some internal information, but Ekict hadn't been terribly forthcoming with details. Perhaps that should have been a sign. Only regret was felt about sending disciples to train with them. Their fates were unknown, but imagination only made it worse.

Anishka should have died. She was quite certain of that. Even Arzu seemed surprised. Obviously the Northern Glacier Sect could have killed her at any time, but it seemed they were waiting for her to die 'naturally'. If for no other reason than refusing to speak about 'other spies'. She might have been willing to say anything just to be set free… but she couldn't let all of the Sergeant's efforts go to waste.

The tiny ant kept bringing her scraps of food, enough to keep her more or less alive. But that shouldn't have been enough. The cold should have killed Anishka. It hadn't, though, and as time passed she was able to slip more and more control past the restraints. Cold now rested inside her, but didn't freeze her. Instead, it was waiting to be released as a weapon, just like the fire she barely sustained from what little natural energy she was able to absorb from the surroundings.

It took some time for her to realize, but the snippets of food also had natural energy in them. Not as abundant as Ceretos or the Trifold Alliance, but with tangible benefits.

Anishka knew she shouldn't talk, but she couldn't help but speak some of her thoughts aloud. Even Arzu no longer came to check on her, so hearing any speech was the only way she could stay a little sane. And the Sergeant hadn't shown up recently. Anishka didn't want to think about what that might mean. It had been days, and though the fact that she was going to die of starvation soon bothered Anishka, she was more concerned about her friend. Had Patka been caught as well?

"Where are you, Sergeant…? What happened?"

There was no response, of course. Just silence. An hour passed. Maybe two. Or five. Anishka couldn't tell, except the light seeping in through the windows indicated it was approaching dusk.

Then there was a pop. And explosion of natural energy, small but distinct. Anishka responded by instinct as an explosion of power nearly tore off her wrist… and her natural energy responded, protecting her.

She looked down, and saw a now-mangled manacle. And upon it, a chunk of some sort of precious stone larger than her held aloft, was the Sergeant. Then the gem cracked, and Anishka could see the Sergeant signing as it crumbled.

"... been here the whole time. Should have said something."

"... What? It's been days. Don't tell me you were… chewing on the manacles for days?"

"Don't be silly," the Sergeant responded, slowly. Ice was even more prominently visible on her limbs. Tiny crystals that greatly hindered movements. "I'm not that strong. I'm usually here chewing on the enchantments. Though it does take like an hour to get food for you."

Anishka couldn't help but laugh. It hurt, as her throat cracked from dryness and cold. But the relief made her body want to do everything it could. "You were here the whole time? Did you… eat anything yourself?"

"Well, I-"

"Besides natural energy."

No response.

Anishka's brain was still barely functional, but eventually she realized. She could manipulate natural energy. Her first act was to remove the frost covering her companion, who began to move about a bit less sluggishly. The Sergeant hadn't grown at all, but she immediately crawled towards Anishka's other side, and the other manacle. Without its pair, it was only restricting that arm, instead of her whole internal energy flow. Seeing the chunks of energy the ant ripped out of it, Anishka expected it to be dealt with in a day. But instead she yanked her hand out. It wasn't even that hard, as she was little better than skin and bones, and she retained some flexibility from Body Tempering.

"We've got to go, Sergeant," Anishka said. "If they see one broken shackle…" She stretched out her finger towards the little ant, and nearly crushed her when her wrist twitched. It seemed she might have damaged something. The Sergeant didn't hesitate to step onto her finger, despite the sudden movement.

"Patka is trying to get keys," the ant signed as Anishka brought her up next to her face, so they could communicate as she looked at the restraints on her ankles. The metal was so cold, and the way the numbness was leaving her reminded her of how much they had done.

She couldn't get her feet out the same way… not and walk. But she had an idea. Cold steel. She was also cold. And so… the steel grew colder, and she grew warmer. Inside her, Anishka felt as if her organs suddenly began to function again as they woke from their near cryotic state. She kicked her ankle against the wall, and the manacle shattered. "You chewed on all of these, didn't you?"

The Sergeant confirmed that. "I realized I should focus on one. But before that I ate a lot of their energy and nibbled on some of the fancy runes."

The final binding shattered, though Anishka nearly twisted her ankle in the process. She hadn't moved in so long. And she had to conserve her energy. Unrestrained, she could draw some from the surroundings- she understood cryo cultivation, after all, and it was half of her style. But her body still needed sustenance to act, something she had been missing for far too long.

Now, how to get out without being caught? She wished she knew where there were guards. She looked at the Sergeant. That, at least, she could ask.

Chapter 652

Having been through the area more than a few times, the Sergeant knew where the human guards were. At some point there had been more, back when Anishka was first captured. Now, the first one was all the way down the hall. That was good, because Anishka wasn't ready to deal with many and she still had to actually leave the cell.

"What sort of formations are on these bars?" Anishka asked the Sergeant.

The ant answered her in sign, "No idea, but I can try to eat it."

"Can you… disrupt the flow on one of the bars?" Anishka wasn't a formation expert, or perhaps enchanter as the functions didn't seem to go beyond the bars themselves- which was the important point. If only the bars were special, then they didn't have to fully disable it.

The Sergeant began to chew and tear at the natural energy at the bottom of one bar, giving Anishka an opening. She placed her hands on the vertical bars, separated from each other by a good half meter. Then she began rapidly channeling heat between the two points. She couldn't afford to be too conservative, because if she failed at this step she was still dead. Or really if she failed anything from here on out.

One hand grew hot, the other cold. Then she suddenly reversed the direction, and the metal bar distorted slightly. She swapped the direction once more, rapidly heating the frozen section and cooling the warmed section. There was a clinking sound. She stepped back and kicked the bar, using more of her precious energy. The stress weakened metal gave out, and Anishka stepped forward. She squeezed through, trying not to touch the bars on either side. She picked up the Sergeant on her finger as they made their way towards the end of the hall, though she stopped halfway. It was possible the guard had already sensed something.

There was only one Essence Collection cultivator. Only, as if someone equivalent to herself was a small obstacle. But it was clear that Ekict had more power than it seemed, and even if a Life Transformation cultivator guarding a jail cell would be excessive, this one in mid or early stage was rather little. Then again, there was only Anishka as far as she knew- the other frozen rooms she'd seen contained no life.

She watched as the tiny speck that was the Sergeant moved ahead, saying she had 'a plan'. Anishka didn't know what that plan would be, but she had to trust her only companion. It was an agonizing minute that felt like an hour, and then Anishka heard the guard moving.

"What the hell?" A burst of natural energy, and a slapping sound.

Anishka charged forward into the room, seeing a middle aged woman with a trickle of blood dripping down her neck. Anishka had no time to think about what happened to the Sergeant, instead rushing forward. The guard reacted to her approach with a wave of ice, but Anishka deflected the energy, reaching to grab the guard's wrist. She once more made use of her abilities to their maximum, except unlike the spar she didn't hold back. From skin to muscles to bones and blood vessels, heat was drawn out of one of the woman's arms, only to spew out the other side in a javelin of fire.

As an ice cultivator, she was trained to combat others controlling ice or fire, but not both at the same time… and not the way Anishka was doing it, unbalancing the flow of energy to draw heat from her opponent. An arm froze, and the woman had a black scar on her chest.

And yet, it wasn't enough. Anishka was weak from limited sustenance and terrible conditions. Her opponent blasted her backwards, a shell of ice forming over her. She tried to draw heat from part of it, to concentrate on one area and break out, but she was too weak to do it quickly. She watched as her opponent stepped forward, soon able to smash Anishka with only what minimal defenses the latter could manage.

Then the woman raised her temporarily frozen arm towards her neck once more. "How did you even…?" the frozen hand came away coated with blood, as the flow on the woman's neck grew beyond a small trickle. Anishka felt the woman's energy look internally, searching for some sort of cause. Then she grabbed at her neck, her stiffened fingers fumbling about. The woman blasted some of her energy to freeze the cut. Then she glared at Anishka. "I don't know how you did that trick, but…"

The delay had given Anishka enough time to weaken the shell of ice around her, as well as confidence that her friend was alive. She summoned fire from within her, imbued with special qualities her father had apparently been quite proficient in. Specifically, the ability to burn only what the user wished. For Anishka, there was only one thing she wanted to preserve, a tiny ant. Her fingers poked through the shell and shot a burst of fire at the woman's neck, melting the plug on her neck and burning her badly.

Though the woman was trying to marshall natural energy to the area, the bulk of the defensive energy found itself gobbled up as it reached the area. Otherwise, Anishka's attack would have functioned like the desperate last push it was. Instead, the woman clutched at her neck, attempting to crush whatever was there with her energy… and instead overdoing it and tearing apart her own neck.

It took Anishka several minutes to get out of her shell. "...Sergeant?" she called out, looking at the woman, at the floor, and down at herself. She leaned down towards the woman, feeling with her energy, looking for the hole that was a void ant. She found it, right inside the first wound. She carefully poked the spot, pulling back a bit of skin, and tumbling out came a bloodsoaked ant.

It seemed the blood was rather sticky, as the Sergeant only twitched slowly. Realizing the ant was having trouble getting off of her back, Anishka placed her finger right above the tiny creature. With something to hold onto the Sergeant began to clean off her various appendages by rubbing them against Anishka's finger. "The Great Queen made killing a human sound much easier."

Anishka sighed. "Well, she is much larger. I'm glad you're alright. Now, how do we get out of here? There's no way we can live through another fight… and I imagine that there are at least a few more guards on the way out. Right?"

"Many," the Sergeant admitted. "If we go the wrong way. However, the kitchens should lead out without danger."

Aniskha looked down at the guard. "I should get something resembling proper clothing on. Then, lead the way." Anishka held her arm out with the Sergeant acting as a guide, pointing her to turn a few times. Then she was outside the kitchens, able to sense people inside. But they were just… people. A couple of them might have just begun Body Tempering, but they could hardly be called cultivators.

Anishka considered the options. Could she distract them? Maybe start a fire… and perhaps draw the attention of the guards. So perhaps not that, even if she'd properly had the energy. She could fight them all, to the same results. Could she even beat a handful of non-cultivators in her state? On the other hand, perhaps they didn't have to know how weak she was.

Sensing someone coming down the corridor and panicked, stepping into the kitchen and shutting the door behind her. A half dozen faces looked at her, and she looked back. "When's the food going to be ready? I'm hungry." She projected an aura of confidence and chill, letting them be aware of her status. Even if appearing to have the power of her proper level was actually her limit.

An older woman approached Anishka. "Not for another hour, miss… but we could offer you some fruit, perhaps?"

"Fine," Anishka said, holding out her hand, "Come on then."

An apple was placed in her hand, and she took a bite out of it as she held her head high, strolling further into the kitchen like she owned the place. And that she was not starving or about to collapse.

She strolled to the far ends of the kitchen and out the door, ignoring the vague protests of the kitchen staff. Then she found herself out on the streets, ones she recognized. She looked around, then down at the Sergeant who was barely hanging on as Anishka waved her hand rapidly around. "Whoops, sorry. Uh, where do we go?"

"Patka," the Sergeant said. "She was getting ready for the escape."

"Really? That's great! I was worried something happened. Where is she waiting?"

"... her quarters, maybe?"

"Why are you unsure?"

"We didn't get this far in the plan. And I didn't actually know if I could remove those manacles."

Anishka didn't know what to say to that, so instead she asked for directions once more, and began to follow. She tried to act as much like a Northern Glacier Sect disciple as possible, and hoped that nobody would be paying much attention.

Fortunately, Patka was nearby. Though the Northern Glacier Sect wasn't exactly that large to begin with. Nobody was looking for Anishka either, though they would be soon. Until the alarm came out, however, she was just a forgotten captive, someone whose body would be removed eventually with no further thought. Or perhaps not, given what she'd seen on the way out.

"Anishka?" Patka opened the door when she sensed her outside. "You made it out! Quick, get inside!"

Anishka was quite happy to, stepping into the tiny room which seemed to be all of Patka's 'quarters'. It was basically just a bed and a small table, though there were also some bags half filled with food. Anishka's stomach growled.

"You need to eat! You look… far more than half starved," Patka urged her.

"I couldn't even finish an apple…" Anishka said. "I have to take it slow. But that reminds me… Sergeant, have you been eating?"

"I ate a whole lot!" the Sergeant said.

"Things other than natural energy, I must remind you."

"I've eaten!"

"Today?" No response. "This week?" Anisha frowned, waiting. "... This month?"

"... Does the bits of crust that got in my mouth while I was paring them down to size count?"

Anishka sighed, "Did you sleep?"

"Void ants don't-"

"Or rest at all?" Silence was confirmation, here. "You have to eat at least a little, then rest."

"Ten minutes is enough," the Sergeant said.

"You need a whole night's rest. A month's worth, really!" Anishka exclaimed.

"... An hour, then," the Sergeant said. "That's like half a week's worth. Honest."

Anishka did remember something about that. Though perhaps that was only true for the 'regular' void ants. Many things changed when they developed intelligence. "Fine. An hour. And we'll try to get out here during that while you rest in one of these bags."

"I have a boat," Patka said helpfully. "I was hoping for more, but it was the best I could get. And when we get there, you need to meditate to restore some of your natural energy. And finish that apple." Patka was already scooping everything not in the bags together and bundling everything up. "I don't know what happened with you, but I do know that people are focused away from this place. That Nurcan woman the Sergeant was worried about is gone, and the Sect Head too. We'd best be far away before they return, or anyone who can track us down."

So they went back outside, taking with them what warmth they could from the tiny room. Patka forced a non-scorch-marked coat on Anishka, leaving herself without extra layers. Anishka was too weak to protest, and technically her disciple was a cultivator, even if the middle aged woman was weaker than herself. In normal circumstances.

The snow crunched beneath their feet- there was always snow- and they found their way down some carved out ramps in the ice to a little dinghy sitting in the freezing water. Anishka stepped in, and Patka insisted she row. Anishka couldn't complain, as this was the first time she'd had any sort of comfort in… well, however long she'd been chained up. But when she awoke, she was going to insist on doing her part.

Chapter 653

Communication between Anton and the Trifold alliance became faster and faster the closer he approached, from months to weeks to days. Moving with his greatest possible speed, Anton continuously refined his technique. On approach to Ekict, he stopped by several systems to recover by bound stars. Either some he had decided to bind on the way back to the twin planets or along the second half of the journey towards In'istra. When he found a particularly large gap, he searched for a relatively interesting star, leaving him with six along the way. He also had four more stars he could bind, one of which would certainly be Ekict's star.

His arrival was more than a month behind the Trifold Alliance's forces, but serious attacks had not begun in earnest yet. Anton knew that the forces were stationed in orbit around the system, outside of the greater formation barrier. The system rapidly came into view as he approached, reminding him of the hopes he had for it. Hopes that were now shattered as this system that had perceived themselves as victorious had been ruined far beyond the physical damage.

He reached out for their star, and found the connection was reluctant to form. He'd bound Rutera's star even at a great distance, at least halfway- but this one was different. Was it something about the barrier? The star itself appeared perfectly normal, but his senses were limited in detail because of the barrier. It was quite possible for something to be hiding beneath the surface.

Anton continued to push the connection forward. He was confident he could force it, even with something limiting his efficiency. It would just take longer. Maybe days or weeks, if they could not open the barrier.

It seemed he would not be destroying their star yet. Though he had already been planning to meet up with the alliance so they would have some sort of warning. He found his way towards them, finding many familiar faces. Then again, Anton was at least somewhat familiar with everyone who reached Assimilation, and many of those of great talent with lower cultivation.

Formation masters were obviously present. Ingeborg was also responsible for directing the fleets of Weos, so their ring-ships could fight optimally. There was also Naid of the Worthy Shore Society, the sect long since fully part of Ceretos having directly cut off their ties to the Exalted Quadrant. They would be important for a proper assault.

There were many others of course, a large portion of the mobile Assimilation cultivators. But of most interest to Anton were two individuals who were trying to look calm and collected, though he understood his interest was because of bias for his family. Anton boarded the ship he sensed some of them on and approached Annelie and Gudrun. Annelie noticed his approach, and stated her mind before he even asked. "I am not losing my daughter as well."

"She's my favorite weird little sister," Gudrun added.

Simple words reminding themselves of what they would fight for… but inside of Anton's own head they stirred up a great deal more than he showed on the surface.

Had he truly become such a reckless and foolish old man? He couldn't even blame it on being forgetful- tempering his head during Body Tempering had made him almost young again as such things went, and he'd undergone many transformations since.

He would have remembered. Would have stopped himself in time. Anton told himself that, and he had to believe it. But… it wasn't really fair, was it? He was fully prepared to destroy the star to save the lives of the alliance. It was still the correct call, if all he cared about was maximizing the lives of not only them, but people he cared about.

His granddaughter came up to him. "I know when people are hiding emotions," Annelie said. "It's perfectly reasonable to be furious."

"It's myself I'm most angry at right now," Anton admitted.

"It's not your fault," she said.

He knew that was only partially true. "There's more to it than that. What is… the latest word on Anishka?" He'd received information about her training with Ekict. It wasn't detailed, but he was kept up to date on many things by Annelie while he wasn't around.

Annelie shook her head. "She was with the Northern Glacier Sect after training with the Enkindled Sun Sect for some time. Then this happened."

Nothing more was said. There wasn't more to say. They all knew that she had to be dead. Everyone was dead. Those who had been taken were the same. Yet somehow, Anton couldn't help but hope.

Anton just stood with Annelie and Gudrun. Of the many children she had with Anish, several had ascended. Others reached Assimilation, like Gudrun- though Gudrun in particular had only reached that point in the last decade. A hundred and fifty years was not poor for such a thing, but it was not among the most rapid. Whoever remained no doubt also cared about their younger sister Anishka and the war, but they would likely be involved with the defense of Ceretos and the Trifold Alliance's territory. The Sylanis Cluster still appeared to be inactive, and Ekict shouldn't be able to get any ships out of the system… but they would be ready just in case.

"I have an option," Anton said with a measured voice. "It is not… something I can decide on my own. I will need as much council as possible. Feel free to speak your true mind about what I suggest."

"You know me," Annelie said. "What is it that is so big that you think I would not say what I feel?"

"Let's sit," Anton said. "I haven't sat in… months."

Interstellar ships did not have abundant space for comforts, but the three were able to sit together in a multipurpose mess hall and gathering room aboard the moderately sized ship. Food was provided- Anton had no complaints, but it was far less luxurious than meals for an Assimilation cultivator could be. But there was a limit to what ingredients could be brought along with the fleet, especially with an indefinite duration of the excursion.

Forming a field around them that would prevent others from overhearing the conversation, on purpose or accidentally, Anton clearly stated his idea. "I can end the war in a single stroke," Anton said.

Annelie looked him over carefully. "You haven't yet reached Augmentation, I think. Even then, it might not be quite so straightforward. So how is it possible?"

Anton nodded slowly, "I can destroy their sun."

Both women took him very seriously, thinking for a moment instead of expressing immediate doubt or outrage. Though both would have been appropriate, in Anton's opinion. "How?" Annelie asked finally.

"If I bind to it," Anton said. "It would be fairly simple. I have never done it, but I am certain I could accomplish it."

"This is an awful idea," Gudrun said. "How can you…? Everyone would die."

"That would be the point," Anton said. "They have integration cultivators. Nobody has come up with a good explanation for that and the abductions except that they steal cultivation. And while we might have been able to forgive such a thing if they were honest about using those techniques on the Trigold Cluster…" Anton shook his head. "Doing so to us who only ever offered a hand in friendship? They might be even worse than the upper realms. But do believe I don't suggest such a thing lightly."

Gudrun sighed. She had taken after him, at least as far as archery was concerned. "I only had a small role in the war with the Sylanis Cluster," she admitted. "But was such a thing ever brought up with them?"

"Not seriously," Anton said. "But I was both less certain about the possibility… and I find the situations quite different. They were warmongers, but they never offered a fake hand of friendship."

"I don't believe that anything can justify what you suggested," Gudrun said.

"Perhaps you are right," Anton agreed. "Annelie?"

"We will lose many lives fighting them. Most critically, Assimilation cultivators. Preventing those deaths on our side…" she shook her head. "But first, a matter of practicality. Would it destroy their planets?"

"Not all of them," Anton admitted. "Only the inner ones. However, that would include their most populated homeworld."

"What about their Integration cultivators?" Annelie asked. "Could they react somehow? If they have warning, they might use Nicodemo's stolen cultivation against us as well, out here. And The Independence."

"They most certainly will," Anton agreed. "I could perhaps guide the explosion to cause greater damage than even that… but there would be some conflict regardless. Though our fleets should significantly outperform theirs."

"Then, as a matter of practicality, I don't know if we can accept those results," Annelie said. "It's simply not good enough, if we consider the lost resources of many planets. Also," Annelie took a deep breath, ice coating the area around them as she continued to speak. "My daughter is still there. I won't let you kill her. Or did you already forget about her?"

Anton grimaced. "If I thought she was alive… I don't think I could bring myself to do it."

"I survived," Annelie said. "Alva survived, as well as Devon. I can't believe you'd give up on any of us. Especially not her. She's my… my youngest daughter." Her last daughter, and last memory of her husband as well.

"I would never wish to give up on any of my family or loved ones," Anton said. "You know that. But… can I place my own family above that of many others?"

"Yes!" Annelie said, slamming her palm on the table and instantly coating it in shimmering ice. "That's why we're cultivators! And if we're not good enough, we'll get stronger!"

Anton smiled, "I wish I were strong enough to never consider the easy way." He shook his head. "I won't suggest this to the others."

Annelie's face returned to a state of calm. "No. You have to."

"Even though you're opposed?"

"The logical part of me is more conflicted," Annelie said. "But all of me also says we need to know."

"Know what?"

"What we, as the Trifold Alliance, are willing to do," Annelie said. "It is all well and good to say we will not do something when it is not possible. But when we truly have the option, can we resist? If we defeat Ekict, we will end up with their cultivation stealing techniques. Will we use them as well? We haven't spit in the hand of friendship… but we've continuously been on a side with power. We were threatened, but not the same way as this," she gestured around them. "Strange that fear might be what brought them into danger," Annelie shook her head. "But either way, I think the offer must be made. Though as the one who would ultimately be in control, I would not offer it if you are unwilling to accept going through with it."

Gudrun was sitting with her arms crossed. "I… also think you have to bring it up to a wider council. It sounds horrid and almost impossible to justify, but so is letting our people die. I feel like our lives are worth more than theirs, but is that true?" she shook her head.

Anton didn't have much more to say. So he had to consider carefully, now that he was really here, if he could go through with it. If he should. If it was morally acceptable… or morally acceptable not to do it.

He missed being a simple farmer, but the world would never allow him to return to that life for long.

Navigating through ice floes was difficult, but not as impossible as it seemed. They didn't really know where they were going, but Anishka and Patka could take shifts guiding and protecting the small boat along the way. When something blocked their path, they had several options. Anishka could melt a path through, or they could navigate around. Both options were used depending on what seemed most achievable.

Anishka was slowly recovering from her captivity, eating a little bit more at a time to let her body get used to food again. They had enough food for a couple weeks, which might not get them anywhere useful. They weren't even sure where they could go. It was unlikely the Northern Glacier Sect would just forget about Anishka, and Patka would likely be noticed missing. But they were able to supplement their food with fish. The cultivators could dive into the icy water and retrieve some food, and they could cook it as well. It was good for them… and for the Sergeant, who also needed solid food. Just less of it. Though Anishka was fairly certain the little ant ate like a hundred times her weight per day. Which was still just a thumb's worth of food, but rather alarming to see. Was it alright to eat that much at once after starving?

Anishka shook her head. "Where do we go?"

"Off planet," the Sergeant said, leading them to look up towards the stars.

"How?" Anishka asked. "Ask nicely?"

"I can't fly like the Great Queen," the Sergeant admitted. "But perhaps we can steal a vessel, like this."

"Interstellar ships are guarded much more closely than dinghies," Patka pointed out. "Given that they're probably worth a million times more, minimum. Even just one that could go between planets would be… difficult to get."

Anishka sighed. She'd gotten far too used to everything being provided for her. Even when she came here, the Sects took care of pretty much everything. "Sorry that you gave up your business to come die with me," she said to Patka.

"I don't believe we will die. Because if you were going to, it would have already happened," Patka said. "Your power is not insignificant, regardless of your age."

"Still have tens of thousands of people stronger than me in this system…" Anishka sighed.

"That's… a small fraction of the population," Patka pointed out. "And I believe you are wise enough to figure something out."

Anishka looked up to the stars above. Was she wise? Or even reasonably intelligent? Or talented? Anything of the sort? Or was she just a rich kid who had been able to do whatever she wanted, with access to resources that just let her take the easy route. Her eyes returned down to the boat. Maybe it didn't matter. She had two reasons beyond herself to be whatever she needed to be, even if she hadn't been as much as she should have before.

Chapter 654

Everyone was gathered for a council, though it could also be seen as a test or challenge. What choice would people make, when faced with the possibility of swift and definitive revenge? And for Anton himself, how would he influence the situation? He knew his own opinion would affect others, intentionally or not. And he wasn't truly a neutral party. Perhaps the very act of bringing it up meant it was truly what he wanted… or perhaps he wanted to be told that he shouldn't.

He presented it in what he thought was a neutral manner. An opportunity to remove the system with less fighting. There would be ripples, of course. Side effects. Losses. But ultimately the numbers were in their favor. If It was strictly a matter of the lives of their own citizens, it seemed like the obvious choice. But things were never so easy.

Anzela Ranik was the first to speak for Weos. "If we can confirm that the captured Assimilation cultivators are already dead or… turned, somehow… then I will support the proposal."

For such a thing, normally the president of Rutera would participate- but as a purely political figure, it was unsafe for the current individual to come to the battlefield, so far from their systems. One of their representatives spoke. "I don't think Rutera can support such a thing in any circumstances. An entire star, and effectively the system… that's not something that can be replaced, or calculated." If he had been present, Ty Quigley might have had a different opinion. However, he was defending their home system with the others.

Ingeborg, Weos' formation master, gave her own opinion. "We must consider things on a lower level as well. Do not forget our visiting disciples." Anton hadn't. He knew Anishka's current status was still unknown. "We should not easily sacrifice them, assuming they cannot be saved."

There were many others, though most had reservations. As they should. Eventually, things came to Paula of Marvelous Rabbit Mountain. "We simply do not know enough. Who of ours live within their system, or if they have perished. And likewise, we know too little of Ekict itself. Who among them supported this course of action? Was it every major sect? Are they even aware of the reason we now surround them? Certainly, several dozens of supremely powerful individuals are at fault. But beyond that, we are ignorant."

It was hard for Anton to think anyone was innocent, in a world of traitors- but of course, there were those too weak to affect things. It was a sad state, but the world always had those who bore lesser responsibility. Though individuals whose combined powers could overwhelm those in power still had fault if they knowingly allowed evil to prosper.

But… Anton realized it was true. They knew too little. "We have all had a chance to speak our opinions. Now it is time to vote. Knowing that our intel is insufficient, we can postpone the vote or decide on a course of action to be taken at the earliest opportunity."

It was not a simple majority vote. Kohar had been quite influential on many areas of their alliance, including voting. Even in the case of binary options, people might not truly support one or the other. Here, they could not afford for a choice to be counted as the winner simply because it was the most popular of a split. Thus they tabulated the support for each option. Though ultimately, it was clear that a sufficient number of people were outright against the possibility of destroying the sun in pretty much any circumstances. Some might want to wait for more information, but in general it would have to be their last resort.

And strangely, even if Anton knew that would simply mean the same number of enemies dead and more of them, it was more palatable than heedless destruction. Thinking back to Vandale, the most admirable trait of the man was that his widescale power also was used with precision. Anton had that capability too, and while it would be more difficult to affect the whole system or even one planet at a time with proper precision… it felt right.

Besides, taking the 'easy' way out when there were less extreme options barely explored was too much. Though that depended on what they would find.

The first order of business was breaking through the barrier. They would also have to determine what they intended to do after. Anton did try moving near the barrier himself, to see if anyone might come to attempt negotiations- but either they did not think him isolated enough, or they had no intention to try.

Did they think they could survive this, Anton wondered? They had to believe that. The exact number of Assimilation cultivators had been a secret, so they could have easily been underestimated… but if every captured individual led to the enemy having one more Assimilation cultivator, there would be trouble. The only thing they could rely on was more effective ships, preventing coordination between enemy planets. That might be enough.

His temper slightly calmed, Anton had a proposal for the formation masters. If they could open the barrier and allow him to bind the star, they would have many options. Whether any of them would work was another question. He assumed Everheart could accomplish anything asked, but sane formation masters would have time and material limitations on what they could actually accomplish.

Three individuals that appeared to be two arrived on the northern shores of a continent Anishka didn't even know the name of. Had she been so ignorant, or had Ekict truly been so protective of their information? She looked over to Patka. "What is this place called?"

"I don't know precisely where we have landed," Patka admitted. "Nor do I know much geography."

"... I suppose your education was rather more focused on survival. But you might know the continent, at least?"

"Esea, I think," Patka grimaced.

"Where would they have a starport?"

"The capital? Maybe." Patka shook her head, "Sorry I dont know more."

"It's alright," Anishka assured her. "Your world clearly did not make things easily available. We will have to discover it for ourselves." It was odd, comforting someone older than herself. "While we are here, we should have a cover. Something we can stick to."

"You're a wandering master, and I'm your disciple," Patka said.

"But I'm clearly younger."

"You just look younger," Patka pointed out. "Act older. Maybe be vague and mysterious. Or just go with some of that guidance you had for me."

"... Sorry I was a confusing instructor. I hadn't considered the basic lessons here would be so…"

"Terrible?"

"Limited."

"You said everyone in your system is a cultivator, right?" Anishka nodded. "Hard to think of, here. Only the cultivators are rich enough to move between planets. Everyone else is stuck."

"You're a cultivator now," Anishka reminded her. "Though we certainly aren't rich at the moment. Can we somehow earn money without revealing ourselves?"

"Stealing is more likely to get us caught. But if we're careful, we can enter the cities."

"Everyone will know our faces and energy signatures!" Anishka said.

"How?" Patka asked.

"Well, uh… transmitters?" Anishka frowned.

"Do all cultivators have those?"

"Yes?" she tilted her head. "Though much of the functionality is… technological. Surely you have bounties here, though."

"Watch out for posters, then," Patka suggested.

The Sergeant managed to get their attention by nibbling a bit on the surrounding natural energy. "Will they be looking for me?"

"Even if they are…" Anishka said. "Would they find you?"

"Then I should look for these posters."

"Fine. When we get to a city, we'll have you scout ahead."

"It'll take a day," the Sergeant cautioned. "I'm not fast."

Though she said that, when they actually arrived at a city, it only took her a few hours to approach and return. Anishka watched her skittering along the ground, and despite tiny legs she made a significant pace. It wasn't all physical motion, either, but the tiniest bit of natural energy manipulation. Anishka only noticed that on the way back, and she'd caution the Sergeant against it as it could be noticed. "Someone might spot it, and then you," Anishka said.

"Manipulate natural energy? I don't think I can do that," the Sergeant said.

"Are you sure? It looks kind of like the Great Queen. You're not flying, obviously, but it's vaguely similar."

"Oh. Of course you must be mistaken," the Sergeant said. "My capabilities don't resemble hers in the slightest."

"Why not?"

"She is the Great Queen, and I am just a Sergeant. We will never be the same."

Anishka nodded, "Well, perhaps. But surely you could become a Royal Guard?"

"Oh no," the Sergeant shook her head. "I am much too small for that. Small and weak."

"You're definitely small," Anishka admitted. "But you're much stronger than you were before."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"If the princess says so, it must be true."

Patka had been waiting patiently, but finally could not avoid asking. "So were there wanted posters?"

"Oh. Right. Sergeant?" The Sergeant shook her head. "Looks like no," Anishka said. "How did the two of you… coordinate?"

"Oh well," Patka frowned. "The Sergeant brought your hair… and moved around globs of ink to write."

"It is difficult to write," the Sergeant said. "Even harder than reading."

Anishka was amazed she got out. The fact that the two had more modest capabilities just showed how hard they worked. Even Patka, despite not risking her life or carrying bits of food many times her size, still remained in dangerous territory, obtaining supplies and a boat. Those supplies were low now, but food was not too hard for cultivators to get. They just had to get something profitable but not too noteworthy. Hopefully, they could manage that. They would need money later anyway, since Anishka was the only one with any idea how to use a spacefaring vessel, and that didn't necessarily translate to Ekict's ships. And very few craft were made for individuals, even in the Trifold Alliance.

They all steeled themselves as they approached the city. They couldn't avoid other people forever, and if they could managed to sleep anywhere even vaguely comfortable after the trip over icy seas, they would do their best to achieve that result.

"It might work," Ingeborg said. "With a great amount of power to override the formation's functionality."

"And not for very long," Naid added. "It will take the two of us coordinating to give it even a chance."

"What would it do to the barrier?" Anton asked.

"Well, once we break through… the fleet should be targeting formation nodes," Ingeborg said. "The formation should greatly weaken with even a small hole. The quality is fine but it's not…"

"Everheart levels?"

"Or Catarina levels," Ingeborg nodded. "Maybe another century and the rest of us will catch up to where they were when they ascended."

Oh right. Everheart being Scholar Eulogious was still technically secret. And he'd minimized some of his contributions, at least in the eyes of the greater public.

Ingeborg continued, "Anyway, it also depends how long it takes you to control the star. And channel its energy. At least we have notes for when Scholar Eulogious worked with you in Weos to eradicate the Twin Soul Sect. Dammit, why couldn't that have been Ekict's problem?"

"Maybe they're still influenced by them…?" Anton said with little conviction. Duplicity was definitely the Twin Soul Sect's bread and butter, but they generally tried to avoid painting a target on themselves. Anton shook his head, "Regardless, it shouldn't take long to bind the star without the barrier. An hour or two, perhaps."

Naid Conaire nodded, "Gives us time to set up the changes. Then you can yell at everyone."

"Speak to the system," Ingeborg said. "Hopefully. You won't get many words. We should plan them out carefully."

"What should I say? A call to surrender?"

"Maybe. And an explanation for all of this. It's not like it's a secret. But we don't know if everyone here knows what's been going on. At worst, we waste the time," Ingeborg shrugged. "And if everyone in on it, I don't mind cracking the planets one at a time."

"I thought you were against the star thing," Anton said.

"We'll first scour the planet for our allies. If we attack with overwhelming force, they'll have to show people to us, either to use as hostages or use as bargaining chips for mercy. Which is basically the same. And if they don't have anyone… it's easier than going to each and every city with deadly formations. Though I don't know if we can actually tear a planet in half."

"Coordinated? Absolutely," Anton said. "We have dozens of Assimilation cultivators. Everything is quite fragile without natural energy protecting it. But obviously we'll have to overcome their forces if they come attack."

"That, at least, we can deal with," Ingeborg said. "I just don't want to bet on their individual formations being mediocre. Far too many people die in assaults on fortified locations when proper tactics could produce better results."

Anton just nodded. He was still thinking about the sun thing. He wouldn't do it against the wishes of the leadership. But it still concerned him that he would have followed through if it was supported. That was a path he would find difficult to justify to a younger version of himself, for good reason.

Chapter 655

When the bombardment of the system wide barrier around Ekict commenced, Anton grew in his realization that his assumptions about their power level were faulty. Obviously he was now aware they had power beyond the Life Transformation stage, but even the barrier was stronger than expected. Given what the formation masters said about its design, Anton expected it to crumple quickly but that simply wasn't the case.

At the current moment, his personal power was more limited- but Anton wasn't alone, or even close to being a significant portion of their power. They had dozens of Assimilation cultivators bombarding a relatively small area in succession, though the most notable contributor was not any single person. Instead, it was the second Ascension-class ship made by Rutera. The Wayfarer was more powerful than The Independence, but its purpose was not the same. The latter was made for protection from the upper realms, which had extended to any attackers. The Wayfarer was made for exploration, so even with greater power it was also more efficient. Another general- Gabriela- was in charge of The Wayfarer and its associated fleets. Anton judged its combined firepower to match a late stage Assimilation cultivator, though there was still a significant gap below the Augmentation stage.

Unlike The Independence, there was no one like General Nicodemo forming an important core of the ship's effectiveness. Instead, every crew member was required to contribute their own part. It was quite effective, as Anton could see from the way it made the barrier wobble.

But after a constant hour, the barrier still held. Anton couldn't say he was actually surprised. He had been warned it might take some time. He had just thought the projections were a bit pessimistic.

"It's time," Ingeborg informed Anton.

Anton nodded. Without direct access to a star, he was weaker than he should be as an Assimilation cultivation. However, he did have one method to keep up, at least for a little bit. Fleeting Youth still allowed him to draw upon Ascension energy. While his recovery after the fact still relied on a proper source of energy, the amount he could use in a short burst was not limited by being around a bound star.

He was stealing it after all. Something he felt not the slightest regret for, nor would he have even if it made a measurable distance in the upper realms. He had friends and family there, but that just confirmed what he knew. The upper realms weren't better. Stronger, perhaps, but that wasn't even a guarantee. Their different sort of power did come in handy, though.

Anton's job wasn't to shatter some core component of the barrier with force. At best, he might equal the attacks of two Integration cultivators for a short time, a minimal increase. Instead, he was there to confuse the barrier. Apparently, it had some semblance of the adaptive power the Sylanis Cluster had first made known to the Trifold Alliance. Now their own ships used the same sort of thing.

One more form of energy shouldn't be too much of a difference, except for the bias of the barrier. So far, the only thing that Anton knew for certain was true of Ekict was that they hated the upper realms above all else, and that stuck with their barrier design. Each shot Anton took did exactly nothing, but he saw greater effects all around the areas his arrows burst as his allies took advantage of the focus on Ascension energy.

It was quite a significant effort just to puncture the first hole, but that led to a cascade of effects as cultivators slipped through to damage the physical pieces of the formation, free floating in space. Cultivators from Ekict had not come to defend, either believing their barrier invulnerable or focusing their efforts elsewhere. Anton found the latter option concerning.

But the formation masters got to work, and with punctures in the barrier Anton began to bind the star. It was a little slow. Reluctant. Perhaps the connection and distance were poor. Or perhaps it was his own bias, or that of Ekict against him. Permission wasn't necessary… but perhaps it made things easier. Though it hadn't been an issue with the Sylanis Cluster, so Anton couldn't say anything for sure.

Three hours after they commenced the attack, they'd torn a planet-sized hole in the barrier, one that wouldn't be able to reform. Anton had bound the star, and the formation masters had performed their temporary alteration. Now was the time to try it.

Anishka did her best to judge whether frost apes or lightning eels were a greater threat. The prices for each were fairly similar, and so was the technical power level… but that didn't tell the whole story. Fighting underwater, or in any specific creature's territory, gave them an advantage. In theory, as ice cultivators Anishka and Patka were both well suited to combat the frost apes. However, the Sergeant was vulnerable to them hurling large hunks of ice- the main danger would not be energy based. Would the eels be any better?

She had to pick one. They needed money. It was her responsibility to guide them well. She had to put her head to it, thinking of what else lived near them that would contribute to the danger. The territory… as much as she was aware. Because Ekict hadn't exactly been forthcoming with any information. She'd even had to pry details out of the people offering the hunting rewards. Why?

Perhaps they were concerned she would sell to someone else. After all, both had to be worth more than what was being paid, otherwise nobody would bother with a commission unless they were in desperate need for something particular.

It would have to be the frost apes. Perhaps the Sergeant wouldn't be able to contribute as much for the sake of safety, but their competitors were seals that would gladly take advantage of their distraction. Thus, even if they stumbled into a group that was too large they could mitigate the danger. Yes, that was good enough.

"We're hunting frost apes," Anishka said confidently to Patka.

"Of course, mistress Anishka."

"Come on, I'm not even that strong. I'm not a sect head or anything. At best, I'd be your senior sister." It was already weird to think of being called that by someone older than her, but Patka insisted on honorifics when possible.

"Very well, senior sister Anishka. Though you must recognize that at your age, being an Essence Collection cultivator is meaningful."

It wasn't enough though. They had to contend with Life Transformation and stronger. But that was just another reason to stay unnoticed.

The journey to where the frost apes lived was a couple days where they did their best to interact as little as possible with anyone on the road without looking timid. What appeared to be two people might seem like easy targets, and while cultivators didn't always rob and steal from each other, Anishka didn't feel charitable about most of Ekict at the moment. But obviously they weren't all bad, because Patka existed.

The icy spires that were the home of the frost apes weren't something that could form simply by physical forces. They were formed partially by natural energy seeping out of the ground, which was then encouraged by the frost apes to improve their ability to move around. They were known for jumping between the various spires, remaining protected from anything on the ground. Anishka and Patka kept their heads up, watching for enemies. The Sergeant was relegated to a sheltered position where she would not be crushed.

"You remember our plans?" Anishka reminded Patka.

"Yes, senior sister. We're to conjure flames on the surface of the spires."

"Close… but not quite right. You must separate the heat, and take advantage of the resulting reactions to light any available fuel." It was a strange thing how the components of water were both highly flammable in their own way, though combined into a molecule they were completely the opposite.

The first sign of a frost ape was a man sized sphere of ice crashing into the ground right next to Anishka. It would have hit her had she not reacted in time, thrown from a great distance yet only giving her a fraction of a second to recognize its approach. The frost ape who threw it had been basically undetectable before that.

The pair rushed towards the spire, combining their energies to perform as Anishka planned. She technically did most of the heavy lifting, but fire quickly climbed to the frost ape. It leapt away from the pillar, but the flame were already fading anyway. It would take quite a bit more to sustain such a reaction. However, Anishka saw that they'd been at least partially successful, some flames lingering on the ape itself for a few moments, leaving a few black scorch marks on otherwise silvery fur. Not that it was a significant amount of damage just yet, but it was simply proof.

It quickly became clear that rushing to the base of a spire was infeasible, as the frost ape would leap away before they could repeat their attack. They also had to dodge hunks of ice along the way- though each of those weakened the spires, so the ammunition wasn't unlimited.

Instead, they had to attempt the same thing at range, or predict where the creature would flee and have one of them waiting. The ape was smart enough to recognize their danger, but didn't seem to be able to track every possible move. With some flames flung upward and some growing their way up, they were making some progress.

Then the ape leapt, not at another spire, but down at them. More dangerous for it… but also for them. Anishka was glad she was the initial target as she avoided the large fists. "Alright, fire on the back and ice on the front!" Anishka declared. As she said that, she began to amplify the frost on the front of the creature, using her techniques to draw the heat to the creature's back. Patka tossed her own flames, as that was an easier maneuver.

Just about the time the creature seemed defeated, Anishka found herself tossed to the side. She'd been too focused on the single target, she hadn't noticed more frost apes approaching. Her energy defenses had absorbed the worst of the shards of ice scattering off the launched attack, but she couldn't afford to let that happen again. Patka was fortunately targeted second, and thus ready to dodge the next attack. However, the addition of two more frost apes turned the situation a bit hairy.

And then a fourth and fifth turned things into a crisis. Anishka was already thinking about how they might retreat, when something extremely odd happened to distract both apes and humans.

"People of Ekict." A massive transmission of sound from the sky. Not quite a booming voice, but clearly audible everywhere. "We come not as invaders, but in our own defense. Know that your most powerful cultivators chose to reject our friendship in the most horrid way, by betrayal."

Anishka felt waves of energy washing over her, which fortunately continued to keep the frost ape's attention for the moment. "... Grandpa?" He didn't respond of course. He wasn't there but… much further. Somehow.

"An unprovoked attack on our friends and companions left us with no choice but to retaliate, as every diplomat was also involved in the treachery. They all returned here to take shelter. But know this, everyone involved will be slain. However… those who were not involved still have the chance to make a better choice. Stay out of our way, and we will not harm you. But be aware, just as we will take vengeance for our elders, so too will we do the same for our youth who came for mutually beneficial exchanges and have been taken away from us."

Anishka barely stayed on her feet. They were here to rescue her. Well, not her specifically. And they weren't here yet. But… there was some chance. If she could be noticed… but only by the right people.

Then, unfortunately, the power faded away… no longer distracting the apes. Attacks immediately began again, both up close assaults and huge ice boulders any time she stepped away towards a 'safer' position. Anishka looked towards Patka. They were going to have to flee, somehow. But she couldn't quite figure out how.

Chapter 656

With a sweep of her hand, Anishka formed a transient wall of ice to shelter Patka from raining icy boulders. Either they were unlucky to encounter ice apes in a group or her lack of familiarity with them led her to assume they would be solitary- and incapable of stealth. Either way, as the stronger party she was responsible for Patka's survival. Anishka could simply run on her own, but leaving with Patka would be more difficult.

She directed them around spires of ice, weaving between them as silver furred apes leapt between the upper levels, swinging around the peaks without giving the cultivators a chance to retaliate. Only one was injured. At the point where Anishka was considering flinging the Sergeant as a projectile to hopefully chew on the injured one, she knew she really didn't have many options. Perhaps she could carry Patka? It would limit her own movements, but she could deal with a few glancing blows.

So focused had she been on surviving the frost apes that she hadn't even noticed cultivators approaching. Not until two lines of fire struck one in the chest, while a large explosion of fire toppled one of the spires a frost ape was leaping towards.

"Looks like you're in a tight spot," A woman with fire on her head drew Anishka's attention. "You wouldn't mind splitting the bounty, would you?"

"Not at all," Anishka called back. What was a bounty compared to life? Especially one of such modest value as these. Any allies they could get were a great boon.

The woman who spoke appeared to be a handful of years older than Anishka, but was somewhere around mid Essence Collection. The other two with her were also women, the same flames in place of the hair on their heads. They were both in Spirit Building, but their presence was quite welcome.

"Can you do that trick with the burning spire again?" the leader asked, gesturing towards one of the frost apes taking shelter from her two companions. Meanwhile the woman herself rushed towards the frost ape that had fallen down with them after she destroyed its destination spire mid leap.

Anishka would take whatever fortune she could get, approaching the spire in question as Patka avoided the frost ape they had injured. She kept an eye on that situation, as she wouldn't let her apprentice and friend get hurt, but she agreed with the suggested course of action. She lit up the spire, flames dancing up its surface, and the ape leapt away. As it arced through the air, the two Spirit Building cultivators simultaneously attacked, once again forming lances of fire. Unable to dodge, the ape sustained injuries. Instead of turning to attack, it continued to flee further.

It couldn't be guaranteed it wouldn't return in a moment, but Anishka had to focus on those remaining. The two apprentices kept the final ape on the spire suppressed and unable to lob more attacks, while Anishka approached the first and most injured ape from the rear. It slammed its large fists down on the ground, nearly crushing Patka. At the same moment. Anishka's two palms struck each of its shoulder blades. Fire on one side, ice on the other, she drew upon the creature's body heat to maximize both effects. Its left side froze solid, while its right had all the fur charred away.

The frost ape tried to spin to elbow Anishka, but it lost its balance as its left side remained static. It fell with its upper end towards Patka, who stomped her foot onto its skull, crushing it.

The other grounded ape was quickly finished off by the Essence Collection woman, and the last fled. Two dead, and two injured. And everyone had survived on their side, so it was ultimately a success.

"Too bad we didn't get the last two," the woman said. "I'm Celina of the Vermillion Inferno. Nice to meet you. These are my apprentices Ilona and Gilda."

"Anishka. And this is Patka." She considered introducing the Sergeant, but that seemed like it could go poorly. "Thank you for your assistance."

"No problem. People should help each other out." Celina frowned, "Speaking of which, that message was weird. I'd heard about a war coming, but that…" she looked up into the sky. "I feel very unprepared."

"I wasn't expecting it either," Anishka admitted.

Celina nodded, "So, who's your grandpa?"

"What?" Anishka narrowed her eyes.

"Well, we were here hunting too and noticed your battle. Was that voice your grandpa?"

Anishka knew many things. Lying was not one of them. "I don't know what that message was." Technically true. Anishka was looking for a way to extricate herself from the situation, and her eyes came upon Patka who looked much more calm somehow.

"I didn't actually ask that," Celina said. "But if you don't want to talk about it…"

"We must be going," Anishka inclined her head.

"Are you sure? You haven't collected your share of the spoils. Though… it does look like you'll have some trouble getting much back without a storage bag."

Running away was suspicious, right? What was she even supposed to say here? Anishka took a deep breath… and reminded herself she was an Essence Collection cultivator. She'd at least trained Insight in Spirit Building. Even if it was imperfect, she could sense the intentions of this woman. And her senses told her… sincerity. And some confusion. And curiosity.

"We had an unfortunate run-in with a larger sect, and I was unable to move on with my equipment."

"That's awful," Celina sounded sincere. "Honestly, a lot of the larger sects are terrible. I heard about these other systems- only good things- and now we're at war? It was already enough trouble to not get snatched up by the larger sects…"

"Is it because of Transferral?" Anishka asked.

"Transferral of what?" Celina looked genuinely confused.

"Uh, well. It's a… technique? The larger sects have it. At least the Northern Glacier Sect…" Anishka wasn't actually sure how far it was spread, but considering they had an Integration cultivator and didn't rule the system, clearly they couldn't be alone. "It steals people's cultivation."

"That's horrid," Celina grimaced. "But no, the official reason is to be 'protected', which really means drafted into this war that they were trying to keep secret until now. How long have you known about it?"

"... Months," Anishka turned her eyes away. Or however long she'd been captured.

"You're strangely well informed," Celina said. "But you don't seem to have much support…" she quickly waved her hands, "That wasn't a threat or anything. In fact, kind of the opposite. We can't really reach the rest of our sect, so it seems we could both use some support. I was thinking we could join up. Your style is… interesting. Seems powerful, too. Does it have a name?"

"The Fire and Ice Palace," Anishka said.

"Weird. I feel like I should have heard of it. Unless you're older than you look?"

"How old do I look?" Anishka asked.

"Early twenties."

"That's correct, so…"

"So you should be from a big sect. Or you found a secret scroll somewhere, but that would still take a genius to reach your level."

"Would it?" Anishka shook her head. "Not if you start cultivating early enough."

"So it is a big sect. Otherwise you'd get yourself killed, cultivating too young."

"It doesn't matter," Anishka said. "I couldn't get in contact with them anyway."

"Then we're in the same boat." Celina extended her hand, "How about we join up? With your split of the bounties on these, we could get you…" she looked over Anishka. "Literally any sort of gear."

Anishka was wearing regular clothes, some of Patka's. She couldn't exactly wander around in a damaged and slightly bloody outfit with the insignia of the Northern Glacier Sect. "... I suppose that would be beneficial." Anishka was missing a lot of things- though fortunately she'd given Patka a copy of her cultivation manual. It wouldn't go all the way through Life Transformation and Ascension or Assimilation, but it would be sufficient for her to continue her practice until… until she got away from this place. Because she wasn't going to die.

Far away in the upper realms, Chidi was also determined not to die. However, he currently had more allies and perhaps his greatest source of danger was his own teacher. Though it wasn't like Chikere was going to actually kill him. Not unless he stopped improving, and even then it wouldn't be exactly on purpose. She expected him to improve, to learn to deal with her ever more difficult attack patterns. And truthfully, if he didn't improve? He really might just die. Even if he curled up in a ball, refusing to leave Shutoll, the Harmonious Citadel would eventually come and then he would die.

Not that he'd considered such a thing lately. His confidence was fairly high, both with his sword training and the progress they'd been making with the formation pillars. He was beginning to truly understand how each of them fit in as a piece of the larger whole. They were not all exactly the same, but each was very close.

"What do you think this means?" asked Sithembile, the formation master overseeing the project.

"I think each layer was made by the same people, repeating just one part over and over. Then they were likely fused together by a formation master in charge. Perhaps a grandmaster…" Chidi frowned.

"You don't think they have the qualifications?"

"Oh no, I didn't mean to presume," Chidi shook his head. "I've mainly interacted with my mother's works, which involve techniques taken from Everheart. Even Engineer Uzun has the same formation basis. It's just different. I can't say for sure that it's worse."

"It is," Sithembile clarified. "I'm not close to being a grandmaster myself, but at least these particular examples aren't of the quality expected. That doesn't mean whoever made them isn't a grandmaster, but they clearly didn't have the time or resources if they have the ability. Of course, in the grand scheme of things formations just need to work. And these completed their duty." The man nodded seriously, "So it would be fine for you to destroy one."

"What?" Chidi asked.

"Even after displacing these, they're still managing to support the formation, if to a lesser degree. We'll need to destroy them eventually. And I can tell you want to."

"Well, I-"

"You want to know if you can cut it in half. Your posture says everything."

"Well, yeah. But it just seems kind of like a waste."

"How so?"

"I mean, I know these formations are working against us. But we can still study it."

"There's more than one way to study something," Sithembile replied. "You know the engineers of Xankeshan. They take apart constructions to understand them. And… you don't know what's inside this."

"Is it safe?"

Sithembile shrugged, "Some of the teams have destroyed them in the field, since it is quite difficult to return them. It shouldn't be any different for you. But would the danger really stop you?"

"... It would just change how I did it," Chidi admitted.

"Good. So, how are you slicing it?"

"Quarters, I think. Can it be this one?"

"They're all equivalent," Sithembile said. "So pick whichever you like."

Chidi nodded, "Then, I'll do it."

He drew his sword, clutching it with both hands. Destroying a stationary object, even one somewhat enhanced in durability by internal formations, was about the easiest thing that could be done. Properly cutting something of high hardness was a bit more picky. He didn't want to just shatter it, as that would be hard on his blade and… just inelegant.

He had studied this particular pillar quite thoroughly, touching every surface. He knew the structure of the stone by heart. So the proper cut would be exactly like…

With just a slight sound of metal on a whetstone, his arms finished their arc. The pillar in front of him split apart vertically, two halves toppling to the sides. Then each of those split in half.

"Tch." Chidi clicked his tongue.

"Was it not as satisfying as you thought?" Sithembile asked.

"I screwed it up," Chidi said.

"That looks like quarters to me," the man said.

"It wasn't supposed to split apart. That means some of my force pushed it to the sides. But…" Chidi nodded. "I did feel how the flow of energy shifted. This is little more than a jumble of fancy rocks, in this state. I'll have to seek out more of them to destroy."

"That would be quite appreciated," Sithembile said. "I think we're close enough to thinning the veil over Shutoll, at least. If we can get a message out from here, we can coordinate backup from the Scarlet Alliance. Though it would be even better to unveil multiple cities at the same time."

"... I think I could manage that," Chidi said. "If I destroy the right pattern."

"I'll talk to the commanders to get your squad free reign to follow that goal, then," Sithembile replied. "I don't think we can afford to maintain this stalemate forever."

Chidi agreed. Especially not with how Chikere was provoking the Harmonious Citadel. Though strangely, that might also be keeping them distracted. A delicate balance, though not so much a mastermind plan as just the method to her stated goal of provoking the sword saint to come to Yaitis.

Chapter 657

Humans were bundles of desires and logic with the two often conflicting. A cultivator chose an aspect they desired in Essence Collection, driving themselves forward. Yet that was never a complete picture of a person. Nobody had a single desire that controlled everything. If they did, they would hardly be human anymore.

The logical approach to the invasion would have not involved announcing their presence- regardless of whether the enemy knew about them already. It would be pretty much impossible to not notice an attack on their barrier. Even if they hadn't responded directly, that just meant they had other priorities. The next most logical thing was to conquer their planets one at a time, using all of their forces to maximum effectiveness. The Trifold Alliance's forces weren't so overwhelmingly large that they would get in each other's ways, numbering simply in the hundreds of ships. Dozens of Assimilation cultivators, hundreds of Life Transformation, and twice again as many Essence Collection cultivators. Nobody weaker, because their contributions would be meaningless, and the ships didn't have endless room.

But the Trifold Alliance didn't conquer one planet at a time, instead spreading throughout the system. Why? The answer was quite simple. They wanted to win. They wanted the greatest number of their members to survive. But more than all of that, they wanted to say they did everything possible to save the disciples that had been part of the cultivation exchange.

With no messages from them, they could be presumed dead. Anton believed the same about Anishka. He'd lost family before, many times. Children, grandchildren, and more. He was resigned to the results, and capable of processing it emotionally. But there had also been a few months when he was going to blow up Ekict's sun, and he was still absolutely going to kill people.

Thus it was that among others, Anton and Annelie headed for the main planet in the system. The fleets ignored smaller outlying planets- perhaps a tactical mistake, but they wouldn't know for certain until later. Hopefully, Anton's message dissuaded some levels of involvement.

The relatively short hours from the outer edge of the system to the planet they sought felt like an eternity. But then they arrived, ready for combat. Immediately they… ran into another barrier around the planet.

Of course there was one. It would be crazy not to have one, because even if it could be overcome it would slow them down, and tire them out. And by 'them', Anton of course was considering the Assimilation cultivators with lower mobility. Not everyone was as strong here as they could be- though those like Lev who were the most bound to a location were remaining on the defensive, as cautions against potential counterattacks or the Sylanis Cluster.

But Anton was close enough to the sun to consider himself at optimal strength. There were more powerful Assimilation cultivators- if not many- but at this distance from one of his bound stars he was confident in surviving any encounter. Not that he actually thought any Assimilation cultivator would try to kill him, but someone of equivalent status like Sylanis' Worldbinding wasn't off the table. Further away, and Anton would be somewhat weaker. And if he fought near the innermost planets Anton would be able to dominate any matchup. In extreme proximity to the sun… he wouldn't guarantee defeating an Augmentation cultivator. But he wouldn't assume his loss, either.

For the sake of formation master Naid Conaire, Anton tested various points of the planet with his shots for the reaction. Ultimately it was clear that the barrier was nearly homogenous about the whole planet. It would have to be, or it would be easy to rip apart.

The bombardment had only just begun- less than half an hour mostly testing it out- when several individuals flew to a place they could be picked out easily. What was more, one woman even projected her voice beyond the barrier. "An amusing speech. But if you truly care so much for your disciples, I would reconsider your course of action."

Anton held up his hand, and the bombardment respectfully stopped a few moments later. So, they were actually going to negotiate? He reached out for the barrier. It didn't seem any weaker, but he attempted to speak anyway, projecting his voice to the edge in hopes he could be heard. "Is that so? They are unharmed, then?" Instead of waiting for an answer, Anton continued. "I assume you have the authority to negotiate for their release. What might we address you as?"

"I am Nurcan, of the Northern Glacier Sect," the woman declared. "I know who all of you are, of course." The fact that he did not know her concerned Anton. He knew of the sect head Arzu, but this woman hadn't come up. "I do indeed have the authority. I can declare to you that if you attempt any more aggressive actions, we will begin killing your disciples one by one."

Fire flared inside Anton. Anger. Power. Passion. But with the flames came light. "What will it cost us?"

"It's quite simple. You can make an exchange of resources. Ships. Or people willing to give up their own freedom." The woman grinned. "Before you ask, Anishka will cost you the entire treasury of the Fire and Ice Palace. Or just yourself, sect head Annelie."

The instant Annelie began to move, Anton stopped her. "Don't. I know you didn't bring the full treasury with you, so you could only…"

She just glared back at him. "Are you telling me you wouldn't do it yourself?"

Anton had them surrounded in a barrier of energy, so that their words could not be heard- or their lips read. "My dear granddaughter, I would absolutely make such a sacrifice if there was no other way. And if I believed it would mean anything."

"What do you mean?"

"I am paying much closer attention to details, this time," Anton said. "They don't have her."

"Seems you don't want her?" an annoyed voice projected beyond the formation barrier. "Tell you what. I'm a busy woman. Take a couple days and talk among yourselves. If you want to know what it will cost you, we'll have people waiting here. Then we can make the exchanges all at once when everyone's decided, alright?"

Anzela Ranik approached first. "What about my husband?"

"Ah yes. The charming Rikuto," Nurcan nodded, "He's of great value, but we could return him to you for the full blueprints to all of Weos' battleships. Or yourself, I suppose."

Fire flared inside Anton. That was even less possible than the exchange for Anishka. He was certain of that, somehow. It didn't bode well for Rikuto, but what did her uncertainty about Anishka mean? He was using every scrap of Insight he had, but he couldn't learn more without pressing for details. And that might make it too obvious.

But after everyone made their requests, he could inform them privately that Ekict wouldn't or couldn't be following through on the exchanges. Perhaps it was a ploy for time, or they had some form of illusion to pretend the exchange happened. That, Anton couldn't know. But if they did have some hostages still, the assault would have to be on hold.

Not every part of the Trifold Alliance or indeed all of Ekict had word of the negotiations. Circling around a gas giant, The Wayfarer was scooping up relatively minute amounts of various gasses. Along with ambient natural energy, these would be converted to replenish the expended energy stores from piercing through the outer formation. General Gabriela would then be directing it as most optimal for Rutera and the Alliance's goals. They were aligned on the highest level, but they obviously cared about different individuals in the system.

Unlike Nicodemo, Gabriela was not an Assimilation cultivator. She could not make the ship function above and beyond its combined technology and energy formations, nor was she even the best gunner for the main cannon. She was there for her actual job, leading the fleet. She was still amazed at hearing how Nicodemo had done so while also augmenting The Independence. His position as the most prominent of Rutera's generals had been unshakable- but Gabriela didn't resent it. It wasn't as if he didn't advocate for other options for advancement among the military.

He'd seemed an invincible figure. And then he was just… gone.

Killing a war hero wasn't a good start for Ekict's assault. Neither was stealing their most well known battleship. Rutera wasn't wholly devoted to their military, but they did understand how necessary it was, and were generally in support of it. Now, they were angry.

"General Gabriela," said one of the sensor operators. "I'm sensing… well, it's…"

"Say it," she said.

"The Independence, general."

"Prepare to engage. If we don't receive a transmission indicating recapture, we'll assault immediately."

As it came around the edge of the planet, sensors picked up another source of power as well. Visuals indicated it was a woman standing on the front of the battleship. It was almost comical, but Gabriela knew not to underestimate someone holding a spear- even if it seemed crazy. They'd have to assume that individual was in Assimilation. Or… something. One on one The Wayfarer likely destroyed The Independence, but they'd need the rest of the fleet to deal with this.

Anishka was alive. And so was Patka. The Sergeant was healthy as well, but not visible. Instead, three more individuals were present. The Vermillion Inferno had quickly endeared themselves to Anishka. For one thing, without the factor of The Sergeant she was pretty sure they could have just killed them and taken everything. Not that they really had anything. They could have also let them die to the frost apes. Instead, they were splitting the bounties on the two that had been killed.

But they had problems Anishka couldn't just ignore. The only problem was figuring out a way to say it politely, as she watched them meditate, flames licking around them. "Have you, uh, considered… sealing the flames around you to amplify the effects?"

That's right. Their cultivation was inefficient. All that wasted heat which she didn't think was being intentionally vented. That she absolutely could not stand. But she also wasn't some sort of grand cultivator who knew everything, so perhaps it made perfect sense with their style.

The leader of the trio, a mid Essence Collection cultivator only a handful of years older than Anishka, looked at her carefully. "What do you mean?" Celina asked.

"Well, a more familiar style for myself is like this," Anishka began to demonstrate. Flames arose around her, but while they appeared to wander freely they were actually constrained tightly by her will. This was how she could choose who was burned, or at least one factor.

"Interesting. Would you mind going into more detail?" Celina prodded.

Anishka absolutely did not mind. She went over the basics. Then somewhere along the way she got into talking about convection currents, then temperature as a concept, and that led her to her thoughts on the ice-flame dichotomy. "... so basically fire and heat are only related and not the same thing.." She cleared her throat. "But, uh, maybe that doesn't actually matter."

She was almost sweating despite the chill temperature as she looked at three- three and a half, counting Patka- dazed faces. Celina closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then nodded. "Thank you for sharing your insights. I am sure we will benefit greatly."

"You will? I mean, uh, that's good. Though I can't guarantee everything is perfect."

Celina smiled, "If you could, I doubt you'd still be in Essence Collection. As it is, I believe it will be a smooth journey for you."

Smooth. Everything up until her capture had been smooth. She'd been lucky to get out. Even now, she still felt too close to the influence of the Northern Glacier Sect. Though there was no reason to believe the Enkindled Sun Sect was any better, so traveling much to the south was also a risk. And Anishka didn't even know what she could really accomplish. Stealing a ship was ambitious, and she was suddenly very aware of the planetary formation above. What if that stopped her from getting out? She would just have made herself a target.

Not to mention the whole war starting, and what that might mean for people like Patka and the Vermillion Inferno. They could easily be caught in the crossfire. What could she do to help?

She didn't know. All she knew was she couldn't solve every problem, so perhaps she should simply consider those present. Including the Sergeant. Would revealing her to the trio be a danger, or a boon? She'd have to ask about that when she got the chance. But for the moment, their next stop was the city to get paid, and they could think about what to do with said money after that.

Chapter 658

Lightning split in all directions from the unfortunate vessel chosen as the first target by the spearmaster. This was one of the few individuals known from Ekict- Aoibhin. Gabriela could only watch from The Wayfarer and curse the luck of the fighter pilot who had been chosen as the first targets. "All vessels, adaptive shields update on the way."

Over the course of time Rutera had integrated and even made improvements to the Sylanis Cluster's adaptive defenses. Information could be shared among a fleet, which was especially important for dealing with powerful individuals. Any of the smaller sized vessels could be taken out in one hit by a Worldbinding cultivator. No, it wasn't Worldbinding or Assimilation but Integration, right? She remembered the feeling from the invasion several decades earlier, though she was a lower ranking general at the time.

There were various theories from both before and after the attacks, but several people had picked out clear signs of those who had achieved Integration, as crazy as it might seem. They did not belong in this world. And yet, here was one without a speck of ascension energy in her.

Projectiles impacted the shields of The Wayfarer, and one of The Independence's main cannons fired a sustained laser. "Shield status?" Gabriela asked. She technically had the information available on her own console, but she couldn't quite believe the readings.

"Remaining power ninety-eight percent," said the responsible crewmember. "Recharge functioning as normal. Adaptation close to maximum, given Ni- readings of the former operator."

She nodded. They hadn't been expecting The Independence, but knowing it was stolen meant they put the data as priority in their database. As intended, it minimized the amount of damage they would take, with the ship automatically switching from default defenses upon successful scan. Or perhaps it had been a manual switch by one of the operators- she would ask later. Leaving too much to automation could result in flaws of predictability.

Aoibhin completely ignored The Wayfarer, focusing on attacking the fighters and mid sized ships of the fleet. Her spear deflected off the shields of one of the fighters, returning to her hand as she landed on it. She stabbed directly- once, twice, three times. Only then did the shields collapse to overwhelming power. Once again, unfortunate for that individual pilot- but remarkable results. A single fighter delaying an Integration cultivator for more than a few seconds, allowing the others to fire upon Aoibhin. They had to be somewhat careful with their shots to not take out their ally, but the arcs of lightning around her faded momentarily as she flew through the void towards her next target, focusing on avoidance. It was a shame she would adapt her attacks and the next few individuals would have little chance.

It was unfortunate that The Wayfarer could not easily target an individual- it was possible, but for this particular individual they would have to use the fast swiveling weapons. The rest were focused on The Independence, which they could at least hit. Though its adaptive shields would also minimize the damage.

Gabriela blinked at what she saw. The shields had most certainly been in place, but several of their attacks punctured through to strike the hull of The Independence. Had several of the gunners broken through to new levels of insight? All at once? No, that wasn't it. Or at least, it couldn't be the main reason. The Independence adapted to the next waves of attacks, even though The Wayfarer's information was in its database. It was unfortunate that they'd even had to consider fighting against their own ships, but they prioritized the defensive option should it take place.

The… The Independence looked pathetic. Half of its guns weren't firing- what was the crew doing? They couldn't rely just on the main control, even if it was using a power that felt exactly like Nicodemo. It was strong but strength wasn't enough.

Aoibhin indeed changed through several styles, from lightning to pure spear technique, puncturing hulls. But after swapping through a few options, the fighters were all adapted. Instead of switching styles even more, she just battered through their defenses.

None of it made sense… but it was very advantageous for Rutera. "Gunner leader. Is the prototype ready to be tested?"

"Affirmative," came the response from Neven. "We have enough data. Do you want us to fire?"

"On the spearmaster," Gabriela confirmed.

"Taking the shot," Neven replied.

It was odd, having so little to do. Gabriela was supposed to be directing the fleets against similar groups of enemies and complex tactics, but here there were just two powerful individuals. Or what was effectively the same. They didn't even have any support ships. "Scanners, check for flanking vessels." This couldn't be it.

"Negative, general," came the response.

At the same moment, a single laser opened fire. It was not quite on the level of power of the main cannons, but it targeted Aoibhin… and immediately caused her to flee. Good instinct. Even as she retreated, the swiveling laser tracked her, cutting through her defenses until she ducked behind The Independence.

"Damage confirmed," came Neven's report.

Good. It had worked in testing, but they couldn't ask someone to actually stand in front of a ship cannon and let it shoot them. Except perhaps Nthanda, but she was the least useful target to test on. The woman had a body as tough as a ship's hull, which was exactly the opposite of what they wanted their new weapon to face. Just as their defenses were adaptive, this laser was meant to pierce through defenses as well… including that of individual cultivators of sufficient might. And it worked, well enough at least. Obviously it would have been better to instantly kill Aoibhin, but if they could take out high ranking enemies that easily the war would be over today.

"The enemy appears to be retreating, general. Should we pursue?"

"Are there other enemy forces?"

"Ships detected rounding the planet."

"We'll leave them for now. We need to look over the information we've gained." It would be no good to pursue the enemy into a trap. It was a shame about the lost pilots, but frankly a handful of lives in a battle with two Ascension class opponents was barely a scratch.

Upon returning to the city, Anishka and the others were instantly inundated with recruitment calls for joining the war. It was unsurprising how rapidly the situation had changed, given the appearance of a planet wide voice talking about the war. Though people already knew about it, the fact that something like that could happen was huge. Was Grandpa Anton just above the planet? Anishka didn't feel him… but he would probably have to be directly above her. And the barrier wasn't helping either. She couldn't feel tens or hundreds of kilometers away through atmosphere.

"This doesn't look good," Celina said, looking around at the recruiters.

"It could be worse, right?" Anishka said. "It doesn't seem like a mandatory draft…"

"Hrmn," Celina grunted. "I wouldn't be so sure," she muttered. "Come on, let's get these apes out of our bag."

They arrived where the collection bounty had been posted, and got paid. Then the very same individual gave them a pitch. "The Northern Glacier Sect is offering ten percent more than other sects, and a portion of the spoils of war!" The woman leaned towards them, placing papers on the desk in front of her. "Just sign here!"

"Well, uh," Anishka began elegantly.

"We're planning to peruse all of our options first," Celina said. "Do you know if the Enkindled Sun Sect has recruiters here?"

The woman snorted, "Sure. But you know they'll snatch up all the good fire element resources, right? You'd do better with the Northern Glacier Sect." The woman looked at Anishka. "Wait, are you an ice cultivator? You feel… different."

"Oh, no, definitely fire," Anishka said. "We'll take that into account. And uh, if we decide to join up with the Northern Glacier Sect we'll definitely do it through you, okay?" With that, they fled outside. "She's definitely getting a commission, right?"

"Or exemption from drafting," Celina said. "I don't think we'll make it far without getting some sort of protection," she gestured to passing cultivators who had badges indicating they'd joined up with one sect or another.

"I'm… really not comfortable with the Northern Glacier Sect," Anishka bit her lip. "Perhaps something mid-sized?"

Celina protected them in a barrier to make their conversation secret. "Obviously we're not actually going to join someone. We'd just get killed. And it would be worse for you, I think. With your grandpa up there."

Anishka's voice caught in her throat.

"Relax, I could have turned you in back there if I wanted to. But I like you too much already. Can't believe I took cultivation pointers from someone younger than me, though."

"Age isn't as important as experience," Anishka said.

"Oh yeah, and how much experience do you have?" Celina raised an eyebrow.

"Ten years? I don't think I'd count before I reached the first rank."

"... Aren't you basically twenty?"

"Twenty-one. Almost twenty-two now, I suppose."

"That's… about as much experience as I have," Celina admitted. "Anyway, we're off topic. We can't go with anyone, so we'll have to find another method."

"What is it?"

"Well, I didn't really want to talk to this guy but… I know someone who can probably get us some badges."

"Will that actually help?" Anishka asked. "Because that sect will just snatch us up anyway."

"I'd bet he can find some lacking local representation, if you know what I mean," Celina said. "It's that or run," she said, looking back at the three Spirit Building cultivators with them. "I'm not thinking we'd get far. And our position would be much less favorable."

"Then, I guess we have to find this guy."

"Be prepared to pay him everything we just got," Celina said. "And to promise him more."

"Why promise more?"

"How much is your bounty?" Celina asked.

"I don't kn- I don't have a bounty," she lied poorly.

"Listen. It's important that you trust me," Celina said. "How much?"

"I don't know," Anishka admitted. "A lot?"

"Can you approximate?"

"Well… just what I had on me was enough to pay a Life Transformation cultivator," Anishka admitted. "Counting my equipment." She wished she'd looked for it on the way out- but would she have lived? Was it even nearby, after months? Probably better to forget it. "So the bounty is probably more than that, if they even care."

"Trust me. They care. If nothing else, for their pride." Celina nodded, "Alright, so. This is a big risk. This guy's not… fully trustworthy. Not until we've agreed to a deal. He could be a danger, and he's in Life Transformation himself, not counting his associates. But if we can entice him with more-"

"Ouch!" Anishka clasped her hand, then looked down. "What- ack! Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry, are you alright?"

"... are you okay?"

"Yes, um, I'm fine. Uh, the Sergeant wants to contribute to the conversation."

"Who?"

"I was… planning to tell you," Anishka said, then held up her finger. "This is the Sergeant."

"... A drop of blood?"

"No, the ant!" Anishka said. "Specifically, a void ant."

"Is that different?" Celina asked, "I don't sense anything special about him. Or uh, anything at all." She frowned. "Oh."

"That's not the end of things," Anishka said. "Also, did you have to draw blood? Okay, yeah, I wasn't paying attention but- fine, I get it. It's not that big of a deal." Anishka looked back up and cleared her throat. "Uh, anyway. She's not very big, but she's way stronger than she looks."

"I know how ants work," Celina said. "And I don't know if I need part of a leaf carried around, no offense."

"She almost killed an Essence Collection cultivator once. And her combat effectiveness isn't any different against Life Transformation cultivators."

"... What the hell is that ant?" Celina asked. "And where can I get one?"

"I think you have to be a p- person of importance to the void ants," Anishka said. That was close, she almost called herself a princess. How embarrassing. "But you can always just be friends with one?"

Chapter 659

Among the fleets of the Trifold Alliance were a small number of ships that had absolutely nothing to make them stand out. They weren't the largest or smallest, fastest or most sturdy. They didn't have the most troop carrying capacity, nor were they particularly full of supplies. The only thing that made them special was that they technically carried the most soldiers. By count, but certainly not by mass. Altogether, they weighed in as much as a handful of individual humans.

These were the soldiers sent from the various colonies of the void ants. Anton was currently coordinating with two of them, led by members of the Royal Guard. It was a shame the Great Queen was not present, but she was currently stationed defensively.

"So we're agreed then. Regardless of whether they show actual, tangible hostages… you'll be infiltrating the planet when they open the barrier. Or… making your own way through, should they renege on their deal."

"Of course, sir," said one of the Royal Guard. Individuals like this were equivalent to the average queen in strength, but more… expendable. That wasn't Anton's choice, but the internal decisions of the void ants. Though it was true a colony would find itself in dire straits should a queen be lost, with them in contact over the surface of a planet and between systems a few losses wouldn't be so dire as it seemed. They could be replaced by other colonies, or the Great Queen herself- though it seemed she didn't have many children herself lately. "We will position ourselves to the last known locations of visiting individuals. And of course, with any who turn themselves over."

Anton nodded. He couldn't stop Annelie from attempting to save her daughter, but he could provide protection from the basically inevitable betrayal. Why should he expect them to go through with this deal cleanly when they started this war with backstabbing? Though there was some chance they might, in the cases where they actually had hostages. Anton wasn't certain about most of them. He just knew that Rikuto was never coming back, and Anishka was in a state unknown to even the woman known as Nurcan.

"If something goes wrong, you know who to target."

"Only the strongest," the second Royal Guard declared. "We strike where we are most effective."

That was the terrifying feature of the void ants. Nearly ignoring energy defenses, with the strongest of them being large enough to cause serious wounds to cultivators in an instant. It would only take a single strike with a weapon or even a hand to crush them- with the possible exception of the Great Queen- but they could take out the Life Transformation or even Integration cultivators with similar speed at which they could kill a normal human. Which was quite fast, when they wanted to.

The most private part of a cultivator was their cultivation. It was true, of course, that people would generally know a human's style from their sect or clan. But that was just the surface level. The deeper details of cultivation were different, from look to feel to taste. Normally, the Great Queen was polite about tasting random people, allowing them to have their privacy. These times were not normal. Another invasion had come upon them, and she had missed it.

She would not allow risk to her people- ants or humans- by continuing to be careless. Thus, everyone would be tasted and carefully logged. The basic intention was to determine if someone fit in the Trifold Alliance. There were some issues with that, specifically the abductions that had taken place. However, it was a place to start. Among other things, there were those that simply did not belong. Anyone from the upper realms, regardless of affiliation with Ekict or not, was already sentenced to death. Though the humans would have a chance to interrogate them first, if practical.

Obviously this didn't count sects that were former members of the Exalted Archipelago. They had been thoroughly checked. Any who remained were part of Ceretos.

Some were obvious without tasting. The Great Queen could pick out One Hundred Stars cultivators from kilometers away. But just in case, they would be tested. Tranquil Cloud Palace. Infinite Wisdom Forest. Clans from Ambati, sects from other continents. Ceretos was where the Great Queen focused her own efforts, but her people were instructed to do the same wherever they lived.

The Great Queen had not yet found anyone who did not fit. But she wasn't going to assume she was wrong. There were more people to check, always. And perhaps they could find some discrepancy in numbers, should they find nothing else. A colony always had to know its members.

Speaking of which, the Great Queen wondered how the Sergeant was doing. Dead, perhaps. If so, hopefully it had been a sacrifice that helped Anishka. But the most preferable was alive. The Sergeant was small… but intelligent. Miniscule, but determined. Unable to grow, perhaps, except in mental faculties. As part of a colony, unimportant. But given a chance to thrive elsewhere…? The Great Queen did not know. Many hopeful subjects perished. People failed to live up to their full potential. That was the way of things. She hoped. And if she was quite lucky, she would hear back from her.

"Ouch! Agh, why does it hurt so much?" Anishka wagged her finger. "It's like a papercut!"

"A what now?" Celina asked.

"A papercut."

"... Can you feel the pain of paper when you cut it?"

"No, not cutting paper. Getting cut by paper."

"How does that even happen?"

"Well, it usually takes pressure holding a sheet of paper rigid," Anishka explained, "And then it slides along like a thin blade."

"Okay, but…" Celina narrowed her eyes, "Are you dealing with weaponized paper that can harm you? Basic body tempering or your energy defenses should stop that."

"Well, sure, but it happens a lot before then."

"How much did you work with paper before you were cultivating?" Celina asked. "I barely touch the stuff."

"Well…" Anishka thought back. "A lot." Books both casual and intellectual- though none particularly advanced at that time. Attempts to write, or learn to write. Or just notes in piles.

"Okay, so, how is that like being bitten by your friend?" Celina gestured to the Sergeant.

"I don't know, that's why I asked," Anishka sighed. "Maybe because it's a small injury?"

The Sergeant performed the antennae version of a shrug. "Usually the greatest damage comes from the larger ants."

"Hmm, true."

"What is she saying?" Celina asked.

"Oh, right. Translating." She kind of assumed everyone would speak void ant, which just wasn't true. Even back home, despite it being fairly easy to learn and the primary form of communication of the most important non-human group. But people tended to just forget void ants because they were small and unobtrusive. Even Patka didn't speak void ant- fortunately she had encountered the Sergeant and knew the connection to Anishka. With one side understanding the conversation, they'd muddled through it.

"Try it again," Celina said.

"Ugh, do I have to?"

"Learning how your friend functions would be quite helpful," Celina reminded.

"You know, you can call her the Sergeant," Anishka said. "She can also be your friend."

"I'm surprised you're friends if you don't know her name."

"That is her name. Uh, effectively," Anishka said. "Their society is… different."

"Sounds confusing."

"It works for them, somehow. Pheromone based signals, I think?" she looked down at the Sergeant.

"Using any of them as a name would be too long, whether it's the things something smells like or proper chemicals. Besides, it's not important. If a Lieutenant were here I wouldn't matter."

"Wow that's… harsh," Anishka said. "Uh, I guess we should get back to the thing where you bite me."

It hurt again, obviously. But the damage was shallow, and would heal quickly. Until then, it would just be annoying.

"Okay, so. I think I saw it." Celina nodded. "I think her mandibles pinched the natural energy and enhanced the cut. So more than just ignoring your defenses, her reach was enhanced slightly."

"Great," Anishka said. "If you have any future questions about the topic, you can be the one bitten."

"I think we've learned enough," Celina turned her eyes away. "We also have to go meet him now."

"I will be ready to commence biting on important blood flow locations," the Sergeant said. Anishka translated the first bit only.

Having little experience with the matter, Anishka thought meeting a probable criminal and definite shady person would have involved a lot more back alleys instead of… walking into a public tavern and asking for a man named Haroun.

But that was what they did, and then they were sitting down at a table with him. Hovering nearby were several people that tried to pretend they weren't watching, and in turn Anishka pretended she didn't notice them.

"Well hello again Celina. Last time we met, I believe you were the one who said she hoped to never see me again, even though I thought I was quite helpful."

"I stand by my statement," Celina said. "Because I'd really rather not have to be here. But then I misplaced my badge."

"How unfortunate," Haroun nodded. "And your friend, she is with the same sect?"

"Along with three others," Celina said.

"Fire… and ice? I have many lost things, but perhaps nothing that fits that specifically."

"You know we're just working with them. Besides, they're a more obscure group not from this place," Celina emphasized.

"Oh, of course." Haroun nodded. "Then, I most likely have to check some lesser used warehouses for lost goods. How much can you pay?" Celina handed over a bag representing about half of what they had earned on their recent excursion. "For five? Matching sets are difficult to come by. Triple it."

Celina didn't hesitate, which now meant she was actually in a worse financial position than when she'd first met Anishka. Though she had her own reasons to do this, she was still paying for some of Anishka's part. Haroun left the bags where they were on the table.

"Great. But I assume you came here knowing that I am a man of business. I know many things. I know, for example, who your friend is."

"Then you should know helping me can be quite lucrative," Anishka said. "I can net you half again my bounty at a later date… and you won't have to lose any employees." She couldn't directly threaten his life without giving away the Sergeant's existence, and he was a Life Transformation cultivator so he could match the two of them on his own. Having Patka, Ilona and Gilda with them wouldn't make any significant difference.

"Of course. And you are going to come back here and pay me, in the middle of a war?"

"The war won't be long," Anishka said. "And you can't be certain that you'll get paid the original offer."

"Of course I can."

"Not if they're unable to pay. Or perhaps they'll want to delay things given the volatility of the current market. You can't be certain." Anishka had practiced all of this with Celina, and she hoped it wasn't too obvious. The confidence in victory, however, was her own true feeling.

"You really think so?" Haroun raised an eyebrow. "I know you have your fancy Assimilation cultivators or whatever but-"

"I know about Transferral. And yes, I know how things will go."

Haroun's eyes widened. He had been shielding their conversation from being overheard the whole time, but he looked around the room while trying to not look like it. "What do you know about Transferral?"

"I know that it has been used to take the cultivation of Integration cultivators from the upper realms," Anishka said. "And that…" she narrowed her eyes.

"And that what?" Haroun asked, leaning forward. That actually helped her, by accident.

"Uh, and also that… it's a dead end where you can't grow in cultivation afterwards."

"What?" Haroun clenched his fist. "Why?"

"I'm not just going to give away all my secrets," Anishka said, "But does it really matter? Nobody is going to offer you the secrets to accomplish it."

Haroun clicked his tongue. "Maybe for you. You know how much your bounty is? You don't, do you. But since you can offer one and a half, and there's nobody here to counteroffer, I'll have to do it myself. Triple, since I know you can offer it."

"Double and I'll get someone to personally coach you on Assimilation." That was absolutely an increase in value, but Anishka wanted him to be motivated to go through with it. At a certain point, more cultivation resources lost their shine. Knowledge he couldn't get anywhere else? He couldn't pass that up.

Haroun folded his hands in front of his face, pondering. "Deal."

"You made the right choice," Anishka smiled.

Later, Haroun would feel uneasy and ponder for some secret meaning behind that while he looked at a weird rash that had cropped up on his neck. Then he would think about what Assimilation might be and if he could even attain it. Then again, Transferral was also a dream he couldn't achieve.

Chapter 660

"She's not there," Anton said plainly.

"I know," Annelie nodded. "All the more reason for me to go, right? Free passage through the barrier. And it's not like I'll be going alone."

"This could go south quickly," Anton stated.

"So it becomes a battle. I'm sure you can deal with that."

"I'm just concerned about the ones that are there," Anton shook his head. "We will have many volatile and angry cultivators should something go wrong. At least we aren't over a city."

"Isn't that strange?" Annelie asked. "You'd think they'd be more secure there. Or at one of their sects."

"There might not be any meaning to it," Anton said. "But the thought is certainly worth bringing up."

The exchange began some hours later with Nurcan and a number of others beyond Life Transformation arriving. They couldn't match the Trifold Alliance cultivators present, though there were strict requirements about who could be present. Technically, Anton wasn't. He was on their moon. That meant his attacks would be on an actual delay… but they were within his range. He could keep his senses trained on the small area that was opening up well enough, though even just that was draining. Not more than he would recover near a bound star, though.

Surprisingly, it actually went rather well at first. That was when they were exchanging resources for hostages. The hostages in question were of lesser value, so they didn't have others exchanged for them.

Once it came to the point of senior cultivators exchanging themselves for disciples, Ekict began to push. Not everyone was present, they claimed. That was certainly correct. Some would be released later. That was, at least in significant part, a lie. Enough people knew that, but they wanted to believe. It was a nice thought, saving their friends, family, or favored disciples. Promising talents. Anton was still tempted to stop them, though. He considered forcefully preventing them despite all the political implications of trying to tell people what they were and weren't allowed to do. He'd already advised people that it was danger for likely no benefit. Some took the logical route, but others followed their hearts.

Anton's heart would not calm down, but everything went off without a hitch. Nobody even noticed the extra little visitors coming in with the ransom payments. And some of those going didn't know they were bringing along friends. Generally, those who Anton thought would be unable to conceal the knowledge.

Would some void ants be enough? Anton wasn't certain, but that was the option they had. Annelie was taken away- with no Anishka to replace her, obviously. That was one thing Anton was certain of. The other was that Anzela Ranik was unable to get her wish. Her husband would have been able to keep his friends secret but Anzela would be surprised, depending on how they chose to reveal themselves.

Somehow, no combat began. That wasn't to say there weren't many on both sides itching for it. Anton could feel the anticipation, the anger. From both sides, even. But everything went off without issue. The Order of One Hundred Stars even got back one of their disciples on exchange.

Anton went to greet her, landing on the ship she was taken to. She spotted him and spoke first. "Sect Head Anton, thank you for the rescue," she bowed deeply. "This disciple is not deserving of the significant cost paid." The woman had the appearance of middle age, and was in late Essence Collection. Not a genius, but still valuable. More than simple human life, which Anton valued quite highly.

"For the Order's disciples, there are few prices we wouldn't pay," he assured her. "I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"Antje, sect head Anton. This disciple is insignificant, so it is quite a forgettable name."

"Oh right, right," Anton nodded. "Antje. I just had to be certain." His hand grabbed her neck, burning away all of the natural energy around her as flames channeled through Anton. "You see, I didn't recognize you. Which is odd, because I know the name and face of every single one of our disciples. Even the newest recruits. You are not Antje, despite sharing superficial features."

"Please… I-"

Anton pulled out something with his other hand. "Hold on, let me… did the interface change again? Ah, there it is." He held up the portable computer with Antje's face on it out of his pocket. "This is a picture. You know what a picture is, right?"

"Not all portraits are exact. Please, sect head."

"Not-Antje. I was over two hundred years old before I came in contact with anything deserving of the title advanced technology. But even I know how pictures work. Look at this and tell me that is your face."

"It is my face!" she clasped at Anton's forearm, every shred of energy she produced burning away as it left her body. Her deception might have pulled through if not directly challenged, but there was too much hesitation. Even the smallest fraction of a second was unnatural.

"It is a very similar face, I will admit," Anton said. "Did they do surgery? You forgot something though. Her eyes." Anton zoomed in the image. "Seriously, picking the same eye color and assuming that was good enough? Look at these patterns on the iris! Completely different!" A powerful cultivation would always have a good memory, and Anton's had only improved with the Ten Thousand Scrolls, both memorizing textual and visual information. "So whoever you are, you're under arrest. And you're going to tell us how you did that," Anton gestured vaguely towards her dantian, which was still producing an energy that felt like that of the Order of One Hundred Stars. If Anton had met her in person, he would have known it was exactly like Antje.

At the final mention, her eyes widened even more. Without even saying anything, her energy flared, trying to build to a crescendo. Instead, it sputtered out, the mere twinkling of a star instead of a supernova or self detonation.

"It's important enough to kill yourself, huh?" Anton nodded. "Valuable information. Now then, let's properly restrain you." They had plentiful energy binding shackles for every rank up to Life Transformation cultivators, and even some for Assimilation cultivators. Since they hadn't exactly taken copious amounts of captives yet, there were many free Life Transformation examples. Enough to have an excessively secure capture of this woman. "Talk with us and we might help you rescue your family or whoever they have threatened. Or we can promise to not destroy your soul, if that's the level necessary. We can send you off to your next life basically unharmed."

Looking at her, Anton couldn't tell if his threats went too far or not far enough. She just seemed overwhelmed. But he couldn't exactly be nice to someone who did whatever she did to the actual Antje.

Anton clicked his tongue. They were going to have to check every hostage now, weren't they? What a pain. A quick sweep confirmed no Twin Soul Sect, for what that was worth. Though Ekict probably wouldn't be so stupid, knowing they could detect it. They'd made some reckless and overconfident decisions, but they weren't actually stupid.

The badges let their group of five walk around safely, though not entirely unrestricted. There were some groups who still claimed authority over them. But Celina was doing a good job of driving them away.

"Look, I told you, we're on a special mission. And no, you wouldn't have heard about it. That's why we were sent all the way here."

The woman who stood opposite Celina was a statue. Not a perfect representation of the feminine form- whatever that was- but physically firm and with a cold exterior. And her skin had the texture of actual stone, if polished. Other than that, she did look almost statuesque except for her veins, which were both prominent and a deep royal purple instead of a sensible blue. Anishka was curious what sort of thing could cause that transformation, but she doubted she'd get a straightforward or even technically correct answer, even if the woman was inclined to share.

"Doesn't matter. Orders are orders, and you'll be the one explaining yourself to the Royal Marble Sect's elders if you're not ready to move out with everyone else. This is just a friendly warning."

The sad part was that the woman basically believed that. Friendly. As if yelling at people to form up and start marching was friendly.

But she did bring to light an important point. Everyone was being drafted, and they weren't just going to hang around in a city. They were supposed to fight. Which meant that while there was nobody to tell them that they had to be somewhere specific, not going with the general flow of the armies would be suspicious. But there was no way Annelie was going to actually fight in the war against her own people. Though… if she could get to the frontlines, perhaps she could slip away and join up? As long as she didn't get caught on the way out.

Or perhaps the way in. She couldn't imagine people sneaking around would be welcome in any army camps. Though there was also a question of anyone actually landing. The only information was that some of 'the strong ones' had gone out into the wilderness with something, and had been returning today.

No, it was better to avoid the frontlines. She would protect herself, and Patka. And Celina, Ilona and Gilda as well. They were decent people. Reasonable.

But of course, anyone who was drafted would also be similarly innocent. Only the people from the big sects- or maybe just the leadership- were truly complicit with everything. But then again, she didn't know the rest of them. Was it her responsibility to help them?

Then she thought of her grandpa and sighed. He was always going around doing that. Whereas all she had done was cost a ton of money in travel and other expenses so she could study whatever she felt like anywhere in three systems. Without contributing anything.

Yet. She would have done something worthwhile eventually. Probably. Now, she just wanted to survive, and help those she knew. She really couldn't manage more than that, but if it was possible she'd protect other draftees. Other than that, it was just her group. The Sergeant too, of course- but the ant was probably not on anyone's draft list despite being a very valuable individual.

They followed the flow of people outside the city for the sake of blending in, though they avoided getting too close to any other groups. Heading vaguely southward was what was normal, so simply doing that was enough. As they went, Anishka saw the beginnings of fields.

"... Are they alright?" Anishka asked.

"What do you mean?" Celina inquired.

"The people. The fields."

"... look fine to me."

Anishka walked up to some sort of grain. "I know the temperature here is not ideal, but this… it's devoid of natural energy. The whole area is."

"So?" Patka asked. "This is normal."

"But I- I'm certain we shared the basics of farming with you," Anishka complained. "I thought you were just taking some time to get used to it, but not a single farmer out there has begun cultivating their own energy. And everything is drawn towards the city's barrier, leaving the fields starved."

"So?" Celina asked. "This food isn't going to cultivators. It would be a waste for it to absorb natural energy."

"That's not-" Anishka pinched the bridge of her nose. "That's not true. We've known for over a century that- Look, the growth factor of the system depends on the input. If you drain it like this, it's basically deteriorating, or at best remaining static!"

"Nobody cares," Celina said. "The sects will grow stronger, and make use of this… growth factor."

"Nu-uh," Anishka shook her head. "Because the other factor is area. Double, triple, even tenfold growth in a tiny portion of the world is nothing compared to a one percent or ten percent yield worldwide. It's like nobody even read the formulas!"

A man cleared his throat. "Excuse me, madam cultivator. These fields, uh, are owned by the city. So please be careful not to harm them."

Anishka looked at him, seeing one of the field workers. "What do you know about the formulas?" she asked.

"What formulas?"

"Ugh. Take me to your manager."

"I'm… I'm the field manager. If you want to talk to the city overseer…" he swallowed and looked away.

"Look, it's simple. Just-" Anishka reached down for her storage bag- where there was nothing. Of course. She sighed. "If you find the opportunity, ask the overseer if the farming methods from the Trifold Alliance have arrived."

"Aren't we at war with them?" he asked. "Like, they're invading or something. Which is why you disciples are flowing along the road," he gestured.

"That's not- that's not important right now," Anishka said. "Look, it's… stolen techniques, right? Just use it. Or don't. Whatever." She shook her head. It wasn't her responsibility to get something like this started right now and it was better not to make a scene along the road. But for some reason, as the sun glared down on her she couldn't help but think of her grandpa, and how he felt about farming. Though he wasn't as big of a fan of the charts and statistical growth factors as she was. And his results always seemed to surpass the optimal methods somehow- though that was just being an Assimilation cultivator. Probably.

Chapter 661

Given that it was the most important component of their food, void ants were quite sensitive to natural energy, and the lack of it. At a base level, they needed to consume food that contained natural energy. Then, upon reaching a certain point, they could eat free natural energy. It was more of a matter of understanding than physical limitations stopping them. Void ants didn't all have a developed intelligence.

The Sergeant understood that she still needed physical food to go along with her natural energy, but those critical nutrients had to come separately now that they weren't staying with big sects. She was, however, drawn towards the tents of some important seeming fellows heading a military camp. Anishka and the rest were staying out of the main parts, and they would take their leave in the morning.

Until that time, the Sergeant planned to take a few imperceptible nibbles of something of substance. She really didn't care for physical food, but she'd seen what happened when she didn't have any. And rest, in combination. Her functionality dropped significantly, and Anishka didn't like that. Nobody would.

Rather than risking someone inspecting a piece of fruit and finding it scarred, the Sergeant instead looked for crumbs. Very few humans, no matter how neat they were, completely avoided leaving small bits of food on the ground. And while the Sergeant understood how inelegant and low class it was, there was little health risk. She munched up some bits and pieces, before she sensed something.

The first thing she sensed was nothing, and then a trail presumably left by that same nothing. Which was to say, she had stumbled upon other void ants. So, there were some here. She quickly rushed to find them. Backup would be appreciated.

The pheromone trails indicated food, danger, and gathering. They were recent, and they brought her closer to the first ant she'd sensed briefly. "Sergeant here. Bring me to your leader."

The ant complied, and soon enough the Sergeant found herself in a little temporary nest, underground deep enough that nobody treading atop would crush it- or notice the little tunnels. Not that there were many, since there was no queen in attendance. There was just a place for food, a communal rest area, and a small gathering place. It seemed the leader wasn't present, but she arrived in a timely fashion.

The individual was a large specimen, wide in build and in jaw. She towered over the Sergeant. "Sergeant. This one is a Lieutenant. Your arrival was unexpected."

"So was your presence. This one has been given a mission, but was not aware of others." They communicated via sign and pheromones, as appropriate. "Are you, perhaps, part of the assaulting forces."

"Affirmative. You are not?"

"I was sent ahead on a mission. To gather information and accomplish other objectives."

"Very good. Report."

Was this fine? Yes. The void ants were not compromised. There were no locals, and had there been they would not have spoken the sign. Nothing about the mission indicated secrecy needed to be kept among the void ants. "This one discovered information about the sects of Ekict. Some is now moot. This one presumes knowledge of their treachery?"

"Betrayal and war were brought upon our systems," the lieutenant confirmed. "We come as part of the retaliation."

"Hidden knowledge was also uncovered. That of Transferral, a method through which cultivation is taken."

"This technique had been postulated. What confirmation do you have?"

"Hidden scrolls, glyphs I read myself. I was unable to retrieve the documents, given their bulk." She gave the rest of the details she knew.

"Very good. This information is among the Northern Glacier Sect? Come with us to retrieve it."

"I cannot. I am continuing a mission to protect a human princess- upon order of the Great Queen."

"You will join us," the lieutenant ordered. "More recent orders take precedence. This operation is more critical than a single human."

"I will not. I must complete my orders to the end."

"You will." The lieutenant stepped forward menacingly, her jaws menacingly reaching towards the Sergeant's head. "Or are you a traitor?"

"Your judgment is incorrect," the Sergeant protested.

"I am the highest authority present. I understand the Great Queen's will more than yourself."

"The princess is the offspring of the favored one."

"You will come with us. As ordered. Leave the human."

"I will not."

"Then you must be executed."

As the lieutenant stated her intentions, her jaws began to close towards the Sergeant. Had the situation been different, she would have accepted it. But her interpretation meant she had to continue to live to follow the orders of the Great Queen.

She ducked, collapsing her legs. Here, her diminutive size compared to the Lieutenant came as an advantage. Jaws snapped over her instead of around her head. Then time for discussion was over.

The Sergeant dove beneath her superior, shoving her head up beneath the midsection. The intention was to flip the larger individual over, but the Sergeant hardly had any leverage. She could barely reach high enough, and the force of her movement was unable to detach more than a pair of legs from the ground. Her mandibles were too small to find purchase on the body.

The larger individual skittered back, attempting to make use of larger limbs. However, the Sergeant found the motions to be almost slow. Her own smaller limbs allowed her to stay fully underneath the lieutenant, which was quite useful as the larger individual backed into the handful of watching individuals intent on assisting with the execution. One made it through the legs to the Sergeant beneath, but as they lunged for each other and their mandibles intertwined, there was a distinct crack. The Sergeant felt no pain, but had lost her grip. One of the other ant's mandibles fell to the floor. The Sergeant shoved them out of the way- and into the right middle leg of the lieutenant.

That still left five for balance, though several were raised for motion, and the Sergeant took advantage of a moment of hesitation. She spread her jaws wide, grabbing the joint between the first and second sections. Her jaws clamped, and she dragged inward, pulling the right rear leg under the thorax.

The larger ant crumpled, dropping on the Sergeant's back. But the lieutenant was only several times as long, less than thirty times the total weight of the Sergeant. Certainly, the sudden force was uncomfortable but she kept her legs about her- and her grip on the leg.

With that grip, she twisted. She had seen many human fights, and understood how easy it was to manipulate people's motions. The Lieutenant was on her back, with the Sergeant atop. Her jaws at the throat.

Aggression. Forced submission. This was what her pheromones told the other. Other ants… were now afraid to approach. The larger lieutenant continued to struggle until small mandibles cracked chitin at the most narrow point between head and thorax. Movement ceased, and the scent of submission came to the Sergeant.

She climbed down, circling around to be in sight of the lieutenant who did not even try to right herself. "You will not prevent me from completing the Great Queen's orders."

"I- you cannot-"

"I clearly can. If the Great Queen takes umbrage with my interpretation, she is welcome to pass judgment on completion of my mission." The Sergeant then walked off, keeping alert. Quiet but clear steps followed her. She turned to see a dozen individuals, all at least her size- some larger. "Do not think I will go easy on you."

"Do as you please, Senior Lieutenant," one of them said- the others responding similarly. "We offer our assistance for your mission."

"I am not a Lieutenant. I am a Sergeant."

"We will acquiesce with your intention to remain incognito… Sergeant," the lead among them said.

"Then, come along."

"Where have you been?" Anishka asked. "Oh, you brought friends."

"These are my new subordinates," the Sergeant explained.

"How did you find them? Wait… have people landed?"

"Only void ants, to my knowledge. But we are infiltrating to provide assistance."

"Great. I… suppose I have to watch for more of you now," Anishka said. "I don't want to squish anyone. How can they help?"

"They can relay the journey in broad terms they took to arrive. And the location of the first entrance," the Sergeant looked to the skies.

"It's… towards the battlefields, isn't it?"

"Most likely."

"Can they report back?"

The Sergeant indicated their complete lack of communication devices. How unfortunate. Anishka knew that Rutera had tried to make pure technological communications devices for the void ants, but the scale was simply too small for anyone but the Great Queen and a few of similar substantial size.

So the void ants were helpful, but not able to provide an actual solution for their woes. Anishka nodded. How could they join up with allies without being attacked by one or both sides? Was that even the best method, now? If an assault began in earnest, acquiring a ship might let them escape atmosphere. After the barrier was broken, at least. However… they would have markings from Ekict.

"What are you pondering?" asked the Sergeant.

"Well, it's still a problem of communication. We don't have any devices to let us, and…" she explained her reasoning.

"So a ship from the Trifold Alliance would still be identified as a foe, most likely," the Sergeant added.

"Probably. They'll keep special track of such things during times such as this. Not like we could be so lucky as to get some. They only purchased a very small number from us. They're all with the big sects, I think."

"What about the stolen ones?"

"What stolen ones?" Anishka asked. "Had they been stealing vessels from us?"

"The ones from the beginning of hostilities. And the ones used in the hostage negotiations."

"Hostage negotiations?" Anishka asked. "How do you know all this?"

"My new companions, of course."

"Oh, right." Anishka inclined her head to them. "Sorry, I'm only used to having one of you."

"Worry not, princess," one of them signed. "We do not mind."

Princess? Who gave them that idea about her? Oh. Right. She sighed. "So. They've stolen some. Those might still be in communication. I don't know if they have the technological expertise to make that not the case, though our side could have sabotaged them…" she nodded slowly. "Tell me about this hostage thing as well."

Annelie was cold. Externally, of course. That was what this icy prison was for. But internally as well. She looked at the woman who indicated she was the head of the Northern Glacier Sect. "Arzu. Did you do this to my daughter as well?"

The woman grimaced. "Don't use that tone with me. Remember you are the prisoner here. And we haven't quite shipped off your daughter yet… I'm sure you wouldn't want any harm to come to her?"

"How does it feel, to be called the sect head but only be the second most important person? Or are you lower than that?" The frozen metal around her wrists chafed, but a little chill wouldn't harm her.

"I- that doesn't matter. Besides, I'll soon be advancing my cultivation by a significant margin."

"You mean stealing mine?" Annelie asked. "I'd like to see you try."

"You think I can't?" the woman stepped forward. "Just wait. It's already being prepared."

"Preparations. Good to know." Annelie nodded, "Hey, can you get a little closer? I have something to tell you."

Arzu complied. "Oh, a secret? I'll hear it."

Annelie spit directly in her eyes. "Even if you had my cultivation you'd be nothing."

"You-" Arzu swung her arm at Annelie, a slap containing enough power to shatter the skull of someone without cultivation. But her wrist was caught.

"You should really learn to control your emotions," Annelie said, one of the shackles clinking to the ground. "Though I'm pleased to know I could have gotten myself killed if it had been necessary."

"How?"

"I brought friends," Annelie said simply. The weight of a hundred ants was nothing for a human. And with void ants being very careful to not even brush up against a hair to trigger a sensation, they had already approached every vital location she had. "Don't worry, ladies. I have her."

"You think you can… can…" Arzu shivered.

"What's wrong? Frozen dantian? Don't worry, it won't last long." Annelie spun her around, grabbing the key from her. She stepped out towards the hallway. "I wouldn't, if I were you. Neither of you are important enough to keep alive."

Two guards hesitated as they tilted their halberds towards her. That gave her enough time to go across the hall into the opposite cell, where she chained up the sect head. The shackles in hers were missing some key bits, chewed up by a small legion of void ants.

"I'm going to have a lot of questions for you," Annelie said. "But later. First, I'll let you get used to your new home." She locked the door with the woman's own key, then turned to the guards. "You two work for me now. The guards exchanged glances. "I know your faces. And I am very upset about my daughter." An additional layer of ice froze over everything from the last remnants of moisture in the air. "So feel free to cause trouble, if you want."

With an Integration cultivator here, Annelie wasn't confident in facing a sect alone. Even with a large number of little friends immune to natural energy attacks, she would hesitate. But… she imagined that things were going to get quite busy in the coming days. If Nurcan was present, her friends' highest priority would be to take her out. And if she was not, Annelie could make use of this place. Most important was finding where her daughter ended up, and perhaps the jail's records might say something. There would be the slight issue of the guards on the way out, but they might listen to reason. Or force. Because Annelie was perfectly fine with either right now.

Chapter 662

It had been three days since Anzela handed herself over for her husband. Rikuto was going to be so mad at her, but she couldn't help herself. It was foolish, of course, to listen to the words of enemies rather than a trusted associate. Perhaps some of it had been Anton's callous suggestion- destroying the entire system. Whether or not the planets themselves were destroyed physically or with massive amounts of radiation or technically unscathed, Anzela knew that a destruction of the sun would end the system. Not even cultivators could live for long in a system without a sun.

And yet, Anzela didn't care about anyone from Ekict. The only one she cared about was her husband Rikuto. He couldn't die. He couldn't be dead. But logically, he was. Anton knew that, and had told her. And now she was going to die for nothing. She couldn't say she didn't deserve it.

Three days and some smaller amounts of time that she knew intimately but were not relevant at the moment, three days locked up in a dark cell. No food or water. She felt herself begin to grow weaker, but her body would hold on for a while yet. Now that she had regained a sense of clarity, the bigger problem was the shackles binding her. It was very uncomfortable to find out how effective the shackles Ekict had were. Even an Assimilation cultivator could not break out, though Anzela found herself barely qualified in that respect.

The reason they wanted and needed such restraints was speculation, but relatively well founded. Which meant that in addition to likely not saving her husband, she was going to make the enemy stronger. At best, she would just die. Stupid. Reckless. She should have just accepted the obvious truth.

So, what could she do? Breaking the shackles was out. Breaking her own wrists… probably no good. She'd felt how the shackles had tightened snugly, so she probably couldn't slip her hands out. And her feet would be several steps more difficult. She probably didn't have the strength to overcome her physical durability. How ironic.

So the weight of the shackles held her down physically and metaphysically. There was something familiar about the latter part, which made her understand why she was here. Similar abilities, she imagined.

She shouldn't have been here. This was a foolish mistake. Too careless. It really wasn't like her, even in a state of emotional distress. Perhaps… perhaps it hadn't been her at all. No, she understood that ultimately she still made the fateful choice. But after several days alone, was she shaking off some sort of mental influence? Had this affected others? How had Anton not noticed?

She shook her head, sending a pulse of pain through her skull as she was reminded of her dehydration. It wasn't his fault. He warned her she would not get what she wanted, but she didn't listen. Was it his job to stop her? Even if he failed to recognize mental influence, he was just one person among many.

"How do you get out of here…?" she muttered to herself. Actually speaking plans aloud was dangerous, as they might be overheard. But hearing anything was useful.

She imagined her husband responding to her. This was neither illusion nor reality, but simply wish fulfillment. "You're clever. You'll figure it out," he would say.

Support was nice, but she wished imagination Rikuto would be more practical. But he couldn't tell her what she didn't know. "I can't move my body nor access my energy."

"Not now," he conceded. "But won't you be able to? This is just a prison. Eventually, you'll be taken away."

"Right…" she muttered. "I'll wait."

She tried not to focus on her acute awareness of time passing, and instead meditated to limit how much her body needed. Her breath slowed, to save on water lost through respiration. Her thoughts slowed, since she couldn't plan for anything.

Then, eighteen hours later, she heard someone approaching. Then she felt him. Rikuto. Had she actually gone crazy? But it was his energy. Light came around the corner.

Then she saw him. A powerfully built man that didn't resemble her husband in any way. She vaguely remembered seeing him among the others, but she hadn't felt his energy. It had been well concealed, apparently. Or falsified. "You bastard. I'm going to kill you."

"I highly doubt that," the man said, opening her cell. He then detached her manacles from the chains. Immediately, she felt some of the weight lift- but she was still unable to properly rally her energy. But it was good to know that she had a chance while being transported. "You're coming with me."

She had to. She couldn't stop it, so she would. She began walking. A moment later, she almost stopped. However, she managed to keep going even as she mentally recognized something. She bit her lip. It was a shame to see her husband's ability misused like this. How could an aura of nonhostility feel so gross? And the persuasive power… Perhaps it was something her husband could have done all along, but simply didn't.

As she walked, Anzela grew uncomfortable. With her energy slightly released, her senses could do more than be passive. That was how she felt something lurking behind space. It really shouldn't be there, this deep in a gravity well, but somehow she felt like the surrounding formations encouraged it.

She came to a tall room. They were standing upon a balcony, looking down upon a formation below. She understood that circles were the most practical shape for the sake of symmetry… but imagining what went on in that particular circle made it seem more ominous. She was led towards stairs that would circle around to the lower section, where there were already people waiting.

Anzela considered her shackles. They bound power into a circle, restricting the flow of her energy inside. But… in their mobile state, that was less true. And then… what if inside was outside? It was not an insane thought, some sort of wish fulfillment where she merely hoped for a miracle. Unrestricted, she could make it true. So now… how much could she change it?

She sprang into action, wrapping one arm around the man's neck. She hadn't asked his name, and had no intention to learn it. She transformed inside to outside as she pressed herself tightly against the man, metal pressing against his neck and chest and his own ankles. Most of the inside was still facing her, but her grip sank through his energy defenses.

The man reacted immediately, a burst of power flowing out of him. "You will," he coughed. "You will release me immediately, then walk peacefully down the stairs."

Yes. She would do that. She prepared to release him as quickly as possible, though she didn't have to. Something… something was off about the power. It wasn't just her repeated exposure, though that was already helping. No, it was more than that.

The burst of power she called upon was a risk. In a place such as this, with something hiding behind space, it was a risk to perform any sort of spatial distortion. But worst case scenario, she died to a horrible distortion beast, which was a step up from her current situation. The most likely occurrence was everyone dying. And then there was a small chance of surviving, so she gladly took it.

As she 'released' the man, she also shoved him forward, while at the same time transferring one of her shackles around his wrist. Immediately she felt a weight lifted off her, more than enough to make up for the burst of energy she'd had to force through her system to make that happen. Meanwhile, the man tumbled over the railing, landing in the circle below. He hit the ground hard. Anzela had assumed that even with one shackle, with her husband's power he'd be completely unharmed. What was it, a ten meter fall? Nothing big. He stood a moment later, but the fact that he could be damaged at all… no, it actually made sense.

She began her descent down the stairs, calmly. As proscribed. "You were playing with fire here," she said. Her second shackle was displaced, freeing her even further. "Do you even know the powers you were enticing?"

The members of the sect didn't respond with any sort of dignity, striking out towards her with their fists. From such a distance, they could not reach her. Unless the distance were to erase itself, a possibility she was well aware of. She ducked down, to avoid strikes to her head. Elegance and poise were for people not in active combat. She heard the sounds of cracking stone… and was surprised.

Nothing impacted her torso. Could they… only target what they could see? It seemed the spatial arts were new, here. Her ankle shackles were removed as feet began to stomp up the stairs. It was still a draining process. She found herself at something akin to half capacity, from the expenditures and the hunger and dehydration. But that was enough. She looked down at the circle below, waiting for something. The man looked up.

Anzela bet on blood. Just a dollop, and a burst of energy. She ultimately had no idea if that was how it was supposed to work… but it certainly did something. Immediately, something ate one of the disciple's hearts, and from the sound of it part of the inside of her ribcage. Sharp blades came towards Anzela, who was dodging their trajectories before they even entered the local plane.

She'd accidentally summoned one of these things once. That was enough for her to understand the danger. But it had also drawn her more towards the mysteries of space. Weos' star had stronger distortions on space and gravity than its size and mass should suggest, and the way they developed their ring ships also spoke to the same principles. Understanding how to use all of their abilities without causing something like this was important. Until it came time for destruction. Then, she didn't care.

She wanted to live, but if she didn't she was going to make sure she caused as much damage as possible on the way out. She charged towards the stair climbing disciples, dodging the attacks reaching for her through space. She also dodged teeth, bone spurs, and all sorts of horrid things she didn't want to think about. At least this one seemed to be small, or this whole place would be rubble already. A few people were torn apart by the distortion beast, a few were killed by Anzela punching their brains directly.

"Stop!" the command came. It forced her to halt, if just for a moment. If she didn't have an 'ally', that would have been disastrous. A few of the disciples were in Life Transformation, and there was a woman at the very peak who seemed particularly dangerous among the crowd. If she hadn't been dealing with something trying to eat her, at least. "You will- argh!"

She would argh indeed. Anzela hoped that was the man getting half his face bitten off or melted, but she didn't check before she leapt over the railing down towards him. She could have teleported, but that was a much more expensive and currently very dangerous option. A kick hit her in the ribs, sending her off course and breaking one or two… but she landed only two paces away from the man. He was flailing about despite not having any obvious distortion beast injuries. As the only non spatial practitioner, he was likely the safest person present. From the distortion beast.

Anzela lunged forward, wishing she had a weapon. Blade, spear… gun. But it seemed this sect either fought without weapons, or had forgone bringing them along to this ritual. Her fist struck out, and the man blocked. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, defensive energy bolstering it. So… was he not from this sect after all? Well, it hardly mattered. His chest crumpled anyway.

But Anzela didn't stop there. She stabbed a finger towards his gut. It didn't matter that the man was likely dying, he didn't deserve to have Rikuto's energy. She tore him apart, shredding his dantian and spilling natural energy everywhere.

The chaos of combat continued, but Anzela had already won. She could gladly accept death. But she didn't have to. As the distortion beast bit at her neck, she slammed a fist into its 'jaw'. Reading the entirety of how such a thing was arranged hurt her brain more than a little bit, but general things such as the thinnest points around her where it could reach through to her and her to it… that was much simpler.

The woman who might have been slated to receive Anzela's cultivation was still in a better state than her, and she didn't fail to take the openings Anzela left. This time, something hit the side of her knee, nearly shattering it. A true warrior, then. Anzela could fight, but killing those above her own cultivation level was a pipe dream. Sure, it was carelessness that she'd been so easily injured by someone nominally weaker than her- though she was alone against many- but she knew she would never affect the course of a war alone.

Then Anzela sensed nothing and saw many things. A black mass. Not a distortion beast hiding behind space itself, but instead familiar allies. She wasn't alone. And she'd much rather count a bunch of void ants as an ally rather than a distortion beast. She only briefly wondered how they'd gotten here- but she realized the truth. They'd been with her all along… and then on the man with her husband's cultivation. They hadn't killed him, but they'd certainly limited him.

The sect woman spotted the void ant as well, and recognized their danger. She stomped towards them, intending to crush them. That was… a terrible choice. It was entirely possible to crush void ants, but she didn't do it directly. Instead, she performed the attack from a distance. As soon as her spatial energy crossed the gap to them, they tore it apart. The woman was lucky not to lose her leg. Or at least not all of it. The distortion beast seemed to find that an opportune time to take a little nibble.

Realizing the severity of the situation, the woman began to flee up the stairs. Anzela would get her eventually, but for the moment.

"Any of you guys have experience fighting a distortion beast?" she called towards the ants. They rolled towards her in a ball, alighting on her outstretched hand. She saw a whole lot of sign language, before a single spokesperson came to the forefront. "Sorry, I'm kind of rusty," she admitted. "Can you follow my lead?" They agreed. "Alright. I'll show you where to bite."

She was going to get out of this so that she could apologize to her husband. And then to Anton, because he'd been looking after her- and everyone else- the whole time.

Chapter 663

The problem remaining before Anzela was disincentivizing the distortion beast from attacking her. That meant wounding it enough for it to retreat. It was unclear if they could be killed, or if they ever had. At best, pieces of them had remained in normal space after being severed. Some of the damage they had taken should have killed anything sensible, but they were precisely not sensible.

The disciples of whatever sect had planned to sacrifice her were currently fleeing, their attacks on her forgotten as the distortion beast was not limited to attacking one person or place at a time. Perhaps it wasn't even a single creature, or it might have multiple brains that acted independently. Other body parts didn't work like anyone thought, with muscles and bones and even blood all being… abnormal.

"Alright ladies," Anzela held a gauntlet of void ants out in front of her, hooked together by their legs to create some sort of structure. "Be ready to bite whatever comes out." Most likely, it would be teeth. But there were always other things, and beyond the teeth would be a swallowing throat. If only she could attack from behind, but the rear direction of the broken space a distortion beast simply would not be there. At best, she could attack a joint or something sticking out by dodging past.

She focused most of her efforts on sensing where the thing was- and the shifts in space that indicated it breaking through. She was lucky that this one was relatively small, because she was at the bottom of the pack of Assimilation cultivators. Perhaps that was the reason it was able or willing to come into a planet's atmosphere, as they normally seemed to lurk around but not in gravity wells. Or at least closer to the edges.

She turned, swinging her arm and hoping she didn't crush any of the void ants on her target. She stopped short the first time, the void ants folding away from her arm to stretch the last centimeter to the flesh like protrusion housing teeth. She was lucky this was one with round mouths instead of spherical, which would appear from all directions simultaneously. Parts of it were more wormlike, and the void ants bit at not the flesh but the energy of the thing. But being closer would still be better. She could be more precise than a centimeter.

Anzela avoided a series of spikes and one kick by a foolish disciple who only drew attention to himself by the action. Perhaps he had been confused, but more likely he had been seeking favor. If he defeated the haggard Anzela, he might be rewarded. But for that, he would have to be stronger, and not in the belly of a distortion beast.

Her hand smacked against leathery flesh. Too close. Had she crushed them…? But the void ants were tougher than they looked. Many of them were three quarters of a centimeter in length, and their exoskeletons were much more durable than anticipated. Still something she could easily crush, but it would take more intention. There were a few that were stunned and barely dangling from the others, but the void ants adapted quickly, some attacking the offending bits of enemy while the rest coordinated their movements and retrieved hanging allies.

After getting covered in blood- her own, and whatever passed for blood in a distortion beast- Anzela eventually found that things had become still and quiet. She vaguely sensed the distortion beast lurking, but further away. It wouldn't be drawn in so easily for some time. She planned to be out of here before that, if she could manage it with her broken ribs, wonky leg, and numerous lacerations.

She looked down at the man who had taken her husband's cultivation, sensing tiny remnants of his energy. She instructed the void ants to consume every last bit, while making sure the man was truly dead in every conceivable way. At least, those that didn't involve any cutting- but he was smashed fairly flat by the end.

She noticed that the area around the formation circle was not quite empty. Besides extra materials and energy storage, there were papers. And there were more in the man's storage bag, along with other things. The pills were unfamiliar, and while she could guess based on their aura she didn't want to risk that. She'd have to recover her wounds the old fashioned way. But at least she had room to grab anything she needed on the way out. Though the void ants volunteered to run ahead and check for enemies, which she was glad for.

Being the one in charge of anything at all was crazy to Anishka. Sure, she'd been able to tell people to do things throughout her life, but she wasn't in charge. Those had been people paid to deal with travel and personal needs and registering her with schools and everything else. Even near the end, people would have listened to her in the Northern Glacier Sect. But she wasn't leading anyone.

But now she had to tell people what to do. She had spoken to Celina about the matter. As someone who was older and marginally higher in cultivation, shouldn't she have taken charge? Ultimately, she had said the reasons were simple. "Aside from roaming about earning money and dodging the draft, I don't have any goal for us. Survival is nice, but with this war I can't guarantee that. But you have ideas."

So she did. And if the Sergeant had hands, perhaps all Anishka would have to do was give the order and it would be done. Instead, she had to think and plan and decide what was good and what was not. Celina helped, obviously. She would say if something was stupid or dangerous- and if she had something important to say, she would.

"The Vermillion Inferno isn't the only group impacted by this war that was started without our consent," she said. "But I can't do anything about the war."

"I can't either. At best… my mother and grandfather can," Anishka shook her head.

"Which is exactly what we need you for. If you have access to important people, isn't it your duty to use that access to help the most people possible? At the very least, I'm sure you want to get back to them."

She did. And now, that was their goal. Which meant finding one of the ransomed ships, with a working communicator. At least, that was the goal. For that, they would need to scurry away from the growing crowds of cultivators so they could get to where the void ants had last seen something like that.

It was a good thing that cultivators wandering off into the wilderness wasn't odd, because Anishka was anything but a stealth specialist. The same with the other four, three fire cultivators and her apprentice who had only gathered leftover scraps to sell.

So it wasn't unbelievable when they found themselves being followed by others, but it was concerning. "Is that… one of them is Life Transformation…?" Anishka conferred with Celina.

"Unfortunately, that seems to be the case," the woman confirmed.

"You can… you can run." Anishka said. "They'll just kill me and leave you alone."

"Let's say I believed that…" Celina said. "I know we aren't longstanding comrades, but I'd like to think myself a better person than whoever would just abandon you here. But I also am uncertain you'd be so lucky as to die, or that I am not also a target."

"But I'm the one with the… the bounty."

"The larger bounty," Celina emphasized. "I'm not saying we'll stay and fight. That's stupid. But perhaps we can get away together?"

They sped up their pace, but it was pointless. Their pursuers were getting steadily closer, and there were a few more Essence Collection cultivators along with them.

"Damn," Celina muttered. "Why did it have to be Life Transformation?"

"Because, uh…" Anishka shook her head. "I don't know. Unlucky, maybe."

"I guess we used up the rest of our luck to get this far."

Anishka felt a tingling on the back of her hand and looked down, finding a full squad. "I… uh… I forgot that we aren't outnumbered."

"Does that matter?" Celina asked. "The Life Transformation cultivator could kill all five of us."

"Sixteen," Anishka said.

"Look, uh… not to insult your friends but… taking down a Life Transformation cultivator is totally different from an Essence Collection cultivator."

"She says it is basically the same," Anishka translated.

"Are you kidding? Several times as much power in a single person. It's wildly different."

"It's just natural energy, though."

"Yeah but, how much can they bite through?"

"... All of it?" Anishka tilted her head. "Uh, their Great Queen killed a Worldbinding cultivator alone." Anishka looked down at the Sergeant, "Of course I can compare you to the Great Queen. I know you're smaller and less self mobile, but it's still reasonable! Yes, I know your teeth are smaller. I mean if you're worried I won't make you fight." The indignant response at that came just about the time the enemies caught up to them, so the discussion really couldn't continue.

"Done running?" said a man carrying a long thin blade on his back. "Good. That will make this easier. Surrender yourselves, and we won't hurt you much."

Those words were hardly reassuring, and while Anishka didn't know what would happen to Celina, she could only imagine her fate was torture or worse… being a hostage to bring harm to those she cared about. Anishka looked down at her palm. The Sergeant signed 'ready', while holding onto the others in a tiny little ball.

If she had time to confirm a plan with the others, she might have come up with something less stupid. Instead, she just said. "Here, catch."

As it turned out, ants were not particularly aerodynamic. They really worked at it though, and the velocity at which she'd flung them didn't dwindle as quickly as she'd worried, despite their diminutive mass. Unfortunately, the lobbed tangle of void ants wasn't swift… and the swordsman reacted quickly.

Anishka watched in horror as his sword was drawn from his back and sliced downward in a single motion. Her energy senses couldn't follow any of the void ants movements- which was precisely their whole thing- but she vaguely saw the ball turn into a string shape that was severed in two.

"I don't know what the hell that was," the leader said, taking stock of himself. "But it seems you're not planning to come peacefully. Men?"

Anishka charged towards one of the pairs, partly to avoid the swordsman. He seemed to be not particularly enthusiastic, stepping forward slowly. He knew he would win. Anishka reached out towards the two with him, but stopped as they swung their own blades. However, her energy was ready. Both weapons were coated in a greater density of energy for the attack… but for the sake of efficiency, that was all focused on the cutting edge. Which meant they were just as vulnerable on the rear as anywhere else.

Heat flowed from one to the other, and while pushing through someone's natural energy wasn't flawless for Anishka, whether she succeeded at a single trick wouldn't determine if the battle was won. What would determine it was…

"Dammit, what-?" The leading man reached for his throat, grabbing and dragging. His fingers came away bloody. But this time, it wasn't just a little. The Sergeant was tiny, a few millimeters in length, but a few of the others were larger. Between that and there being an additional ten, Anishka thought they would work much faster. She was right, but it wasn't ten times as much.

As for how the void ants didn't get crushed, their teamwork came into play there. Slight twitches of their lookouts could cause a whole half dozen of them to swing away, and since cultivators unfamiliar with them wouldn't be able to find them except visually they weren't even targeted. Except by the damage they had caused. And then made worse, both by widening the cuts and tearing away chunks of natural energy meant to staunch the flow.

"You-"

Anishka no longer had the luxury of fighting, with the lead swordsman charging towards her. But he couldn't maintain a proper grip on his sword and bat at his neck at the same time. He chose offense, presuming that Anishka used some special technique. And that assumption was logical for his current experience, but the wound in his jugular veins continued to grow rapidly. By the time he changed his mind, scratching at his neck with both hands, there was nothing he could grab on the outside of his neck.

Seeing their leader seemingly go crazy and the surprising resistance that Celina and the other three were providing on the other side, the two chasing after Anishka with their boss hesitated. Each motion their boss made simply made him lose blood faster, and his natural energy was going wild, to the point he worsened the injury himself to no detriment of the void ants. Then he fell onto his knees before fully passing out, blood still draining from his body.

The Essence Collection cultivators turned and fled, and nobody was going to risk chasing after them and causing them to rally together. Instead, Anishka ran over to the man, grabbed his sword, and stabbed him through the heart. Better safe than find out he was faking somehow.

"Sergeant? Where are you?" she didn't see any of them. Had they been crushed? She wanted to run her hands all over his neck, but they could be anywhere beneath the streaming blood.

Then, one by one, they appeared. Ten blood soaked void ants.

She sighed in relief. "You made it. Wait-" she recognized them by their sizes, more or less. The Sergeant was definitely there, something about her poise even when a completely different color giving her away. But… "Is one of you missing?"

It took a few moments for the Sergeant to confer with the others and then respond due to the substance coating her, but she managed to push through. "Yes. One corporal perished in the initial attack."

"... oh."

"Why are you crying, princess?"

Chapter 664

"Why are you crying, princess? Are you injured?"

"Huh?" Anishka reached up to her face, finding it wet with tears. "I- dead? Are you sure?"

"Bisected. Next time we will split faster."

"It's my fault," Anishka said. "It's my fault someone died."

She could no longer see the Sergeant. Everything was too blurry. "Are you alright?" Patka asked.

"One of them died," Anishka said.

"... I don't, uh. That's not great but… they're ants, right?"

"They're people!" Anishka retorted. "Just… really small and without hands or natural energy. Someone died and it's my fault!"

Somehow the others managed to drag her away- thought not before performing practical matters such as divesting the enemy leader of his storage bag and equipment.

Anishka didn't feel any better, but she walked in the direction she was pointed. Meanwhile, Celina's attempts to console her didn't help at all. "That was amazing. They actually defeated a Life Transformation cultivator. We'd be dead without them. I might have to work harder to make them my friends."

"Dead… gone forever." Anishka jerked away from the hand holding her. "Wait, what about her body? A burial?"

"I- we need to keep moving," Celina said. "They might come again. Or with others. We need to stay ahead of them."

It took a very firm pinch on her finger, enough to draw blood, to make Anishka pay attention to the Sergeant. "Do not be sad, princess."

"Why shouldn't I be sad? One of you died! Are you not sad?"

"Should I be sad?"

"Yes! One of you died?"

"Just a corporal."

"It doesn't matter because they were lower rank than you?" Anishka yelled.

"No. I also don't matter. No individual matters below the queens."

"Of course you matter! You're people! You can talk and think and feel… right?"

"It is regrettable that one of us perished," the Sergeant explained. "We do not wish for it, and will do better."

"That's not an answer!"

"Dear," Celina grabbed her shoulder firmly. "Please stop yelling at your friend. Especially since I'm concerned that might physically harm her."

"... you can think for yourself, right…?" Anishka asked.

"That makes us more effective," the Sergeant agreed. "But our purpose is for the colony, and above that all colonies."

"But what about yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you want… something? Like… a goal? Marriage? A promotion?"

"We don't get married," the Sergeant responded. "And I am a Sergeant."

"What about… I don't know. Something you want to do."

"I want to complete my mission."

"Not that!" Anishka stopped herself from yelling again. "For yourself."

"... I heard that ascension energy is very tasty. I would like to try it."

"You know what? Sure. You can want to eat something tasty." Anishka nodded. "What about… the corporal?"

"I assume you do not mean for us to eat her."

"No, uh. Did she want anything?"

"I do not know."

"Did she have a name?"

"No."

"... That sucks," Anishka said. "You need to get names."

"I don't want a name."

"You- fine." Anishka gave in. "You don't have to get a name. Just know you could."

"I can be identified when needed," the Sergeant explained. "What else is there to a name?"

"It… lets people know who you are. Lets you know who you are."

"How does a name do that?"

"By making you special. But also by connecting you to people." Anishka shook her head. "I was named after my father. He uh… he died in the last invasion."

"I'm sorry," Celina said. "I… was not around during the last invasion here, as it was centuries prior."

"I never met him," Anishka shook her head sadly. "My mother was pregnant with me during the war."

"None of us know our father," the Sergeant said. "We only have a male to mate with the queen to start a colony."

"That's… I technically knew that," Anishka admitted. "Isn't that sad? Not meeting half of your parents." The way the Sergeant tilted her head made Anishka hang her head. "You… you've met your mother, right?"

"I have not. I performed my duties and was fortunate to be approached by the Great Queen for this task."

"... maybe it's fine. You can be different."

"We are different," the Sergeant agreed. "... Should I want to have met her?"

Anishka shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know anything."

Fire. Endless flames made up a star, producing light and heat for a system. Inside Anton those flames burned, not just with the warmth that produced life, but with the heat of anger. Whether this was simply a reflection of his own state or a form of influence upon him he was unsure. Either way, it was something he needed to deal with. Now that he was aware of it, he could manage his own actions better.

He wondered what might have happened if Ekict didn't have a barrier covering their whole system, if he had been able to bond with their star immediately. Would he have bypassed seeking council and simply caused the end of things by destroying their star? He didn't think he actually would have, but not necessarily for the right reasons. Not because of the innocents- both those from the Trifold Alliance and those that were still presumed to exist somewhere natively in the system. They didn't have enough actually communication to prove the latter, though.

Further days passed, since the exchange. Anton had been unable to keep track of everything, every location people and objects were taken to. However, he did follow Annelie's progress. He couldn't do much more than vaguely sense what happened through the barrier, and finding someone he didn't already know the location of would be nearly impossible. He could only extend thin tendrils, instead of covering a huge radius. She survived, mobile within the prison section of the Northern Glacier Sect. The void ants had been instrumental to that, and the same was true elsewhere. It seemed as though they had struck a serious blow, but it still wasn't clear how many Integration cultivators the enemy possessed.

That was why they had not yet begun a proper assault of the main planet. With The Independence and Aoibhin, they weren't yet willing to commit to an attack. Just that much wouldn't be an issue, but who knew how many others were waiting?

In all, it had only been somewhat more than a week since they'd broken through the outer barrier. They could not afford to delay forever, but neither were they yet pressed for time. They could manage several more months before they would have to concern themselves with supplies, and that discounted the possibility of taking from the locals.

They'd had some victories on the outer planets, but that was of only moderate importance. Taking control of less populated areas would minimize the ways the enemy could send forces to attack them, but they still had a much greater population. They were gathering for battle, but that was being carefully monitored. In truth, it was easier to deal with gathered enemies- either with force, or by avoidance. Because nothing restricted them to attacking a particular location.

Aside from meditating to clear his mental state, Anton's official duties involved scouting the center of the system. Near the sun and innermost planets where he was strongest. He was not in danger there, even alone. He and the sun had come to an understanding. He would not destroy it or wipe out its people, and it would continue to provide power as usual- with a portion to him. Anton didn't truly believe that it was alive or conscious in any way. No matter how much natural energy it possessed, it still didn't have the spark of life. But for his own part and the connection… his thoughts about using it in that way had certainly hindered the process of binding to it.

Atop a hill, Anishka looked down upon the nearby military base. She had no spyglass, but was able to enhance her vision with natural energy. Both would have been best, but she had to work with what she now had. Including a fancy sword. She wasn't sure if this was the right type of weapon for her, or if she even wanted to use weapons despite their clear combat utility, but this one was more appealing than many. She swished it about, imagining swirls of heat and cold on either side. The blade drew a line where heat would only flow one way. But of course, the blade itself had nothing to do with it, it was just a convenient thing to latch onto as she pondered a potential technique.

But she had to focus on the mission. The military base had ships, clearly visible. Most importantly, they had a ship from Weos. The ring ships were probably third on her list out of three for what she wanted to see, but it should still fulfill their purposes. The question was, did they all go in? Did she go in? What about the void ants?

Just the void ants seemed good, until she realized there was a verbal communicator. Unless they were exceedingly lucky and this particular ship had one of the rare void ant compatible computer systems, they would need a human present. And she was the only one who would understand things, so she had to be there.

But what then? Her immediate thought was to take the ship and fly away, but she couldn't just leave people behind. Which meant they would all have to be there, but the plan was flawed to begin with. It had been her goal for a while, but stealing a ship was probably not that easy- and the enemy would likely be happy to shoot them down

"What's the plan? Celina asked.

"We need to get to that ring ship," Anishka declared. "But I'd like the void ants to scout it first." She looked down to the Sergeant to make sure she was paying attention for a response.

"We can do it," the Sergeant agreed. "It will only take four to six hours."

"... That long? Why? It's just right there…"

"Estimated distance of six kilometers," the Sergeant said. "Travel time will be between one and two hours each way. Unless we travel in a combat formation which would be much more noticeable."

"Yeah, sorry, I forgot you were… not as fast as a human."

"Shall we begin now?"

"Might as well," Anishka said. "Should we wait here? No, perhaps down the back of the hill."

"We will find you upon our return," the Sergeant said as she and the others were settled onto the ground, disappearing against the background of the dirt.

Hours. What was she to do until then? Perhaps distract herself with training. Same with the others.

Anishka worked with Patka on transferring heat from one place to another. The woman knew the basics, but there were always improvements to be made. Here, they used rocks carefully placed to avoid starting a fire. It wouldn't do for them to produce smoke and thus reveal themselves.

"You have many insights into the workings of things," Celina said. "Is there a way for us to produce more heat by manipulating its position?"

"You could draw from things around you," Anishka said. "And focus it towards one place. However, you would lose the effects of chilling an individual at the same time. And most importantly, you have to remember to not draw from your own heat." She'd made that mistake once. She was lucky someone had been nearby to unfreeze her, and that she hadn't burst anything important in the process. "Most likely it is better to focus on refining your flames efficiency in other ways, but if any of you are particularly attuned to ambient heat, it might be useful."

Anishka spoke with as much authority as she could muster, trying to recall her teachers and the technique manuals she no longer had in her possession. She didn't want to lead anyone astray.

After a while, she got to thinking. That was often a mistake, because not all of the thoughts were positive. "... Why are you still traveling with me?" Anishka asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not strong enough to ensure you're any safer, especially with the people looking for me. You gave of your own finances for me. Are you just betting on the chance we survive for me to pay you back? I will, of course."

"Don't be silly. It's just a bit of money. That's nothing compared to being part of something… more. I'm just someone with a bit of talent for cultivation, but I could never hope to be important. But you are, and I was just hoping… to somehow be written into history. Even just a little."

"I didn't even do anything to be 'important'," Annelie muttered.

Celina shrugged, "Neither did most of the strongest here. Their parents were part of a big sect, and they just so happened to have the right amount of talent to work their way up. Or they were exceedingly lucky. But realistically, most of those who truly matter will have multiple generations of the strong before them. Like you."

"Yeah…" Anishka said. "Though I want to say that, technically, I'm kinda a second generation cultivator? On my mother's side, at least."

"But there's her, and your grandpa…?"

"They started cultivating at… basically the same time," Anishka explained. "Grandpa was like… a century old when he started. Before that he was just farming."

"I see. He made use of some great cultivation crops to start his career, then?"

"No," Anishka shook her head. "Just like… really normal stuff. Possibly even more normal than those fields we passed. He's amazing. My mother, too. There was some… bad stuff that happened to our family. But they all pushed through. And now there's me, and even though I had so many advantages I can barely do anything useful."

Celina shrugged, "Wait until you're a hundred, then. You don't have to start out amazing. Though this would be a convenient time…"

Overall, Celina was attempting to encourage Anishka and it worked to some extent. But her worries weren't just going to disappear all at once, especially with the very real dangers still lurking around.

Chapter 665

Focusing on cultivation, even for just a few hours, kept Anishka from thinking about the Sergeant and the others out on their mission. She didn't want something to happen to any of them, but especially not the Sergeant, her longest term friend in this place. Patka was close, but she found the Sergeant rather quickly after leaving home. She would have to thank her and the Great Queen if they both survived, though she wondered how the Great Queen had known. Or perhaps she had been just the right amount of paranoid.

There wasn't much anyone could learn in just a few hours, generally just indiscernible improvements that would build upon each other with days and months to a greater cultivation level and control of natural energy. But it was a good way to distract herself trying out new techniques.

She came back into focus when she felt someone nibbling on the back of her hand, or rather the natural energy there. It seemed the Sergeant had returned, and was trying to grab her attention. And also… all of the others. In good health, too. "Welcome back."

"Mission accomplished. We have recorded the full complement of cultivators above Body Tempering. No cultivators surpassing Life Transformation detected. The ship in question was located and confirmed to taste of spatial distortion as it should. It is deemed functional. We were unable to test human entrance methods to determine if it was locked. Finally, I have arranged a route that will bring you near the minimum anticipated number of individuals on the way."

"Thank you," Anishka breathed a sigh of relief. "Without you, I would be useless. I can't even do anything for you."

"You provide significant utility in transportation and data collection."

"That wouldn't be an issue if we made ships and books sized for void ants."

"You also provide intellectually stimulating new ideas."

"You like that one?" Anishka asked. "I'm not an engineer, so I'm not sure if things could actually be miniaturized that much. But at least levers, buttons, and readouts could be made convenient."

"I am not sure if I like the thoughts," the Sergeant said. "They are uncomfortable. But so is training and combat, so if I ultimately end up better I will like it."

"Alright, how do we get in?" Anishka gathered the others around and translated the plan.

"Given the lack of human training in stealth, the plan is to assign two void ants to each of you to rein in your ambient energy. The efficacy of this plan depends on how well you each conceal your own auras. We understand humans are not as sensitive to such things as us, but they will be looking. We will do our best to judge the likelihood of success based on your results in a practice attempt."

Formal. Very formal, but that was how the Sergeant was and this was the correct time for such things. "And where do we sneak in?"

"I will direct you towards a gap in the wall, unrepaired damage from some previous military operations most likely. It is large enough for each of you to fit through. Then you will walk up to the ships and enter our chosen vessel to perform your tasks."

"That's it?"

"The airfield takes up a significant amount of space and cannot be placed in the middle of the base. It is already exceptional that it fits all of the ships there, with the ransoms."

"Right. You implied we would all go together?"

"Why would you not?"

"Well, if we don't need someone… then if they are revealed, they could give us away."

"How?"

"Because we'd get in a fight or have to flee."

"The compromised individuals could provide a distraction."

"They'd die!"

"Perhaps," the Sergeant admitted. "It seems you find the thought distasteful. I still recommend you go together for strength in numbers. You cannot guarantee all tasks can be accomplished by a single human and my squad."

That was true, though the others wouldn't know how to work the ship. Then again, it wasn't too hard to flip a few switches. They should be labeled, even.

"I'm not going to make anyone risk themselves like that," Anishka said.

"You don't have to," Patka interjected. "I would like to help, if I can."

"I'd rather be together," Celina added. "If we get into a fight, we can try to quickly take someone out and flee together. If Life Transformation cultivators get involved it's not like you can escape alone."

Ilona added her own thoughts, "It is also risky for us to remain out here without you."

"I'd like to stay with senior sister Celina and you as well," Gilda said.

"Then… we're all going. Lead the way, Sergeant."

Of course, leading the way involved pointing from atop Anishka's hand. It was unfortunate that the void ants had no vocal abilities, but it was also convenient for subterfuge. As they drew closer to the base, Anishka began to sense cultivators guarding the walls. She was nervous, even though all of them had passed the void ants basic subtlety test. Remaining stealthy did mean they weren't allowed to use natural energy, though. There were methods to enhance stealth with natural energy, but none of them knew them.

"These people are careless," the Sergeant signed as they walked. "They allowed the wilderness to encroach within a few meters of the wall." Technically, the word for meter was actually just two-hundred-antlengths but it had been standardized to match. Anishka had to admit them getting that close with underbrush around them was quite convenient, except for the potential noise. However, the Sergeant led them through a route that had enough gaps that was open enough to minimize noise. As long as they weren't unlucky and someone was focusing on their listening- pretty much impossible over a whole shift- then the guards a dozen meters in either directions along the wall shouldn't hear them.

Then they came to the gap, which was really just a couple stones missing. Anishka just looked at the Sergeant.

"Humans are flexible."

… Whatever. She had to try. She got down on her hands and knees, but that was too large of a profile. Instead she crawled on her belly, squeezing in her shoulders to fit them through the narrow gap. It was true, that humans were flexible. At least, most body tempering covered flexibility with everything else. Anishka hoped that was the same for the Vermillion Inferno disciples. Patka had undergone the Fire and Ice Palace's training, so she knew it would work for her.

Ultimately, Celina ended up digging out a few scoops of dirt with her fingers to marginally widen the area, but everyone managed to wiggle through. A few steps later and they were on paved stones, making their way towards the ship, taking cover behind others. If one of the guards did a simple sweep of the courtyard at the wrong time, they could be revealed. Though at least the ships radiated a sufficient amount of natural energy to cloak them.

Then they were there, looking at a horizontal ring. Anishka held the Sergeant up to her mouth and whispered, "Why is it on its front?"

"... I assumed that was something you would know. It does not match previous human patterns, but I assumed this was an alternate landing position."

Had they crashed the ship? It looked structurally intact, but… Anishka shook her head. As long as they could get inside, the comms should still work. And there were hatches on both sides of the ring, it just meant climbing up instead of going in a proper door.

Anishka gestured for the others to wait. If they just stood on top of the ring, they could easily be spotted. She climbed up first, glad for rough parts and also for the ship's formations to not be active. Then again, it would run out of power just keeping them active all the time.

She found a hatch, pulled on the handle and… locked. Dammit. But there were more… she crawled along to minimize her visible profile, hoping that it helped… or that nobody looked. Second and third were busts. The fourth had the handle wiggle, but it didn't seem to open. The fifth, finally, creaked open. Everyone had to have heard that, right? She didn't move, or breathe. Nothing happened.

She leaned over the edge and waved people over, helping them up one at a time and making them crawl into the ship. Then she went inside herself, carefully closing the hatch to minimize creaking and to avoid a possible thud at the end.

It was dark, but small guide lights flickered on, sensing passengers. Convenient. Even more convenient, they were pure tech, basically impossible to sense for people who didn't cultivate electricity. Of course, the reason was probably that they had separate batteries from the high draw combat functions.

The good thing about ring ships was that finding her way was simple- she simply moved in one direction until they found a path heading inward, which brought them to the main body and control hubs. In space, there wasn't really an up- but the main body still had an orientation to things, including seats and the like for in atmosphere travel.

This ship was definitely not meant to land this way. Anishka had to climb along the paneling to not fall into the command deck, and then she was standing on the edge of a console that thankfully didn't have any buttons there. She directed the others to different spots.

"What we're looking for is something that says 'power'," Anishka said. "I'm not really trained for this but it's kind of standardized now. If we can just get to the comms…"

"Found it," Celina said, and then there was a click. The whole ship thrummed as it came to life, formations and natural energy draw included. "Dammit, sorry!" She reached for the same switch again.

"Stop! Just leave it!" Anishka said. "They have to have already noticed it." Indeed, she felt the natural energy of the surrounding guards flare up. A half dozen Essence Collection cultivators at least, and two Life Transformation. "Do you do verbal commands?"

"I'm listening!" Celina said.

"I was talking to the ship! Some of them do! Sorry, I-" Anishka took a deep breath. "Look for anything that said comms or verbal or whatever."

She was already searching her own section, which had displays that were now lit up. She was surprised that everything was turning on. Didn't this thing have a control module? Oh, there it was. Locked in its designated position. Then again, why wouldn't it be? This was a military ship, meant to be operational at any moment. Which was probably good right now with people charging towards their ship.

Anishka found the option to raise shields, pressing on the console. Oh good, it was touch sensitive. She didn't see any other way to activate that.

"I found 'external comms'," Patka said. "Do I… press it?"

"Don't," Anishka said. "That's probably a speaker."

"What's an 'autopilot'?" Ilona asked.

"Press that one!"

"What do you mean?"

"Touch the words with your finger!"

"Now it's asking about flight plans. I don't recognize any of the destinations."

Anishka levered herself up one one of the bolted-in chairs to see the screen Ilona was looking at. "Weos- there."

"Planet?"

"Any of them!"

"... I did it. Nothing's happening."

The barrier of the ship trembled, and Anishka heard shouting outside. Great, it was busted. Anishka looked at Ilona's screen. "Hit activate!"

Ilona pressed the screen, and then again. "I pressed 'emergency departure. Was that-"

There was a sudden grinding sound, everyone found themselves pressed down for a moment- and then they were weightless. Anishka could sense the ship's ring rotating, flinging away the attackers climbing onto it. Then the whole planet rotated. No, that was just what it felt like for the ship to rotate with the internal dampeners active. They rose up from the ground, and everyone began to pick themselves up.

Without gravity pressing them all in the wrong direction, it was easier to orient themselves. Everyone took a position, though they didn't really know what they were doing. There was a huge burst of energy from below, but the spatial distortion ring deflected the attack. Then they were too high for further assaults.

A moment later, there was a beeping. On the screen in front of Anishka was a warning- Ilona apparently had the same one, and read it off. "Route blocked by energy anomaly. Set to cruising. Override?"

"Don't press that," Anishka said. "I think it would try to break through the barrier."

"Could it?"

"I don't want to find out it can't the hard way." Anishka had never stopped looking through menus, only to find what she was looking for on the top level demarcated by a symbol with three curved lines. Space efficient, perhaps, but not quite what she wanted.

A staticy voice came through in front of Anishka. "This is the Trifold Alliance Fleet. Please state your query."

"Uh… do I have to press something?" Anishka spoke aloud as she looked. "This is… Anishka of the Fire and Ice Palace. I have escaped captivity and gained control over a stolen ship." Anisha had an unpleasant feeling, which was only verified when the screen showed 'ships of unknown origin' on its display behind them. She could feel their energy. She might not have much time to speak. "Ekict has a Technique they call Transferral which steals cultivation."

"One moment please," the voice came back. Oh good, she was broadcasting. "Verifying your identity."

"Excuse me," said a familiar voice. "Anishka?"

"Grandpa! I'm uh-" enchanted bolts scraped the hull of the ship even through the various shields. "I'm being chased by ships."

"Where are you?"

"I don't, uh, I can't find the location broadcast."

"Third console to the left of the pilot," came the initial voice.

Anishka turned and pointed, and Celina pressed the button. "Did you-"

There was a sudden flash of light and fire, whiting out the whole cockpit. The formation above trembled. Then another dozen arrows landed in the same area, and even more in a continuous stream coming from… somewhere. Meanwhile, something from behind punctured the ring, setting off at least a dozen alerts on various consoles.

Chapter 666

The time it had taken Anton to hear the incoming message and conclusively determine it was Anishka was more than thirty seconds. That time could have been her demise, as anything could happen in battle. Once he knew her location, he immediately extended his senses around the curvature of the planet before pressing through the barrier. It didn't take long to find her flying up high even with that restriction, and his attacks landed a moment later.

He didn't believe he could shatter a planet encompassing barrier by himself… but opening up a hole briefly was another matter entirely. Unless it was specially made to focus all its power on a single point, he doubted it could match his density of energy. And there was another factor. Much of Ekict's defenses seemed strictly tailored to be optimal against ascension energy, logical given their concerns about invaders. That would potentially mean that using Ascension energy to attack was useless, but it actually provided an opening.

A single more powerful arrow crashed into the barrier, causing it to harden. Anton rushed towards the area from his position in orbit, using Star Steps to gain otherwise impossible acceleration as he approached. In his hands was Everheart's bow, still by far the strongest he'd seen. Recalling lessons learned from another, he widened his arrows, causing them to cross each other in a large flaming X on the surface of the barrier, right where the Ascension energy had struck. Then from the surrounding energy bows, a concentrated fire of hundreds of smaller arrows.

The energy could not withstand his assault, opening up a small hole. Not enough for Anishka to move through, and it didn't appear she was in full control of her ship. It was maintaining a course even as it was attacked by pursuing ships. But it was a large enough gap for a single person to slip through. The instant he was inside, the gap closed… reminding Anton that their barriers limited his access to the star. Not enough to completely cut it off, now that he was connected, but feeling as if he had gone some tens of millions of kilometers further. Not an optimal way to fight, but he was still strong enough to strike down the enemy ships.

It took five seconds each, including killing the Life Transformation cultivators inside. These ships were native to Ekict, meant to travel between their local planets and sturdy enough… but missing the combined expertise of several systems. Even if the Sylanis Cluster had not been a willing participant, their contributions made for powerful shields.

It was enough to slow Anton, as he slipped passed the distorted space the ring created and grabbed for a hatch, flames running along his arm and melting it open. Inside, it took him only an instant to reach the cockpit where Anishka was. A dozen bows manifested, surrounding the other four individuals. No wait, there were more. Ten, to be exact. But they shouldn't be enemies.

"Wait!" Anishka called out as soon as he appeared. "They're friends! Don't hurt them!"

The flames around Anton instantly faded away as he felt her sincerity. The fact that they weren't threatening or fighting told him one thing, and the void ants watching over each of them indicated to him they were under control. "Sorry. I had to be careful." He glanced around the cockpit. "Everything's on autopilot, huh? Probably better than trying to handle everything manually." He looked over the group. "I'm Anton. The four of you are locals, correct?"

They all nodded, looking to Anishka to speak. "Patka is my apprentice," she pointed. "I ended up joining with Celina, Ilona, and Gilda while trying to hunt some frost apes. They helped us out. That was… about the time you yelled at everyone."

"So you did hear. Glad that worked. Doesn't seem to have stopped people from gathering armies though."

"If I may, might Sect Head," the woman referred to as Celina began to speak, "The leading sects dictate much, and the others can do little but follow."

Anton nodded. "Sounds traditional." His eyes flickered. "So what about you ten? I'd like a report."

The largest void ant among them saw Anton watching her, and gestured to the smallest. Interesting. Once she saw his gaze clearly on her, the small one began to sign. "I am the leading Sergeant of this squad. I have taken command to complete tasks assigned to me by the Great Queen directly while still allowing these loyal soldiers to complete the tasks assigned by your command structure."

"Great. I'll ask for a full report when we're out of this situation."

Anton overheard the one called Ilona whispering to Gilda. "Does everyone speak their sign language?"

"I was one of the first test audiences for it, in fact," Anton answered the whisper. The woman froze up, but Anton just smiled as warmly as possible. Anishka's friends. Good, she hadn't had many of those. And an apprentice already? He was proud. "But you've drawn more than a bit of attention. Without proper direction this vessel won't be able to escape atmosphere, so I'll need to take over and point us somewhere we'll have help breaking out before anyone catches up."

Anton was almost certain he could do it himself, from inside the barrier. No, completely certain- with the caveat he might have to rest for a while. There simply wasn't time for that in the current circumstances. If an Integration cultivator and some others found him in such a state, he wouldn't like his chances.

Multitasking came easily to high ranking cultivators, so Anton was able to deal with all of the consoles at once- not that he truly needed most of them. He wasn't an expert on the systems, but he'd grown familiar from various flights with others, watching how they worked. Besides, the systems were intuitive to those who understood technology. Anton couldn't say he was fully immersed in the stuff, but after a century he ought to have gotten familiar with at least some of it. Quick reflexes to fix anything he messed up should handle the rest.

"If the five of you could move to the weapon emplacements? To provide some support." The ship would do most of the heavy lifting there.

It only took a minute to reach the proper location, but Anton could feel stronger individuals approaching. They couldn't afford any delay. He would almost certainly live, but he couldn't shield Anishka from all danger. Sacrificing himself to save her wouldn't actually help, since an immediate follow up attempt would wipe her out.

Since the comms worked, he spoke to the fleet to coordinate a bombardment- though a careful one that wouldn't vaporize them should the barrier be opened. Anton left the controls behind, the ship hovering in position so he could contribute directly. He still had tendrils of energy able to reach the controls, so it could speed through when things opened.

Creating a space large enough for a smallish ship to squeeze through wasn't so bad, compared to an entire planet's surface. A great amount of energy was expended over the next handful of seconds, and the barrier simply couldn't handle it. It failed only in part, as it cracked from both sides. The ship would have scraped against the barrier were it not for the spatial distortion around it, but they were out. Anton watched, hoping someone would chase them out- without the barrier, he was confident their fleets and he could take on any opponents.

The locals might not have been as confident of the same, but they did ultimately have to let them go. Not before Anton shot through a mast on one ship, however. Hostilities were already open, and hostages were either already exchanged or never going to happen. Likewise, those who had turned themselves over were either already under the protection of void ants, dead, or worse. It was hard to endanger them.

Further action would depend on what Anishka could tell Anton. He wanted to hear her story, but he supposed the details should be heard by as many as possible. "You said it's called Transferral?" Anton asked.

"Yes," Anishka nodded. "You heard that part?"

"Very brave to try to share that information while in peril," Anton said. "We had surmised something like that, though we didn't have full confirmation, or a name. I'm going to need you to share what you can with myself and the rest of the council here."

They docked the smaller ship inside a larger one- not quite an Ascension class battleship. "The four of you will come along with myself, Anishka, and the squad," Anton said to the others. "Do not depart from us, just to avoid unnecessary trouble."

They began to make their way towards a meeting room, where people would be arriving posthaste. Along the way, Anton was stopped by Ingeborg. "We appreciate the practical demonstration of the barrier's capabilities, but next time give a bit more warning."

"I'd love to," Anton said. "How about in fifteen minutes?"

She raised an eyebrow. "That's a quick meeting. You think it will actually be that fast… and that another assault would be appropriate so quickly?"

"Perhaps neither," Anton admitted. "Though I will personally have recovered." Once again outside the barrier, Anton had his whole flow of energy, including the trifles from his more distant stars. He was still working on incorporating Azun into his regular combat style, but he hadn't quite completed anything when he had left In'istra, Azun's neighbor.

The questions for Anishka quickly revealed what she knew. Most of the information wasn't truly new, but they finally had a proper name. Transferral didn't sound nearly so horrible as the actual thing it did, and while she couldn't speak on the process there was no way that taking another's cultivation could be tolerated.

"Any weaknesses?" someone asked.

"Sorry," Anishka said. "Sergeant had to sneak into their libraries to find that much. The information wasn't there. But, I'm certain it's somewhere at the Northern Glacier Sect."

"Seems like a good target," someone else said. "We need to begin retrieving people as well."

"Retrieving… you know others who survived?" Anishka asked. "I… didn't see any."

Anton took over, giving a short explanation of what had happened.

"My mother's down there?" Anishka tensed up. "We need to-" she stopped herself. "Yes, it does require a proper response." She didn't want her mother to sacrifice herself for her- especially since that hadn't at all been what got her out. Though it seemed that she had known it wouldn't help. "At least there are brave void ants there."

"Speaking of which," Anton said. "It appears the Royal Guard has taken interest in the situation, hasn't it?" he looked over at several ants that surpassed the centimeter mark in length, quite a bit smaller than the Great Queen but massive as traditional ant sizes went. There were giant ants, of course, but they were without sapience so they were practically grouped with beasts.

"It is time for the Sergeant to provide her perspective," one of them said. Anton translated, though most of those involved here had taken the time to properly learn the language. After all, the void ants were a force that could not be ignored. Not safely, at least. The Sergeant gave her explanation, until after the escape from the Northern Glacier Sect. "Very good. Then how did you end up with these, and why do you smell like a traitor?"

"How dare you!" Anishka slapped her hand on the table. "She helped me so much!"

The tiny form of the Sergeant made its way forward. "We will resolve this matter internally."

"But-" Anishka looked to Anton for help, but he shook his head.

For one thing, that was the Sergeant's choice. And while it seemed Anishka had grown attached to this particular ant, it really was the void ant's business. Except, things were already weird. As far as he could recall, internal division among the void ants was exceedingly rare. He only heard about it because of his connection to the Great Queen. This shouldn't be a big deal.

Except, there it was. A disagreement on how to interpret orders, a battle, and even running off with another group's troops. The tale was woven with no apparent duplicity- though Anton wasn't even certain if he could tell if a void ant was lying. He'd assumed so, but up until now they'd basically been completely truthful at all times. Then again, that was up to personal interpretation wasn't it? Even if they didn't intentionally distort things, they could only act on what they knew and thought they knew.

After the Sergeant completed her part of the story, one of the Royal Guard stepped forward. "According to your own testimony, your mission is now complete, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then you will submit to quarantine until the Great Queen's judgment can be provided."

"Yes."

"No!" Anishka called out. "I mean… that's not fair!"

"It is reasonable," the Sergeant said. "I did fight with a superior."

"They were the ones stopping you from following the Great Queen's orders, though!"

"Yes. And I am confident she will resolve the situation in my favor."

"Oh." Anishka frowned. Anton could tell she didn't believe that so well. Though perhaps he could tip that balance. Before he could suggest something like that, however, Anishka continued. "But I… was hoping you could stay around. I'm not done here." She gestured to the four from Ekict. "There are good people here I need to help… somehow," she looked to Anton, who smiled. He'd definitely support her on that.

"Understood," the Sergeant said, turning towards the Royal Guard. "The princess requires extended protection service. I cannot go with you at this time."

Chapter 667

Though the figures were small, Anishka sensed the sudden change in atmosphere when the Sergeant declared she wouldn't be going with the Royal Guard. The individual in charge of that group raised her head. "Who decided that you can simply extend your task to avoid consequences? You will be coming with us."

"Please," Anishka said. "I don't want to cause-"

Her protests were useless, as the void ants were only paying attention to each other. "I decided," the Sergeant signed.

Further words were not exchanged. At least, not in a way humans could comprehend. It was there, atop a meeting table, that the battle took place. Of the several Royal Guard present, only one approached. An individual nearly a centimeter and a half in length, making her five times the size of the Sergeant- in a single dimension. Overall, the size factor varied by more than a hundred.

The movement was quick, barely able to be tracked by Anishka. Nor would other Essence Collection cultivators have done any better. Indeed, even some of the other humans could barely follow, as their energy senses could not lock onto the void ants.

Jaws snapped closed, gouging out a small section of the table. Had the attack landed on its intended target, it could be presumed the battle would have been finished. But it had not. The much smaller Sergeant had vaulted forward at the last moment to arrive under the larger combatant. Now, she darted towards a leg, grabbing onto it where it met the table, near its thinnest point.

Unlike with the Lieutenant, the Royal Guard was neither pulled off balance, nor were there any cracks made in her chitin. Indeed, she yanked her leg away, dragging the Sergeant with her leg and making her more available for further attack. However, the head of the Royal Guard could only twist so far. The mandibles could not reach the Sergeant to crush her. So the whole body instead was pressed downward, weight and muscular force slamming into the Sergeant.

The sound of the impact was basically unheard by the observing humans- all uncertain what to do. Anton was holding onto Anishka. Others thought to interfere, but weren't keen on losing a finger or more. The other Royal Guard simply continued to watch.

The Sergeant had lost her grip on the leg, and could only barely stagger to her feet. The Royal Guard turned, intent to snatch her between her mandibles. Once properly restrained, the situation would be resolved.

Yet somehow, despite most of her limbs not obeying her, the Sergeant avoided the attack in the most unexpected way. Her own mandibles bit into the wood of the table- enchanted to prevent incidental damage, but with its enchantments ignored sufficiently vulnerable for such a maneuver. Instead of dragging herself forward, the Sergeant levered herself completely over her front, moving in a way most ants wouldn't even think to try. Nor was it a traditional void ant maneuver, either.

The Sergeant rolled several rotations, though it only placed her a few steps outside of the Royal Guard's reach. An easily closable distance, were it not for the surprise the maneuver had caused. Then the Sergeant did something else odd. She gnawed at the surface of the table as her legs scurried.

The battle then turned into a chase. The Royal Guard was much larger and faster, but at the last moment the Sergeant always pulled some maneuver to shift her momentum. Unlike a properly massive creature, the Royal Guard would never overshoot a target by any significant amount, tarsal hooks sticking to the surface of the table. However, snapping her head back and forth to try to grab the small individual was proving quite difficult.

The battle made its way to the edge of the table. The closest individual almost hadn't realized until a bit of her energy was chomped away. There was still a good distance to her actual finger, but she withdrew her arms. Nobody was quite sure how to interfere.

Anishka looked up at her grandfather, still holding her arm, then down towards the table once more. Right in front of her were the nine who had joined the Sergeant. The other Royal Guard retained their position on the other side, tracking the battle. "Just let me-"

"Do you want to make the incident worse and risk your life?"

"But she-"

"Is still going to be captured. It's not the best result, but I can speak to the Great Queen and help your friend." There was no way the Great Queen wouldn't listen. And if she truly didn't, it would probably be necessary to keep void ant society functioning properly. This was quite an unfortunate situation to be in, however. Anton hadn't seen actual fights between void ants in quite a long time.

The Sergeant continued to skitter about. Her legs seemed to be steady once more, but it wasn't clear what her motives were. She simply went around damaging the table, and occasionally approaching the surrounding humans. Was it on purpose, or coincidence?

Anishka returned Anton's own grip, leaning close to him to whisper. "She needs energy. For something. Ascension energy would-"

"Are you telling me to exacerbate something that could become a very real incident because of an ant?"

"She's not just an ant! She's my friend!"

Anton didn't have a good response for that. He wished he wasn't weak to young family members, but then again… how could he not be? Hopefully he didn't burn away too much of his good will with the Great Queen over this. Though he'd never really called in any favors, so it should be fine.

He rested his hand on the table, drawing from a place beyond himself, and a self beyond who he would ever be. Ascension energy was pulled from the upper realms, and a version of himself he could never make the choice to become.

The response wasn't immediate. In fact, the Sergeant led the Royal Guard almost all the way around the table in the longest direction, to the point Anton wondered if he'd been noticed. Except all of the void ants were looking at him now- disregarding those in combat.

Along the way, the Sergeant actually was daring enough to attempt further attacks on the massively larger Royal Guard, nibbling at each leg in turn and even once leaping into the air to bite at an antenna. Her unpredictable movements caused the Royal Guard to tumble over at the last moment, flinging her a precious few centimeters away… towards Anton. Anton saw the antennae of the Sergeant trying to say something, but without the addition of the forelegs which were busy propelling her forward with the rest it was at best half comprehensible.

Tiny mandibles grabbed onto ascension energy and yanked. It was like taking a pinch of cotton candy- a confection of pure sugar whose only redeemable quality was how it turned into a fluffy mesh of sorts. One would presume that mandibles less than a millimeter in length would only carve out a small bit of energy, but instead the entirety of what Anton had gathered around his hand was ripped away, and ingested into a very tiny ant. Completely gone as if it had never existed.

The Sergeant collapsed on the spot, legs splayed out. How unfortunate. Should he have resisted the pull? Void ants were certainly highly resistant to all forms of energy, but there were limits. For a simple Sergeant to eat ascension energy, it was surprising her body remained intact.

The Royal Guard stomped over, cautiously approaching the fallen form. Her mandibles closed together with intention, where they would not quite touch together so as to hold onto smaller brethren. But the instant it seemed everything was over, the Sergeant rolled over, away from the mandibles. As the Royal Guard redirected her head, flailing legs kicked against the mandibles, latching onto the outside for a moment so the Sergeant was merely tossed away.

Then, tiny legs moving with great rapidity such that her speed almost matched that of her larger opponent, the Sergeant charged towards the larger individual's side. Her mandibles once more caught around a slender leg, but this time she was not pulled about at the whims of the larger ant.

It was a strange sight to see, because if Anton did not pay careful attention he might have thought the larger Royal Guard was flopping about entirely on her own. However, it was quickly clear that things were going beyond expected when the sounds came. His ears were good enough to pick up the previous small skittering sounds, but now there were sounds of thunking against the table in a truly impossible manner violating all principles of mass and energy.

The Sergeant maintained her grip on one leg, actually flipping the Royal Guard back and forth until something broke- and it was not her own mandibles, but the leg in question. The sight would have been gruesome had it involved humans, but instead Anton only found it mildly disturbing to see half a leg torn away.

The Royal Guard was clearly no longer interested in caution as she chomped splinters out of the table, swinging her mandibles as blunt weapons when the Sergeant circled around. But the smaller ant continued to dodge every attack until she was forced towards the edge of the table. A fall would not harm an ant, but there seemed to be some unspoken matter of pride that they would contain their duel to this location. Large mandibles came down, only for the Sergeant to flip back her head and deflect the momentum above her.

When she sprinted beneath the larger individual, the previous attempt to crush her was repeated. But instead of success in that area, the Royal Guard only got a crack in the bottom of her carapace.

A few more wild moments of wrestling, and the Royal Guard was flung a whole meter across the table, tumbling over and over. She stood shakily on her remaining legs as the Sergeant moved to close the distance.

"I yield," the larger ant bowed her head to the table, losing her balance as her front legs participated in the signs. "What… what rank are you?"

"I am a Sergeant."

"That is impossible."

"It seems not."

"... You must still see the Great Queen after completion of your mission."

"Of course."

And with that, the matter appeared to be settled. Until Anton saw two of the other Royal Guard begin to approach the Sergeant. But, somehow she neither backed down nor took an aggressive stance, merely turning about to return to her squad, the other two following at a measured pace.

"The situation is resolved, princess. I will escort you in the continuation of your duties."

"I- uh. Thank you, Sergeant."

One matter that had not yet been fully addressed were Celina and the others. Anton had already vetted them, but that didn't mean they could wander about the ship as they pleased. So they were quite relieved when Anishka returned with Anton.

"I think you made a good choice, ultimately," Anton said to Anishka. "A difficult one, with some awkward unanticipated consequences, but a good one. We do not want to devastate Ekict. Finding examples of individuals who represent the people as a whole is a great start," Anton nodded. "And more encouraging is the fact that you weren't even looking. Ekict isn't so broken that its people are beyond redemption. Though there are certainly problems with the strongest among them, and Transferral."

"I think it's just the major sects," Anishka explained. "Would you agree, Celina?"

"In what way? They certainly control everything, keep secrets and hold onto their power. I certainly don't support them drafting people into a war we can't win," she looked down at her token.

"What is that?" Anton asked.

"A representation of a conveniently distant sect so we could move about unencumbered."

"Interesting. I wonder if we could copy those."

"I would not know, as I don't deal in enchantments," Celina admitted. "But most likely." She held it out for him to take.

"Where did you get this, if it was from a distant sect?"

"Ah," Anishka said. "There's, uh. A deal I made… that is still in effect." Anishka spoke about Haround, and her promises. "I know it's a lot of resources, but… I had to make the promise. And offering your guidance without your approval was inappropriate, but it seemed like the most usable method."

"I understand," Anton said. "A high price, but in a way it is also a moment of opportunity. This Haroun should know many others… showing that we will follow through on a deal even though we could not be bound to it should be beneficial. Though I'm not taking the time to give him guidance during the war. He wouldn't benefit from rushed advice anyway."

So now they had several things to do. Retrieval of those who had chosen to be exchanged, and connecting with the common people. If they could somehow dismantle the planetary barrier, they would be able to bring their full force to bear- hopefully against a weakened enemy. But there would still be many strong individuals and sects they had to deal with somehow, and there was no knowing exactly how many Integration cultivators had been sown among Ekict's populace.

Chapter 668

The way the situation had developed in the system made general Gabriela's interest in finding the Independence again into an obsession. Perhaps they should have given chase the first time… but such was hindsight. It no longer was in orbit around any of the gas giants, cutting it off from the best fuel source. Next was the sun, but it hadn't been found there either. That left the only option being refueling from ambient natural energy, or juicing it up with condensed energy. By far the most expensive option, but it would keep it out of view while they repaired it.

Ignoring it wasn't an option, especially with upcoming assaults. It was too powerful to risk it appearing during the middle of a pitched fleet battle. While the Wayfarer could be ready to counter it, it was unclear how many ships they would lose before that point. There was some danger with seeking it out, especially if the spearmaster Aoibhin was with it still. Though that depended on what other ships came along with it. If Gabriela's fleet could catch just those two, they would have a significant advantage. At the very least, it would not go any worse than the previous time, and the repairs to the Wayfarer were complete.

For the sake of the smaller ships, they already had energy profiles of Aoibhin- so while it might be possible for her to destroy them, it would take her significantly more effort. Reviewing the battle records has also provided them with tactical options for offense against the woman.

The Wayfarer had just passed the primary planet's moon. That was well under Trifold Alliance control, and with Anton vouching for the lack of anything in sneaky corners, Gabriela was looking elsewhere. If the Independence wasn't somewhere around this particular planet, then it could only arrive significantly into the duration of a battle. Currently, they were searching the empty space further away than true orbits. It would require fuel to maintain a position or far orbit, but it would also be harder to spot them. But there was a lot of empty space to search in a system.

The next day, the Independence had still not been found. With an assault planned for later, there wasn't much time to find it. Currently, they were searching off the system plane for any abnormal signs. It was nearly hopeless, if the ship had just flown to a random point and maintained its relative position to the system, but they had some hope. It would be a source of energy, and various technological signs could make it stand out if they imperfectly hid them.

Despite that, Gabriela was surprised when they finally detected it. "We found it, general."

"What sort of traces?" she asked. "Fuel trails? Energy emissions?"

"Both. But also… it's just there. No cloaking attempts."

"Sounds like an ambush. But as far as I know there's nothing for them to hide behind out here. A free floating formation, perhaps?"

"We're looking into it," the bridge crew confirmed. "Nothing yet."

"What's the status of the Independence? Back to full capacity?"

There was a moment of silence with the hum of the ship and the tapping of keys and fingers on tactile screens. "It appears to be at eighty percent energy reserves. Hull status is… unchanged."

"Undamaged?"

"No, general. It is in the same state we left it."

"But why? It was stocked with materials. It would only take a good crew a few hours, maybe a day to patch what we-" Gabriela stopped herself. "I think we've made a simple mistake."

"Should we call off the approach?"

Gabriela bit her lip. "No. Maintain our course." She looked around the bridge. "Lieutenant. How long did it take you to get approved for space duty?"

"Five years, general."

"What is that counting?"

"Everything from fighters to ascension class battleships, general."

"What experience did you have before that?"

"Standard military experience for ten years."

"How much flight school do you think the people on the Independence had?"

"I would assume the same."

"I don't mean the official crew. I mean the people currently there, right now."

"A century?" the man tilted his head. "Given our intel that General Nicodemo was a subject of transferral."

"Maybe," Gabriela said. "But I don't know about that. And that's just one person. The rest of the crew… they'll only have a few months of experience. Without a living basis of our technology, even." Gabriela nodded, even more confident in her assertions. "We're not going up against the Independence. We're going up against a bunch of novices piloting the Independence. That doesn't mean it's not a danger, but it affects our tactics. The most important thing is to maximize attack pattern variability. If I'm right, we'll mainly be fighting against automatic shield adaptation. And perhaps an Integration cultivator."

"Scans complete," reported another bridge member.

"Report."

"Aoibhin's signature detected, along with signs indicating smaller ships are docked upon the Independence."

"Ours or theirs?"

"A mix of both, likely."

"We'll have to take them into account, but the priority will be causing any form of damage to the Independence. Hull is secondary compared to technological systems, though if we can destroy it… that's probably our best option." Nobody wanted to take down the Independence, but leaving it in enemy hands was worse than destroying a national treasure.

"We're inside maximum range. Thirty seconds to optimal."

"Have we been spotted? Once we are, commence immediate bombardment."

In theory, the Independence's systems should have picked them up by now. Especially since they were preparing for an attack and amping up their systems. It seemed suspicious still, but perhaps they didn't know how to interpret the sensor data. Either way, the Wayfarer's shields were up and attuned to the most likely enemy attack patterns, specifically the Independence's main cannons and Aoibhin.

"Hangar bays opening," came the report.

"Fire at will."

As ordered, the gunners began to fire on designated targets. Some of that were comms and sensor arrays, and the rest found whatever external systems they could. Some of those were the hangars- and the ships coming out of them. Normally the ships would have been out before they got within range for that, but with the delay it was quite effective. They also didn't seem particularly familiar with the necessary maneuvers.

It still required punching through the shields, but overlapping areas of formations were actually weaker- the small local ships had their own assertion on the energy around them that conflicted with the Independence, though the stolen or ransomed Ruteran ships should automatically adjust.

Watching the beginning of the battle, Gabriela could only determine that the instincts and reflexes of cultivators were doing all of the heavy lifting. The local ships moved just fine- though more ponderously and without adaptive shielding- but the unfamiliarity with the others was clear enough now that she considered it.

The opening volley destroyed at least a dozen ships and damaged others, while also scarring hangars and other systems. They'd had plenty of time to line up their most powerful cannons with critical infrastructure, and though it was well shielded and fortified they caused some damage to the Independence itself. It would be adapted to the Wayfarer's larger weapons now, but they had incoming fighters that would pepper its shields, causing it to adapt to them or drain its energy stores quickly with inefficient defenses. Either option was sufficient.

Unfortunately, the individual who had stolen Nicodemo's cultivation was not incapable. At the very least, the counterattacks they controlled were devastating, cutting through space towards their fleet. But while the main cannons could take out a fighter even with adapted shields, they could hardly scratch the Wayfarer with its adaptations already in place. No doubt general Nicodemo would have been ready for that… but there was no immediate change. Just the most powerful weapons used with precision but limited understanding.

Aoibhin was still a threat, however. Her location was quickly revealed as a spear crashed into a fighter. But with shields pre-adapted, it actually withstood the attack. It didn't help when she appeared next to her spear a moment later and attacked directly, but there was only so much a single pilot could hope for.

And this time, they were ready. The formation was spread out in such a way that they could cover the most area, and the instant Aoibhin arrived dozens of attacks were launched at her. From lasers which singed her personal defenses to high velocity projectiles and a few individualized weapons for energy cultivators, the area was quickly filled with death. Of course, an Integration cultivator would not go down so easily- but instead of immediately repeating her assault like before, Aoibhin flashed away from her position to avoid the fleet's counterattack. It was unclear if she sustained actual injuries, but a moment more and her energy defenses would have surely crumbled completely.

The smaller enemy ships were a minor complication. The local ships were less maneuverable- most resembling traditional sailing ships, as cultivators tended to do. They had formations and enchantments that made them formidable enough, but they couldn't build a fleet out of legendary materials. Likewise, the stolen ships were not used to their maximum capabilities, and the experienced Ruteran fighters overwhelmed them.

If Ty had been present, he would have flown circles around them. No, through them probably. But Gabriela was also content with the knowledge that people like him were defending Rutera and their home systems.

The Wayfarer's shields were holding, and the losses of smaller ships were still less rapid than the enemy, even when Aoibhin rejoined the offense. Energy stores were sufficient, and the Independence's levels were rapidly dropping. More importantly… the assault caused their automatic adaptation to adjust to the smaller arms. Which meant another bombardment from the Wayfarer's larger weapons broke through to the hull.

A few moments later, the Independence began to flee. Like many ships, there were compromises that had to be made- so there were only so many engines or thrusters that could go in any given direction. In other words, it was most effective at going where it was pointing, which would bring it past the Wayfarer even if they turned. "Calculate an intercept course, but continue to focus on the lesser fleet."

Gabriela couldn't help but smile. The enemy didn't understand their technology, even when they had it. It was a good thing Ekict had been hasty and hadn't waited another decade or two. Actually, why hadn't they? It didn't make any sense. Did they really see visiting disciples as such a large threat, and if so why did they not refuse? Clearly, she didn't understand them. Then again, nobody from the Trifold Cluster had, or they would have expected something. Future groups would undergo much more scrutiny before being given significant access.

Seeing the way the battle was going, Aoibhin turned and fled. Some of the smaller and faster vessels could have kept pace with her, but it was better to let her go. Most likely, she'd just string them out and destroy them one by one if they chased. And destroying enemy ships- and catching up to the Independence- was more important.

Actually, with things as they were… did they have to destroy it? Gabriela understood that someone with Nicodemo's powers was inside, so an assault would be difficult. She certainly couldn't beat him or some one of similar strength. But… she didn't have to. All they had to do was follow while they waited for backup. Ascension class battleships were not slow, and were quite capable at faster than light speeds as well… but within a system, they had many things that could catch them. Including a few cultivators. Rutera would gladly sink more manpower into this than have to destroy the Independence, though they were going to have to cripple it.

She would have to make certain they didn't stumble into a trap, of course. But it was her job to coordinate this fleet, and she was fairly certain Ekict didn't have instant comms. They had some forms of interplanetary communications, but they might have been restrained to lightspeed. Technically, Rutera's comms weren't instant even within a system, but it was close enough. No waiting fifteen minutes to ping the sun, but instead a delay of less than a minute.

Speaking of the sun, the Independence was heading towards it. Gabriela wondered if…

Chapter 669

When faced with a decision between helping achieve a significant victory for Rutera and keeping his maximum power concealed, Anton hardly hesitated. Even if the enemy figured out exactly how his power worked, there was little they could do about it. Would they abandon their main planet and its defensive formations just to make him personally weaker? Certainly not. So when General Gabriela asked him to pursue the Independence and the thief of Nicodemo's cultivation, he happily complied.

As he approached his sun, his speed and acceleration both became greater as his power and rate of replenishment both increased. He arrived not far behind the other two ships, which were maneuvering a significant distance from the actual sun. Both were able to draw in energy from that source, but as he got the Independence within his senses, Anton cut off the flow to its narrow portion of the sky. This was his greatest domain, and he could even turn the ship to ashes with little thought.

Instead, he moved to board it. Slipping through a distorted hangar on its side was trivial, though the airlocks inside made him pause for a moment. He could easily melt them or tear them apart, but Rutera would rather reclaim their first flagship intact. Or relatively intact. He could easily force the doors apart with magnetism, but it would be the same as any other method. But he did have some understanding of the possibilities. The door was held closed mainly by physical and technological locks. But a strong pulse should… shut everything off.

Anton just underestimated how much power he could wield here, even calling upon the features of Azun and not the local star specifically. An unfocused wave of magnetic energy disrupted the electronic components of the whole ship- hopefully not causing permanent damage. At least it didn't seem to have extended in any significant measure to the Wayfarer.

At least his excess made things easier. He easily flicked open the internal locks, and then moved down the corridor towards the most powerful individual. Along the way he was accosted by numerous individuals and groups, but neither they nor the ship could stop him. He found the woman on the bridge, along with a number of other cultivators. This time, Anton made certain to restrain himself- but not in power. Instead, he just made use of Anish and the former Glorious Flame Palace's techniques for burning only what he wished. In short, he avoided melting the bridge itself while plasma arced off of him as he was surrounded with flames.

The first weaker cultivator to attempt an approach died halfway to him- and the bridge wasn't of an inflated size. Only the woman who had Nicodemo's cultivation was actually able to approach, charging towards Anton with a blade in hand. He felt the power behind the swing, but instead of dodging brought his hands up to catch her wrist and the blade together.

"All this power," Anton shook his head, "And you don't know how to use it, do you? What a waste." Anton wanted to turn her into a pile of ash, or at least char off her hands. Instead, he only burned away her external energy and just enough of her flesh that she could theoretically recover. Though she would die soon enough, he wanted the others to know he could be fair. "You will all submit to capture or die. Those of you who have not engaged in cultivation theft may ransom your lives." Calling it 'Transferral' was too generous, though he could understand why anyone who wanted to use it would have chosen the name.

A few people either didn't believe him or thought he was bluffing somehow- perhaps they thought he used up all his power stopping their leader, or that she could still fight. She did technically still have energy inside her, but any time she tried to put it to use it would melt away. Nicodemo was below Anton in cultivation to begin with, and with the Independence out of commission the bond was weak as well. Top that off with her not being familiar, and she simply couldn't match up. If only Anton could get the rest of the Transferall cultivators to come fight him here.

"Look what you did to the ship," Gabriela shook her head as she idly pressed buttons on the command console. "Nothing. It's gonna need all new wiring."

"I can melt it down for you, if you want," Anton grinned.

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously not. Thanks for getting it back… mostly intact. And for catching her," Gabriela referenced the woman who was taken away in the highest quality restraints. They managed to get her name first, Eyvor, but Gabriela wasn't feeling to polite as to use it. "I imagine we can learn a lot."

"I hope so," Anton said. Some successful interrogation techniques had been developed, much more reliable and more ethical than simple torture. While it was impossible to get detailed information such as a cultivation technique, it was at least possible to learn general overviews of how things worked. Especially if there was a line of questioning that could be answered. "You're right, it does seem as if they don't inherently come with the same proficiency to go along with the power."

"And I have suspicion of something else. That Aoibhin, she was a big problem, yeah?" Anton nodded along, prompting general Gabriela to continue. "Well, I'm not saying I could take her on anytime soon but… I have the feeling she wasn't that great, yeah?"

"What do you mean?"

"How long have you been cultivating for? Three centuries now?"

"Two and a third," Anton said. "I didn't start till I was a hundred."

"Right, that's the number I was thinking of. And you've been in Assimilation for, a century or so." Anton nodded. "You're said to be quite talented, but we can at least use you as a comparison point. Along with those in the upper realms. Assimilation and Integration seem to grow stronger at similar rates. What I'm trying to say is… she took some Trigold Cluster fool's cultivation, right? Must have been in Integration or she would have to have ascended, plus otherwise the effort wouldn't have been relevant. So there was already a start there, add on another couple centuries, since that was the last full cycle as far as we know. And Aoibhin is still… just trouble for the Wayfarer. You get what I'm saying?"

"You believe her cultivation was stunted. Slowed or stopped."

"Something like that," Gabriela said. "And while we don't have Aoibhin here, we can still ask someone who might know if that's a feature. I suppose we can also find what happened to Nicodemo, but I assume if we're lucky he's in a hole in the ground, properly buried. Can't imagine anyone surviving, or keeping them around if they did."

Anton nodded. "Let's hope we can find something useful. Though it may not come into play before the assault. Until then… I could push this ship into a nice orbit around the sun, if you'd like."

"You can? That would help immensely. I was trying not to think about how we'd nudge it around with fighters and the like. Because we can't just let it drift off… or fall in."

"It is within my power," Anton said. "Especially here."

"Gotta get me a sun," Gabriela grinned.

"As long as you don't mind being charcoal, go ahead and try. Though I can't say the results will turn out in your favor."

"I'm not a fire cultivator anyway," she admitted. "Nor am I a… capital ship kinda gal. I don't think I could ever be Nicodemo."

"Maybe bond to a whole fleet, then. Ships or people, whatever makes more sense."

"I-" Gabriela blinked. "I hadn't seriously considered that. How much does a consultation like this normally cost?"

"The life of a loved one, I guess," Anton shrugged. "But you can pay me back with two more Assimilation cultivators. Or some equivalent. Either way, I don't think you'll have a chance before the assault. Don't rush it."

She nodded, "You're probably right. But it's nice to see the potential paths open up. How'd you know that?"

"I know everyone above Life Transformation," Anton said. "And I know Vincent better. He bonded with a great portion of our sect, and could likely guide you in better detail should you proceed down that route. And don't worry, the only real payment I want is you doing your best to improve the general standard of life. Help others. That sort of thing."

"No wonder you're not the richest man in the whole Alliance."

"Not sure about that," Anton said, thinking of his bow. Though Everheart hadn't been great for the sect's finances, without even considering his contributions to the war this particular bow might have been worth it. It was basically a bribe to stop mutual destruction when they first met, but Anton still treasured it. And if the guy ever came back he was going to be punched in the face or shot with the bow. Or both.

Leaving the warm embrace of a star drained Anton, even if in truth he was only returning to a more reasonable level of power. But power was only valuable if he could use it, and Anton couldn't launch attacks from anywhere in a system yet. Even if he could, it might lose potency as it left the star's proximity, even if he himself remained there. A question to resolve at a higher realm of cultivation, he supposed. But he wouldn't have to think about that for a century or more, so he put that aside.

For the moment, he had to deal with the immediate future- which included retrieving Annelie. His monitoring of the situation at the Northern Glacier Sect found her still alive, but he couldn't do much more than that with the barrier in place. But with recent victories, the confidence of the Trifold Alliance was high, and they were willing to commit to greater moves. There were many others than just Annelie to get back. While they had noble intentions to sacrifice for others, the complements of void ants should have let many of them retain their lives instead. It was only appropriate, given how Ekict hadn't intended to follow through on their end.

There was a tingling thought at the back of Anton's mind about that. It was odd that so many had gone through with it… but it was what it was, and at least they could try to save as many as possible still.

This time Anton wouldn't be passing through the barrier. They didn't intend to let it close up anyway, since they were planning on a speedy retrieval, but he would feel more comfortable remaining above. And what was a few dozen kilometers of atmosphere to him anyway? Yes, better to simply attack from the far side of the barrier and contribute to keeping it open. The formation masters were confident it wouldn't be able to manage their simultaneous attacks, though it was unlikely they could permanently topple the barrier today.

When the time came, Anton started off with some Ascension energy. On its own it was not enough to break the barrier, but he had dozens of ships and Life Transformation cultivators with him, as well as Naid Conaire. The formation master was not him for the sake of combat prowess, but because the Northern Glacier Sect held one of the key points of the global formation, and the chance to weaken or destroy it was quite valuable.

The barrier bowed then tore open as Anton sensed others around the planet doing the same. Ships and cultivators tearing through the barriers. With the barrier opened, they were free to move.

Anton immediately got a clearer sense of things. The Northern Glacier Sect had their own barriers, but they were hardly relevant. "I don't sense Nurcan," Anton informed the others. "Strongest opponents should be Life Transformation, but maintain caution." While Anton very much wanted to kill the woman who was one of the coordinating efforts, he was more interested in retrieving Annelie first.

She seemed to have sensed the incoming attack- along with literally everyone else. Anton felt her power flare, and- morbidly- focused his senses on her to make sure it really was his granddaughter. He breathed a sigh of relief to feel her face, and the little pockets of nothing that signaled the companions sent with her. It took no time at all for her to break out of the prison area she had been staying in for whatever reason… and then she was heading towards other buildings. Not a treasury, but… a library. A good head. Anton was going to have to direct someone with storage bags towards her position, though.

As for helping her along the way, she was quite capable of dominating most opponents. But she would eventually grow tired, so Anton took the opportunity to snipe about half of those on her path, and others who seemed to be thinking about interfering. He continued to keep half his attention on her while he aided the rest of the battlefield and occasionally launched attacks at the barrier trying to repair itself.

Chapter 670

The attack was an unpleasant reminder for the people of Ekict that nowhere was safe. The Trifold Alliance could land wherever they wanted, and retreat just as swiftly. That was true even at the Northern Glacier Sect where Annelie took a detour to scour the libraries.

Anton provided cover for her and those landing, his arrows proving deadly to every cultivators they came in contact with- including those in Life Transformation. Alone, none could stand against him. Together, they could at least defend- though Anton was perfectly happy to constrain their movements.

Less than half an hour after the attack began Annelie had hopped aboard a ship and returned to space with Anton.

"I need you to promise to never worry me like that again," Anton said. "Trading your life away. Without the void ants, who knows what would have happened to you?"

"I believe we will all know soon enough," she gestured to several books she brought along. Though those in particular might not contain what they were after. "And while I will admit to a bit of recklessness, I believe I would make the same choice again. But… if you want a promise, I can do that. As long as you make the same in return."

Anton sighed, "I am stronger than you, you know? You don't need to be worried."

"You are powerful, certainly," she admitted. "But are you invincible? I think not. Out there among the stars on your own, who is to say what might happen to you? It could have even happened here, if Ekict had not gone for the longer term maneuver."

"I'm confident I could have escaped," Anton replied. As long as he wasn't inside a planetary barrier at the time.

"I know there was more to that. Just remember that us younger folk are still allowed to have concern for you."

"So, what's in these books?" Anton said, flipping through them. Though it looked casual, he was actually reading them thoroughly. Ten Thousand Scrolls had been a great boon.

Annelie had learned the technique as well- though secondhand, as Everheart was precious with his original. It had taken her longer to gain proficiency, but she was able to manage at least a similar speed to Anton. "These? I don't know. But something must speak of their technique."

"Transferral," Anton said. "We learned the name. Speaking of which, you'll be quite glad to hear about who brought that news."

"Anishka?" Anton could see a weight lift off of the mother. "Where is she waiting?"

Anton shook his head, "She was fine. Better than that, perhaps. But for some reason she took after certain members of this family. Like you and your cousin."

"I'm pretty sure that's your fault in all cases," Annelie said. "So, what of Anishka?"

"Let me tell you what I know," Anton said. "And I think you will not be surprised to find where she ended up."

The summary of the story was rather simple. She'd been held prisoner for a time, escaping only with the help of a void ant and an apprentice. Along the way, she made friends with other locals, ultimately escaping on a recaptured ship. In truth, Anton had little details beyond those- but he understood her choices.

"So she's down there among them by herself?"

"Hardly," Anton said. "She has four human companions and three Royal Guard equivalent void ants, plus nine others. She took a liking to the lesser cultivators, and wishes to rally them against the great sects."

"And you let her go."

"Better than wondering when she would sneak off," Anton said.

Annelie took a deep breath. "Fine. Send me off to catch up with her."

"Would that be for the best?" Anton asked. "She appears as simply a young cultivator. I think you would stand out more. And even if you went unnoticed, would any accomplishments truly be hers?"

"I do not find your logic fully convincing," Annelie said. "But I understand the danger I would bring to her. If it is too late to go with her, how best can I help?"

"That will depend on what other information we gain here. But ultimately, I think we will be looking to fight directly with any Integration or Assimilation cultivators. It seems this place has a glut of Life Transformation cultivators to go along with them, however."

"Quite understandable, given the situation," Annelie said. "Ascension would be unpalatable, and there would be no targets for this… Transferral. Ah, here's one," she said, holding up one of the books they were going through. "A vague overview, and strangely pockmarked."

"That would be the jaws of a tiny ant, I do believe," Anton smiled. "Your daughter helped uncover some of this information even before the war began- though too late to relay it to us or protect herself." Anton read through the pages, "It is nice to have a somewhat more thorough explanation, though this still has no details. Then again… I think it would ultimately be better if there were none."

"We won't search for it?"

"Oh no," Anton shook his head, "We absolutely must. And find them as well. And then… the technique must be destroyed. Given the information we have about it already, it's simply unacceptable. All but the most liberal would be inclined to forbid its practice, or even detailed knowledge."

"So not Everheart, then."

"He'd love to get his hands on it and pick it apart," Anton agreed. "Find the flaws and either fix them or write it off, I couldn't say which. But his hands would not be the worst it might end up in. In fact, even our enemies in the lower realms is not the worst place. I am most concerned about the very people it was intended to be used against." Anton shook his head, "And if Ekict had stopped with them instead of turning it against us, we could have ignored it. Though it would have likely been a mistake."

Not every situation went as well as Annelie or even Anzela. In many cases, there was nobody to retrieve and lives were lost simply confirming that fact and attempting to extract. Usually the deaths included the void ants, or at least they were not easily found. While they were able to kill cultivators of any power, the same was true in reverse. Even a human without cultivation could crush them with ease, and fighting against them in smaller numbers when aware of their presence was fairly simple. Ekict didn't necessarily know the details, but they could have stumbled into it as they fought.

Putting together all they learned, as well as vaguer details found in stolen texts or gleaned by the temporary prisoners, they calculated the weaknesses of Transferral. First was that it required a proper subject. That much was obvious- without cultivation, there was nothing to take. It appeared to be unfortunately reliable should someone be apprehended, but the victim had to be fully subdued to avoid things going terribly wrong. The process itself was still vaguely understood, besides involving formations and a significant expenditure of energy and materials. The other weakness came after Transferral. While an individual was always capable of using the cultivation and energy that was stolen, it did not come with all of the knowledge and experience.

The details about the latter were pieced together. It was clear that some portion of insights had to be transferred, or the cultivator would be nearly useless. The adaptation period could be mitigated by starting with someone of sufficient cultivation- generally Life Transformation- and a similar enough cultivation style. In that regard, there were basically unlimited people who could undergo Transferral. That meant they couldn't afford to let any more Assimilation cultivators be captured- though the Trifold Alliance had been cautious of that since the beginning of the war.

Except for the incident where they had handed themselves over as hostages… with far too little resistance. Anzela had explained the wide scale manipulation taking place, and that the individual responsible was dead. Or at least, one of them. Nobody could be certain they didn't have more, so they would be careful to watch their actions. Once aware of such a possibility, they should be much better at combating it. Without the void ants, it would have been a total disaster.

Speaking of void ants, Anton was glad that they remained cooperative. The incident with the Sergeant and Royal Guard could have easily led to disaster, but instead it had simply caused a redistribution of certain individuals. When Anton asked about it, he got a simple response. It was not a matter the Royal Guard could settle. Not because of lack of martial prowess- a pair of them certainly could have overwhelmed the Sergeant- but because the situation was unexpected. At the level of the Royal Guard, they had as much intelligence as any human, but their willingness to make decisions about unexpected circumstances was thin.

That didn't count any sort of combat scenario- they considered themselves prepared for all of that, and would kill any enemies in the matter they deemed most efficient. But when they could not determine if someone was friend or foe, such as the Sergeant, they had chosen to remain detached. The Royal Guard who went along with her were categorized in the same group- unknowns that would not be considered enemies unless they came into conflict. The queens would resolve the situation at a later time.

Nurcan bit her lip. She would have resisted the urge had anyone been around to see it, as someone of her status could not have any bad habits or even uncontrolled tics. They had underestimated the enemy again. Their understanding of tactics was focused on how the invaders from the upper realms functioned. That included mistakes that should have been rectified before anything even began regarding their endurance. These opponents were also native to the lower realms, so they were not restricted in their energy usage.

But that had only been a minor point compared to the way they moved. While they did indeed take resources and knowledge, that wasn't their primary goal. They simply rescued their own, individuals who were often in better states than they should have been.

The biggest problem was the ants. How had they… not known about these? The obvious answer was that they were ants. And going through the detailed reports, Nurcan saw some mentions of their existence. That included Aoibhin, but even she hadn't thought much of them. A serious mistake, made worse by compounding with others.

There was a knock on her door, but Nurcan already knew who was coming. "Come in," she said. It wasn't an order, but simple protocol. The woman who entered was of course the very Aoibhin in question. "You said there was information to disseminate?"

"The Independence was taken from our hands," she said, leaning on her spear. She wouldn't even sit to be on the same level. But Nurcan couldn't afford to complain.

"We are aware of that," Nurcan said. "Though it never lived up to the expectations we had for it."

"The old man. The archer. I followed from a great distance, and his power was worrying."

"Anton? That naive fool?"

"I'm more inclined to believe he had a basis for unassailable confidence rather than him being a fool. I couldn't approach for fear of getting caught, but even from a great distance I felt his power multiply severalfold. He could be an Augmentation cultivator or the equivalent."

"Then he would be… a valuable Transferral target," Nurcan said.

"There's a reason we kept our heads down," Aoibhin shook her head. "Naturally, Augmentation cultivators would have boosted our power to enormous degrees, but we didn't taunt them to bring more. The Trifold Alliance did, and simply slew them."

"Individuals out of their realm," Nurcan shook her head. "Weaker than they should have been, if still dangerous. But we… well, he is fully adapted."

"We need to tell him to stop sitting on his ass."

"By all means," Nurcan gestured, "You can be the messenger."

Aoibhin shook her head. "I suppose I must. It's a shame, really. I should have been the one to receive that power." Aoibhin paused, "Not that I would think to take it now. We need all of the power we can have here. And unity."

"Most don't survive a second Transferral anyway," Nurcan said. "If you could speak to him… express some urgency given the derailing of our plans."

"It will be done."

Chapter 671

With special techniques placing Eyvor in a trance, the woman who had stolen Nicodemo's cultivation was primed to answer questions. Subjecting someone to temporary loss of control was better than subjecting them to prolonged physical and mental anguish, but its use was still tightly constrained. It was also quite energy intensive, especially when used on someone of significant cultivation. Even drained of their internal energy, they would have a greater mental fortitude than most.

The information the woman had was not all helpful. Troop movements were simple to get, but also mostly known. The reason for gathering people in one area was related to previous experience with invasions from the upper realms, where cultivators had to descend according to certain physical rules as they were ejected from the tides of the world. They had also expected their formations to hold over the majority of the planet. Fortunately for them, their world had no exposure to Everheart. Unfortunately for them, that also meant they were much less developed in that field. Cultivators usually advanced slowly, so rapid changes over just a few centuries were strange to them, especially as they were cut off from the upper realms entirely.

They were able to confirm some suspicions or vague details about Transferral, but when they asked for flaws they got little information. Either there weren't any, or Eyvor was unaware of them- the latter being more likely. Though she did admit there was an adjustment period to make full use of a new cultivation style, from an individual cultivator's perspective they were always stronger than they had just been. Nobody would bother using Transferral for only a small improvement in cultivation, but always at least a step into the next phase. The limit there being it was exponentially more dangerous to use more than once- with only a minor risk the first time.

Following that, the next line of questioning was about their forces, specifically cultivators in Life Transformation and their numbers of those beyond that stage. The former was measured in thousands, which was both surprising and not surprising. The total population of Ekict was significantly less than the Trifold Alliance, but they were proportionately ahead in that regard. As for Transferral cultivators, the numbers were somewhere around a hundred, approximately matching those sent from the Trifold Alliance.

That was where Eyvor added some commentary of her own, unbidden. "If you find yourselves unconvinced at our power, you must consider Warden Otakar. He underwent Transferral to the Augmentation stage."

"Tell us about him," asked one of the interrogators. "Cultivation style and fighting techniques."

Eyvor returned to her unenthusiastic monotone. "Originating with the Forge of the Unassailable Flint in the Trigold Cluster. He uses weapons, fire, and swift movement."

"Give us more details."

"He uses a glaive and has no hair."

"Tell us more about his cultivation."

"It is significantly stronger than anything else I have ever felt."

Repeated questions determined that rather than fighting against the compulsion, she simply didn't know much more. Except that after his Transferral, he had been instrumental in taking out the remnants of the enemy forces of that invasion, defeating groups of Integration cultivators even while unfamiliar with his power. She seemed to know nothing about how they captured the original owner of that power.

Some cultivators lived in extreme regions, carefully making use of formations to constrain the world around them into a suitable training ground for themselves and their disciples. And some of them lived in a buried magma cavern because they could.

At least, Aoibhin found no other reason for Otakar to live in a buried cavern. He didn't absorb fire energy or anything. It wasn't even the right style. So she had to slowly wriggle her way through viscous magma into pockets of superheated gasses to eventually find her way to the man. There he sat, his body indicating a state of meditation. He was covered from head to toe in armor taken from his source, without even the standard slits for eyes. But he knew she was here, knew she had been coming long before she arrived.

So she waited. And waited some more. At some point in time she might have ignored protocol to speak first, when she was of greater or even similar status to the man. But ultimately he had been chosen for this position, despite Aoibhin's attempts to be the one chosen instead. If she had been chosen, she wouldn't be sitting around doing nothing.

"You are impatient."

"This is not a time that calls for patience," Aoibhin responded as he finally spoke.

"Is it not?" his movements came only with the sound of smoothly sliding metal. "Because hasty action has brought us to this point."

"You supported the decision. So support it," she said stubbornly. There was protocol, and then there was her long time familiarity.

"With the information presented to me, I was indeed convinced that a preemptive attack would save us from the corruption of outsiders and even improve our own strength for the future," Otakar agreed. "But it seems that our spies failed to gather critical information."

His eyes were still hidden, but she felt his gaze judging her nonetheless. "Our initial attack came in at the anticipated level of success, bolstering our power significantly."

"Indeed? Then why was there such a poor showing with that big metal ship? It was as if nobody knew how to use it."

"Well-"

"And what about our sun?"

"What about our sun?" Aoibhin answered.

"Come now. Surely you must feel it. Feel him. Even down here, I heard his speech."

"That… I'm not sure how that happened. He wasn't supposed to be able to arrive here. According to our information, he was nine times further than these systems."

"He was the one who found us, was he not?"

"Well, yes."

"So one could easily assume he was quite comfortable with interstellar travel, alone and unaided. That was obvious from his first arrival. How many people knew his name?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's a simple question. How many people in his home system know his name?"

"Well, it should be… many of them."

"How many?"

"I don't know, uh-"

"Is it all of them? Some tens of billions?"

"They might. But so what?"

"Sounds to me like he should have been taken more seriously. And some of the others as well."

"We overcame the most famous general in Rutera!"

"And not a single individual acting on his own from the same place." The pressure in the room increased suddenly as the man snorted. "But enough of that. What of these ants?"

"Well, we… didn't particularly notice them. And nobody thought much of them."

"Why not?"

"They were just… ants."

"Clearly not. Surely the local cultivators should have been quite wary of creatures that could eat away their energy while remaining unharmed."

"Not… not really," Aoibhin said.

"What do you mean?"

"I really meant that nobody thought much of them. There were little tunnels for them to not get stepped on, and otherwise they didn't really show up anywhere. They seemed like pets. Nobody said a tiny ant could kill a Life Transformation cultivator, at best they said they were 'energy resistant'!"

"A deeply hidden secret, then. But it was clear the investigations were not as complete as indicated. As one of those leading the efforts, it was your responsibility. Now the consequences fall on your shoulders."

"I understand. But we still need you to fight."

"I will," Otakar promised. "But the timing will be my own. See if you can figure out what happened to our sun before then, would you?"

Previously, Anishka had been doing her best to completely avoid going towards the gathering army. So her current position right in the middle of it seemed rather counterintuitive. But she wasn't alone, nor was she relying entirely upon her own abilities. She hadn't had much time, but she learned useful things about infiltration. They were so simple she could have thought of them on her own… or at least it seemed so.

Like minor changes being sufficient to seem like a completely different person. Dyeing her hair a different color would come with problems- anyone particularly observant could see the new roots growing in, defeating the entire purpose. So she just… cut her hair shorter and wore it in a different style. That seemed counterintuitive to concealing her face, but that was handled with some simple facial art. It was visibly obvious, but not its purpose. Using something to conceal her skin tone could be suspicious, but this simply changed her style without necessarily making it seem like she was hiding something. At least, that was what she had been told.

Her purpose in coming here was because while she was afraid of the gathered people… they were also the ones who were the most innocent in this whole endeavor. No doubt some of them would want to harm her, to turn her in for the bounty if they found out. But the vast majority of them wouldn't be so different from Patka and the women of the Vermillion Inferno.

Entering the camp was simple. They had been dropped off out of sight to make their way on foot. Then they simply entered the crowds and presented tokens- the same fakes as before. Even if they were inspected by someone familiar with the Vermillion Inferno, they could simply say they were not in the area when the draft was required- which was true. Thus them being under a different banner was not terribly strange, since the Vermillion Inferno was not large enough to stand on their own.

Smuggling in the void ants had been an area of concern, but the significantly larger Royal Guard had found their way in alone, with the others hidden with Anishka. The people here still weren't particularly proficient at finding void ants, it seemed. Then again, they hadn't met with much trouble until after Anishka arrived and reports started coming in of attacks at many different locations. Reports which were quickly quashed.

That was Anishka's opening to talk to people. She knew a few locations that were targets where reports hadn't been widely proliferated, and as long as she chose her words carefully she could sow doubt. Like 'I heard the Enkindled Sun Sect was attacked at three separate outposts' and 'Is it possible we weren't ready for this conflict?'. But more than that, she tried to sympathize with people, especially from smaller groups.

"It's unfortunate that you're here," Anishka said to one small group. "Your homes could have been attacked and you wouldn't have been there to defend them."

She was speaking to an older fellow from Insect Island, who nodded in response. "Indeed. I feel we could have done better in our own regions."

"Lucky none of the small sects got attacked, right?" Anishka said. "Think that might have been part of the plan?"

"I don't believe our sect was considered at all," the man said truthfully. Anishka watched beetles marching across his face. Pretty big ones, though maybe that was because she was comparing to ants.

"I was actually thinking about the, uh, other systems."

"Wouldn't it be more efficient to take out the smaller isolated sects?" he asked. Then he frowned, "Or do you think the information about those attacks was concealed?"

That was a conclusion Anishka hadn't even intended the man to arrive at. "I mean, both are interesting to think about."

"You're an odd one, young lady."

"What? Why?"

"Because you watch with interest instead of revulsion."

"I don't know why I should hate bugs," Anishka said. "It's not like they're going to hurt me." Plus, she was good friends with one and acquainted with a number of others.

"They could," the man pointed out.

"So could a sword. Or a fire," Anishka said, flames dancing over her fingers. That was the other half of her disguise, pretending to be a pure fire cultivator. Her and Patka. It was much more common than a split style like they actually practiced, and fit well with the Vermillion Inferno.

"Fair enough," he said.

"So…" Anishka continued, "If you didn't have to fight, would you?"

"I'm not particularly fond of invaders," the man replied.

"Isn't this a bit different, though? I mean, Ekict attacked first." Should have said 'we'. Oh well, correcting it would be worse.

"Didn't they send hundreds of spies?"

"I think you heard wrong. Those were disciples exchanging pointers and advice, who were then arrested as spies. So they might have been, but I don't know if I trust all of the big sects…" Being somewhat conservative with her words helped Anishka there. Not naming particular ones, this man could substitute his least favorite. And including 'all' meant if he was positively inclined towards a few he could still agree. She also had to be careful to only speak things she did believe, so she did not fall victim to the insight of others. That meant avoiding Life Transformation cultivators and the other stronger Essence Collection individuals, but she was also least interested in catering to them.

"Hmmn. I heard some others got caught up in that too."

"Really? I'd like to hear about that," Anishka said. And she meant it, not just because it could be used as future fodder.

When she had finished her rounds for the day, she returned to her tent and collapsed. People were exhausting, and constantly being on her toes while not looking like it drained her. She knew this was dangerous, but she came back anyway. She only partially understood why. Sometimes, people just did things. A lot of the time, actually, even if they would come up with a reason after.

Chapter 672

The knowledge of Eyvor's confidence in Ekict, both the more populous cultivators and the individual known as Otakar, did not dissuade the Trifold Alliance from continuing their plans. If they simply left now, they would hardly feel they had gained retribution for the attacks against them. In fact, knowing they had strength in reserve made it even more critical to fight on their own terms instead of letting Ekict build up their own forces as they pleased. They had admitted no fault or offered concessions- they still intended to fight, and so the three systems together were prepared to coordinate with their available forces.

They had defeated Augmentation cultivators before. Fajra, as well as other invaders. The circumstances there were different, with their defensive positions granting them an advantage. But they were also stronger now. Personally, Anton did maintain caution about an Augmentation cultivator. Would he have the strength of Everheart after he recovered? Even though the man was from the lower realms, in most cases an Augmentation cultivator simply wasn't supposed to function in the lower realms. With the examples of adapted Transferall cultivators here, that limitation seemed to be lifted. So presuming Otakar was stronger was the correct call, and if that proved incorrect… then they would simply take him out and move on.

After retrieving their cultivators, the current goal was to cause as much damage as possible to the greater sects as well as killing Transferral cultivators wherever possible. Along with that, the formation masters intended to take down the planetary shields once and for all. It was draining to constantly batter through them, and betting that the locals would run out of power and the grand formation would fade away on its own was not something that seemed reasonable.

Instead of continuing distributed attacks, the focus was being brought to three areas. First was the Enkindled Sun Sect, known by all and thus one of those whose fall would be most effective to morale. Then the Gates of the Earth, founded by Aoibhin herself. They shared a similar style of wielding spears wreathed in elemental energy. Finally, the Celestial Consonance, a group that had abilities that could augment other cultivators to great heights. They would be most trouble in pitched battles, and while many were already with the gathered armies- armies which were now in a state of flux as redistribution was planned- those remaining at their sect itself could be reached more easily. None had been attacked previously, which should hopefully mean they were unready. But even if they were, they planned to bring enough forces to overwhelm them.

Anton himself was headed for the Enkindled Sun Sect, chosen because of its relative proximity to the Gates of the Earth. Just a few hundred kilometers, so even if he kept his position outside the barrier he should be able to reach them as well, at reduced efficiency. Though for the sake of the plans, they were not supposed to rely on his support. He was officially involved only in the assault on the Enkindled Sun Sect.

Fleets massed- some would remain in low orbit as backup or to protect retreats should it be necessary, while other ships would be involved in the assault directly, some carrying cultivators to the ground and other moving at the direction of the formation masters to take out the planetary barrier or the local sect's defenses.

Once they were prepared, they made a simultaneous and swift approach. They could not afford to hesitate, though some amount of caution was warranted. The focused attacks soon broke through the planetary barrier, giving little time for reinforcements to arrive, and the assaults began.

The Fire and Ice Palace led by Annelie were among the first to land and face the Enkindled Sun Sect. The experts of the flame styles could bring their foes to a stalemate, while the ice combatants would overwhelm them. That was the theory, anyway. In practice, Annelie swept over the first wave foolish enough to step out of the sect, shattering any icy statues directly in her way and leaving the rest to the others. Anton contributed shots of his own, but foes fell so quickly he was hardly necessary.

In a way, they were almost a distraction as the ships flew to take out segments of the planetary formation- except they were a very real threat themselves.

As for the Gates of the Earth… things were not going so well. The initial defense stood stronger, even as the Wayfarer took part. It and the other Ruteran ships were fully adapted to the style, but they hadn't expected the presence of Aoibhin herself, thought to still be nursing her wounds somewhere off in space after the battle for the Independence. At the location of the Celestial Consonance the defenders included not only the sect but other allies. Even with their numbers few, they put up a surprisingly robust defense. It was one that would eventually be worn down by the greater overall power of the attackers, given that Ekict's forces were concentrated in another area.

On the broader scale, pieces of the planetary formation began to fall, each one weakening the overall effect. Combined with the previous efforts, Anton expected it would soon fall apart, requiring extensive repairs that nobody intended to allow Ekict to make. Least of all Anton, because with the barrier down he could attack anyone not in a fortified sect.

Just about the time that the Wayfarer and the forces at the Gates of the Earth were starting to make head way, Aoibhin fleeing back inside the barrier, Anton sensed something approaching from the south. A power at the top of the scale he had sensed before from any individual, and thus instantly recognizable. An Augmentation cultivator, which could only mean it was the one known as Otakar. Unless they had others hidden in secret, but the fire element the man radiated certainly indicated he should be the one.

Anton's initial impression of him was… disappointing. He didn't feel as strong as expected, though that was not Anton's primary concern. He wasn't looking for a challenge. Indeed, he was quite aware he could not beat the man alone. But his demeanor was also troubling, especially given his first interaction- with his own allies.

"You ask for assistance for all of Ekict, and then the very first thing I must do is help you defend your own sect. Pathetic."

There were reasonable levels of banter and taunting to be had among allies. Even insults were tolerable in the right context, where they weren't truly meant. But while Otakar was hardly excessive in his words, he also felt quite sincere. Anton had hoped to eventually reason with this man, but he was less comfortable about even suggesting it with a man at odds with his own allies.

But he also didn't hesitate to assault his enemies. Even as Anton's stretched tendril heard him speak, he began to attack. He wielded a long sword, swinging it widely. However, instead of cutting through anyone he seemed to take no care of their armor at all, his blade cutting through defensive energy before sparking off of armor. It seemed for a moment he'd wasted his effort, until several cultivators and a nearby ship ignited, moments later consumed entirely by the flames.

Anton had already resolved to test him, preparing to launch attacks. He wouldn't be revealing the full extend of his range, and while Anton didn't want to give the man practice against him, he also couldn't leave him to fight unhindered. Dozens of arrows flew, only to be swept out of the air by the man's attacks even as his sword swept aside those around him. Anton hadn't seriously anticipated he would cause injuries, but he was disappointed how casual the efforts were. On the other hand, if he could influence the man's movements in any way, he could provide a valuable service.

The Enkindled Sun Sect directly below… didn't need his contributions to its defeat. Waves of flame washed over Annelie, but she barely slowed as she made her way towards the core of the enemy's defenses, and their leaders- at least one Integration cultivator among them.

Otakar leapt into the air, no longer content with those around him. The Wayfarer had focused on him with its attacks, and he moved in swift arcs that avoided lasers and projectiles alike. At most, the beams of power settled on him for brief moments, insufficient to tear through his defenses. He continued to pick up speed, flying clearly no stranger to him.

He moved along the whole length of the Wayfarer in an instant, his sword seeming to drag behind him. The worst did not come to pass- at least the ship was not split in half. Then again, the man was hardly a swordsman. Instead, the whole ship lit on fire inside its barriers- at least along that certain line.

Anton sensed something critical approaching. Actually, he only surmised something from the circumstances. But were they fast enough? He didn't want to show his hand so early, but he had to provide a distraction. As the Wayfarer rose into the sky, desperately fighting the fires melting the outer layer of their metal hull, Anton gathered his energy.

In his hands, Ascension energy. It wasn't supposed to be just a distraction, but rather a serious attack he presumed wouldn't work. Then, sneaking in along with it would be the spectral energy… a thin needle imbued with some of the density of Azun, the neutron star. Anton's energy could never be so massively compact- Azun itself could fit between him and Otakar dozens of times- but he could at least bring a semblance of it to his attack.

Ascension energy struck, quick as light. Otakar parried it with his blade, stopping his motions for a serious strike to focus only on that. At the same time, dozens or hundreds of lesser attacks struck his energy defenses directly. He would be worn down eventually if he let that continue, but it was unlikely he would let it continue.

Then, the second arrow. It was launched itself from a bow of energy of similar density, curving to an angle that brought it around to below Otakar's feet- an attack from directly opposite would be too obvious. But alas, he sensed it anyway. He moved like the flickering of flames, his body bending. Either he knew the attack would return or simply wanted to show overwhelming force, but he sliced the energy apart with his blade. Disappointing, but if the war were won so easily then Ekict likely wouldn't have even succeeded on their initial assaults.

At least there were void ants on their way. They were dropped from the sky above Otakar, a great number of them locked in their flexible formations. While individually difficult to sense, together they made a blanket of nothingness. Otakar might have sensed that, or his roaming eyes could have simply spotted them- once again, in numbers they were quite visible.

His sword slashed, then again across itself. It was unfortunate, those in the middle who perished, but the rest would fall upon him. He should have chosen to dodge instead- he certainly had the speed for it.

But contrary to all of Anton's expectations, the void ants lit on fire. Anton understood that they were not completely immune to the effects of energy, but he couldn't expect such a thing to propagate through them. Neither had the void ants, yet they reacted as if that were so, throwing their flaming brethren behind them. They landed upon Otakar, tearing into his energy. But instead of responding wildly, he lit his own energy on fire. It should have taken moments to burn up even the weakest void ant, but they all crumbled into ash a moment later. It was as if it was a purely natural fire, the heat not enhanced by natural energy.

Dozens of arrows from Anton burned up in the area around Otakar, no longer useful even as distractions. He hadn't stopped his assault the whole time, but simply couldn't break through. The second fleet was fully in retreat. Anton expected Otakar to chase after them, pressing his advantage. Instead, he turned towards the west. "What did you do to our sun?"

Anton shivered. "We need to retreat!" he called. Fortunately, it would take at least a short time for the man to cover the hundreds of kilometers. Perhaps a handful of minutes, based on Anton's predictions of the man's maximum speed as he accelerated towards them.

"Understood. We retreat!" Annelie called to the Palace of Fire and Ice- followed up by immediately stabbing her rapier into the shoulder of an Integration cultivator leading them. From the tip of her blade, ice spread to cover his upper torso and head… before she kicked it, shattering it all.

At least things had gone well with the Enkindled Sun Sect. But it was troubling that void ants were defeated by the man so easily. Anton wouldn't say he thought it impossible… but it would be very difficult to make use of them to take out such a target.

Anton continued to attack the man as he moved, to watch his pattern. His own rate of recovering energy was quite high, but it would likely take an hour or two or ten to wear down Otakar based on what he sensed. Allied fleets began to retreat, gathering in space. Otakar was clearly a confident man, but he did not chase after Anton and the others, instead seeing to the remnants of the Enkindled Sun Sect. His actions were the only thing that kept them from complete destruction, and he hadn't even truly reached the battle.

Chapter 673

Blaring alarms were quickly silenced as they were acknowledged. Gabriela kept a tight fist as the ship maneuvered up and away from the Gates of the Earth. Fortunately Otakar had been drawn away or she doubted they would have even made it to the upper atmosphere.

She could feel the heat of the flames even on the command deck. Her job was to respond to the constant bombardment of reports and to provide guidance. This particular scenario hadn't been covered, but she would handle it.

"The formations can't extinguish the flames. Conventional methods also aren't working."

"Continue our retreat," she ordered. "We'll starve it out." Cultivators flames didn't have to follow rules about fuel and the like, but there were limits to everything. And though these had great power, melting through the outer hull as the metal itself caught alight, she knew there had to be some way to stop them. They were self-sustaining now, unless Otakar somehow maintained an untraceable connection from where he was. But they'd checked for that. "All forces, prepare for depressurization. Vent air on the outer decks."

Crew were distributed throughout the ship. While they could technically perform their duties from the command deck, there were delays when performing certain activities from a central point. The gunners, for example, needed the minimum amount of lag possible between their motions and that of the guns. A tenth of a second or even a hundredth of a second could be too much, so they were generally on a layer underneath the weapons themselves, properly shielded of course.

Venting began, and Gabriela felt the flames. They burned on the hull and spewed out of the ship. In the worst case they'd have to prepare a route out of the ship the crew could escape on- a well trained crew was just as important though technically less expensive than the ship. But only technically less expensive, as all training was designed to produce more value than its cost. She didn't want to think about that option now, however.

"Status?" she asked.

"Temperatures still rising, flames spreading. The rate… might be slowing."

"Outer formations severely damaged."

They continued to pull away from the planet and the traces of atmosphere, and Gabriela kept her face neutral while her heart was hopeful. Then came a report.

"... Flames receding."

"Fire suppression systems only nominally functional, but effective."

"Temperatures remain at unacceptable levels."

General Gabriela opened a link to engineers in the core. "Is it possible to siphon the heat energy from the outer shell to power the batteries?"

There was silence for a few moments. "It won't be as efficient as material fuel, but I assume that's not your intention. There will be some risk to the lines, however."

"Do your best. We're in for repairs no matter what, and we can't fight without our hull." Technically the Wayfarer would remain structurally sound without the outer shell- but it had all of the armor that would protect the actually important parts besides weapons and engines that had to be placed externally.

A minute later it seemed they had managed something as the temperature began to drop rapidly, though they continued to pull away from the battle and it was only half an hour later that temperatures were out of the emergency zone.

"Estimate the damage and give me a report on our losses," Gabriela said. The people were the most important part. Anyone could build a fancy ship, but as the Independence showed, it required a good crew as well. Even an Assimilation cultivator was not sufficient alone without full understanding. Gabriela wished something worse had happened to Eyvor, the woman who had Nicodemo's stolen cultivation, but ultimately after the interrogation she had been executed. It wasn't worth risking her getting out. But death still seemed too easy for what she'd done.

Looking at the damage report, Gabriela had to admit that the ship itself was… rather more important than she'd been giving credit for. Specifically, the amount of damage was so extensive she honestly couldn't see them fighting. They didn't have unlimited supplies for repairs- they were only supposed to patch up holes, not replace entire sections.

Then Neven showed up on the deck.

"Why are you walking?"

"Because I can't fly," he responded.

Gabriela shook her head at the lead gunner, almost losing her composure once she actually looked at him. He was staggering about, but her vague sweep hadn't done his injuries justice. Much of his body was blackened, with only uncomfortable patches of bloody red poking through. "You should be in the medbay."

"It's full," he shrugged. "Besides, I wanted to talk to you."

"Does it have to be now?" she asked. Even as she responded to him, she was answering queries on her computer. At least she didn't have to repeat herself, as everyone with proper clearance could answer the communications. As long as the internal network didn't collapse, which was one of the problems they had only barely avoided with damage all throughout the ship.

"Yes," he said. "It relates to that guy. Otakar."

"Alright, what of it?"

"I would like permission to attempt to replicate his style."

She frowned at him. "Why ask for permission? You're not going to set the ship on fire, are you?"

"Not on purpose," he said. "But… there is some risk, as I would need to use the cannon to properly practice."

"Didn't he use a blade? I don't see how you could even replicate that."

"As you may recall, I studied under swordmaster Ty Quigley for a time. Our styles might not have meshed, but the way he adapted archaic weaponry to be useful with modern equipment styles inspired me. Here, I would just be doing the opposite."

"Weren't you his disciple for…" she looked it up, "... A month? Did you really learn anything?"

"I learned everything I could from him," Neven replied. "May I practice now?"

"Now?"

"It is still fresh in my mind," Neven said.

"We're still doing barrier calculations. You'll have to be quarantined, even if I don't expect you to replicate anything."

"Fine. Do I have permission?"

"Yes. But-" Gabriela held up a hand to stop him as he began to turn. "Only after you go to the medbay and let someone plaster some skin on you." Neven just stood there, thinking. "Every second you choose to delay will mean you're one second later. Weren't you in a hurry?"

"Can I have permission to go like this?" He held up his hand, flames dancing across his fingertips. "My current bodily state remembers the feeling."

"Fine. But you need to at least let them scan you to make sure you won't fall apart."

"Very well," he nodded. "If I may be excused?"

"Go."

The gunner scampered off the bridge. Gabriela shook her head. She couldn't exactly restrict people attempting to be exceptional, but she didn't understand what drove people like that. Here she was, just trying to hold things together but not pushing the extra mile. Not like Nicodemo. Then again, she'd never be like him.

"General," another individual caught her attention. "I do have… one idea for where to get materials for the repairs."

"Is there some sort of foundry I don't know of?" Gabriela asked. "I doubt we can make anything to our standards."

"It is all precisely to our standards. Older standards, at least." The officer shook her head, "Right now the Independence is just floating there…"

"We can't afford even a day of delay on repairs," Gabriela said. "Getting permission for that…"

"Understood, general. I was simply providing the option."

"Appreciated," Gabriela nodded.

"There are also many metals near the sun, in an asteroid belt that was presumably once their innermost planet. Their proximity to the sun will allow us to constantly refuel, making use of the ship's internal production facilities."

"And those materials would allow us to be functional quickly? Within a week or two?"

"Unlikely. Damage to all ship infrastructure was severe, including freight elevators and fabricators."

"We'll consider the options," Gabriela said.

Dammit. She was going to take apart a national treasure, wasn't she? Ah well. They couldn't possibly court-martial her until the war was over, and that Otakar guy proved they needed every little thing they could get. At least the information from the other attacks indicated general success, except for the Augmentation cultivator chasing away the first fleet before they were completely finished with their goal.

"As everyone is well aware, Otakar is a serious problem," Anton opened the discussion without fanfare. "All of you are here to consult. What are our options?"

"Our barrier calibrations should be sufficient to enhance the fleets' durability," Gabriela provided- or at least the image of her. She was not able to be physically present, her excuse being the Wayfarer had to avoid being located. And in truth, it probably wouldn't be. Except by Anton, since he could feel it next to the sun. And another thing he'd tossed in a temporary orbit there. But he wasn't going to complain about Rutera doing their best with what they had available. "Unfortunately, the Wayfarer will be out of commission."

"We'll have to count that as another loss," Anton said. "It was only a few Assimilation individuals, but we can't exactly absorb such losses continuously." And personally, he didn't like people he knew dying. That never stopped him from trying to connect with more people, though. "The void ants have prepared a response for us as well, I believe."

One of the Royal Guard- the one nominally in charge, even with the current status involving at least one mangled leg- gave a short and concise overview. "Our previous formations were developed with the understanding that cultivators could only harm a small portion of them at a time. However, this individual overwhelmed our expectations even with regards to our understanding of other Augmentation cultivators. Should we be called upon to eliminate him, we will be altering our tactics to make use of detached groups of elite individuals in a pattern most stifling to his attacks. Assuming his vulnerability to physical trauma is not out of the expected bounds, we should be able to cause severe injuries or death."

"I see," Gabriela replied. "Would this be the most efficient use of your forces?"

"I don't know," the Royal Guard admitted. "An alternative method involves getting in contact with one micro-elite individual and attempting an assassination. A Royal Guard sized similar to myself would likely be noticed with the continuing exposure of Ekict's forces to void ants."

Anton led the conversation in a different direction. "Perhaps we can find a way to combine void ant and cultivator forces to greater effect. Because as cultivators alone we also face difficulty defeating him on our own. Even if we assumed that he was the only enemy we would have to deal with- obviously untrue- killing him would be near impossible. Gathering all our forces, we could certainly overpower him. But if we truly attacked all at once, he could simply fight his way through our forces and flee. Those who could match his speed would not be able to defeat him alone. Certainly not reliably."

"Wouldn't he get tired?" Gabriela asked. "He would have to replenish his energy somehow. Where does it come from?"

"As an Augmentation cultivator…" Anton frowned, "It should be from Ascension energy in the upper realms. But his energy was very clearly natural energy as expected of this place. Dense and powerful, but with the same signatures. He might recover quickly anywhere or… perhaps he might not. That might be influenced by his reasons for concealment up until now." Anton considered. "We'll have to watch him from a distance." Which meant Anton would have to do it, as well as a few special scout ships that could remain hidden in a far orbit. The Wayfarer would also be a good candidate, if it wasn't out of commission.

"Weos didn't have a chance to test our spatial distortion against his attacks," Ingeborg brought up. "It is likely they will prove more effective at avoiding the start of the chain reaction, which might be enough to throw him off and injure him."

"We'll have to try it," Anton admitted. "But first we must monitor the situation on the planet itself, and their response to the damage we caused. Including the general dismantling of the planetary barrier." Technically, it still held together in some spots- but a good half of the planet was unprotected or only had a very tenuous shell that could be easily shattered. Flying around such spots would be easy enough, allowing them to attack any places of interest. So they had achieved their goals, even if they had another problem they had to deal with before they could move to the next steps.

Chapter 674

If the Great Queen were present, Anton had no doubt she would attempt to slay Otakar herself. If she was successful it would instantly resolve the most troublesome point of the war… and a failure could lead to a disaster. From what Anton could tell, the void ants were currently in a state of flux, whether most of them understood it or not.

But the Great Queen was not present, and they couldn't afford to wait months for her arrival even if it were to be deemed the correct option. Ekict was preparing some sort of counterattack, and while their alliance would have an advantage if fleets fought against each other it would involve greater focused risk to the alliance cultivators overall, as well as inevitably leading to the death of tens of thousands of cultivators from Ekict who really didn't have a choice. Potentially hundreds of thousands or more, depending on how many ships Ekict had available.

With the planetary barrier down, Anton was able to get general ideas of what they had available in any particular place, but he couldn't survey a whole planet at once. Nor did he intend to focus solely on that task. Among other things, he had to watch out for his granddaughter. Or rather, great-great-granddaughter. Anishka was doing an excellent job of turning cultivators against the leading sects, though most really didn't take much nudging. Whether it was one, five, or ten at a time she was making an impact. And those people might spread the word, though there was as of yet no overarching structure or plan beyond agreeing to stand against the great sects… eventually.

But even mutterings of discontent placed people in danger. More than normal in an unbalanced cultivator society, that is. Anton couldn't watch everything, but he looked wherever he could, searching for flaring energy. An Essence Collection cultivator drew a blade against a few in Spirit Building. It was much more difficult to 'hear' the conversation than simply sense the forms of individuals, but he could surmise the general details. An arrow of light crossed the intervening distance before the blade could approach any of them, knocking it away. The small group turned and fled while the one retrieved their weapon, then looked around in paranoia for the source of the attack. But they simply didn't have the ability to detect Anton, thousands of kilometers away in space.

He kept aware of anything around him in case anyone was attempting to approach. Just because most people wouldn't be able to sense him didn't mean he was totally hidden.

Sometimes, Anton had to make difficult decisions. A fruit stand was robbed, and he only watched as the livelihood of an individual was half stolen, half destroyed. But killing the cultivator involved would simply be a death sentence for the individual in question unless he could commit to watching over them forever. Or at least the rest of the war. But as they trudged home, they at least got a pair of birds for supper. It would not fully reimburse them for their woes, but Anton could not solve everything himself. Nor was he interested in such anymore.

Anton didn't limit himself to small scuffles either. When he found elders or high ranking disciples of any of the larger sects away from protective barriers, he was not above shooting them down unceremoniously. These were only the sects that seemed to have knowledge of Transferral or were otherwise organizing the war efforts. He also did his best to make sure that they died only in the most public situations where there was nobody to blame but him.

If he was allowed to continue like that indefinitely, he could change the course of the planet in just a few months. But inevitably fleets were organized to patrol around the planet, forcing him to stay on the move. That made him only half as effective… but he could pick off some of their ships as an alternative. There were only a few he would actually have to flee from. Fortunately, Otakar didn't seem to be interested in chasing him down at this exact moment. But Anton still made sure to move to cover different areas, so that his location in 'orbit' couldn't be predicted ahead of time.

After only a few days, Anton rarely found activity taking place outside of protected barriers, with the exceptions of drafted cultivators who were being relocated. The enemy fleets also began to fly in formations specifically designed to make it difficult for him to take any of them out, and Anton was quite happy to let them believe their tactics were effective to some extent. Not that regular ships could respond to his attack patterns if he was serious.

It was impossible for Anton to commit to anything because of Otakar, and a few of the more prominent individuals gathering would also be an issue for him. But the Otakar situation was still being discussed.

"How go the repairs?" Anton asked general Gabriela.

"Full repairs would take months in a proper dry dock, but it is expected that the Wayfarer will be able to participate in fleet combat should the occasion arise. We can't deal with that Augmentation cultivator, however."

Naid Conaire took a few moments to consider his words. "They likely know that as well, and we may be able to use it to our advantage."

"How?" Gabriela asked. "Do we try to draw him into an ambush?"

"Or simply away from another engagement. As long as you can handle any other opponents…"

"I would be more confident in that if we did not have so many missing hull panels," Gabriela admitted. "But with our barriers adapted to Aoibhin, we have a decent chance of defeating her should we come into contact again. As long as we can keep him out of the picture."

"Perhaps this 'weakness' might also lead us to another option," Ingeborg suggested. "Specifically, if we could draw him towards the sun…"

"We would have to burn maximum fuel to pull away from Otakar at all," Gabriela admitted. "But it might be possible. I'd prefer to have further calibrations for our barriers before that, so he can't simply melt us with a single strike."

"If you were able to draw him in," Naid looked to Anton, "Would you be confident in defeating him? Or at least occupying him for a time?"

"From what I have seen, I do believe I could generally avoid him. However, I have no guarantee he couldn't put on a greater burst of speed than we have seen and catch up to me. If he was foolish enough to chase me onto the actual surface of the sun? I could beat him. But I believe he has at least a basic understanding of my connection, so he likely wouldn't get that close. Nor do I think I could put on a convincing play of weakness along the way, as I wouldn't be willing to risk holding back." Anton shook his head, "I'd need some other factors to help take him down."

"I doubt he'd just let us gather all of our fleets to attack him," Ingeborg said. "But if general Gabriela and the Wayfarer could draw him away, we could spare the both of you for the efforts. However long he could be avoided would be sufficient for our other forces to make significant progress. At the moment we have an approximation of the speed he has displayed, arriving anywhere around the planet in less than an hour… but we can presume he would be faster flying through space, especially now that he wouldn't have to contend with planetary barriers restricting his movements much."

"Would it be possible for some of Weos' ships to gather further data first?" Gabriela asked.

"I suppose we should," Ingeborg admitted. "It's about time we made another coordinated assault regardless. We need to give you enough time to complete your repairs."

Ascension-class battleships were not particularly modular, but rather uniquely constructed. It wasn't as if Rutera had a large number of them sitting about. Thus, taking bits and pieces of the ship wasn't exactly the same as popping an energy cell into a socket. At least the same design principles and connectors applied… though given that some of the pieces were never meant for removal, there was a lot of cutting and welding involved.

It was a good thing that some of the crew were focused on repair cultivation- Gabriela never knew how important it was to seamlessly fuse wires together until they began moving the main cannon.

Gabriela sighed. The first flagship had gone from a relatively intact retrieval to a floating wreck, and the Wayfarer hardly looked much better. It wasn't in the most stable configuration either, with half of the Independence's power systems gutted and clumsily hacked onto the front of the Wayfarer. But it wasn't her who had pushed for the main cannon, but rather Neven. And the techs hadn't been reluctant to try, though they didn't promise anything would work past the end of next week.

"It's what he would have wanted," a voice suddenly said from next to her. Gabriela jumped, swearing profusely. Her instinct to attack the sudden arrival was stifled by her simply not being strong enough. Instead, the blade at her side- with augmented energy generators- was caught between the fingers of an old man. "I sure hope your subordinates don't sneak up on you."

"Of course they don't! Also, how did you do it?" she asked Anton. "Why can't I sense your energy?

"I'm not even hiding it," he pointed out.

"All I feel is- oh right." She half-glanced towards the sun- but even as a Life Transformation cultivator she wasn't willing to stare at it from barely some thousands of kilometers away. "I- uh, why are you here?" His sudden appearance startled her, but Anton always made her relax, perhaps more than she really should. It was so easy to just talk to him like any old grandpa.

"I came to make sure all your banging didn't shove this thing off course. Your engineers did a good job, by the way, but the Wayfarer isn't equipped for finer pushing maneuvers." The two ships were practically pressing against each other, since they could only move the very large and heavy pieces slowly. If they wanted them to stop at the other end, at least.

"Right. Do you really think he'd be okay with us destroying his legacy?" Gabriela shook her head.

"He'd want you to win. This? This is just a ship. And yes, it was his ship. But just like him… it has passed away."

"It could have been kept intact," Gabriela said.

"Without him, it's just the worst Ascension-class battleship," Anton said. "But if you're really bothered, I'd say you should lean into it. This is general Nicodemo coming along with you to fight," he patted the ship.

"I do feel somewhat better," Gabriela admitted. "Thanks for coming. Though I have the feeling… you're also here for something else."

"The ability to read people is an important quality for a leader," Anton said, smiling. "It's true. I thought I'd come here and… survey the battlefield, such as it is. But it's mostly just empty space. Looks like I'll have to be flying laps around the sun."

"Could be," Gabriela said. "Would anything actually help?"

"How about a massive, unbreakable cage that I could shrink around him?" Anton asked. "Got any of those?"

"Only if you want to build it yourself out of asteroids."

"Shame," Anton grinned. "I left mine at home. And I was never much of a smith."

"Well, we don't have time to make and enchant such a thing either," Gabriela gestured to the busy workers climbing about the structure of the ship. "And while I don't like to get in their way, I also need to check up and make sure everything's running smoothly, especially at our chokepoints. Also, don't you have a battle to be at today?"

"I was just making sure to top off," Anton said, gesturing at the star. "Same as your ship."

Chapter 675

Despite the planetary formations being patchwork at best, the fact that they were still functional at all could hinder the Trifold Alliance in any number of ways. For Anton, that meant his next mission was assaulting a sect in the Black Desert along with Ingeborg. This particular region was rather fuzzy to Anton's senses, precisely because of the sands themselves. However, he'd still managed to pick up a feeling of something familiar. Someone familiar. Which of course meant that whoever that was had to die, as a secondary but still relevant objective.

Anton flew down next to one of the ring-ships of Weos. This one was quite larger, the weapons emplacements dominating its surface and barely visible positions for those who were more suitable to use their own weapons. Or those who had defensive abilities that would complement the ship and spatial distortion around it.

Even as they began to descend, Anton sensed Vasu. Nostalgia filled him, bringing back all sorts of fond memories. The Million Sword Vault was his favorite sect of completely unreasonable individuals, and it was a great loss to them and Ceretos as a whole that Vasu was gone now. Anton had some miniscule hope that Vasu was alive and well, and the real him had taken over this region. He held onto that shred of hope even as the black sands began to coalesce into a tornado stretching into the sky.

It seemed that Ekict had chosen well. Though the Scorching Mirror Desert was quite different, both in the department of colors and overall temperature, the Black Desert did share an important property. Unlike traditional sand, it was not rounded but sharp. The whirling vortex of sand could tear apart energy defenses and flesh, of that Anton had no doubt.

He focused his senses, pushing through the distorting effect of the metallic sands. Even beyond the tornado itself the particles filled the air, but he was able to latch onto the source of the energy, the figure behind it all. A woman, wrinkled but certainly no older than Vasu himself had been. Unfortunate, that she should hold his power. But he had confirmed it.

She was not careless despite the distance between her and the fleet. In the tiniest fraction of a second it took Anton's arrows to reach her, she had barriers of black sand surrounding her. No, perhaps they were there all along, obscured in some odd way by their very presence. Spread thin, but instantly condensing into one place. Skillfully constructed, and sturdy enough Anton didn't feel he was having any notable effect. He wasn't yet going all out, but likely that was true of this woman.

He felt energy gathering from the large ship. His finely tuned ears picked up Ingeborg speaking. "I've never had an opportunity to actually use this." Her own energy formed the main component of what he felt, a power both familiar and odd. Rarely used in combat, and certainly not at such a scale. First was that it was generally impractical, and beyond that it was ill advised. But there was nothing around here that they would want to spare from destruction, so the potential side effects were just a factor to consider.

It wasn't really a cannon, simply a cylinder that focused the energy. Anton felt himself dragged towards it for a moment before a beam of black nothing pierced into the center of the sandy tornado, causing it to collapse. Not down to the ground, but inward towards a point in its center. The fleets continued their approach, now unhindered… but that didn't last forever.

The woman on the ground maintained control of the sands, she merely had to work harder to fight against the massive gravity pulling at the center of what had once been a vortex. Instead of doing so directly, Anton felt her drop control of that, instead calling upon wider spread black sands, once more forming a vortex but with a wider eye, larger and more powerful as a whole. But it would also be more effort to maintain.

As the two forces wrestled each other, Anton thought about his own possible contributions. He could manage one of them without question, but the other would likely be less impactful. But one was a familiar and focused attack, so he could still have plenty of concentration to attempt the latter.

Anton drew upon energy from beyond himself. Not his stars, as they were basically a part of him. Nor was it Ascension energy, but something rarer, or at least more obtuse. Spectral energy, the other component of Fleeting Youth that was likewise harder to comprehend. Ascension he understood and had rejected, but neither death nor reincarnation had truly been experienced by him.

The arrows were made of practically nothing or perhaps the most vital sort of energy in the world pierced through the cloud of metallic sands. Physical barriers were pointless against such things. Once again the woman displayed her competence, countering with her own natural energy. But that only went so far, and as Anton faded away along with the arrows he knew one member of his barrage had actually pierced her side. A small injury, but a step forward.

As for his other use of power, he was just getting started. He focused his thoughts on Azun, and the massive power it held. Magnetism not experienced on such a scale anywhere else, not even other stars. Of course he could not replicate the full power of a star, but it influenced the efficacy of his techniques and the insights he could gain.

A dense power began to pull the sands in a path perpendicular to their flow- and towards each other. The black sands began to clump together and 'fall' into the gravity well Ingeborg created, while ultimately slowing the whole vortex. Anton had some concerns about how it would affect the fleet, but the spatial distortions minimized the impact, along with his intentions. Actually, the effect might be even more divergent because he was uncertain if the black sands were mainly iron, or perhaps some other less magnetic metals. But he knew that on a certain scale, only very few materials didn't interact with magnetism at all.

The fleet split to the sides of the whirlwind, bombarding the barriers below. The Assimilation woman controlling the sands most likely wanted to maximize her effectiveness, so she was mainly outside of them, except for an overhang above her.

Behind her was a small compound, though it could still fit a few hundred defenders. And it was indeed populated, both with those waiting for the barrier to be breached and those making use of older style artillery or long range techniques to counterattack.

Metal. Everything was metal. Anton found it difficult to form a wave of magnetism, and indeed it was much more difficult to use at a great range than his normal techniques, so he ultimately began flying closer.

Some of the sands rose to meet him in particular, but he was ready. He didn't have to get close to the ground, but he had been curious. He formed much smaller fields around him, and found that his control was enough to overwhelm the enemy's. Or at least the portion the woman was able to devote to him. She quickly gave up, but Anton did not stop his manipulation. In fact, he focused it into familiar shapes. Strings and shafts, along with arrows.

His first several volleys varied widely in their efficacy. Some arrows disintegrated, some moved with great speed, and others lagged behind, as if in slow motion. It all depended on how tightly he held the magnetic fields and laid out a path for them. They had to be properly aligned with the arrows or they acted more like a net slowing things down. He understood the ideas behind it, especially after he'd first studied with Varghese, but this particular application was new as he needed to maintain tight control over individual particles without exhausting himself.

After a minute or so, he had a consistent volley going, striking the barriers with high speed masses. The barriers had an excess of energy, as this was one of the core locations that was supposed to be supporting the larger planetary formation. Breaking through with only force would be difficult… but they did have a formation master with them. Ingeborg had plans already underway, and what looked like random bombardments was not entirely without a deeper pattern.

Soon, the barrier began to wobble. Then it popped, but only on the top. A half dozen ships flew over, escorting a nondescript seventh ship that dropped something through the barrier before it repaired itself a moment later.

Anton saw and felt a great pull, tearing apart the less fortified structures within the barrier and beginning to drag cultivators towards it. Then a moment later the power contained within the bomb detonated, sending everything flying into everything else. No doubt most of the more powerful cultivators would survive, but the structures themselves would be ruined- and the underlying formations damaged to the point they lost functionality. Ingeborg's ship was waiting for that moment to fire a series of lasers that melted the various components of the larger planetary formation, sending ripples of energy across the surface of the planet as a great portion of the remaining web fell apart.

Now they could go. And they should, before Otakar could show himself. It was possible he was on his way to another location, but they could lose much even in a short confrontation. Yet neither Ingeborg nor Anton were willing to leave just yet. Anton felt her larger ship turning around for another pass- perhaps at the formations, or perhaps at the woman who stole Vasu's assimilation.

Anton had to admit she was making excellent use of Vasu's abilities, unlike some of the others. Perhaps her previous style was closer to his, or she simply adapted better. But even so, she was still lacking. Life Transformation cultivators flocked around her to mutually defend each other, but Anton didn't mind taking all of them out too.

Metallic arrows began to bombard them, co-opting barriers of black sand meant to protect them and turning them into additional arrows or extra mass. These struck Life Transformation cultivators for the most part, as the closer Anton let them get to the woman the greater her control became. But in his hands he still held his own bow, firing Spirit Arrows of natural energy, ascension energy, and when it was most unexpected spectral energy.

The whole time, sands chased after him. No longer trying at being a tornado, they turned into arms and spears grabbing and stabbing at Anton and the other ships. Anton flew away from these assaults as he fired his own attacks, grabbing at bits of metallic sand as he did so. Anton found the control excellent… but he would have been more worried if it was Vasu. Because then he imagined would have had to contend with either ten million swords, or one the size of an entire desert making use of highly honed sword skills. This woman had talent and experience, but she was simply lacking the maniacal passion of the sword cultivators Anton had met.

When Ingeborg's ship returned, there wasn't anything fancy that happened. No gravity distortions beyond the norm. Well, perhaps a little bit to accelerate the massive cannon ball, a simple high velocity kinetic weapon. The speed it moved at was immense, but still technically avoidable. However, that avoidance was much harder with Anton pestering the woman with his own attacks, and she had to choose between what hit her. Unfortunately, she chose wrong as Anton's arrow split and stopped her dodging momentum instead of piercing through her, keeping her in the path of the projectile. Nothing could stop that path, and the majority of her torso was removed while everything else both caught on fire and was battered about by sonic waves as the heavy mass crashed into the desert.

Perhaps it would have been better to use that on the barrier, but Anton got everything he wanted as they left behind an impact crater to remind people of the incident. There was no Otakar yet, but Anton had the feeling that only meant he was striking another target.

Chapter 676

There had been so many new people Anishka was interacting with over the last days that it took her a moment to recall the context of a vaguely familiar face. It was Celina's face that reminded her.

"I heard a rumor that someone stole a ship and got off planet," Haroun said. "I'd hoped it was you. I was looking forward to getting paid."

"How did you get here?" Anishka asked.

"Me? Why, I am an official representative of the…" he looked at a badge pinned to his shirt. "...Orange Poppy Alchemists. Obviously."

She didn't know why she had even asked. Obviously he could get face accreditations for himself as easily as for others. "Why are you here?"

"I could ask the same for you," he replied. "Except I don't intend to stay here. Strangely, you seem to be content. I'd really rather you get to safety."

Anishka shook her head. "People are much too busy to search for me right now. Especially since they believe I'm gone. Besides, I already informed those necessary. You will get paid… as long as you don't renege on your bargain."

"Please, who do you think I am?" Haroun looked actually offended. "I'm not crazy enough to double cross someone like that," he looked up. "But I find it difficult to believe I will receive my reward if you get yourself captured. So I thought I would come encourage you."

"I'm fine," Anishka stated. "But if you're worried, you can speed up this process by spreading the word. The stronger sects are just going to make everyone die for their choices, and the Trifold Alliance doesn't want to have to kill them."

"I probably could spread the word," Haroun shrugged. "But I don't see how that benefits me."

"You're the one who's impatient," Anishka pointed out. "Besides, couldn't you… I dunno, charge people to connect them with like-minded individuals?"

Haroun narrowed his eyes. "It sounds like you're trying to get me to promote your plans for free."

"Or with someone else paying," Anishka said. "It's not my fault if you can't make it work."

"... You've become far too confident since we last met. It was easier to get paid before," Haroun said. "I'm not really convinced."

"I'm sure I could convince the right people to not break apart your criminal empire along with everything else."

Haroun frowned, "That sounds suspiciously like blackmail."

"Does it?" Anishka asked. "You're the one who approached me."

Haroun rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll consider spreading the word."

"I appreciate it."

The Royal Guard were probably more suited for the Sergeant's current job, not for anything but the size of their mandibles. She wanted to be able to quickly chomp down on this guy's important blood flow areas if he tried something stupid. But the Royal Guard were also… big. Bulky. At least by comparison. Either way, someone was much more likely to feel them crawling about. The Sergeant, meanwhile, easily ducked between the hairs this man had going all the way up his body.

He passed the first test easily enough, which was not directly going to one of the sect representatives and trying to rat out Anishka. He mostly went around getting money from people, generally without talking. And not by stealing it, either. Not directly, at least. It was handed to him intentionally, or left places. The Sergeant didn't really understand money or even possessions as an overarching thing, but her experience with humans let her understand some things. While taken surreptitiously, this money wasn't stolen at this particular stage in its life cycle.

Then Haroun went around trying to get other people to give him money, after talking to a lot of people and picking up written notes. Reading was still a great labor for the Sergeant, as it involved moving over a whole paper or trying to get an angle where she could actually see it. Without being on someone's forehead where she could be slapped. And her distance vision wasn't good at resolving such details either, unless the writing happened to be imbued with energy.

From the context of his words, it seemed he was trying to do the thing Anishka asked. At least, that was what the Sergeant determined. He was just bad at stating things clearly so she was only guessing. Maybe some of these were a 'shakedown'. But it wasn't her job to stop such things if that was the case. Ultimately, she continued on with the man until he reached the edge of the camp where he met up with several others and continued on his way. It would take far too much time to return to Anishka if she went further, so she left him there.

Things were quickly coming to a head. Targets had been picked out among the various enemy sects on their core world. The Wayfarer was in the best state it could be, given the circumstances. The next important step was to attempt to draw Otakar away, without it being too obvious. Would he really want to take out just the Wayfarer? Perhaps not. But the Wayfarer and Anton might be more appealing, as he seemed to have built up a grudge with the archer. Add into that a moderately sized fleet with the Wayfarer, and it was a group of forces he could potentially destroy on his own.

Which was somewhat of a concern for Anton. Otakar might actually be successful, if things didn't go as planned. Anton thought he could fly away, keeping enough distance from his opponent, but that couldn't be judged for certain until it was tested. Sacrificing himself for a sufficient distraction was not a pleasant thought, but sacrificing himself without even drawing the man away far enough would be worse. And Anton didn't intend to die, but there was no way they could win this war without losing more people from all across their cultivation ranks.

He just hoped that Ekict's lesser cultivators would stand with them, or at least stay out of their way. No doubt many would be held in place by the familiar fear of the large sects or swayed by their promises of rewards, but some had seemed interested in Anishka and the others' word. Ultimately, there was no telling how they would act until the time came.

Anton could kill tens, hundreds, or thousands of cultivators below Life Transformation by himself without them even being able to counterattack, but that didn't mean he would be given that opportunity- or wanted to. There was a core group that had to die, and the rest would best be avoided. But they'd done what they could. All of the grounded ships were now within barriers, so he couldn't just destroy them from wherever he pleased. Spectral energy might pierce a barrier unknown, but it was particularly weak at destroying objects. He hadn't stopped harassing or killing enemy cultivators, but there were limits to how much he could do at once. There was still a massive population of cultivators moving, and either they were almost done mobilizing or they would not be ready when the Trifold Alliance attacked.

Anton could hope for the latter without betting on it. If things turned out easier than expected? He would breathe a sigh of relief and return home happy. Or wherever he went directly after.

"You can really crack that barrier alone?" Anton asked general Gabriela.

"The Wayfarer has taken upon itself additional cannons. We have half again as much firepower as we used to… and our lead gunner has some weird insights that might help. We'll burn through power, of course. But that's the whole point. Just keep a watch for him."

Anton nodded. That was his job… as well as picking off any easy targets when barriers were cracked open. The Wayfarer's range wasn't as much as his, but without planetary barriers it could still bombard a sect from high in the atmosphere, where even those who could fly would take some time to reach. Except Assimilation cultivators or the like, and if they wanted to fight alone Anton and the Wayfarer would happily scrap with a couple of them. If there were too many, they would just leave.

The first day was mostly uneventful. They caused a lot of mostly cosmetic damage to several different sects, though repairs might be expensive- and Anton hoped the damage to the formations was more permanent. Then they retreated, not directly towards the sun so that they weren't too obvious about where they were going. Then both would recharge for the next attack.

The second day they got into a proper scuffle and weren't able to break through the intended barrier- withdrawing towards the safety of waiting allied fleets. Those were there to, ironically, make people forget them. And ready to act when things actually got down to it.

It was on the fifth day when it happened. "He's coming," Anton warned. "You'd better turn tail." The Wayfarer wasn't slow, but compared to a cultivator its maneuverability was lacking. Given some time, however, it was able to accelerate in the proper direction, and if they were being caught up to they could put on a burst of acceleration to keep ahead. Flying through the void of space, there wasn't exactly a limit on speed- though gravity wells of planets or achieving any fraction of the speed of light did make that more difficult. Relative acceleration was the most important in a chase.

Anton took some shots in a serious attempt to injure Otakar and slow him down. The man was already flying out of the atmosphere, clearly intent to circle around the planet. Even as he peppered the man with attacks, Anton began his own retreat. Otakar moved to cut both him and the Wayfarer off from a fleet that they could join with, and the plan was fully in motion.

If Otakar had a proper communicator, he might have turned around a few minutes into the chase. That was the weakness of the plan, but in both formations and physical technology Ekict was behind. They had some point-to-point communicators, since the Alliance had wanted to keep in contact with them, but those were mainly bulky since they had to transmit fifty lightyears. Anton's were much smaller but required a significant power output to reply.

Either he didn't have anything like that or ignored it, because he didn't stop his chase. Anton had to work hard with returning projectiles to keep the man away from the Wayfarer, but fortunately the man was interested in herding the two of them together so he made wasted movements. Smaller ships were taken out along his way, unfortunately, but they still contributed to attempting to wear the man down.

Otakar had fallen back a quite significant distance from them, but he continued to increase his acceleration, closing the gap. On the scale between them and the sun, he was practically on their heels. That was never more clear than when the man suddenly cut through space, appearing next to the Wayfarer. His blade came down on its adaptive barrier… and didn't immediately set the whole thing on fire. The adaptation worked, but it could still be overpowered.

Anton didn't intend to let that happen, making use of his slowly increasing power to amp up his unending rain of arrows. Some had the power of light, so close as to be unavoidable. The man's energy defenses withstood those easily enough, but the point was to wear him down. Anton still believed the man's stamina couldn't be endless, or he would have participated in more battles.

He only barely managed to duck in time as the man moved through the void to strike him. It wasn't the same as Chikere's ability to cut apart space with her blade- but it was effective enough for him to close the distance with Anton. Fortunately, Star Steps allowed Anton to instantly change his trajectory. Though it didn't seem Otakar was locked into a particular direction either.

Each time he moved, he approached within ten or a hundred meters of Anton, who would then shoot off at a seemingly random angle. Along with Otakar came his aura of fire, as if the man were a great furnace. Any shot Anton made from up close brought with them a burst of flame, not that he had much time to make use of them. And while he was also a fire cultivator, he was only immune to the flames of his own stars. The man was clearly trying to strike his bow, without which Anton's offensive force would drop sharply. Anton wasn't certain exactly how sturdy Worldheart was, but he didn't want to find out the hard way that it could fall to this man's flames or blade.

A sword sliced down vertically, its trajectory aiming for Anton's head. However, it both slowed and curved as it did so. Then it suddenly sped up as Anton shot directly backwards. He sustained a powerful magnetic field just a few tens of meters around himself, but it was paying off.

The overall momentum of the battle carried it towards the sun- hence Anton's directions being not quite random. The Wayfarer was dropping behind, but if they reversed direction for even a moment the two groups would meet once more. It just wasn't possible for them to target Otakar with him practically teleporting around.

Though they'd made it about halfway and Anton felt his power growing, he still harbored doubts about being able to survive Otakar's onslaught for long. He was burning through power many times faster than he could recover it, and Otakar still felt fresh. It didn't matter if Anton could win a marathon if he was sliced in two before they got that far.

Chapter 677

Anton was almost entirely focused on Otakar and the sun, but he felt something in the empty void of space as they were hurtling by. Anton also found himself getting a sense of Otakar's timing, and redirected himself slightly. Anton was on a direct impact course with an asteroid… but Star Steps allowed him to move around it in three quick bursts, just as Otakar moved.

Either he didn't detect it or he didn't care, as he smashed directly through it on his way to Anton. Anton had hoped for something like that, and focused on creating a link between Otakar and the metals in the asteroid. They were like invisible chains that he dragged along, slowing him slightly. Anton still barely pulled away, then darted off towards the next one.

Despite popular depictions, the next one was perhaps one percent of the remaining distance to the sun… but Anton wasn't certain he could reach that far alive. So he had to make use of this small asteroid belt that might have been a planet.

The battle turned into a sort of meditative state for Anton. His mind was filled only with his suns. The local sun provided him power, Azun provided him style. Magnetism, but that was not all. Anton launched bursts of power, concentrated radiation that Anton was fairly certain would have melted any other cultivator he met. And though they sometimes dropped off, Anton continued to create the links of magnetism, thinking of Devon as he did so. These chains weren't in any way tangible but they still worked, forcing the man to draw along with him more and more chunks of ore. Melting them did no good- in fact, it shed them of the less magnetic components and left only molten boulders of metal that continued to chase after him..

Every mote of energy Anton drew from the sun and more went into hindering Otakar, and it was working. At least, Anton had not died yet. He wished he had a few others with him, but those who could have helped most were either not mobile, protecting their home systems, or an important part of the assault currently happening on Ekict's core planet.

Each time Otakar jumped forward through space, the magnetically connected asteroids followed. This clearly caused greater strain for Otakar himself… but the same was true for Anton. He had to maintain the links, and this Augmentation cultivator had to drag them around.

The arc of the two continued around the sun, about halfway between it and the core planet where the thin asteroid belt existed. Except now it was looking more like it would be depicted. Nobody bothered to make accurate representations because it would just look like empty space, but here the rocks were bashing against each other, or liquid ones clinging to the surface of others as they tried to coalesce around Otakar. He continued to blast them away with his attacks, but he could only force their momentum away from him briefly as destroying their structure did nothing to stop them.

Anton looked for a particularly large one. The volume and mass of gathered asteroids was far more than negligible, and if he could manage to entrap Otakar, Anton envisioned him being stuck beneath the surface. With all of it attracted to him, it would gather around him- so digging his way out would be impossible, at best shifting the material about. And Anton might have enough that gravity would be on his side, helping to crush the man.

That was the plan, but as he danced around his target with Star Steps, Otakar appeared in front of him. A flaming sword struck down, and the only thing Anton could do was force himself and the blade to have matching magnetic poles. Despite the magnitude of the repulsion and his typical defensive energy, Otakar still cut his chest open, his blade not reaching but extended energy covering the significant gap.

Anton was knocked away, but at the same time he felt another source of energy- that of the Wayfarer. His hazy consciousness saw Otakar's image erased by a several meter wide beam of energy. Anton hoped it killed him, but it was at least a direct hit. That was good. But he had to think of himself. His chest was aflame and his own energy uncontrolled. He had to…

His consciousness faded as he fell, his subconscious fighting to protect his most vital parts. And he continued to fall, somehow.

Flames. Searing the outside of his chest, but also coming from inside him. Both experiences were familiar in their own ways.

It hurt. Anton wondered when it would be over. How long had it been? A second? An hour? A day? He had no idea. No rational thought passed through his mind. He wanted to live. Pain. He wanted to die. Heat.

He fell. He fell until he was no longer surrounded by the void of space. He dove into a pool of flame.

Heat. Pain.

He continued to fall, until he could fall no more. His consciousness flickered, his body aching… but while the pain did not relent, it no longer increased.

Light. When he came to, there was too much light to see. Even with his eyelids closed. Opening them was… impossible. Moving his arms and legs was likewise. Weight pressed down upon him, but rather than being uncomfortable, it was pleasing. Like being under a heavy blanket.

Except it was also inconvenient. At least he could check out the status of his body. Despite being conscious, Anton was quite surprised for his energy senses to find that his body was still there. He could have easily been turned to a pile of ash, though in such a case his consciousness would not continue on, would it?

No. Reincarnation would not occur for him. Not in such a manner, at least. So he was alive. But the shape of his body… really made him question that. On the other hand, his internal organs had been worse. He was scorched, but not nearly charcoal like when he first achieved Assimilation. His chest was… missing most of his sternum and a good portion of his ribcage, as well as muscle being burned away. It should have hurt more to move his arms, but perhaps the nerves were dead.

As for where he was… well, he was simply in the star. Obviously he could not survive the heat of a star- but this was his star. It would not kill him, even as his consciousness lapsed. Indeed, it had likely burned away the infernal flames trying to consume him. Anton was surprised he had lasted to reach it, as it would have taken at least several minutes even if all his momentum had taken him directly towards it.

What was he to do now? Anton felt his dantian brimming with energy, but he was reluctant to make use of it. He certainly couldn't go out and fight like this. So… he needed to recover. He seriously doubted he could properly heal, but he could at least make sure his condition was fully stable. He allowed the star to burn away necrotic flesh. Having open wounds here wouldn't be a problem, since he couldn't get an infection. He couldn't get anything, really.

Anton wanted to take some medicinal pills, but there was a slight problem. His storage bag was gone. Well, everything was. The sun might have not burned him, even while he was out, but clearly he needed conscious control to say the same for his equipment. The only thing that remained was his bow. Worldheart and Soulstring, apparently durable enough to survive. Though Anton directed the heat away from them as he did not want to push his luck.

He meditated in place, setting his body down the path of healing, or at least scarring over. He wanted to fly out and stop Otakar, but in addition to being unsure how long it had actually been, he understood he wouldn't be much use like this. His energy might be recovered, but he would not be able to properly draw his bow with everything going on with his chest.

Anton's perception drifted, extending out from the sun. He sensed nothing. Neither the Wayfarer nor Otakar. No, not quite. He found the remnants of the Independence, so his senses worked. And the clump of asteroids he'd made remained bound together by the minimal gravity they produced. No sign of Otakar, but no space debris indicating the Wayfarer was destroyed. Then again, the fight could have gone elsewhere so he couldn't jump to conclusions.

His perception drifted back inward, to the area immediately around him. A place of massive pressure and heat, but there was also something else. He felt the flow of energy into him- or at least, the gentle pressure that had built up as he was now filled. But he also felt something like where energy would flow out of the sun.

Did he do that? No, he didn't think so. But just to check, he expended some of his energy pushing himself around through the depths of the star, fighting against its odd properties. He formed a sort of platform of energy, mostly to use it up but partially to orient himself. The pull of gravity was minimal, since most of the star was pulling outward.

He drew upon the energy of the sun, and as he thought it came from the star as a whole, not its core. Nor did the flow from its center change.

"What did you do to our star?" the indignant accusation of Otakar returned to Anton's mind.

Was that the right question? Perhaps, except Anton should be asking what they did to their star. Or was it just Otakar?

Strange. He hadn't felt like the sun empowered him. Very odd indeed.

"There has been no response from Anton in a day," general Gabriela said, looking at the others. "Our scanners tracked him falling into the sun, and we've verified that the communications devices are not responding to pings."

"He's not dead," Annelie said.

Gabriela shook her head. "You know I would never wish for that, nor would any of us bet on it being true. But it is also clear that he is not here. And seeing these images," Gabriela showed a still image of the attack, the clearest image they had showing the damage to his chest. "We can safely say he is not healthy."

"If he's injured…" Ingeborg seemed about to suggest something. "No, I don't suppose anyone could aid him."

"Rutera has not yet made functional sun-divers," Gabriela said. "And even our attempts are not present here. So we will have to agree that regardless of his… status… none of us can do anything about it."

Naid Conaire nodded. "The Worthy Shore Society is well aware of his history. He would want us to continue on without hesitation. What of the wounds to Otakar?"

"Inconclusive," Gabriela said. "But unless he suddenly felt like sparing us for no reason, significant. Because he would most certainly be able to defeat the Wayfarer without our fleets based on our first encounter. Even with our adjustments to his energy, our barrier wouldn't hold long without support fleets and cultivators. And he didn't immediately return to the core world to attack our forces."

They only had a few frames of him, and most of those were not clear because of the continued weapons fire attempting to take him out. Lasers and particle beams were not good for video, additionally when paired with conventional weaponry. While most of the area was empty, everything was focused on the man himself so they could only judge by his energy levels as he fled. The Wayfarer was unable to pursue.

"Then we must act while he remains out of the picture," Annelie said. "Press our advantage. We must at least take out Aoibhin and Nurcan, as two of the most prominent remaining figures among their forces."

Chapter 678

Despite the fact that stars were basically just massive explosions, on some scale they could be considered stable and unchanging. Anton had significantly more experience than others with what the inside of a star felt like- both from his bonds and now literally being inside one. So he was quite concerned when the flow from the center of the star increased. If he hadn't fallen all the way inside, he likely wouldn't have noticed it for a significant time. Or perhaps ever. But experiencing its personally and then detecting a change… that bothered him.

The flow of energy increased. Did that mean Otakar was now in battle? And if so, should Anton cut off the flow? Could he?

The answers were not quite the same. Even if he could, of which he was uncertain, he didn't know if he should. With perfect knowledge, he would make the attempt should he think it would significantly impact Otakar. However, he knew nothing of what was happening outside. And making the attempt might have negative consequences. Otakar would know he was still active- and if he was successful at all, that he could affect that flow. Anton wasn't going to make the bet that Otakar couldn't survive inside of this star to hunt him down and finish him off.

First, he would study this phenomenon more thoroughly. Inspect it closely without poking and prodding. Among other things, Anton felt the flow was smooth and consistent. That was entirely possible in battle, but Anton presumed otherwise. If used to empower attacks, he would expect there to be spikes and troughs or at least an increasing and decreasing rhythm on some level. This was a consistently heightened flow like he would associate with replenishment. Another good reason to cut off Otakar, if he could. But before he even made the attempt, Anton needed to be in a better state to fight, either physically or metaphysically.

For that, he focused on his physical body first. The wounds on his chest weren't something easily recoverable, though the fact that his body still remained intact was promising. In the worst case scenario, he could do something like Lev- though their situations were arguably quite different. The vast majority of Lev's body was intact, except for critical nerves. Meanwhile, Anton was missing more structural muscle and bone, including most of his sternum.

First he had to test if he could draw and fire his bow at all through normal methods. He could certainly pull back the string with just energy, but the loss of muscle power would be troublesome.

Weaving some energy through his chest to hold things together, Anton slowly went through the motions. Fortunately, much of archery involved the shoulder and back muscles. The chest was of secondary concern, except for the important structural elements of the sternum and how it completed the ribcage. His pectoral muscles still twinged with pain from simple movements, but Anton adjusted his stance to use them the least amount possible. It would take some practice, but beyond that he wanted to promote healing in the most critical areas. He might have to concentrate on rebuilding individual muscle strands and regrowing bone, so he couldn't expect to finish in any reasonable time period.

So before getting too far into that, Anton resolved to find a temporary solution replicating the muscle and bone in the area with natural energy. He wanted to return to battle as soon as possible- but going early would only get him killed, and perhaps create risk to others who would rely on him or try to help him. Thus, Anton was a bundle of focus, hurry, and patience. He just needed to make it through the war, then he could take time to recover properly afterwards.

The alliance forces could not afford to delay. They split into two forces, one heading for the sect that called themselves the Gates of the Earth, and one for the Northern Glacier Sect. There, they expected to find Aoibhin and Nurcan- or if not, remove their basis of power. But the individuals in question were the main target, and any destruction of buildings or deaths of disciples would only be secondary.

There was a limit to how many ships could effectively assault a location at once, and they were generally beyond that- except where the initial bombardments were concerned. Once they had people landing or flying over the area, keeping too many people involved would result in an abundance of friendly fire. Thus, a portion of each were also assigned to patrol the surrounding areas keeping watch for reinforcements. In theory their attacks would be swift, but it was impossible to predict how a battle would go. They might spend time attempting to draw them out and find that they were not present. And unfortunately, the enemy had successfully mobilized much of their forces- reinforcements might arrive quickly at the site of an attack.

The Northern Glacier Sect was cold and harsh, lacking even the semblance of life of the old Frostmirror Sect. At least they had the possibility to descent from their location to a reasonable environment. Instead, the Northern Glacier Sect had supernatural cold in all directions.

In short, Annelie thought she could have organized them much better if she was in charge. But she wasn't planning to be. She was coming to finish them off for what they attempted to do to her daughter. And her as well, though their official sect head had died for that already. But a one-for-one exchange was only appropriate in the exchanging of goods and services, not when seeking revenge. In such a case, multiplicative retribution was appropriate.

So, logically it would be best to completely eliminate the Northern Glacier Sect. And if she had never been reunited with her grandfather, then perhaps a naive view of logic combined with the Frostmirror Sect's emotionlessness would have made her make that choice. But even from a pure logical standpoint, it might be best to not completely eliminate them. Ekict could have been a valuable ally, and might still become such… after Transferral was eliminated from the system.

And though she could be heartless when she needed to, Annelie very much had a core of empathy and compassion. The responsibility lay solely on the shoulders of the strongest… or at least significantly enough that they could not pursue all tangential wrongdoing with regards to the attack on the Trifold Alliance.

The initial attack shattered the barrier surrounding the sect- it had been done once before, with fewer forces. Instead of attempting to level the whole thing, Annelie led elite forces to land atop a fancy palace of ice they had, a monument that only served as some sort of ceremonial hall.

"The fault against us lies on the head of your leaders," Annelie declared. "The rest of you will be spared. We have no intention to wipe you out completely or drive your sect into poverty… but knowledge of Transferral- the stealing of cultivation- will be eliminated."

A quiet fell over the sect, a calming of energy. Then it began to stir once more, as disciples of various strengths prepared for battle. Ah well, at least she tried. The next step would be to topple their palace… except that not everyone came for them. Instead, a small portion of individual formed up with each other in groups, striking at any elders they could find.

They were hopelessly outnumbered by the other disciples, but had waited for an opportunity. They would have a few moments, at least, before other disciples turned back to fight them. If Annelie would sit down and do nothing, anyway.

"Come on then," she said to those around her. "We strike those who stand against us, and support any who stand with us." Annelie didn't know if these particular individuals had been persuaded- directly or indirectly- by her daughter's actions, but she liked to think so. Or perhaps they were the brave or cowards- the distinctions between those who would betray their own and for what reason were quite complicated.

Annelie flipped the icy streets over one group. They were just a hodgepodge of Essence Collection cultivators and a couple Life Transformation. Ice cultivators she understood deeply, and those of her sect around her were the same. She had the strength, wrapping enemies in layers of ice and snow and leaving them to be finished off by others.

A core group followed her in her wake of destruction, wandering as she pleased until a minute in when she finally sensed her target. A thousand spears of ice flew from the sky towards Annelie, launched of course by Nurcan.

Annelie simply leapt onto a nearby building, letting the spears follow her and destroy the local buildings. It was up to Nurcan if she wanted to pull her punches or put her sect back together afterwards. Of course, any that would have gotten too close she deflected with her own abilities. A flashy opening, but ultimately inconsequential for Assimilation cultivators. Except Nurcan wasn't that, but simply an Integration cultivator.

Waves of ice crashed against each other, spikes of ice flying everywhere and the ground itself being used as a weapon as the two began their clash. Nurcan tried to direct the fight towards a central square, but Annelie refused to follow her pace. Mostly, she was preparing for backup to move into position to stop the woman from fleeing. They could ignore everything else but this woman.

"I'm not impressed," Annelie said. "Why not use your true cultivation?"

Nurcan narrowed her eyes, a sweep of her arm sending ripples through the ground- pillars of ice attempting to fling Annelie in the air bursting out from underneath. She allowed one to do so, just to see how Nurcan would react. "This is my true cultivation," she said. Beneath Annelie, a rift opened in the ice.

Annelie fell towards it and then… stopped. "Is that really the best you can do? Shouldn't you be bombarding me with illusions?" Perhaps it was happening… but no, the words had been said with too much conviction. Nurcan glared at Annelie. "What? Am I not allowed to fly simply because I cultivate ice? At my stage, it's not unreasonable." She was nowhere near as good as Anton, who freely moved through space… but she could at least handle herself. "I suppose you haven't fought any true cultivators."

"I slew several Integration cultivators among the invaders," Nurcan retorted.

"Weakened individuals. And one of them was the one whose cultivation you stole, I presume. Stealing the cultivation of thieves to practice your arts instead of developing your own cultivation to a greater level… a bold idea, but foolish." The woman certainly displayed the energy of the Northern Glacier Sect- with the hidden Twin Soul Sect component underneath. As the latter had to be able to emulate pretty much any style, it wasn't odd that she chose that of her original sect.

"You speak as if it is so easy."

Annelie shrugged, "While I am not the first to develop Assimilation among our people, I am still in the first generation."

"And yet you would not share it with us, keeping your secrets."

Annelie laughed. "You were mere years, perhaps months away from having these secrets shared with you. Had you treated my daughter well, I would have personally guided your sect head. But now, she's dead." Annelie suddenly moved, leaping off the air towards Nurcan. "I thought glaciers were supposed to be patient."

A spike of ice drove through her from just in front of Nurcan. "We are," the woman said.

"I disagree," Annelie said from behind her, letting the icy replica shatter. "Have you ever studied the fire arts?"

"Of course not," Nurcan said, waving her arms to cause the surrounding buildings- themselves made of ice- to crash together.

Annelie's voice continued to speak. "Not at all? With your stolen cultivation you had the best opportunity. And if not, you should have at least known more about reflections and mirages." Annelie grabbed the woman's shoulder from the side, tossing her towards the rift Nurcan had opened- and then stomping on the ground to close it herself. Just once wouldn't be enough to kill a woman like that, of course, but Annelie let the icy rift rebound open, only to slam it closed with even greater force… again and again. Until the only thing that was visible was a thin line of red visible atop opaque ice.

Chapter 679

Dead. Nurcan was dead. And worse, Annelie had been right. They had been impatient. Foolish. She didn't trust that these other systems would have actually shared information about Assimilation, but at least they should have waited longer. They clearly hadn't gathered enough information before they struck, since calling upon Otakar wasn't supposed to have been necessary.

But regrets were for the living. And now Nurcan was dead. Soon, her consciousness would fade and… she would stop having regrets. Regrets about not being stronger. Regrets about being too slow and too fast all at once.

Any moment now, and her thoughts would cease entirely. Wouldn't they?

No. That might not be true. Certainly, that was the case for the vast majority of individuals, but she was a special case. Or rather, the Twin Soul Sect was. Her soul was eternally marked with their filth. The power it had provided her was desirable, but she'd tried to not consider the other implications.

It wasn't so bad, to reincarnate with memories. But she didn't know if she could still expect to be around Ekict, or even in the right time frame. So she had regret.

Was she moving? She had the vague feeling she was moving, even if her sense of time was all out of whack and her understanding of space was basically nonexistent. Yes, she was definitely moving. It was almost like falling, something pulling her towards it.

Wait, was that? Of course it was. She was going to the upper realms. But to live again, even if she despised them, perhaps it would be worth it. And she could hide her feelings as long as necessary.

Then she was yanked to a halt. She thought she would find herself in a body. Presumably that of a newborn, but detailed information on the Twin Soul Sect was hard to find even with access to those from the upper realms.

But she was not in a body. She was still a soul, but unable to move. "These markings…" said a voice. "I don't recognize them."

Oh no.

"They're old," said another voice. "I remember the system though. Ekict, I think they called themselves. Gave us quite a bit of trouble. Didn't think we had any more there." A vague sense of something walking into her vision- but without eyes or a source of proper energy, she couldn't really see. "Hello there, good to see you. Time to report in."

"Ah, yes. Of course." What should she say? She felt a sort of tugging.

"What are you doing? Report!"

She would make up something believable. Starting with… "The system of Ekict-"

"Not like that! What are they even teaching- no, wait. You're Integration. Don't tell me you forgot the technique?" A pause. "Oh, this is interesting. Look at this."

"What am I seeing, grandmaster?"

"This soul isn't one of ours. But it has our cultivation. Fascinating. You have much to tell us."

"Of course I-"

"None of that now. We don't need you to talk. We have better ways of extracting information. And since you're not really one of us, we don't have to apologize for how much it will hurt. Come then. Tell us everything."

In her last moments of consciousness, Nurcan had thought death was the worst thing that could happen to her. But now, she realized how much worse things could be.

At some point, it became impossible for Anishka to continue stirring up discontent among the 'lesser' cultivators without getting aboard a ship. So now she was trapped on a galleon… or some sort of large sailing vessel. There were easily a couple hundred of them packed into the thing, but more than just being a transport ship it was brimming with weapons. Enchanted ballistae and energy cannons were certainly relatively primitive compared to what she was used to, but at some point it became less about efficiency and more about the absolute quantity of power something could put out at any point. In that, at least, they were reasonably matched.

There weren't a lot of private places to meet on such a ship. Normal quarters were jam packed, so unless she wanted to be overheard by ten sets of bunks she couldn't do much there. That left only places such as the cargo hold, which were off limits most of the time. Hardly optimal circumstances to stir up passionate resistance, unless she could guarantee everyone within sensory range would be on board with her intent. A good majority of people were, but that wasn't enough.

It would be so much easier if she could just hide out with Patka, Celina, and the rest. But then nothing would get done. So Anishka found whatever excuses she could, helping around the kitchens and anything else that would get her officially sent around the ship. If she were truly alone, she didn't know if she would have been able to remain calm among so many unknown people who were technically enemies. But she always had the Sergeant and most of the other void ants with her. The Royal Guard were the exception, not because they didn't want to be but because they were too bulky. The Sergeant could hide in Anishka's sleeve with the rest of the squad and not disturb a single wrinkle- but the Royal Guard were significantly larger. They could be detected visually or by the void they left behind, and around hundreds of cultivators who were at least casually sensing each other at all times, it was too risky. So they had found their own nooks and crannies to hide in.

Right now she was on her way into the hold to pull out another bundle of vegetables. The easiest way to lose an army was to fail to feed them, even when gearing up for missions like they currently were. They were patrolling, and based on how they had suddenly changed directions it was likely they were heading towards something. An attack from the Trifold Alliance, most likely. Anishka hoped she could do something before they arrived.

"Hey," a large gruff man blocked Anishka's path as she came to the last intersection before the stairs down, "A weak woman like yourself should be careful about where she goes."

Instantly, Anishka's energy flared. "I'm not as weak as you think." Sure, she was only early Essence Collection. The little time she'd had hadn't let her grow much stronger.

"Grug, come on," the large and generally rotund man was shoved halfway to the side as a tall and slim individual came into view, "We talked about this. You're supposed to say, 'Hello fellow cultivator. The world is quite dangerous for those of us below the top, is it not?"

"Didn't I say that?" the larger man looked at the dark skinned figure. "I thought I said that, Ufoma."

"You got it barely half right," Ufoma replied, turning towards Anishka. "Sorry about that. The whole ambushing thing and the wording. But it's hard to catch people alone. I'm sure you know how the powerful sects have been making all of the decisions on their own, forcing us lesser sects around?"

"I do," Anishka said, not quite relaxing- though she was encouraged by the restrained energy of the two individuals. If they wanted to attack, she would be ready first. "What of it?"

"They take command only by the right of the strong… but do they really have that? Are they strong, compared to the enemies they have brought upon us?"

"The spear guy here isn't that strong," Grug said. "We can smash him together."

"Grug. You didn't let me finish the second half of the explanation."

"It's easier just to say it."

"Right," Ufoma sighed, "What Grug is saying is that the representative of the Gates of the Earth here can easily be replaced, should a determined group of individuals work together."

Huh. Was this a completely independent mutiny, or had her own call to action spread to the point that people were preaching it to her? It didn't really matter, she supposed- as long as everyone worked together, instead of against each other. "I think I understand what you are saying," Anishka said. "But I also know that we must remain subtle."

"Subtle about what?" came another voice. Anishka shivered as a formerly unsensed individual stepped out from the stairway. "Is there something you would hide from me?"

This was a disaster. Anishka held her position, but Grug and Ufoma couldn't help but leap back down their crossing corridor. This was the 'spear guy' in question. Haimo of the Gates of the Earth, a peak Life Transformation cultivator in charge of their vessel.

"We were just proposing an arrangement where we look out for each other on the battlefield," Ufoma lied smoothly. "I know we're supposed to stick to our own squads, but can you blame me for trying?"

Anishka kept her face blank and icy. She wanted to support the lie, but she couldn't think quickly enough to manage it. Her thoughts were shattered a moment later regardless.

"I thought we were talking about killing this spear guy and taking control of our lives?" Grug said. "You told me that's what we were doing."

Well. This was it. They were dead. Unless they somehow acted fast enough to take Haimo out instantly, the three of them stood no chance. It only took an instant for Haimo to begin rousing his energy- and though Anishka was a step ahead, her spear of ice simply shattered on his chest. His defensive energy was already in place, and even if it was a more casual amount it was enough to stand up against her.

She felt it, lightning coursing in and around him. It didn't matter his weapon was not present- he could take out the three of them easily. Or if he was in terribly poor form, he'd have to wait for reinforcements. Everyone on the ship would notice the combat.

"Foolish," Haimo said. "You think you can-" his face suddenly contorted, and his legs collapsed from under him, dropping him to one knee. But that didn't stop him from radiating lighting in all directions- in fact, it seemed fully intentional that he blasted everything within three meters of him.

Anishka and the other two leapt away, to various levels of success. There wasn't a lot of room to move here, and Grug took up most of the hall. She felt him collapse to the ground. She and Ufoma managed to get further, but there was an immediate issue. The lightning around Haimo created sparks that had already caught the area on fire as it coursed through the wood- despite the precautions taken to prevent such a thing on cultivator ships. He might kill them even without targeting them- but when he got over his sudden shock he could probably take each of them out one at a time.

But Anishka wasn't willing to just give up, especially not when she sensed the tiny mandibles of the Sergeant were at play here. She didn't see anything on the man's neck, but that wasn't the only vital point of the body. Perhaps a tendon in his leg? No, too big. Then again, everything was big for the ants.

Just the heat emanating from the area was enough to give Anishka pause. But this man wasn't a fire cultivator- so her instincts were to take control of those flames. She targeted his head and upper body, concentrating the heat towards him and away from the rest of the ship, creating a barrier of cold.

Ufoma shouted something she couldn't quite understand, or perhaps something that wasn't really a word. Instead, the sound was akin to a hammer striking down upon Haimo, just beginning to get a handle on the other two attacks currently in progress. Anishka felt the man's defensive energy split between upper and lower body, while also sensing a trickle of blood squeezing out of the man's armor around his inner thigh. Hopefully the work of void ants.

It would have been nice if a Life Transformation cultivator was so easy to kill, but he brought himself fully to his feet and gathered himself properly. "How annoying. Now that I think of it, I have seen your face, haven't I…?" the man frowned at Anishka. She had changed her hairstyle and used simple non-energy techniques to disguise herself- precisely because energy techniques would be more obvious. But obviously she wasn't perfect either. "They just need to be able to recognize you for the reward." Lightning crackled and spun around his arm, which he immediately stabbed towards her torso. The lightning itself was a spear, but wide enough that it filled the whole hallway. Anishka couldn't dodge it.

She certainly didn't expected the fallen Grug to leap up and shove his way around the corner directly into the attack, but he did- and the two of them were flung backwards. Her energy had mostly protected her from the first moments of the attack, and the force of the blow turning into momentum backwards was actually for the best. She did slam into a wall eventually, but she had some time to minimize her momentum.

Grug, meanwhile, simply flopped about without intention. No, perhaps he couldn't do anything. He lay face down on the ground. "Grug-"

He raised a hand, then pushed himself up. "Don't worry. I'm a tree cultivator." His friend Ufoma would have had something to say about that- both about it being unhelpful and doubtful information- but in pitched combat he was quite occupied.

It had only been a handful of seconds, but the whole ship was alert, converging on their location. Haimo was knocked to the side as he attempted to repeat his attack, Ufoma pushing him down the side corridor with another sonic attack. Then Ufoma danced through the remaining flames towards them. "Grug, help!"

Anishka wondered how she ever saw the man as threatening. He was more like a ball than a person, almost rolling forward down the hallway. Actually, he hadn't been that round before, had he? What happened?

She wasn't quite sure. Ufoma leapt over Grug as Haimo came back around the corner, standing unsteadily with his legs spread apart, slamming one fist into his inner thighs. Anishka was completely certain that the Sergeant was there… and she couldn't stand to drag things on. There was only so much she could do at a distance, but she pulled heat from one side to the other, trying to freeze the area around his right knee while burning his chest, or something like that.

But even in his condition he was still a Life Transformation cultivator, countering with another bolt of lighting as he charged down the hallway. No, instead of launching it as an attack, he became the attack. The man himself became lightning, striking Grug directly and tearing into his belly. Except… instead of piercing through the man, he seemed to slow. And then he went directly upward, half of his body sticking through the fortified deck. The crash was deafening, but the sudden cessation of energy from the man and following silence said even more.

Chapter 680

There was a presumption that the Gates of the Earth had based their sect name off of whatever sect Aoibhin had stolen her cultivation from. Presumably, something with heaven in the name- but the alliance wasn't familiar with every sect from the Trigold Cluster. It could also be related how it was meant to funnel attackers to that sect- but the formations were only capable of directing people following the tides of the world, who were limited in how they could approach a system and its planets. When bringing ships or people capable of fully independent interstellar travel, their formations had simply done nothing to redirect anyone.

But they were still an obstacle that needed to be overcome to win the war- as if anyone could actually win a war. In reality, both sides would lose, unless one side was a dominant attacker only interested in extracting resources. They could certainly consider that they won wars.

General Gabriela looked down on the sect once more. She hadn't set out with the intention of fighting Aoibhin, but ever since the first battle with the Independence it seemed like Ruterra's ships would eventually be the best suited for the cause. Now they had experience- and adapted shields. Of course, Aoibhin would be attempting her own ways to overcome their defenses. But could one person outpace a fleet? Certainly, Gabriela expected a wily cultivator to come up with a technique given ten years, or even a single year. But a matter of busy weeks and months? It would be much more difficult. Especially if Transferral truly limited learning or developing new techniques. But supposing she did come up with a counter, Gabriela had cultivators from Weos and Ceretos among the fleet as well.

The opening assault was a series of shots from the main cannons of the Wayfarer, starting all the way up in the high atmosphere. They also employed specially made kinetic projectiles for the project- basically just durable lumps of metal that would survive reentry so they could impact with the momentum of the cannons that shot them plus that from gravity. Drag limited the absolute energy they could arrive with at a certain size, but they were relatively efficient to fire.

The barriers of the sect had faced a similar barrage before- minus their new patched-on cannons. But they had been broken through before, and they hadn't yet been brought back to their full potential. By the time the shorter range ships were in place, the barrier had nearly collapsed.

"Sensors picking up Aoibhin's energy signature," informed one of the operators.

"Good. She's more important than some fancy buildings," Gabriela said. "Neven-"

"We're on it," came the reply from the lead gunner.

Sometimes Gabriela wondered if her position mattered- but even if the various positions on the ship were capable of acting independently to great effect, someone had to be guiding their core vision. She wasn't any worse than the other choices, so just because she couldn't break a mountain in half with her bare hands didn't mean she wasn't useful. And she wasn't weak enough to be easily assassinated, so at least she had that going for her.

Those thoughts occupied her for a few moments because she had no important information to request or orders to give. She watched sensors piped through to her screen, relaying not a visual image of the battlefield but one more focused on natural energy. Distance and atmospheric scanning made visual targeting at such a distance almost useless.

Aoibhin danced around the battlefield like usual. It was frustrating how wounds never seemed to stick long on her- though perhaps she was consuming a great quantity of medicine or had simply looked more wounded. It didn't matter much because she was supposed to die today. That might depend on whether or not Otakar showed up, but making him fight after the last incident might be a victory. Could he still destroy the Wayfarer by himself? Probably. But it was completely certain he was seriously wounded or he would have doubled back to take them out during the last incident. And Anton… shouldn't be dead. But he also couldn't be expected to come to anyone's aid at the current time.

Fast weapons were the key for Aoibhin. Tightly controlled lasers swiveling, ultra high velocity small arms, and the like. That included small ships, though they had to fly in particular formations to shoot at a human sized target while not getting in each others' lines of fire. Aoibhin jumped from ships to ship- but not all of them were destroyed in a single blow, or even at all. They had the maximum amount of data, adapting their shields to her lightning energy as well as her unattributed energy. Only brute force could overcome that, and she couldn't keep it up forever. Gabriela didn't want to sacrifice people to wear her down, so she was pleased when Aoibhin made the determination that there were too many ships to handle and came for them.

It was a reasonable decision. Last time they'd met, Otakar had nearly melted the ship in half. The Wayfarer's barriers were mostly intact, but there was still significant structural damage. If she could find a weak point, she might be able to destroy it.

With each flash of movement, Aoibhin covered kilometers of distance, zig-zagging back and forth to avoid incoming fire. Then, her spear lit up pretty much every warning sensor, even the ones focused in other directions. Gabrila had no time to react to the attack, not that she could have given useful orders. Anyone focused on augmenting the barrier was already paying attention to that.

Aoibhin rebounded off the barrier, but Gabriela saw that the defensive capacity had dropped by a good twenty percent. It was entirely possible she would break through on the next blow, if she targeted a weak point- and there were ships from Ekict joining the battle properly. The ships came from the Gates of the Earth as well as other nearby locations.

Gabriela wasn't sure what she could do. Yelling 'kill her' would at best distract people. They were already trying that. Maybe she could provide her energy somewhere. "Where's the barrier weakest?" Gabrila asked.

"Near the… new construction," came the report.

Gabriela nodded, picking up a headset. "I'm going to lend my energy to the generators there."

Fortunately, very few people were actually moving around inside the ship, so she could run down the corridors with ease. Likewise, while the ship was quite large it was still a practical size- there weren't long hallways for no reason. She was still a Life Transformation cultivator, and a soldier trained to run. It didn't take long to approach her destination, and Aoibhin couldn't repeat the same sort of attacks in an instant. So it seemed, at least.

Just as she was about to reach the generator, Gabriela heard a creaking. She looked to see an open section of ship- mostly just the internal skeleton of the ship where hull had burned away. She felt Aoibhin battering the barrier just outside.

She wasn't quite sure why her instincts told her to head towards the skeletal structure, but she followed them. Another creaking, and she at least found a reason. The barrier was supposed to mitigate the impact over a larger surface without impacting the physical structure of the ship below. Maybe it was failing, or energy was passing though. Either way, part of the hull was trembling… and if it fell apart, the delicate repairs to the formations might collapse, leaving the barrier open or at least severely weakened.

Gabriela leapt onto a steel beam, crouching down to hold onto it with both hands. From there, she extended her energy to protect its structure as much as she could. She could feel damage. Perhaps some had remained from previous battles and been missed, or it was failing due to some other factor. Either way, this piece of the ship sorely needed help.

The ship trembled. Gabriela looked Aoibhin directly in the eye- nothing stood between her and Gabriela's internal position. Dangerous. But, if she got inside the ship everything was pretty much over anyway. They had a good crew, but not one that could realistically take down Aoibhin. Especially since the vast majority of the ship's weapons were externally oriented.

Aoibhin struck again, the same heavier charge she had done before. Gabriela saw her impact the barrier, but instead of it smashing apart it stretched inward. Someone in the nearby generator was going all out with their techniques. Impressive. Sadly, even the barrier stretching couldn't prevent it from being broken through, and it snapped apart, most of it springing back into place with Aoibhin inside, spear held aloft. Gabriela already had her rifle off her back.

Gabriela took a shot just as Aoibhin began to move, holding the beam steady on the target that simply didn't care about her augmented energy attack. Then a dozen lasers converged on her in perfect sync- or more specifically her spear. It was the sort of coordination that was only possible by computer- or a single individual controlling multiple things.

There was only a flash. Flames. Then Aoibhin hit Gabriela directly in the chest- despite her attempt to dodge. She was sent flying backward, slamming into a curving beam. She wasn't sure if her back was damaged more, or the beam. Neither was quite right, though.

But… as far as Gabriela could tell without looking down and taking her eyes off of her opponent, she didn't have a spear-sized hole in her chest. Or worse. As for why, the attack had felt a lot more… blunt. It had properly spread out on her defensive energy.

Aoibhin was on fire. And the head of her spear… was gone. Yet at no point did the lasers- meant for fighting Essence Collection or lower individuals- stop tracking her. Even as she weaved her way around the internal structure, beams swapped with other beams as she left certain ranges and came into line of sight of others. All the while, Gabriela could feel the hand of Neven.

Had he really destroyed the head of her spear in an instant? Melted it? Where did he even find the time to gain that inspiration? She knew he'd talked about Otakar's fire, but it was a quick turnaround.

Gabriela did her best to track Aoibhin with her own weapon without destroying any of the exposed structure- but Aoibhin didn't try to kill her. Instead, she was attempting to escape. Because the barrier was attuned to her energy, it also wasn't going to let her out. Not easily.

"General," a sound came in her headset. "We have incoming."

Of course there were incoming. They were in a battle. What could she possibly need to be- oh. There he was, then. Too bad they hadn't yet killed Aoibhin.

One arm carefully stretched forward, then the other. Anton moved them side to side, checking to make sure he wasn't straining his already damaged muscles and bone structure. With a little more practice, he thought he would be functional. Enough to rejoin the war. He was a sniper anyway, so he really should have never allowed himself to get so directly involved with Otakar. On the other hand, he was alive- and the same wouldn't necessarily have been the case even if they leveraged a larger portion of combat power. Perhaps Anton had been the right matchup, or he was just lucky. Apparently even his connection to the sun had been insufficient. But if he could straightforwardly beat an Augmentation cultivator- one fully adapted to natural energy instead of one from the upper realms that was basically in a desert of energy- then he would already be an Augmentation cultivator. And Anton knew he was at least five or ten ranks short. Or nine, if prime numbers still continued to fit the One Hundred Stars. He would have to decide that for himself, since no one had tread this path ahead of him.

He also continued to study the conduit. His gut reaction was that it was wrong, but ultimately he couldn't make that judgment. It was different from his connection, but he couldn't say it was worse than his own. He didn't quite understand how it worked, only that it seemed to feed energy to Otakar. At a steady flow, at first slow and now somewhat heightened.

At least, it had only been those two specific levels until this very moment. But then he felt a sudden change. Having carefully studied it, Anton made a decision. If he thought he could destroy the conduit, he would have done so. However, there was no structure there. Only a flow. He felt the flow ramp up once more, and readied himself. Was Otakar participating in a battle? What else would cause such a change? The flow was still steady. Perhaps it would remain that way. Or perhaps he was merely moving towards a battle.

Patience. He would wait until he was certain Otakar was in a battle, or he might ruin a singular opportunity. He was quite certain he could disrupt the flow- but not if he could keep it that way. He waited. It felt like a century, but was perhaps only minutes. Steady and smooth. Should he just? No. Not yet.

Then, it came. A spike in the pull. Anton reached out, directing the sun's energy away, trying to pull back. He immediately understood he was having an effect, as he wrestled with this power. Then the spike faded. Whatever he had been doing was done.

Anton sighed. Just those few moments were exhausting… but while he couldn't say he'd won that exchange, he also hadn't lost either. He could repeat his efforts in the future, he was certain. But should he wait? Could he do it from away from the star?

For the moment he would wait, until such a time as he felt the larger flow dropping, perhaps signaling the end of a battle.

Chapter 681

The impact on the Wayfarer's barrier was an order of magnitude than almost anything else that had come in the same battle, except for Aoibhin's earlier attacks. Gabriela could feel the whole ship tremble and then… Otakar was there. Just outside the barrier. A still very much intact barrier. Amazing. And confusing, because even injured Gabriela expected that Otakar would break through quickly. And then they would be in dire straits. As it was, nobody had been able to stop him from approaching them.

Could they flee? Not with him focused on then. In that case they needed to… finish off Aoibhin first. The woman had redoubled her efforts at retreating from the barrier, but her own attacks were weakening as she was fatigued by the constant barrage of lasers, small though they were. Neven was working at full capacity, the extra generators they had picked up straining. But the Wayfarer still held. Gabriela was proud of that- and how they continued to fight outside as well.

If she didn't pull her own weight, she would be ashamed as their commander. Thus, she focused her energy into her weapon, leveling the gun at Aoibhin. There were a number of metal beams in the way, so she had to leap closer. But the woman needed to perish soon.

Gabriela took the shot, her beam adding to the others and causing little more than a pink line on the woman's cheek. But the beginning of a burn was good enough- her defenses were flagging. That attack was also enough to cause Aoibhin to focus on her instead of getting out of the barrier.

Unfortunately, Gabriela was unable to fly- at best, she was able to yank her trajectory around by grabbing strands of energy onto the surrounding infrastructure as she fell. That wouldn't get her out of the path of the woman's charge, and unlike the Wayfarer Gabriela's defenses only barely adapted to particular types of attacks. She should have brought more people with her- it was just that everyone else was occupied.

Aoibhin turned and charged, and Gabriela heard among the rest of the cacophony the sound of gunfire- that of old style projectile weapons. They created a momentary screen of attacks that didn't do much to slow Aoibhin, but her energy was tenuous enough she did choose to avoid them rather than pushing through. That gave enough time for a pair of individuals to push their way down towards Gabriela, intentionally falling with greater speed. They positioned themselves 'in front' of her, enchanted bayonets on the ends of their weapons.

"What are your orders, general?"

"We're killing her. No matter what. Don't worry about me."

That was the best part about her subordinates. She hadn't even needed to ask for help. Though she really should have. She just hadn't fully considered what would happen if Aoibhin got inside.

The following confrontation all happened at once. The burning spearless woman charged forward, lightning surrounding her and seemingly unworried about killing three Life Transformation cultivators. But the pair of soldiers held nothing back, throwing their energy into their automatic weapons while simultaneously fending the woman off with their bayonets. Gabriela focused her own laser rifle into the smallest beam she could, aiming for the woman's eye. It wasn't in time to stop her from crashing into the trio, sending them flying.

But that attack was the beginning of the end, as her remaining energy quickly collapsed. The flames from Neven and his focused anti personnel lasers finally broke through the Ascension class individual's defenses, and her body quickly began to collapse as unarmored parts turned to ash in mere moments. Gabriela was unable to watch, as she was doing her best to not land head-first on anything particularly hard.

She slowed her fall on nearby bits of structure before she eventually thudded into the barrier on the down side- they were still close enough to the planet to experience its gravity. The two soldiers eventually rolled next to her. Given the lightning scars on their faces, Gabriela knew she looked much the same. But she couldn't help but grin with them. "You two interested in promotions?"

"No," they said simultaneously.

"Uh-" well, she could only recommend it anyway. They were the highest rank infantry could get.

"We'd prefer to continue serving with the Wayfarer. Promotions would place us elsewhere."

"Well. Thank you regardless…" she searched for their names. She knew every Life Transformation cultivator and in fact the vast majority of those under her command. It wasn't too difficult, except when she'd been recently shocked. "Wilmar. Otossa." She looked 'up'. "I feel like he should have broken through by now. Or been melted, maybe."

"...General," came a staticy voice in her damaged headset. "... away from … main cannons … maneuver…?"

"Sorry. Headset is damaged," Gabriela responded. "Perform whatever maneuver you find necessary."

As it turned out, her voice went through clearly enough. And she soon determined what maneuver it was. If she'd been in any of the proper parts of the ship she would have heard the warning to brace for the Nicodemo Flip.

All of the engines of the ship fired at once- with a good number of guns adding to the maneuver, their kinetic dampeners canceled to contribute to the sudden shift in momentum. It still took a good few seconds to make a half turn, but for an Ascension class battleship that was a startling amount of maneuverability.

By coincidence Gabriela found herself falling again, except this time Wilmar and Otossa stayed with her, maneuvering for a hatch they could hold onto and then climb through.

A cannon barely missed Otakar, taking the top off of a mountain below. Then he was moving with the ship's rotation, trying to keep ahead of it. Avoiding the main cannons was his primary concern, breaking through the barrier to get inside now secondary. It was… annoyingly difficult. The flow of his energy was being throttled somehow. Every time he tried to maximize his efforts, he suddenly felt like an early Integration cultivator. Not that he'd actually been one for long. He'd been one of the first Transferrals, and one of the few allowed to undergo the second when they captured a genuine Augmentation cultivator.

And now he couldn't defeat a ship with nothing but Life Transformation cultivators aboard. A ship he'd nearly obliterated on their first encounter. Preposterous. He was aware that their barriers were powerful, but the way it managed to so perfectly resist his blade and flames, preventing him from setting the underlying structure alight… it made no sense. It was beyond any sort of formation he'd ever experienced, and their own formations had held up to the very same Augmentation cultivator whose cultivation he now used.

And he'd even begun forming a solar heart since then, but it was that very boost which was causing him the most consternation. The injuries didn't help, of course. This infernal ship was able to gather immense amounts of energy, and in his haste to destroy that damned sniper he'd not noticed their approach, seemingly having cut directly across the path of the sun instead of circling around the asteroid belt that had once been Vitania.

The war shouldn't have gone like this. They should have already won. And now Aoibhin was dead. The fault was her own, but he could still visit retribution upon these others. Except… not at the moment. His wounds were too great… and the flow of power was inconsistent. Why? Nothing should be able to block it except… what that sniper had done to the sun. It hadn't affected him before the man's death, so why was it now after he killed him?

The answer was unfortunately simple. Anton was not dead. And he'd perhaps even discovered the conduit. Otakar looked below as he avoided the vessel's most dangerous weapons, focusing where the fleets battled with each other. Ekicts fleets were already at a disadvantage, but even stranger was how some were not joining the fight… or worse, attacking their brethren. Disgusting traitors. They would all perish. But not today. Otakar's wounds were too great… and he had to deal with the other issue as well.

Would this really be the end of Ekict, a great victory followed shortly thereafter by an ignoble defeat? No, he would not allow it. Even if he had to kill every single one of these invaders by himself.

Anton felt the conduit of energy settle down to a lower state. He watched closely for another hour, just to be certain. He wished he had proper communications with literally anyone… but unfortunately those had burned up along with everything else, including his clothes. Though his modesty was his smallest concern.

He slowly began to move away from the conduit, trying to keep its feeling in mind. He was bound to the star, but would that help him maintain a distance he could affect the conduit? In short, could he afford to leave this place, if he was able to actually affect Otakar's combat effectiveness this way?

On the surface of the sun, he felt no difference. As he slowly drew further away, he felt a slight decrease… but he was confident that he could, at least do something. Only after he had rested, of course. He moved a bit further away, until about half the distance required to meet up with others. But he did not want to land on Ekict in his current state, where he would be so vulnerable. He needed to recover his energy after the wrestling match with Otakar's conduit. Then he would return, perhaps in a day or two.

Ufoma and Grug soon found themselves in control of the ship- along with Annelie, of course. The three of them were the visible components in the defeat of Haimo, as the ship had carried them and a large number of other cultivators from small sects to defend the man's own larger sect.

And they'd certainly been needed. When they had killed him, they were just outside the border of the Gates of the Earth's control. Everyone had either been supportive of his death or too stunned to do anything, and they'd commanded the ship to circle around the battlefield. And that had continued for the whole of the battle, drifting slowly further away the whole time until Otakar showed up. They couldn't really get away at that point, so they just watched as they saw their own ship wasn't the only one clearly not willing to put up with being under the heels of the great sects.

Paying careful attention, they gave wide berth to the ships of the Trifold Alliance- it was difficult to know if they would be shot down or not- while ultimately gathering together with the other resistant ships that made it through. At least the ones in their general quadrant of the battlefield. They settled about a sky's horizon away from the Gates of the Earth, close enough to partially observe what was happening there… but hopefully far enough to be ignored. To that end, they hid their energy as much as possible.

"So," Ufoma said, looking to Anishka and Grug. "What do we do now?"

"Strike down our oppressors," Grug said.

"A wonderful idea, but you appear a bit… unfit for that right now," Ufoma said, looking at the man. Despite the way he made his body flexible and strangely resistant, Haimo had almost killed him in that last charge. Grug was barely able to stand, supported by Ufoma and Anishka.

"We need to get in contact with the Trifold Alliance," Anishka said.

"Sure. We'll just fly over and wave a flag. I'm sure they'll gladly take us in."

"Well, yeah," Anishka said. If they sensed her and recognized her energy, they wouldn't be shot down. But she wasn't going to bet on that. "I was thinking we walk over, on foot."

"That's more reasonable," Ufoma said. "But why do you think that will work?"

"Because she's not part of us, but part of them," Celina appeared at the door of the bridge. "What? You'd have to tell them eventually."

"I wouldn't say it like that," Anishka complained.

"What does she mean?" Ufoma asked.

"Well, I'm… part of the Trifold Alliance."

"So you're a spy, here to sabotage us," Ufoma narrowed his eyes.

Grug was the one who actually stepped in there, placing a hand on Ufoma's shoulder. "She is our ally. Joining that battle, we die. And she spoke of peace with them."

"I'm not a spy. I was here to study with the Enkindled Sun Sect, and then the Northern Glacier Sect," Anishka said. "Until they accused me and literally everyone else of being spies, and attacked and stole the cultivations of some of our Assimilation cultivators."

"Assimilation?" Ufoma asked. "Stealing cultivations?"

"I know it's sounds far fetched but-"

"Sounds like the big sects," Ufoma nodded. "Keeping information away from us. Probably afraid we'd try to steal their cultivation."

"Would you?" Anishka asked. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Only if they act like this." He looked towards Celina. "You weren't around her before, but you're clearly companions."

"Splitting up to cover more area," Celina explained. "You know, she started most of this whole movement with us. After… that voice spoke from the sky."

"I didn't quite believe it then, but then I spoke to others…" Ufoma nodded. "Funny that I tried to convert the leader of the movement."

"I'm glad people listened…" Anishka said. "We're lucky so many were gathered together to fight. And that they were in the wrong place."

"Was there even a right place?" Ufoma asked. "They just… destroyed one of the large sects. Even Otakar couldn't stop them this time."

"You know of Otakar?" Anishka asked.

"He's not fully a public figure, but people talk," Ufoma said. "I only heard about him from the head of the Ringing Gong. At least, by name." He turned to Celina. "You know of the supreme cultivator, don't you?"

"Obviously," Celina said. "I just assumed he was a myth."

"He's not real," Grug said.

"Grug, we just saw him," Ufoma shook his head. "In that battle over there."

"That's just a man. Not strong enough."

"Well," Anishka got their attention back to her. "We should probably get moving. Those of us who are going, anyway. Can't guarantee they will stay. But I agree we shouldn't risk getting shot out of the sky."

"We go," Grug agreed.

"Uh, I was thinking that you would…" Anishka frowned. "Need to recover?"

"I can recover on the way," said the large and rotund man. "Like a tree."

"We need to discuss why you think trees have these properties," Ufoma said. "But we can do that after we talk to the other ships landed here."

"Oh. Right," Anishka sighed. More new people who might want to kill her. But hopefully, they shouldn't be terribly against her home system. Otherwise they would have been more willing to fight.

Chapter 682

The Gates of the Earth had fallen. No doubt that information was more impactful to the locals. For Gabriela, it was just the next step in removing troublesome cultivators. She didn't want to count this as winning the war just yet, but they could systematically eliminate the remaining Transferral cultivators. The only remaining issue was Otakar. He wasn't unstoppable, but it was unclear how much more damage he would cause before they finally took him down.

Though in the latest battle it seemed as if the Wayfarer got away unscathed, that was only technically true. The battle had revealed how imperfect additions from the Independence would fail, and many of their generators were overstrained. Even if the barrier stood up to him, they were mere moments from him breaking through and attacking now more vulnerable internals.

Before anything else, the Wayfarer had to undergo additional repair and a replenishment of its energy. Gabriela wouldn't be useful on that trip, so she was remaining at the Gates of the Earth to help with the inventory of resources and techniques. It had only taken a few hours of work for the formation masters to open the defenses cleanly, with nobody around to stop them. Gabriela was one of the technically weakest individuals qualified to look through the techniques for information on Transferral- which would be properly cataloged and almost certainly destroyed thereafter. At least anything involving the actual process. Information on its efficacy and more specifically weaknesses would be preserved for the future.

"General," the one word set her on edge, despite it being from her personal assistant. It was the way it was said. "Top priority communication incoming from the Wayfarer. "

She nodded. "Patch them through."

Her assistant angled a portable screen, as it seemed the communication would involve visual components as well. Was it a battle where they needed tactical advice? Could she even respond in time to do anything?

Then the image appeared in front of her, and she relaxed. Far more than she ever thought she could. "Hello, general," grinned a mostly recognizable old man. He seemed to be missing the vast majority of his hair, though he was one of those with strong roots. "I was just making my way back and intersected with your ship, so I thought I would drop a message." He stepped back slightly, revealing a dark band around his waist, and an otherwise completely bare body. "As you can see, I am missing a few things. I'll have to ask someone to make me a sun-proof storage bag for next time." Along with the darkness around his waist, Gabriela detected something odd about his chest. It didn't look quite real. "I'll say more when we meet in person. But I didn't want to keep anyone waiting."

Well good. Now she could spread the information that Anton was alive. She also understood why it was top priority, despite his casual tone. He was alive, but not entirely well. He'd been flung into a sun, but was injured. Was the only thing that burned his hair? And why would it burn but not his nails? She shook her head. Thinking about that too much would make her crazy.

"His identity was verified via energy scan before the message was sent," her assistant clarified. "It seemed necessary considering the obvious light based illusions."

"I hope someone gave him pants," Gabriela said.

"I believe they attempted that before the message, but he found it more humorous this way."

"At least he's in a good mood."

It was strange how much a few days could change a planet. Obviously Anton was aware that a planet could be scarred in a short time, but the actual planet was relatively unharmed. Just a couple handfuls of sects. It was most obvious because of the distinct lack of barriers in place. There were only a few more, and Anton could pick out Transferral cultivators hiding behind some of them. They would have to be watched carefully so they could not gather together.

As for Otakar… Anton couldn't quite sense him. Though he had a method he could try if it was an emergency, it would absolutely alert the man to the attempt. So for the moment, he was content to make sure he wasn't lurking around any of the new ground bases the Trifold Alliance had established in various sect headquarters.

The Gates of the Earth was most centrally located and notable, so Anton made that place his current target. But as he was getting closer, his casual senses caught some familiar figures among a larger number of unknowns. It was Anishka, trudging through the wilderness with a number of local cultivators at her side. It was fairly easy to determine their destination. He listened in just to make sure he properly understood the situation. They appeared friendly at first glance, and his more detailed investigation told him the same.

He was tempted to fly down and meet her, but even with his new pants it didn't seem like a good idea at the moment. It was best to let her finish the journey on her own. Though he could go ahead and warn people that they were coming, just to remove the possibility that something went awry. It was always a pain when negotiations had to come after accidental combat. Well, if he was the one shot and he could magnanimously wave it off it was a different story. That was actually quite good- but attacking people of lower cultivation who wished to be your allies was never a good look.

Anishka stepped beyond the tree line first, followed by Grug and Ufoma. Then came the rest of the designated leadership from various ships. She boldly walked along the road and approached the gate, head held high. But she was constantly worried about Ruteran beam weapons or archers. But they made it all the way to the gates without trouble.

"Halt! Who approaches?"

"I bring local cultivators who wish to discuss peace," Anishka said. "I am a disciple of the Fire and Ice Palace." If she needed to she would mention her mother, but she didn't want to rely on that too much. Those following along with her knew she was not from their world already.

"Anishka," said one of the gate guards. "Your arrival was anticipated."

"Oh. I mean, of course. Where should we go?" After receiving directions, she began to lead the others.

"Is… is that…" Ufoma was the first to speak as they approached the central area. "One of the 'Assimilation' cultivators?" he gestured not towards a person, but towards a general aura of energy.

Anishka nodded. "That would be the formation master Naid Conaire."

"And the other one?" Grug asked. "Like a star."

Anishka actually hadn't noticed that one, because it was weaker. But once it was pointed out, she easily recognized it. And it wasn't exactly weak, but instead restrained. Though she thought he also felt weaker as well. "That would be the sect head of the Order of One Hundred Stars. Anton the sniper. And also the voice from the sky."

Ufoma gave her a knowing nod. Perhaps he had spoken to Celina and learned about the connection there. And she was definitely going to meet him, but first she had to deal with the rest of this.

Except, of course, both the formation master and Anton found their way to the very place she was directed to.

"Welcome," Naid Conaire was the one to speak first as the group approached a lavish meeting chamber- recently in the hands of the Gates of the Earth. "We are glad to receive any interested in negotiation." Along with him and Anton, there was general Gabriela and a number of other important figures.

It might seem like a group gathered to intimidate- but they could have done that well enough with one alone. Instead, Anishka thought it was meant as a sign that these people would be taken seriously. Hopefully they would interpret things the same way.

Anishka avoided seating herself centrally- though she was responsible for bringing these people, she could not speak for them. There was some silent posturing, and somehow in the scramble Grug ended up being in the central spot.

"We don't want to fight you," Grug said. At that, people stiffened around them as such a conciliatory phrasing opened the negotiations- from the clearly weaker side.

"Same here," Anton said smoothly. "I am sure that you have heard some of our explanation for how things turned out this way- otherwise you would not have come. But I would love to hear your current understanding."

Grug had spoken first, and no amount of glaring from his sides was sufficient to make him understand that others didn't want that. Which might ultimately have been the best possible outcome. "A bunch of the top sects attacked you guys and stole people. Then you were mad at them so you came to kill them."

"They stole people and cultivation," Anton clarified. "Through a process called Transferral."

"Stealing cultivation isn't a transfer. It's stealing," Grug said. "And that's bad."

Anton nodded seriously. Anishka could see something weird about his hair, but she wasn't sure what it was. "You're right. It's bad. Though if it had only been cultivators from the upper realms… well, that was the common ground that led towards what we thought was going to be a prosperous relationship. But we did nothing to harm anyone from Ekict before the attack upon us. Would you like to see?"

"See… what?" Grug asked.

"Some of the attacks."

"I'm not really a fan of violence," Grug said.

"That's fair," Anton said, but made sure to sweep his eyes over the rest. "Just be aware that recordings of many of the situations are available for viewing, should you desire proof beyond our word. Or that of the local records," Anton added. "While you think about that, I can offer our terms. They are simple enough. You don't have to fight for us. Just don't fight against us. This extends to your sects as well. We can get you in communication with any of them if necessary. It also covers the common people. In fact, it would apply to everyone… except of course the large sects who started everything have already gone far beyond what is acceptable."

"... What if some of us fought you?" asked one of the other cultivators. "Some of those from my ship had sectmates who fought in earlier battles."

"Did anyone actually choose to fight us?" Anton asked. Though he wasn't the only individual qualified to speak, it was also nice for the experienced grandpa in the room to be delivering all of their information. He held up a hand, "It doesn't actually matter. We are prepared to offer blanket forgiveness to anyone not part of a specific list of sects. Obviously the Gates of the Earth were one of those, but we can give you the full list if anyone wished to raise objections to any of their blacklisted statuses." Anton went through them all one by one. Nobody had any objections. Except… "You seem to have something you want to say," Anton called out one of the others. "Please, make your case."

"Well, uh," a middle aged man who seemed comfortable in his shadowy corner obviously hadn't expected to speak. "I don't know about all of them. In fact, I think this stuck with me because it was an exception. But there was someone from the Night Island Gang that helped me out against a beast. Didn't ask for a cut or anything. Seemed nice."

"That is a point in their favor," Anton agreed. "If anyone has similar tales, feel free to mention them later. We're not interested in wiping out your system's cultivation or combat strength. Unfortunately, we can't abide by anyone practicing Transferral, especially as they were willing to turn it on us while we were friends."

"Yeah," Grug said. "They aren't good allies."

With that, they covered various other points. Mostly practical things, such as how they would return people to their sects- without making them targets for other natives of Ekict. Once they got some momentum behind them with a majority of smaller sects agreeing to remain out of the war and secondarily to protect each other's interests in that regard, then they wouldn't be so vulnerable. But at the moment, many sects were split up under the leadership of the greater sects- and they weren't all fortunate enough to have successfully taken over ships. Some hadn't tried, fearing the consequences, and some had failed. Outside of ships, they simply wouldn't be mobile enough to participate in the war- so they only had to deal with being yanked back and forth and marching day after day.

Though nobody would be required to fight against their own people, it would be beneficial if the Trifold Alliance could have the direct support of local sects. But that was for another time. Not one terribly distant given the current pace of the war, but perhaps it would be brought up in a day or two.

Chapter 683

Though he wanted to put on a strong front for the sake of morale, Anton also didn't want to make his allies overconfident. Thus, he informed everyone who needed to be aware of his injuries. He received more than a few offers to give him miraculous medicines that would probably help. But while he expected many of them could indeed accomplish the task, most would be an intense experience that would put him out of commission for a time. Even if it was only a few days, now was the most critical period.

For those who wanted more details, he showed them his chest without any visual illusions, horribly damaged with muscle and bones charred away. And while most of the offers to assist him were cultivation medicines, Gabriela had another option for him.

"Your biggest problem… well, I guess I can't really say what part of that is worst," she shook her head. "But there's something we can provide a short term solution for. Replicating the damaged ribcage and sternum would be pretty much trivial. We could stick some flexible metal in there and you'd hardly notice." She shrugged, "Except for how you'd have to stop your body from rejecting foreign materials. But that's got to be easier than hardening energy to replace bones. You'd have to go meet up with the Wayfarer though."

"It would be nice," Anton agreed. "But could you make it out of something different?"

"Like what? You have special materials?"

"I was just hoping for a ceramic."

"Sure, we have that. Though I'm pretty sure we solved all of the problems with leeching."

"It's just an issue of things being magnetic."

"We have non-magnetic options," she assured him.

"How non-magnetic? Does that include at the level of a neutron star? Because it's very important."

"Uh… I think you'd have to talk to the doctor about that," Gabriela admitted.

"I would be glad to consult," Anton said. "But will this take long?"

"We can throw you to the top of the line. And making a sturdy mold shouldn't take long with our functioning equipment on the Wayfarer. We have to be able to provide most major medical services, so simple prostheses and replacement bones are fairly easy. Especially if it's only temporary."

"I would like to speak to one of your doctors, then."

Among cultivators, glasses were rare- and everyone from their systems were cultivators to some level. Body Tempering was the first step on the path, so seeing someone with glasses was uncommon. But here he was.

"I was almost completely blind," the man said before Anton could do more than look. He tapped his glasses, "These fix up the last vestiges, and have some additional features."

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"But you thought about it. It's my job as a doctor to make sure patients are comfortable, so I'm good at reading people. And I really don't mind this. Besides, people constantly come to me with worse. I'm Gareth, by the way."

"So I was informed," Anton nodded. "I need some replacement bones."

"Alright, that will probably involve some surgery and- oh. It's pretty accessible, huh?" Doctor Gareth stroked his chin. "We'll need you to go through some scans. And uh… if you could contain your energy to a minimum, at least within or in front of the area. The machines can be pretty sensitive. They're not really made for Assimilation cultivators." The process was actually rather swift. Anton put his body in the tube, and came out ten minutes later. Gareth was looking at a screen. "Alright, so you'll need a replacement here," he circled his fingers on the screen. "The blue ribs are the parts that are missing or severely damaged. We'll try to cut out the minimum amount of healthy bone."

"Would it be easier to just chop off an extra centimeter?"

"I mean, we really couldn't…"

"I'm going to have a long process to fix all of this anyway. I'd rather not have to come in and out as you make adjustments. And the less time you have to spend on me, the better."

Gareth nodded, "Fine, I get it. But we do need to make sure what we do is functional. The muscle… it's going to take a lot longer to help with that."

"I will handle that myself," Anton said. "If you can provide a basis of proper bone structure, it will significantly recover my combat effectiveness. I do have some stipulations, though."

"Unless you have top tier materials, we don't have access. Even for you," Gareth shook his head. "Sorry."

"I just need something non-magnetic. And not just low on the charts. But something that wouldn't tear apart if you put it near a neutron star. Specifically, a magnetar. Or at least… many times more than the largest magnetic fields normally experienced."

"Oh, I see," Gareth nodded seriously. "We'll take a careful look at the specs then. You're right, most metals that are considered non-magnetic still have a very real interaction. So not even paramagnetism…" Gareth frowned. "We can at least get something equal to or less than the human body. Actual complete lack of it requires purity levels we can't achieve."

"That will have to do," Anton said. "I do have control, but I would rather not have to consider potential harms to myself. The whole point of this is to free my energy to do other things."

"Great," Gareth said, adjusting the parameters on the screen. "So these red parts will be overlaps. We'll have to make surgical cuts to remove bone…"

"I can do that," Anton said. "It is my own body, so if I have clear guidelines…"

"If we had the luxury of time, I'd push you towards accepting regular surgery."

"How long would that take?"

"Hours," Gareth said. "Probably just a few."

"During which I would be completely incapacitated." Anton held up a hand, "It's not that I don't trust you. But I might be needed."

"As long as you can manage the right precision…" Gareth said, "We'll have to accept that. Stronger cultivators usually get involved with their own health directly anyway. I'll have someone go over some things with you, just so you don't miss anything."

Less than a day later, and Anton had something resembling a fully functional ribcage and sternum. The muscle overlaying it was still just as bad as it had been, and he was encouraging the more functional parts to attach to the fake bone. It wouldn't be a good long term solution for many reasons, but it would last for some weeks or months. It was at least as strong as his tempered bones- for most cultivators, that didn't really change much after reaching Essence Collection. It not being his own flesh would slightly limit his ability to infuse it with energy, but it was still a step better than dead bone or nothing at all. Anton was glad his internal organs had remained mostly intact, and he had accepted medicines to promote general internal healing. These relied on augmenting his own energy to fulfill specific purposes.

He had been pleased to learn about the Wayfarer shooting Otakar, and he hoped Otakar's injured were at least as bad as his own. However, sensors from the Wayfarer had been unable to receive detailed enough information about that, even when he came to attack them. The only thing that was certain was that he was weaker. And that the connection in the sun was definitely to him, and Anton could influence it. Probably somewhat less from here, but if he could also attack the man at the same time it should be worth it.

Or he could attack basically anyone on the planet. It might involve a bit of flying around in space, but nothing could stop him. Except Otakar, who they were having trouble finding. Perhaps that should be his job instead. Though finding the man or drawing him out could happen in parallel to targeting troublesome enemy cultivators.

Much of the next few days involve escorting local cultivators around- whether or not they knew he was doing so. The amazing thing about technology was that they could share information easily, so planning routes for them that should take them only through territory that was relatively safe was easier. But who could say what would happen if ships were brave enough to move around, or someone on the ground set up some sort of trap or artillery. Not that the large sects really knew what was going on- the aforementioned lack of ubiquitous communication- but no doubt someone had spotted ships flying as they weren't supposed to.

Anton wasn't the only one doing the same, but he was capable of covering the most distance. He could shoot down both attacks and attackers if something came up- and he didn't even have to truly concern himself with the time for his attacks to arrive, as he could mainly use light. It was a bit weaker, but for the vast majority of cases it would be sufficient. Basically unless Integration cultivators showed up, in which case he would personally approach and take them out, along with any other members of the Trifold Alliance in the area.

As Anton roamed about, he came to a conclusion. Otakar was nowhere on the planet. No, that wasn't quite right. Others had postulated the same, but he'd still shown up to battles. In that case, it should be said that he was nowhere on the surface of the planet. Even just a few dozen meters or dirt or stone blocked most people's senses, and it didn't take more than a couple hundred to stop even Anton. So as long as the entrance to wherever he was didn't happen to take up an obscene amount of space, it would require luck to stumble upon it. Or some sort of guidance. Anton might be able to sense all sources of natural energy within hundreds of kilometers, but that didn't mean he knew where every pothole and worm was. He would have to focus on a tiny area to get the fine details.

Someone with Otakar's power seemed like they should stand out like a sore thumb- or a burning star in the sky. But that wasn't the case. Either he was an expert at concealing his energy when it was out of use- clearly not the case when he was active as he revealed himself hundreds of kilometers away to normal senses- or there were formations helping conceal him. Or perhaps both.

If they could get him to appear a few more times, they could triangulate possible positions. But Anton didn't want to wait for him any longer. It was unclear if he would be able to recover from his wounds quickly- but it hardly mattered. It should take at least weeks, and though they could be gone by that point, that would be asking for him to put the whole system under his heel more directly- possibly killing anyone who had accepted peace. And then they would have to worry about him showing up in their own systems to cause damage. Assuming that he was only able to create a conduit in a single star was not ideal. No, he had to die. The sooner the better.

So they were going to either draw him out with the next big move, or if they were lucky they would complete their assault on the large sects and then Anton would use the conduit in the sun to try to track him down through that connection. He might be able to resist that, but if they could spot him for even a moment that might be enough.

But Anton was also worried about something else. If the connection went one way, could it go both? As far as he could tell, he couldn't do anything but stifle the flow of energy to Otakar's conduit, however it was formed. Sensing where it flowed was basically the next step. His Assimilation applied to the star as a whole so he doubted Otakar would be able to exert any sort of restrictions on him in reverse- but he had to consider that. Just because the man hadn't tried yet didn't mean he couldn't or wouldn't. And he had been quite interested in Anton's effects on the sun. So in the case Otakar could influence the sun as a whole, what was Anton going to do? He pondered that question, and didn't particularly like the answers he came to. But at least none of them involved destroying the sun. Unless things got much worse than he could possibly foresee.

Chapter 684

One by one, a myriad of scrolls and tomes with the techniques of Ekict passed before Anton's eyes. The ultimate goal of the Trifold Alliance was not to rob the system blind- though people were hungry for some form of recompense. Thus, the majority of the techniques would be remaining with the planet, to be distributed to the remaining sects. Hopefully that would lead to them standing on their own, not necessarily as an ally of the others, but not a lasting enemy either.

But there were certain things that they could not be allowed to keep, like Transferral. And a few other things that were currently under review. As it turned out, large sects that were willing to use something like Transferral had no qualms about collecting other forbidden techniques. Including ones against the very codes of conduct they were supposed to enforce. Collected to keep out of the wrong hands, obviously.

Anton had no qualms destroying the vast majority. Some had small parts kept- to come up with counters- but only the necessary portions. Then of course there were the sorts of forbidden that Everheart liked the most. Particularly effective techniques that could be harmful to their owners. Those… didn't necessarily need to be forbidden. People could make their own decisions. But anything that involved a sacrifice from other people, whether it was in the form of life, pain, or fear… those would not exist.

Then there were the techniques of the Observers of the Beyond, which were dangerous to the point that Anton was surprised they hadn't destroyed any planets yet. Then he thought of the ring around the sun, and supposed that wasn't necessarily true. This was the group that Anzela Ranik semi-intentionally infiltrated. They wanted her abilities for their sect, and if they had succeeded it was likely they could have made significant use of Distortion Beasts. Which was foolish and completely unacceptable. Distortion Beasts had caused half of the downfall of their sect, along with Anzela and the void ants sent with her.

Anton wished he could un-learn some of the information he now had in his head, but at least he could say he wasn't tempted to use any of it. Perhaps if it had been authored or at least refined by Everheart- the man wasn't always clear which parts he 'borrowed' from other techniques- then he would be tempted. But nothing came with so much power that the moral or physical damages would be worthwhile in Anton's estimation, and if they had been he was quite certain he could have resisted. Which was why he was one of those fulfilling that role.

Anton burned several holes in a scroll. "More on Transferral."

Choosing how much to keep could have been hotly debated for decades, but Anton generally erred more on the side of removal. Transferral had truly horrific consequences for some, but its main temptation was the ability to go beyond Life Transformation without ascending. And in the context of Ekict, he could see why it had been desirable. They had opponents with higher cultivation that they could convert, and they hated the upper realms enough to not ascend. Which was fairly reasonable, if insufficiently thought out. Anton thought that having people there to influence the goings on was probably the best option available, instead of just huddling in a single system. But fear had led to far worse choices in the past.

The haste of an approaching cultivator interrupted the perusal of those cataloging the techniques. Though people began getting messages before the running individual arrived.

Otakar. At the Northern Glacier Sect, even. He was proactive this time, not waiting for them to be engaged in battle. So he was confident, or desperate.

The target made sense. The Northern Glacier Sect was the most remote, relative to everything else, of the sects where they had forces stationed. They were there for the same reasons that Anton was surveying things at the Gates of the Earth- the techniques and resources. Moving a large sect's library was not a simple task, so performing those efforts in place was the most logical option.

And now Annelie was in danger. Anton could have considered the rest of the people there, but frankly it didn't matter. He would probably fly to their aid if they were the only factor, but as protecting Annelie would have the side effect of protecting them they were simply not considered.

Ten thousand kilometers was a bit far for Anton. If he had to deal with atmosphere the whole way, of course. But beyond a few hundred kilometers, the effort required to fire his attacks above the atmosphere was outweighed by how much his attacks would be restricted. The same was true for his senses- and in fact his senses were one of the major limiting factors for Horizon Shot.

He knew exactly the region he had to target, so his shots were fired before his senses were even focused on Otakar. No doubt it would be much easier for the man to dodge or block his attacks, and some of the energy of his Spirit Arrows would be consumed redirecting the attacks… but he wanted to contribute as soon as possible.

Something odd happened. As soon as he began to attack, Otakar's draw through his conduit increased. It could have been a coincidence, but it was too simultaneous to not be related. His attacks arrived shortly, predictably dealt with easily, but Anton was more concerned about the first part. They shouldn't have been within sensory range.

It didn't take much to guess what it was. At least on some level, things went two ways. Anton could sense Otakar's draw through his conduit, and Otakar could sense the flow to Anton. It was likely not a coincidence that it had happened while Anton was idle- though perhaps Otakar didn't consider Anton an important factor anymore. He would only know Anton survived indirectly, and even if he somehow learned more it would be that Anton was injured. Otakar was as well, but the man was still in a higher stage of cultivation.

That was why Anton didn't even think about killing the man alone. Or with just Annelie and those at the Northern Glacier Sect. No, the goal was to draw things out so that more could arrive.

Anton felt his body flex around his temporary sternum. Bones didn't feel much to begin with, unless they were damage, but as a cultivator Anton had a stronger sense of that, and his mind was reminding him there was nothing alive there. But it was still a good place to attach some faux muscles so he could keep shooting his bow as he flew up into the sky. He would be more effective closer.

It seemed Annelie had sensed the man coming, and had barricaded her forces in some sort of ice palace. It was once an important structure for the Northern Glacier Sect, and it would be rubble in a few minutes. Not that the sect had been pristine since they took it over.

Anton felt a tug. Not on his body, but on his heart and soul. Or rather, something beyond those. It disrupted his flow for a moment, but Anton didn't think Otakar could actually draw anything from him. Not right away, at least. The connection was there, and cultivation made many things possible… it was just a question of whether or not Otakar's path made it possible.

Soulstring twanged as Anton continued to fire his bow. He would have had little he could contribute had he lost the weapon, at least as far as top level battles were concerned. He was glad Everheart had given him something so durable so he could shoot the man with it if he ever came back. In the most appreciative way possible, of course.

Anton felt the ice palace tremble. Then, just like that, Otakar left. But just because he fled the Northern Glacier Sect didn't mean Anton and the others wouldn't track him down. If he fled into hiding, they would know where he went. There was nothing else to draw their attention now.

But instead of attempting that, he merely approached a large city. Anton couldn't discern his purpose. He simply cut through its protective barrier before he threw a series of powerful fireballs upon the city itself. But why? It was not a city that had been conquered or that contributed in any way to the Trifold Alliance. They were his only people.

Anton couldn't figure it out, and the whole time he kept up his bombardment of attacks while trying to vaguely keep up. It was hard for them to catch up to him directly, but he had to stop eventually.

At random points, Anton tried to throttle the flow of energy to Otakar. It seemed the man was ready, but the technique was still effective at limiting him. And though Anton didn't know why he was doing it, he tried to limit his attacks on friendly cultivators.

From sect to city to clan, Otakar targeted everything. Was that it? He knew he had lost and just wanted to burn the world down so no one else could have it? Certainly, Anton felt bursts of emotion from the attacks, but something told him this wasn't just the whims of a petulant child.

Then he realized. Fear. Fear was a form of devotion, and while it was unlikely Otakar was close to breaking through to a higher level of power… he could make use of that energy to help heal, and to keep himself going. The attacks on occupied areas were as swift as anywhere else, and even with people on alert many people fell.

Fleets were converging on Otakar, but would they be able to stop him? What they really needed was as many Assimilation cultivators as they could field, but they had to arrive simultaneously. Nobody could defeat him alone. Even closer to the sun, Anton had barely been able to do anything.

So this was what he wanted. To cause as much damage as possible to them. Or to string them out. But fortunately, people had caught wind of what he was doing and strategized. While many were chasing, the great thing about a globe was people could approach from all directions- including above. Otakar could fly to space but he would doubtlessly be attacked breaking past.

The flow of energy from the sun was occasionally tightened- both by Anton limiting Otakar's conduit, and by Otakar disrupting the flow going to Anton. It was a constant wrestling match, one Anton knew he would lose.

Ships began to fall, including their pilots and loose flying cultivators. The fastest knew they could do little but slightly hold Otakar back, but it was impossible to condense all of their forces into one place- or if they managed it, Otakar would simply leave, faster than the majority. Similar to Anton's own tactics, but Anton relied more on range. At least Otakar had to be in the general vicinity of everything he destroyed, everyone he was killing.

But he was drawing in as much power as he used. They couldn't wear him out, not in any reasonable amount of time. And the damage that would be caused before then would be immense. Assimilation cultivators were already being cut down, along with a moderate sized sect's worth of sub-ascension level cultivators. Not everyone died instantly… but if Otakar could continue like this, it didn't matter if they ultimately brought him down.

Anton couldn't catch him. But the coordinated efforts of the Trifold Alliance's ships brought the Wayfarer to him from above while others came at him from the sides. He could attempt to cut and burn his way out in any direction, but he was still ultimately just one man, and still injured.

A tug. Otakar wanted a greater flow of power. A squeeze. Anton called up on all his power from Fleeting Youth, ascension and spectral energy alike, trying to stop Otakar. He tried to squeeze the conduit, but he felt himself shoved away as Otakar slashed into the spatial distortion fields of the ship carrying Ingeborg. A section of the ring melted, greatly weakening the effect. But Otakar just wanted to cause damage, and continued past, never engaging anyone for more than an instant.

Unless he could get more power. Then he would. A tug. Otakar didn't have a true connection to the star. Or at least, it was different than Anton's. But he tried to pull upon it. How many times had he tried? Fifty? A hundred?

Anton felt a trickle of power drawn from the sun. It still didn't come from him, but it surpassed the flow Otakar's conduit should have been capable of.

His hands stopped, he let the faux muscles on his chest fade. He had to focus on the most important thing. The outer battle mattered less than this. The fearful devotion Anton could not stop, but he could handle the sun.

Otakar wrestled for control over Anton's connection. He didn't have a proper connection formed inside him, so at most he could divert more energy through his strange conduit. That increased not only his recovery of energy, but based on what Anton had seen also his maximum output- the rate at which he could kill and destroy. People were dying, and it seemed as if Otakar didn't care whose they were.

Another tug made Anton clutch his chest. He couldn't win the fight. Although… he did feel something. Devotion came not just for Otakar, but for others. Including himself. It wasn't just those of the alliance, but also many from Ekict. He hadn't intended that result with his previous worldwide appearance, but it was a nice side effect.

Everyone on the planet was watching, or would be soon. Anton wondered if attempting to inform them would help or hurt Otakar more. Morale was tricky like that. Ultimately, he couldn't help but attempt a soothing message. He pulled away from the solar struggle for a moment, drawing on some of that energy to boost his voice once more. "Don't worry everyone. We'll take care of this. Don't be afraid."

In truth, Anton couldn't tell if he reduced the fear of Otakar. The general flow of devotion continued to increase, though perhaps that rate was less for the fear.

Unfortunately, Otakar had continued to wrestle for solar control. When Anton focused on it again, the man was firmly tugging it towards him. Not only that, but Anton felt him attempting to form a deeper connection. It was a familiar feeling. Anton was unsure if he would actually achieve proper Assimilation- if that was even possible with an Augmentation cultivation. But he had to do his best to stop it.

He held on desperately, grateful for every shred of devotion. It would be most effective to slowly improve his cultivation, but for the moment he needed every spark of energy for this.

He felt his grip weakening, wishing there was something… anything he could do. If Otakar increased his power, would there be anything that could stop him?

Once more Anton almost lost his grip. And then, he did. Or rather, he let go. After giving the power a proper shove of course. It was the only thing he could think to do. And like Anton expected from a sack of potatoes, Otakar stumbled under its sudden weight.

The connection was formed. Power flowed through it, exactly like when Anton had achieved Assimilation. And that was why Anton did it. A huge step forward in power. But Anton had been very careful how he went about it. Otakar… was in a more desperate situation.

Nobody could quite describe what happened after that. The timing fortunately found Otakar above an ocean, and the shockwave of power that exploded out from him was diffuse enough that more people and ships were shunted away than instantly melted.

Senses and scanners were overloaded for a few moments, and then there was only a tiny mote. The only thing that was truly certain was that only the tiniest portion of a sun's power had gone through Otakar at that moment. Not a single percent, or tenth of a percent. Even that would have been enough to destroy the planet, instead of simply boiling away part of an ocean. No, it was a very small portion of the sun's power indeed. The tiniest sliver. Far more than Anton had ever wielded, and of course more than had been sufficient to turn him into charcoal.

And it didn't destroy the sun, which was a plus. If anyone asked, Anton would assure them he was completely certain about the results. Which was only partially untrue. He had at least been certain it would cause Otakar more harm than good for a few moments.

The mote of light that remained was later determined to be a solar heart. Not from any information Otakar carried, but from the underground palace he dwelled in that they eventually found. Anton was both extremely annoyed and relieved that his was not the only storage bag with inestimable value lost to Ekict's sun.

Chapter 685

The loss of life from Otakar's final moments was unfortunate, as the power had burst from him. But it was far preferable to what would have happened if he had continued his rampage, or otherwise been successful in forming a more stable bond with the sun.

Instead, he attempted to use Anton's- and giving it to him had been his downfall. Anton wished it hadn't come to that, not because he particularly had sympathy for Otakar but because of the consequences to himself.

At least he had successfully accomplished an experiment he never wanted- that of what would happen if he gave up a connection to a star. He survived, which was good. But his cultivation dropped one rank, from the one hundred and twentieth to one hundred and nineteenth. That represented at least five years of effort, maybe six or seven.

Anton simply felt wiped out. Without a proper connection to a star in the system, he was left with recovering energy like a Life Transformation cultivator, plus the greatly reduced connections to his other stars. He would survive, and he would have gladly given more if it was necessary… but with the results as they were he just wanted a break.

He would be returning to Ceretos for some time, once issues with Ekict were rounded up. The major dangers were gone, but Ekict still had Transferral cultivators and others who had been involved with the attack. Even if they were gone, simply leaving would leave the system destabilized. The remaining sects might fight over the scraps of the larger ones, further weakening the system. If it left them open to an invasion when the next cycle came, it would be the fault of the Alliance- because they could help. Hopefully, Ekict could work with them for the sake of the reason they had seemed like great potential allies to begin with.

Those who would remain were just people. It was impossible to say whether there would be anything but negative feelings between the systems in the future. Even those from smaller sects who chose to work with them might not feel like they had a choice. But that was something only time could tell.

Another war continued, far away in the upper realms. Instead of having any sort of decisive action, it had turned into something of a longer term stalemate. But it was uncertain how long it might remain that way.

Yaitis was still contested on the edge of Harmonious Citadel Space, but the communication jamming formations were being systematically dismantled. There was still the matter of the Harmonious Citadel currently controlling access from space, as their fleets had maintained a greater level of communication… but Yaitis was no longer in its isolated state, and more than just crazy swordmasters were willing to make the approach.

"I'm going to kill all of the saints," Catarina declared.

Timothy grinned, "That is our goal, but if it was so easy I think we would have already done it, would we not?"

"Not at all," Catarina countered. "Because never before have three of them stayed on the same planet for so many years, wrestling with us and keeping us from getting to our son."

"I don't know why you're in a rush now," Timothy said. "We've finally gotten clear news. He's alive and well… and likely to stay that way."

"Unless Chikere's plan works," Catarina pointed out. "In which case the sword saint will be showing up and killing everyone. Or Chidi will be fighting an Integration cultivator in early Life Transformation."

"I'll admit to having a high estimation of our son's abilities," Timothy said. "But that's a bit much. Still, we should have plenty of time before that. He's only been in Essence Collection for a few years. It should take him at least twenty-five."

"Unless Chikere decides he should fight this person while he's still in Essence Collection."

"That…" Timothy frowned. "I wouldn't expect her judgment to be that far off. But I certainly agree we can't afford to wait for that limit. Still, a few more years-"

"I finished," Catarina declared.

"Finished what?" Timothy asked. "Plans for some grand formation?"

"Of course not. The plans were in place long ago. No, I intend to cast the Harmonious Citadel's so-called saints into the void."

"And how will you do that… without destroying the planet?" Timothy asked. "Because do remember that the Scarlet Alliance wants to hold this position afterwards."

Catarina nodded slowly, "I am aware. We will require Tauno's support. I was hoping that Prasad and the One Thousand Palm Sect might draw some of them away, but they're not exactly eager to jump into the war."

"I imagine old fellows like that think they are being quite hasty already," Timothy pointed out. "Some of them will be three times our age."

"Humans are not suited to live so many centuries," Catarina said. "Through the generations, cultivators lose perspective on the fundamentals of the world."

"Regardless of why, they would likely prefer to draw things out for a decade or two before launching any sort of real attack on the eastern part of the Harmonious Citadel's territory."

Catarina clicked her tongue. "What is the point of Augmentation cultivators if they won't do anything?"

"Tauno is quite active," Timothy pointed out.

"But he's new… and he was still hiding in isolation for some time."

"So. This formation you've set up. If it's finished, can we just activate it?"

"We're missing some information," Catarina said. "As it is, we might draw all of Torthunes into the void. Or worse, nobody. We need to provoke the saints to battle to properly attune it. And no, I couldn't have done this during the previous battles since it wasn't ready to attune."

It was quite amusing to see a large box plopped down in what was clearly meant to be a large open square. Of course, nobody would acknowledge it for what it was. Obviously it was a plan by the saints, perhaps with plans to reveal entirely new statues.

And if Velvet believed that, she would never have been any good as an infiltrator regardless of what stealth stills she had. It only took a bit of digging to get people to admit that it was definitely not vandalism, and if it was it certainly wasn't caused by Everheart. She would have had to be as indoctrinated as Vari had once been to not understand that. But the Harmonious Citadel had a pretty successful history with that indoctrination, so Velvet simply had to assume that whatever people believed was wrong. But of course, not everything would be the opposite either. No, that would be too easy.

Not that she intended to trust her interpretation of rumors as the final source. What she wanted were documents. Some of them had to have the truth, or at least something closer to the truth. Otherwise a large sect like this would never last. They might be secret, but if they were going to be anywhere Velvet imagined some of them were in this place. The central hub of Rouhiri, where the eight towers of the saints stood. Because they definitely still had eight saints. The bow saint and spear saint dead? Clearly vicious rumors. And anyone who had seen it firsthand just happened to be shipped off to the frontlines to die for the cause. Sorry, 'gain favor'.

No doubt this wasn't the only place with sensitive information, but they must keep some things. If she was able to actually get in and out of the tower alive and free. And while it was tempting to just give it a shot, it only took one failed infiltration for her career and life to be over. She'd spend long enough getting to this place, a couple more years wouldn't hurt. Maybe a decade or more, if she was honest. She needed perfect circumstances- and to know what those circumstances would be and when they would happen.

The Everheart System was beginning to look good, which was to say it was taking on its proper role as a giant deathtrap. Everheart even had some time to pop in and out to check on what the kids of the Scarlet Alliance were doing. He did want to bring some more justice to the Harmonious Citadel as a whole, but he hadn't found any particularly vulnerable locations to rob. He also wasn't interested in getting swarmed by a half dozen Augmentation cultivators. The spear saint Damjan was dead, so his main grudge had been settled. He just had a long list of other grievances with them to get to.

But no, they didn't matter. The Harmonious Citadel was a problem, certainly, but compared to the others they were small fry. The location of his tomb had been well known- intentionally placed directly between the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Quadrant. His treasures had interested people but the two places had also truly believed he was dead. Thus, because of their little agreement to keep the area neutral they had mostly not sent anyone of note.

Revealing a long term location now would be premature- especially as his chosen system was out of the normal routes, with nobody to notice armies flying. It would be better for later, if anyone wanted to attempt to siege him, but until the system was completely done instead of just basically functional it was a risk. He would probably do well to stall for another century, but knowing himself he couldn't actually wait more than a couple decades. Besides, an interesting opportunity was bound to pop up soon enough.

Food. Food was one of the most important parts of life, especially for cultivators below the higher ranks. But even Life Transformation cultivators and Assimilation cultivators needed to eat. They could just get by with more varied options, if they didn't want to get anything but pure subsistence out of it.

A month ago, Anton had been carrying a wondrous selection of seeds from all kinds of crops. He never knew when he was going to want to set up some local populace with something new. But… all of that was gone. It could be replaced, of course, but it wasn't a short trip to Ceretos and back. He would miss out on an entire season if he went himself, an entire season that Ekict was behind. The war had really put a damper on their planting, disrupting the lives of even non-cultivators.

So Anton was going from place to place helping out with both work and advice. Three centuries of personal experience proved him to be a great asset in both sorts of cultivation. Perhaps it wasn't his place to decided that Ekict would have everyone cultivating like his home systems, but Anton saw no reason to let a system of inequality maintain itself. And just as the weaker cultivators had felt oppressed by the large sects, so too did those who could not cultivate compared to any others.

Today, Anton found himself in wide open plains. Perfect land for farming, if not for the scorching heat. But that simply meant a different selection of crops was preferable. This was the land of the Vermillion Inferno, a group that had been massively beneficial to Anishka. Though they found each other by coincidence, they chose to help in her time of need. They had also helped her with following plans.

"I just don't know why I'm here, swinging a damn pick," Haroun grumbled.

"You'd better not be swinging a pick," Anton said. "We're hoeing."

"Don't they have… fancy ploughs for this?"

"Do you have any?" Anton grinned.

"No. But also, I didn't sign up for this."

"If you're going to be here, you'll do work. Or you can wait for my guidance at a later date. Or if you don't like my style, strike off on your own and figure out Assimilation in fifty or a hundred years."

"Yeah right," Haroun said.

"I think you could, now that you know it's possible," Anton said. "No guarantees you don't get yourself killed though."

"I've yet to hear any useful advice," Haroun complained again. Though his protests were token at best. He kept doing the work.

"That just means you should have been listening better. Now then, as we feel the heat of the sun and the ground beneath us, we are preparing plants to grow." Anton knew that Haroun's style of cultivation wouldn't match Anton's own, but it wouldn't hurt him to hear some of those things. Or to appreciate how much plain and beneficial work an individual would do. He would still receive personalized guidance, as promised. And resources, once they arrived. But those were barely relevant compared to the knowledge.

Chapter 686

Claws and teeth came for his throat. Their sharpness and intent was clear, and he responded in kind. Chidi's blade snapped forward, slicing through fur- but barely scratching the flesh underneath. He weaved around the teeth and claws, knowing that even the smallest scratch could lose him the battle. The pace of attacks became more frantic, biting and growling as he avoided his somewhat larger opponent.

He felt the oily coating of poison on the claws and teeth. Aconite was able to extend not just sharpness beyond her fangs and claws, but the effects of the poison as well. His blade parried an incoming swipe, at the same time knocking her away. The positioning of Chidi's blade was supposed to slice into her, but her defensive energy hardened her already durable fur, angling it so the edge slid away.

With some distance between them, the two combatants readied themselves for the next move. Chidi held his blade high, ready to thrust forward should Aconite pounce. She would not underestimate what his blade could do. Though he wouldn't kill her, he didn't have perfect control either. She might get a lasting injury if he cut more muscle or bone than he intended, or if the cuts were imperfect.

They stood in position for five seconds. Ten. Then Aconite stepped forward slowly. Chidi shifted his body as he heard the footfalls and the shifting air. Or at least, he tried to. Instead, he remained still. Another step. He pushed his body to move. But his muscles didn't respond. He tried to force movement, but found that not only were his muscles not responding to him, but tightly locked up. If he used his energy to reposition his body, he could easily snap a muscle or break a bone.

He would have announced his loss, but… muscles and all that. Aconite showed it clear from her perspective when she wrapped her jaws around his face. But sharp teeth didn't even touch him as she pulled away. "You missed something," she growled.

Chidi was already circulating his energy to purge the poison. A handy side effect of training with her was that he had an expert in such things. Though he didn't always go along with her recommendation to leave some for the body's natural processes. He wouldn't gain as much immunity purging everything, but his body and energy weren't devoted to such training so even if he tried the process would be many times slower than Aconite.

"I… don't sense it," Chidi managed with vocal chords that barely flexed.

Aconite stepped closer. "Really? Try again."

Chidi flared his nostrils. That merely worsened his condition. Something inhaled, then. But when had Aconite had time to release a gas? Aconite stepped back, then she shook wildly, her fur fluffing and a bit of matted blood barely clinging. It was both a gesture to make her more comfortable, and a clue. The finest powder was mixed with her natural dander. And fortunately she'd directed it away from him so he would be able to go about his business sooner.

"So you coated your fur before showing up…" Chidi nodded.

"I often do the same when traveling," Aconite explained.

"I suppose I missed it."

"It's not meant to be obvious. And I don't leave behind a trail unless I intend to, or our squad would die."

"You have lethal ones?" Chidi asked.

"It is only lethal for the weak. Some of them are weak."

That was true. Though Captain Tiras and Vice Captain Denitsa were also in Essence Collection, many of the others were stuck at the peak of Spirit Building. Though training together, it was likely many of them would soon make the advancement. Meanwhile, Chidi himself had just recently reached the midpoint of Essence Collection, at least by certain measures.

After cleaning up the battlefield- they didn't want anyone to randomly get paralyzed- they made their way back into the main part of Shutoll. There, Captain Tiras met them. "Good, you're back. I was about to go get the two of you."

"You needed us for something? Are we going on a mission?"

"Not immediately. However, we've been reassigned."

"Why?" Chidi asked as he began to follow.

"A new Major came in."

"From where?" Chidi asked.

"She's new," Tiras emphasized.

What was that supposed to mean? Wait. "You mean like, she actually arrived here?" Chidi gestured vaguely to the sky, though he didn't turn his head because it would be pointless. "They broke through the blockade?"

"Not quite. She came alone. Like Chikere, in a way."

"Is she also that strong?"

"Well I… don't want to speculate too much," Tiras shook his head.

So they made their way through the city streets, to the military sector. Even as they were meeting up with the rest of the squad and getting in position, Chidi felt someone approaching. There weren't exactly many Integration cultivators on Yaitis, and Shutoll specifically mainly had Chikere- and only some of the time. Chidi wondered why this imposing figure wasn't a general, then. She could easily take a higher position.

"Officers, step forward please."

Technically, that included Chidi now. Tiras and Denitsa actually had a few squads under them, and Chidi was qualified to lead one. Though in general, he only took leadership positions with regards to scouting.

He had the feeling it included him and Aconite, however, so they also stepped forward.

He felt the gaze of the woman and her power as he saluted. Aconite did her own version, given she didn't have the anatomy. "Hmm. I see. It's not your cultivation that made you stand out, then."

Something was weird. It felt like the voice was coming from… lower than expected? Chidi angled his head. Yes, instead of what had felt like a woman taller than himself, he found she was actually barely even chest height. A little bit more after one considered her helmet. She wore full armor, and in one hand she held a glaive. Perhaps that had skewed his perspective, because it was a good three meters in length.

There was something else about her. Without trying to probe too deep, Chidi could tell from her voice that she was older. At least, that was how he'd come to interpret that. There could be some other reason, but he wasn't going to probe through her armor to check for wrinkly skin.

Her cultivation, however, was clearly displayed. And it was… weak. For an Integration cultivator, of course. Or perhaps instead of weak, Chidi should say… new.

"If seems you have questions." Was he that obvious? "Go ahead. Chidi, is it?"

"Did you recently ascend?"

"That's right," she said. "From Roistea."

"Congratulations," Chidi said. He really didn't know what else to say. "We're glad to have you in the Scarlet Alliance."

"And I am glad to be here," she said. "And to be given a chance to prove my worth. So I asked for the best. I would like to give you a chance to demonstrate. Come with me to the sparring grounds. I will test each of you."

Some light growls. "Aconite would like to know if she will be allowed to use poisons."

"Not for this part."

Aconite began to lick her paws as she moved.

The matches started at the top which meant Tiras was first. He wielded his spear against her glaive, but within a few moves he found an opening to stab her in the chest. Or at least what looked like one. His spear lost all momentum and her glaive came down upon his shoulder- also stopping, but not because of anything Tiras did.

Was it unfair? Perhaps. Major Sibylla was in Integration, after all. Then again, Chidi didn't feel like she'd used much energy, and even if her armor had taken much of the blow it was Tiras' fault for not attacking some other way.

Denitsa's fight also did not last long. Once again, Sibylla let her land a hit. The smaller woman staggered back half a step, but considering that Denitsa's hammer had struck her directly in the head and nothing snapped, it wasn't much. Once again, Chidi felt an efficient use of energy to achieve that effect.

Then it was him. He challenged himself to do better. He doubted he could harm her unless she didn't resist at all, but that was actually freeing. He could try anything. Obviously he wasn't going to attempt to chop or slice through her armor, but there were always weaker points. Joints, the elbows, beneath the shoulder, the thighs. And the gaps of waist and torso and around the neck. The armor there would be more soft and flexible, and no doubt still high quality. But at least theoretically possible to pierce through.

Chidi's first move appeared to be an overhead chop, but Sibylla just tilted the bottom half of her planted glaive. A simple flick to the side, and his attack coming from below was deflected into the sturdiest part of her thigh, momentum negated. Chidi pulled back, in the same motion sweeping up towards her armpit. Depending on how she moved it could be a stab or a slash. This time, she had to make a larger motion to parry his blade. When she also slashed down towards him with the tip of the glaive, Chidi ducked away. It was clearly intentionally slowed, but it had almost reached him- at which point he would have taken a clear loss. He actually managed to avoid several more attacks, feeling the sharpness of the bladed polearm. And then… pain. Pain in his ribs. He hadn't even considered the movement an attack until the haft of the weapon struck his ribs. But of course, that had been the whole point- to get him focused on the 'larger' threat, even though that attack could have killed him as well. At least, he thought that was what happened.

Major Sibylla didn't express any opinions, simply moving onto the next. Aconite without poison didn't have many options. She couldn't exactly overpower someone so far ahead in cultivation, so she attempted to gain a hold on the Major's weapon. But it was twisted out of her mouth- Aconite might have held on a moment longer at the risk of losing a tooth or two, but ultimately she wasn't well matched.

Those below Essence Collection were obviously not going to do any better. At least most of them managed to get a strike in before their loss. Sibylla seemed to let everyone make the first move, but some hesitated too long.

"More than adequate, for your cultivations," she judged everyone at once. "However, this is hardly a proper battlefield situation. Nor would you fight me one-on-one, unless you were foolish. I'd like to see you take proper action, but it would have to take place outside the city. I will have to request additional forces so we don't expose ourselves during a training exercise. Then you can try to hunt me down, and I can see how you properly function."

Chidi nodded to himself, thinking more about how far he had to go to be able to fight an Integration cultivator. Even one who was newly ascended was untouchable. How was he going to beat Rakiya on Chikere's timescale? Well, he was a bit more confident in sword versus sword. But even his growing skill and confidence didn't make him believe he could bridge the gap from Life Transformation. On the other hand, he didn't want to disappoint… so maybe he'd have to find some way to grow more.

In that way, this new Major might be a great opportunity. Chikere wasn't always around, and she was too much better than Chidi. He could learn a lot from her, but not how to win against a stronger cultivator. Not with just that, at least. And for the sake of practicality, Chidi had to consider fighting other styles. There was no way he would be lucky enough for all of his future opponents to use swords- and if he was, perhaps some would have the proper obsession with them to overpower him. Even Chikere would likely lose out to a stronger sword cultivator, if one could be found.

Her voice came into his head unbidden. "They're only stronger until you win."

That was probably supposed to be motivational, but instead it just made him think that he was gambling his life any time he fought someone stronger. Then again, maybe that was true. And though Chikere seemed to have won all of those 'gambles', Chidi shouldn't assume that would be the case for anyone forever. If two people with perfect records came up against each other, one would be losing it.

One thing that did assuage Chidi's fears somewhat was that even Chikere's record wasn't perfect. She had losses in her past, she'd just survived them. Not that there were many he was aware of.

Chapter 687

Saying that anyone won a war like that with Ekict was never really true. What was an acceptable amount of losses in such a situation? In Anton's opinion, nothing good came of the war. The current situation on Ekict where the average individual had greater autonomy didn't require a war, and though Anton was confident it would continue to develop nobody could truly predict the future.

Lives were lost, and the main change to Weos, Rutera, and Ceretos was to restrict access. Greater security was theoretically good, but the fact that people felt they needed it meant it was only negative. Not that there were all that many systems they were interacting with on a regular basis. There were the three systems of the Sylanis cluster- they remained at peace even now, though there had been tension during the duration of the war with Ekict.

Beyond that, there was Gnadus. A frozen planet with the total population of a mid sized city. Some individuals chose to leave, while others chose to go to Gnadus for training. The harsh environment was favored by some, and while having the choice to leave via means other than ascension might make people 'soft', Anton thought it was better for people to be soft and alive. At least those who couldn't handle the life of a dedicated cultivator, and the great intensity it sometimes required.

Then there was Doruma, just barely poking out of their shell in the decades after the last invasion from the upper realms. They were insular to begin with, so having another excuse to remain isolated set back the progress of befriending them on a wider level significantly. They had never opened their borders for visitation to begin with, and their location was officially kept secret at their request.

Shrenn and Tenoun'a were four times as far away as Ekict, half of the way to Azun and In'istra. Thus, it was impractical to interface with them in any capacity. Even simple messages could take a long time to arrive. They were still busy healing from their long centuries of strife, so they also didn't have much interested in dealing with outsiders.

Beyond that, there were a few systems within a few dozen lightyears that had some signs of life. Establishing contact with them would now be much more cautious. A greater secrecy on one side would also lead to slower developments of any future relationships in either direction.

Anton hated to see such a level of distrust and discord, but perhaps he was simply biased by how simple things had been with Rutera and Weos. Aside from an infestation of upper realms spies, Weos had been quite cooperative. And Rutera was truly friendly from the very beginning, even when they had reason to be afraid of Ceretos' power. Hoping that things would continue so smoothly in the future was overly optimistic.

The Sergeant was late. Even she could admit that, having delayed until the last wave of void ants returning to their home systems. And she hadn't wanted to go, because Anishka still remained with Ekict. It was her relatively weakness that allowed them to trust her, and that was exactly why she needed protection. But while the Sergeant had gained the support of other void ants and even some Royal Guard, she had to report back eventually. And she had promised to answer for her disobedience of orders.

She had followed her truthful interpretation of the Great Queen's orders, but pushing that to the point of disobeying Royal Guard with a different interpretation… well, it was up to the Great Queen to decide what would happen. Disobeying orders in theory could be punished by death. In practice, it simply wasn't done. That was why the Lieutenant and the Royal Guard had been so confused. A sergeant wasn't even supposed to have her own interpretation of orders. And the Sergeant understood that.

Void ants were social creatures. They lived in great colonies of millions or more, but the Sergeant had thought she would be approaching the Great Queen alone. She was wrong. At least, her squad approached as far as protocol allowed, the Royal Guard following her to the Great Queen's very audience chamber before letting her approach the final steps on her own.

It was intimidating, to look up at the Great Queen's form. The size disparity was even more than with the Royal Guard. In each dimension she was nearly twenty times the Sergeant's size, making her not just hundreds of times larger overall but thousands. Physical prowess aside, the Sergeant was well aware of the Great Queen's intellect.

Three steps at a time she approached. She felt a fearsome awe. She would accept whatever judgment came… yet at the same time the Sergeant knew she would try to sway that judgment despite her own limited mental faculties. She approached the Great Queen.

"Report," came the simple command.

"This one presents the report of a completed mission, though the main objectives of this one's mission are now redundant and satisfied by others. This one regrets not being sufficiently capable so as to uncover signs of treachery before Ekict acted. The suitability for habitation is of course well enough known now- though it is unlikely the locals would be interested in a colony. Thus, only the tertiary objectives were meaningfully accomplished. The princess known as Anishka remains alive and well."

The Sergeant hesitated. She could not read the posture of the Great Queen. It was not simply that much of her anatomy was hidden, but she also maintained great control. For a moment, she considered lying- by omission only. But if others had reported as she expected, remaining silent would be a certain death sentence, instead of just a probable one.

"During the course of the missions, there were multiple incidents of conflicting instructions. This one interpreted her orders differently from one Lieutenant and then a contingent of Royal Guard. This resulted in a split of command and inflicting injuries upon superior officers due to the resulting confrontations."

Each motion of the Great Queen seemed as if it might crush the Sergeant- but she had no need to perform such a thing herself. In the end, it was simply communication signs. "So you not only disobeyed direct orders, but also attacked them?" Missing from this was the pheromones that would tell the Sergeant the Great Queen's feelings. Perhaps she was so filled with anger she worried that she would slay more than just the Sergeant with the intensity.

"I could not disregard my interpretation of the third order. And in this one's defense, I did not initiate the physical confrontations."

"But you certainly finished them, incapacitating powerful individuals."

"This one regrets keeping them from fully accomplishing other duties."

"Do you know how human cultivators resolve conflicts among themselves?"

"Through logical conversation and peaceful agreement. This one has failed."

"Yes, our cultivators managed to do so more often than not. But you just experienced a war. Humans fighting and slaying humans. But Void Ants do not fight each other."

The Great Queen was right, of course. They did not. She had thought on it frequently, over the last months. Ever since her mind began to change. At some point, she somehow forgot that Void Ants didn't obey out of a sense of duty or fear, but simply because that was what they did. Nobody even thought about defying orders. Just that meant she was broken. "We should not fight each other," the Sergeant agreed. "This one awaits whatever punishment is deemed fitting."

"Do you deserve a punishment?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"For violating orders and harming superiors."

"And your reasons?"

Was the Great Queen forgetful? No, of course not. She simply wanted the Sergeant to be reminded of the weight of her actions. "This one interpreted that she must continue to protect the Princess at the Great Queen's orders overriding subsequent orders."

"Should a soldier be punished for following orders?"

"No." Of course not. If she had simply gone along, she would not be punished.

"And my orders take priority."

"Of course. You are the Great Queen. All others are born from you or your daughters."

"So why should you be punished? You followed my orders, as I expected of you."

The Sergeant twitched, an involuntary physical response to mental confusion. "My interpretation was correct?"

"Would you have followed if if you thought it wasn't?"

"No? But then, it would not have been my interpretation." Right? If she did not think it was correct, she would not have acted upon it. "But higher ranking officers-"

"Here, only my interpretation matters. And I say you will not be punished."

"This one is grateful for the Great Queen's mercy."

"There is no mercy to be given where no wrong has been done. Now then, what shall you do next?"

The Sergeant waited for her orders. And waited. Surely, if there were no orders for her the Great Queen could relay them later, could she not? Wait. "Can this one request being assigned to the princess Anishka again?"

"Why?"

"I still believe her to be in potential danger, and she would need protection."

"Indeed. She is important. I should assign a Royal Guard to the task."

"No!" The Sergeant recoiled at her own haste. "This one spoke hastily. She means to say that a Royal Guard may prove insufficient." But then she might just assign two. "And too obvious."

"What then should I do?"

"This one is… strong for her size. She would wish to be there personally."

"A Royal Guard would be better. But assigning too many would be inelegant."

"How might this one be assigned?"

"Become a Royal Guard. Or…"

"This one is afraid she cannot become a Royal Guard. This one is still barely large enough to be a Sergeant."

"You have grown. But indeed you will likely never be as big as they are."

"... There was another option?" Somehow, formality lost her there as the situation overwhelmed her thoughts. She didn't want to abandon Anishka.

"You could admit why you want to go."

"What?"

"It is simple. Say it."

"This one would do well defending Anishka in the future."

"Merely a statement of fact. It is not a reason. Certainly not yours."

Why did the Sergeant want to do this? It was fairly simple. But was it even allowed? Ah, but if it was forbidden, then she would simply die. That would be a better option. "Anishka is my friend."

Stillness. Fear. What would the Great Queen's reaction be. "Good." Good? "You did it. Remember to keep that in your mind."

"That Anishka is this one's friend?"

Disappointment. That was strangely opposite. "That is half of it. Try not to lose the other half."

What was the other half? "What is it?" the Sergeant asked timidly.

"If I tell you, I think it will do you no good." The Great Queen waved her away. "You are free to return to your friend."

Relief. She had her orders. And she was not dead, which was also preferable. As long as she would not be alone.

Doctor Escarra shook his head. "What is it with your type and treating your bodies like a pile of refuse?"

Anton shrugged, "I don't know. You made Chikere's arm, right?"

"And while it was a great advancement, it would still be better for her to have her own arm." He pursed his lips, "Unless she can learn to be a tech cultivator."

"I didn't choose to have these injuries," Anton pointed out.

"You did make them worse for temporary gains, though."

"The cuts are clean," Anton protested. "It was all charred before."

"Your bones are… fine," Escarra said. "But your muscles are irreplaceable. And no, I can't just make you a prosthetic torso."

"I wasn't going to ask," Anton said.

"Or ribcage."

"I understand the damage is significant. I was just referred to you as the most likely option to help."

"That might be the case," he said. He leaned forward, "I'm surprised they made such a functional ribcage, given the circumstances. It'll have to go." A pause. "I almost expected you to rip it out."

"Do you want me to? Unlike Chikere, I will wait until you fully explain."

"Well. I have an idea. We've been working on ways to regrow tissues. Consistently, I mean. Obviously there are healing herbs and the like that are processed into medicines. But if those worked for you, you wouldn't be here."

"My body is old," Anton admitted. "And my energy…"

"Is beyond what such things can withstand. Even if you want to let them work, there are limits," Doctor Escarra nodded. "I heard there are things in the upper realms that can recover anything. I'd love to have a sample. Enes said he'd send a scan if they ever got one, but that's not the same as having one."

"Can't help you there," Anton said. "I'd disintegrate in the upper realms."

"I wasn't asking," Doctor Escarra shook his head. "So. My team has been working on a method. One that doesn't require a specific core technique or cultivation rank. And for the moment it's both monumentally expensive and dangerous."

"Okay," Anton said.

"So basically, I'd like to have you try it out. We can cover some of the expenses on our end, but our funding isn't endless." Anton nodded. "It will require a lot of work on your end as well. But we might be able to regrow your muscles, using your body as a scaffold. I will admit, your advanced age… will make it more difficult. Though we'll also get useful data."

"How long?" Anton asked.

"Months, if you're extremely lucky. Most likely years, if it works at all."

"Would I have to remain here the whole time?" Anton asked. "I have things I need to do."

"If you let us get constant data for… about a year, or until we know for certain if the process is viable, then I suppose that would be sufficient," Doctor Escarra looked disappointed.

"I could carry monitoring equipment with me."

"Please do. Though I suppose we can't have it transmit the data for security reasons."

"Isn't this just a healing method?"

"Sure, but I can't think of anything we need to keep more secure than the precise physical status of our Assimilation cultivators."

Anton couldn't disagree, especially considering recent events.

Chapter 688

The initial presumption of Anton was that he would be receiving synthetic muscles, but as Doctor Escarra went over his preferred options it became clear they would be doing more to regrow organic muscle.

His bone wouldn't be regrown, not because it was impossible but because the procedure for the muscles was actually reliant on an underlying structure. It was much more sophisticated than the ceramic ribcage that had been whipped up for him on the Wayfarer. It fulfilled all the proper functions of a ribcage- specifically protecting his vital organs, providing structure for muscle, and to some extent producing blood.

But the layer atop that was fascinating. There was a complex structure that Anton couldn't begin to replicate, one that absorbed materials from various liquid vials and steadily released a sort of goopy mess.

Which was to say, Anton had been lying on his back basically unmoving for weeks as the mess of vitamins and minerals and proteins were used by his cells to promote growth. It also came with some living material which he had to imprint himself upon, these being replicated stem cells that could transform into any part of the body. But of course, left to their own devices without instructions cells were rather limited in that regard. Especially when he was missing all of the adjacent bits.

"How is it going?" Doctor Escarra asked as he entered Anton's room.

"Slow, still," Anton admitted.

"Sorry about that. Your body is already old, so the process can only go so fast. Your active intervention is just enough to keep it on pace."

"I would be careful about offering this treatment to anyone else," Anton said. "It sometimes doesn't know how to grow, and it needs constant guidance. Even sleeping for a reasonable few hours at a time might wind up with someone going far off course."

Doctor Escarra nodded, "I'll make a note of that. We also intend to have machines managing the details for the general populace, but this is our first proper attempt. It would actually be easier to grow new organs, as they have more defined limits. They could be grown separately then freely implanted."

"I see why it would be difficult," Anton said. "Tell me, have you studied Nthanda?"

"Every chance we get," Doctor Escarra said. "It is impossible to replicate her body through any known methods, but watching how her muscles developed into an ascension-class body temperer is amazing. It did allow us to come up with the techniques to form more than just fresh, new muscle."

"Yes, I see this has already been tempered to a reasonable standard," Anton agreed. "It's a bit tricky as each layer grows further from the lattice, though. And it seems to have high risk of infection."

"We'd thought of some of that," Doctor Escarra admitted. "For your case, leaving things uncovered gives it the necessary breathability and you aren't exactly going to get sick from anything."

"Not if I can help it," Anton grinned. "I'll immolate those bacteria and viruses."

"Exactly," Doctor Escarra agreed. "Actually, we already have many ideas for the next step. It would probably include another layer as a shell that expands with the growth, to provide the room but keep things sanitary. And it would allow working from the other side."

"Shoulda waited for that one," Anton grinned.

"Well, it will likely take years to develop it anyway, and that's with your data helping us."

"Technology sure takes a long time to begin working…" Anton said. "I could create a new cultivation technique faster."

"But other people wouldn't be able to use it for much longer," Doctor Escarra said.

"I wasn't saying it was bad. It's just funny that some aspects of cultivation are relatively quicker. But I understand the value that can be provided by things that run primarily without the use of natural energy." If nothing else, the Ruteran methods were focused on making anything that did use energy much more efficient, because their planet originally was lacking in natural energy. Now, it was a practice they maintained intentionally.

It wasn't odd that an Integration cultivator could fight everyone at once. Chidi understood how much stronger they were compared to Essence Collection cultivators- there was still the whole gap of Life Transformation, after all. It was just disheartening to have it done so easily. Still, Major Sibylla took the task seriously and wasn't just playing around with them. She stopped short of injuring people though- or at least seriously. And she didn't push the envelope on what would be a serious injury, unlike Chikere.

In a way, it was actually relaxing to get thoroughly defeated by someone else but not be covered in injuries afterwards. Yet he also felt that he learned less. Chikere wasn't exactly the best teacher, but she was still effective. For those who could handle her, at least.

He was looking forward to continuing that training for a while. So obviously that wasn't going to happen.

"Hey, you're coming with me." Chikere showed up and declared to Chidi. "I found her."

"Who -?" Chidi asked as he was suddenly dragged away.

"Rakiya, obviously," Chikere said.

"What does that have to do with me?" Chidi asked nervously. He couldn't sense anything around them but air. Chikere wasn't exactly flying, but instead leaping in great bounds, which brought things to the point Chidi could perceive them only occasionally.

"Everything. You're going to fight her."

"I'll die," Chidi pointed out. "It's only been five years. It was supposed to be twenty-five."

"I shortened it to twenty," Chikere helpfully reminded him.

"That's still way more than five."

"Well, yeah. Obviously I don't expect you to win. Just survive two attacks."

"... What if I don't?" Chidi asked.

"Then you'll be dead, obviously. But that won't be a problem unless you've been slacking."

They touched the ground briefly. There was a moment of stillness before they were off once more. "I haven't been but… I'm still only in Essence Collection. I don't have the energy to resist her attacks."

"Obviously you're not going to take them head on. You need to use finesse."

"She has like a century of experience more than me!" Chidi protested. "I'm sure her finesse is greater."

"Good point," Chikere said. "We need to get in some training along the way."

Well. This was how it was going to be. Chidi resigned himself to that. He hoped that Major Sibylla would be informed why he was gone. He doubted Chikere followed any official procedures for that. "Why do I need to be tested now?" he asked.

"Simple," the grandmaster said. "You should be close to a critical point, and I need to keep provoking her or the sword saint will never show up."

He forgot about that aspect of things. The sword saint was a proper Augmentation cultivator, so he would be on an entirely different level. And Chikere wanted to fight him. "Why are you so determined to fight him now?"

"I don't want to do it now. Just soon."

"But why?"

"Because if I defeat an Augmentation cultivator I'll be in Augmentation."

"I'm not sure if it works that way," he said. "But the general idea works. Shouldn't it take another seventy years though?"

"Pfeh. I'm not waiting that long. The war will be over by then and I'll never get the opportunity."

"I don't think that's a good reason to commit suicide."

"It's not suicide if you expect to get killed by someone else."

"I… think it kinda is. Also, you expect to get killed?"

"Sure. One of us has to die. So it's even odds me or him."

"I don't think that's how that works."

Much later, they landed. And actually stopped. Time for training, it seemed. "I'm going to show you the two opening moves I expect from her," Chikere said. "Get ready."

Chidi readied himself. He had to treat this like a fight to the death. And in a way, it was. Unless he took it that seriously, he probably could die.

Truthfully, her attacks were simple. And that was the scariest part of it. A simple vertical and horizontal slash. They seemed to come simultaneously. Was that one move? Chidi wasn't certain. All he knew was he sensed the intent and motion, and reacted accordingly. His parry barely pushed the attacks off track, but he forced himself away at the same time. When he stopped, he kept himself ready. That was good, because she quickly followed up.

"Next~" the grandmaster said. Her thrust was like a lightning bolt, followed by a draw cut. Then, a slice at his neck. He barely managed to anticipate the last one as he felt his head toppling to the ground. Fortunately, that was not what actually happened. He did lose some hair though.

"That has to be at least three, maybe five!" Chidi protested. "I thought you said you would do the two most expected opening moves."

"Those were officially pairs of moves, you know," the grandmaster replied, holding her blade in one hand- just as Rakiya would have to do. "And obviously the most likely moves are the ones you're least ready for. So you'd better brush up on the entire library of the Harmonious Citadel."

Chidi was glad for Citadel's Downfall, because in addition to Chikere's specific insights it provided a balanced way to counter all of their moves, based on pretty much any pairing of weapons. The Everheart guy who made it was a genius. But apparently he wasn't a great guy. And as far as swords went, he was a good bit less talented than Chikere.

Somehow, he remained standing through an assault by every move in the Harmonious Citadel's book. Twice. And some that definitely weren't part of it. Sure, everything came in pairs of moves, for some definition of that, but even with Chikere using just one sword, she wasn't holding back enough.

But he survived. He did need a lot of sewing together, though. Fortunately, the grandmaster was good at that part. She controlled a myriad of tiny needles like swords, putting him together from the inside. Then wrapping him up in bandages like a mummy. And then she picked him up and flew off again. "Now's where you sleep!" she informed him.

He thought there was no way he would sleep while being carried like a sack of potatoes, and he was right. Until after the second round of sparring, when he was pretty sure he passed out in the middle of a counter. He wondered if it hit. Or rather, if it at least touched the grandmaster's defensive energy.

"Snatched up by an Integration cultivator?" Sibylla said, looking sternly at the group in front of her. Captain Tiras was translating for the wolf. Aconite.

"Not just any Integration cultivator. Swordmaster Chikere."

"Never heard of her."

"How?"

"Assuming she's famous, I just ascended, you know?" Sibylla grinned. "Or maybe she's not."

"She certainly is. Shouldn't you have at least heard about her in reports?"

"Oh, she's that swordmaster," Major Sibylla nodded. "The one who showed up without warning, and who disappears without it."

"There's a reason she isn't in charge of how things are run here," Denitsa explained. "Besides not wanting to do it."

"As long as she shows up to battle… and leaves our scout with us to train sometimes," Sibylla shrugged.

"As far as we've been able to tell, most of the time when she is away she's attacking enemy forces," Tiras explained. "Occasionally she makes reports, and it's not uncommon to find bisected enemy squadrons."

"I see," Sibylla nodded. "Well, I can try to maneuver around that. At worst, we can count it as if she's not part of Shutoll's forces in particular. What are the chances of her showing up to protect her disciple if he's in danger?"

"Unclear. Maybe none," Tiras admitted. "She did save him previously, but if she thinks he should win a battle… I think she would just let him die."

"Is she that harsh?"

Tiras shrugged, "I can't truly claim to know her thoughts. For the most part, she's the one who causes him the most physical harm. Though I can't say that it hasn't been good for his swordsmanship."

"He does seem quite competent for his cultivation… and age," Sibylla agreed.

Chapter 689

From practically flying to being dropped into a crowd, Chidi had just enough time to determine the group consisted of Harmonious Citadel cultivators before he landed. At least they had that going for them- they didn't have a wide variety of cultivation techniques. Determining allies and enemies apart in an instant could be important.

And of course, it was the same for them. He felt their stances shift as he fell, and weapons were drawn before he had his feet. Swords, spears, and bows. Another weakness of the Harmonious Citadel, they quashed their only advantage of diversity with their cliques. But it certainly made things easier to handle.

His first target could have reasonably assumed she would be safe in her given position, an archer in the midst of a squadron of others. But that didn't count people falling from the sky. His blade flashed out, slicing her bow in two a moment after her arrow touched string. Then a half dozen attacks came at him all at once. There was some sort of advantage to having so many enemies. Or rather, at some point the disadvantages stopped accumulating. Even with archers involved, only so many enemies could effectively attack him at once.

Those with swords and spears didn't start in optimal positions, so he had a moment to clash with spears and bows before the enemy lines shifted. Swords were disregarded for the moment, as they were the least threatening to him.

Though beyond that few of his choices were conscious. There was no time to consider exactly what he had to do. He simply followed the flow of energy where it led him. He manipulated it so that attacks would cause him the least harm possible- he did not have the proficiency nor the wild confidence to let a spear piece through him and presume he could direct it away from his vital organs, but he did let them graze him to avoid more dangerous attacks.

One at a time his opponents fell, until Chidi stood alone, sword dripping with blood. "You could have warned me you were going to do that," he said, presuming the swordmaster was present somewhere.

"But then it wouldn't have been a good test," she said, approaching from behind a ridge. "How do you feel?"

"Tired," Chidi said.

"As expected. We're almost there. From here, we'll go on foot."

Knowing the journey was almost over was comforting. Chidi just tried not to think about what it meant to reach the end. He certainly had confidence fighting those vaguely near his level, but surviving against Rakiya… well, it would depend on how serious she was immediately. Though he couldn't help but think that if she wasn't serious, he would be disappointed.

By the time they arrived, Chidi's body felt as recovered as he could reasonably expect. At the very least, his body should be able to fully function, even if he would feel slight twinges of pain from training.

But as for actual thoughts, Chidi barely had any. He found himself in an odd state of peace, going into a battle he knew he couldn't win. But he didn't have to win. He trusted in his master to keep control of the situation. So when they began to get closer to a proper city, he didn't worry.

Or maybe it was mental exhaustion that didn't allow it to happen. Either way, the smooth stone walls and the sounds of life gradually filled his senses. It was a peaceful day.

"Hey Rakiya! Get out here now or I'll chop your stupid city in half!" Chikere's projected voice made the ground trembled.

Chidi idly wondered if that would be vertical or horizontal. Vertical would be troublesome, but only for a couple sections of walls and any buildings or people in an unfortunate position. Perhaps an angle would be worse, with buildings falling over onto others and irregular repairs required.

After her declaration, Chikere had not held back. He could feel the swords around her, prepared for anything. Unsheathed blades just looking for a target. It was nearly the people on the walls, but while their initial instinct had been to assault the intruder, the moment of paralyzing fear when her power was revealed had been enough for them to rethink their options. What could they do against her?

"Hurry up!"

Chidi didn't detect actual impatience. He was fairly certain this was a tactic to keep the enemy off balance. The same was true of her casually dissecting the front gate. Just a few sweeps and it clattered to the ground in nice pieces. The barrier formations surrounding the city had done their best, of course, but they couldn't do much about power concentrated into such a focused area. He wondered if she had been studying the defenses. She wasn't a formation expert, but he imagined she learned how to break through by experimentation and practice.

Chidi felt her coming. From a greater distance this time, and he was prepared to resist an attack. Yet he was still somehow unprepared for Chikere to be attacked first. All his tension was for nothing… though in truth, that was for the best. If he'd tried to react to the incoming attacks, he would have probably hurt himself instead.

So he just watched the clashing of blades. Rakiya held just one in her good arm, and Chikere only responded with the same. Except it was not her good arm, but her replacement. Another taunt, or perhaps a personal challenge to herself. One side was filled with hatred. The other… indifference.

Perhaps that was the secret. Chikere didn't care if she won. No, she already considered herself the victor, so nothing stopped her from executing her techniques to the fullness of her ability.

"You'll have to do better than that," Chikere declared. "Honestly, have you not improved at all in the last five years?"

"Have you?" Rakiya retorted. "You don't fight anyone of note."

"You can't strain me enough to see anything new," Chikere said. "But I can tell you've basically stagnated." Chidi wasn't sure if that was true. Her cultivation, at least, had advanced somewhat. One step at least, which he was led to believe could take quite a few years in the Integration stage. "My apprentice will be able to defeat you soon at this rate."

Ah, there it was. He could feel the battle drifting. Perhaps it would happen soon. She might announce a skirmish between them. He had to remain focused… though he was also concerned about incoming Life Transformation cultivators. Obviously they would not simply leave enemies outside their gates without responding. And it likely wasn't just them- they would simply be the fastest.

Something sharp attempted to pierce his heart. His body responded automatically, slicing the arrow out of the air. But it was just one of many- the rest directed at Chikere. Though one would almost think she didn't notice, except for the way her floating blades casually sliced apart the few that would otherwise reach her.

The battle moved, drifting closer to Chidi. When would it be time? Better to get it over with quickly. All he had to do was survive two attacks. And then… they would leave.

Simple. It was what the grandmaster had told him they were here for. And it was true. But… could that really be all? Was she incapable of measuring his ability on her own? Of course not. She had already determined him capable. So merely performing as expected would mean nothing.

And it wasn't just for her. Perhaps he was pushing too far too quickly. But he wanted to be able to actually affect things. He didn't want to be afraid of enemies… including Life Transformation cultivators. Who were almost present, now.

Slashing and spinning blades, dancing feet. Chidi was almost certain that both combatants were trying to lead the battle to him. So, it was like that, was it? He took a few hesitant steps away.

Then as the first Life Transformation cultivators leapt into the frey, he swung his blade. The image in his mind was of Chikere cutting apart space. How he imagined she would bisect a city. An attack pushed to his very limits. And all he could do was force Rakiya to casually deflect it. Her sword chopped off his head.

But of course, he was prepared for that counter. For any move she might perform. And he just had to be exactly perfect in his predictions. Despite all of Chikere's downplaying of Rakiya's abilities, she was still a swordmaster. Perhaps not worthy of a grandmaster title, but against Chidi she could always perform the attack that was most lethal.

His head remained on his shoulders. His windpipe was split open, but in the grand scheme of things that would not affect anything. He would either live through the battle and patch it up, or he would die. But he couldn't allow the second option to happen, because he had friends and family to return to. And he would return to them, stronger.

The casual counterattack had taken so little effort from Rakiya that Chidi didn't want to count it. He stayed close, then maneuvered his blade into a thrust. Unlike before, it came after Life Transformation cultivators were engaging Chikere to hold her back. They would be quickly cut down, but this left Rakiya able to actually focus on him.

His heart was pierced. Rakiya's attack practically mirrored his own, except she was able to extend her blade more powerfully and with greater celerity. The only thing he could do was slightly deflect her attack upward… so instead of his heart exploding, one rib was punctured completely, and his heart and lung were merely slashed on the outer edge.

Rakiya wasn't done, but neither was he. He didn't simply adopt a defensive posture, even though his last attack hadn't even come close to slashing her. He just wanted to cut her cheek. Or at least touch her defensive energy.

Chidi wasn't sure what happened after that. His body simply moved. But he must have survived a second attack, because when he came to he remained alive, and Chikere was holding him.

"Uuugh," he groaned. His wounds had all opened up, and he had at least a few new ones. Was that from one attack or several? It wouldn't necessarily have been Rakiya. Perhaps Chikere had swapped with him and he fought a Life Transformation cultivator. He looked down at his blade. It was clean. Well, apparently he had lost.

"Hey, you're awake. Not bad."

"Thanks," he said groggily. He had every intention to ask for details, but he passed out once more. And when he awoke, he was back in Shutoll, with Chikere off on another crazy excursion. Presumably.

Anton had something resembling a functional torso again. His skin was still recovering, but he was basically recovered. Or at least, at the point where he could start getting everything back in shape. The process had tempered his muscles somewhat, but being entirely new he still needed time to get used to them. And he couldn't say they were perfect. But for his purposes, it was good enough. He had no intention of fighting anyone above Life Transformation. Or at all, really, but he could never be too certain of that.

He was planning to return to In'istra. He hoped that their eradication of the Twin Soul Sect was still going smoothly. He would never have left, had Ekict not done what they did. He only hoped that irreparable damage hadn't been done to the place because he was gone. He had confidence they could handle their own matters, but he wasn't omniscient. Perhaps the Twin Soul Sect would have prepared a counterassault of their own. With it being a year and a half before he even set out to return, much could have changed. Or perhaps things would be as they had always been. Cultivators were like that.

He did not neglect visiting other systems along the way. His time in Ekict would be minimal, as he didn't want to feel like a threat. The same would be true of Xicil, except that would be because there was practically nothing for him to do.

Very little was known to him about the system and the people there, except that after several visits he'd finally received an answer to what they were called. And just like every previous time, his arrival sent everyone inside. He could have probably caught up to them. If he bound the local star, it would have been certain. But the insular desert planet was not an enemy, and he did not wish to scare them.

So he approached carefully, taking in the sights of their impressive arrangements of cacti and succulents. They took full advantage of what resources they had, and Anton had the feeling they were doing quite well. Not too friendly to outsiders, but he preferred that to the false friendship of Ekict. Nothing had changed where he left his previous message. So he added an addendum.

"Just checking up on you. Glad to see everything is well. If you don't want me to come back, just say so." Perhaps a bit too straightforward, but he couldn't exactly have a nuanced conversation over the course of carved messages separated by vaguely random numbers of years, as he traveled back and forth.

His next stop… that would be the twin planets of Tenoun'a and Shrenn. He hoped that they would have maintained their new peace and cooperation. He hadn't been able to properly check in on them last time, given his haste.

Chapter 690

Checking out his body, Chidi still had two arms, two legs, and his head. The worst injury was his throat, but it would just make eating and talking harder until it healed. Other than that, he found he continued to be surprisingly intact.

He still couldn't recall exactly how the battle had ended. Or if he'd really withstood two attacks. But Chikere had been satisfied with his efforts, and he couldn't possibly be less pleased than she was. In fact, he found himself grinning.

"What is that?" a nearby voice growled, drawing his thoughts to his best friend. "You find a girlfriend or something?"

"Pfft." Chidi snorted. "Yeah right. I went to fight someone, you know?"

"My parents fought when they first met," Aconite pointed out. "It is quite common for cultivators as well."

"Yeah, well. This wasn't that sort of fight. I'd have to respect the woman for it to turn into anything like that. She's just the goal the grandmaster set for me to surpass." Chidi nodded to himself, "I actually managed to get in an attack."

"Did you cut off her other arm? Nick her with a deadly poison?"

"Sadly, I did not have access to any deadly poisons," Chidi shrugged. "And I don't know if my blade actually connected. But the point is that I didn't just stand there passively while trying not to die."

"Good," Aconite said. "I am glad your progress pleases you."

"... Is your training not going well?" Chidi asked.

"It is progressing smoothly, if slowly," Aconite explained. "I do not have a master, so I must learn things on my own. The Scarlet Alliance's notes on poison are hardly complete."

"I doubt you'll find anyone here," Chidi said. "But someone must be willing to teach you."

"Teach a wolf?" Aconite asked.

Chidi shrugged. Why not? Humans weren't any better. Though it would probably still affect her choices. But as he said, Yaitis probably didn't have anyone, and even if it did finding them and getting their time would be difficult.

Anton was cautious approaching the system. Not because he thought anyone from either Tenoun'a or Shrenn would attack him, nor could they harm him without concerted effort given his bound star. No, he was more concerned about what he would say. Recent events filled him with an uncomfortable caution, but he didn't necessarily want to infect them with his temporal disappointment with humanity.

On the other hand, he wanted to tell them the truth of the events that had happened. So he had to consider how to leave them open to future involvement, without biasing them for or against Ekict. In truth, they were practically neighbors. Anton had been inclined to introduce them, but he'd been glad it hadn't been done. Though perhaps it wouldn't have mattered. They wouldn't be a valuable target for Transferral.

Either way, they were still dealing with their own internal matters. And as far as he could tell, the peaceful cooperation between the sibling planets continued. It had only been a few years, but they'd barely begun repairing the rift of bloody wars between them the last time he'd visited.

This time he found someone he recognized on Shrenn. Anton approached slowly as to not alarm anyone, but he was clearly noticed. In fact, Anton stopped by one of Shrenn's moons first to meet a friend.

This time, the large man occupying the ballista just watched as he approached. "My job is a lot less eventful since you last visited," Admetus said.

Anton shrugged, "Is that a problem? You can get in more training."

"We ran out of orbiting rocks," Admetus folded his arms over his chest. "And they won't let me import more. But why should I care? We're at peace."

"Exactly," Anton said. "And you should stay at peace with each other as much as possible. But I'm not the only one who could come here, you know?"

"Other systems," Admetus nodded.

"Perhaps," Anton admitted. "Or, in less than six centuries, you might be noticed by the upper realms. They could come back."

"Not letting that happen," Admetus frowned. "I don't know much about these cycles though. Could they really show up on the next one?"

"I wish I knew exactly how they found candidates here," Anton admitted. "So I could assist those affected." Anton looked out at the stars. He'd gone all the way to Azun and In'istra in one direction, approximately east northeast if one considered the upper realms as 'north'. Yet he'd only covered a tiny fraction of the neighborhood. He could have gone the same distance directly tangent to the galactic plane and not reached the edge in either direction. All he had visited was a tiny line.

Even if only a small portion of the stars had cultivators living around them, he couldn't expect to impact even a reasonable fraction of the possible candidates that the Trigold Cluster might cause havoc among, even with six centuries. Not alone. And then there was the presence of the Exalted Quadrant in the other direction. They were probably less bad overall But they'd still broken their long term peace when they decided it suited their needs, when they thought they had a chance to fully take control of Ceretos.

"Well, I don't know much about that," Admetus admitted. "I suppose you're here to talk to the leadership?"

"That was the plan," Anton said. "If you could send a message ahead so nobody's too startled."

"Might as well escort you," Admetus said. "Unlike last time, we do know you… but they don't need me here either. Unless we get any pirates."

Anton frowned, "Is that a problem?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. Some factions thought that peace was no good… or perhaps exploitable. But we'll deal with them."

Anton nodded. He wasn't planning to solve all problems. Just provide a push so that people could accomplish anything they couldn't do on their own. But if he came across some pirate cultivators while he was around, he wouldn't mind dealing with them.

Anton looked upon Shrenn below, pleased by the presence of Admetus. As he was from Tenoun'a, it was a big step for them to let him be around, and it would help them coordinate more in the future if they didn't keep thinking of each planet as the other. Now how was he going to warn them without making them paranoid or more insular? He shouldn't downplay anything, but he had to temper his words with wisdom and hope.

Along Anton's route to Azun, he had reached the last stops where he knew of cultivator civilizations. He swept along a slightly different route on the way to the magnetar, but didn't find anything spectacular. He still made notes of various planetary arrangements for the astronomers back in the home systems. They would want more, of course. Pictures and samples and everything else. But he couldn't properly fulfill their wishes and do everything else he needed to do.

He was constantly reminded that he was just one person. As the scope of the Trifold Alliance expanded, that became more and more obvious. No matter how quickly he moved, he would take months to return home. There was only so much he could do. He couldn't defeat an army of Integration strength cultivators alone, and if there wasn't anything on that scale… the home systems wouldn't need him to contribute. It wasn't that he felt useless, but rather that he was finally finding his limits.

And that was okay with him. They just needed to get a few dozen more people- or preferably science and exploration groups- to slowly work their way through the neighborhood. They were already observing several systems Anton had nothing to do with, but contact was still a touchy subject for the moment.

Azun was slightly past In'istra, but Anton didn't want to drop by for only a few moments. He also wanted to spend some time around his star, so he went there first.

It was still tiny. Small enough that most people wouldn't even consider it a moon, if it were rocky. Anton had seen a significant number of asteroids larger than it. It was, after all, around ten kilometers across. For an entire star! He'd seen stars that were literally millions of times the diameter. And bound one, too. Shrenn and Tenoun'a shared a blue supergiant that made Azun seem completely inconsequential.

Until anyone actually took care to pay close attention. Because the mass of such a star was only a handful of times that of Azun. The density of power was on a completely different level. Not that Anton didn't gain anything from the other star. It was quite useful for diversifying his power and it had personal meaning.

But Azun was something special. Anton slowly approached, feeling its gravity. And of course, its intense magnetism and the beams of radiation. It was just so much in a tiny little package. And thus he found it the most valuable to study at the moment. Especially as he was trying to develop his techniques. Magnetism was quite useful, as it was extremely unlikely to find cultivators that had nothing even slightly magnetic on them. And for the most part, those were the dangers. Anton almost wished that he could be worried about beasts or some other non-human threat, but that wasn't the case. As long as there wasn't a sudden uptick in the activity of Distortion Beasts. But there was nothing he could do about that, nor a reason to believe it would happen.

His feet settled on the surface of Azun. Heavy. Hot, too. Impossibly hot. Anton would not even be a pile of charcoal if he had no connection. He would be less than that, because charcoal would imply any matter retaining any sort of form and not being subsumed into the star without ceremony. And he would be both far beyond the level of burned charcoal and without anything that could be properly called a form at all.

He wondered if he could use the heat. It was exceptional, certainly, but that came strictly from energy density. There was only so much Anton could do with that. He already knew that denser energy was usually more effective, and his own arrows matched a sun well enough. To replicate that in particular, he just needed more power. Perhaps reaching Augmentation, or rather the next stage of Assimilation. He could imagine doing that in a century or two. But more likely, to properly touch upon such unfathomable power he would need to be equivalent to Domination, a level so rare that it was unclear if either of the mighty Exalted Quadrant or Trigold Clusters had any. If they did, they were few indeed.

In'istra seemed much as Anton had left it. That was good, in a way, even though the damage from the invasion just a few decades prior still lingered. At least it was not worse.

Anton landed, not feeling any Twin Soul Sect members on Aspin. Good. They'd maintained that, at least. Unfortunately, one island-nation was hardly the limits of the world. Unless they'd been exceedingly effective in their eradication while he was gone, he doubted that they were gone worldwide.

But Anton was here to help with that. Not directly, but he could at least help them seek out any particularly difficult to reveal pockets of invaders. Or locals who joined up with them. Anton knew there were far too many who found the thought palatable for a bit of promised power and another life. But he wouldn't take any number of lives if it meant living under the banner of the Trigold Cluster or the Twin Soul Sect.

Varghese seemed healthy as well. Good. Anton was tempted to drop down right on top of the young lad, but he was currently guiding some disciples in the One Hundred Stars. His insights were… adequate. Though Anton was going to have to correct some errors. Still, he wouldn't begrudge the young man. After all, he had done his best. No doubt Anton himself was making as many little mistakes. He just didn't have anyone around to point out his own flaws.

Chapter 691

Most of those at the gates had died at Chikere's hands, which made Rakiya's job easier. A few strays had to be cleaned up to keep the narrative safe, of course. Losing Life Transformation cultivators was unfortunate, but they were ultimately replaceable. Except, not at the current moment.

The saints weren't exactly sending an abundance of disciples to Yaitis. They shouldn't have to. It wasn't so important that anyone should defend it so vigorously, but Rakiya had found the process of conquering more difficult than expected. It should have been done years before, but after the initial wave of victories the remaining land was held onto tightly by the foolish others.

She had driven away Chikere. That much of the story was basically true, though it concerned her how that bandit had somehow strengthened after their confrontation. She ended up with Grandmaster Smith Sadiq's tournament prize and his services for their group. The two had been equally matched, but now… Chikere had a strange arm. Perhaps that was it. Rakiya had found no method to properly replace her arm. That had to be it.

Rakiya furrowed her brow, which brought to mind a sharp pain. She looked in the mirror and saw the nick in her eyebrow. A thin slice, but it refused to properly heal. It was trivial. Nothing more than an annoyance. Except for how she had gotten it. But if pressed, she would say it was Chikere coming out on top of her. That was better than the alternative.

When Varghese had dismissed the disciples, Anton revealed himself. "Sect head Anton!" the young man bowed his head. "It is good to see you again."

"And you as well," Anton said.

"You feel… different."

"Weaker, you mean?"

"No, I…" Varghese frowned. "Just different."

"Strange, since I have regressed one star," Anton said.

"Is that possible?" Varghese asked.

"I am quite content that the consequences were merely this," Anton shook his head. "But I don't intend to discuss the details right now."

"Very well," Varghese nodded. "We have made great strides in the last year. But…"

"Is Essence Collection not sufficient for you, now?"

"I have barely dipped my toes into it," he said. "And the Twin Soul Sect still has many powerful members, and influence among other sects."

Anton nodded, "It will likely take some time. Tell me, do you want me to remove them myself?"

"Something about the way you said that… makes me believe you think it a poor idea. But every moment they remain, they continue to cause harm."

Anton sighed. It was not an unreasonable position to take. And he really didn't like arguing on the side of innocent deaths. "Let us say they all died suddenly. What about the sects they influence?"

"Well, one would hope that they… reformed their ways. Or perished along with them," Varghese said.

"So they are completely annihilated," Anton continued. "What, then, happens to In'istra?"

"Our sects have time to heal and grow," Varghese said. "Taking advantage of the One Hundred Stars techniques, we might pull ahead and establish ourselves."

"Assuming you succeeded, then what? Would you be content to be the top of myriad squabbling sects? Would that be the best for everyone?"

"Well…" Varghese shrugged. "If we are the strongest and continue to follow the tenets you have set forth, surely it would be better than things are now."

"I agree," Anton said. "But that does not mean it would be the best scenario. Preferably, the whole of In'istra joins together to eradicate them. No half measures. And then, from that adversity comes growth."

"And the following generations? Will we grow soft and weak, without conflict?"

Anton shook his head, "You're not too far wrong, but you are much oversimplified. Holding onto a worldwide peace is a large project, but not impossible. Do not think that conflict will disappear should one problem be resolved miraculously. The beasts of your world still have great power. How many generations would it be before you are truly in control of your world once more? Beyond that point… well, I would suggest that you not seek out conflict. It will find you easily enough. Attempting to do right will be enough struggle, and while I cannot guarantee you will not fail… I believe you have the ability."

"I suppose I understand," Varghese said, hanging his head.

"Don't despair," Anton placed a hand on his shoulder. "I did not say I would do nothing. I intend to remain for some time, helping you and others grow. But I have no ability to force an entire planet to work together if its people don't wish to. Finding the right seeds to grow takes more time."

"Am I one of the right seeds?"

"Of course. You're turning into a proper sapling."

"Is that all?" Varghese asked.

"You should see the trees I'm thinking of," Anton grinned. "The saplings are not lacking."

Reading information that you were planning to steal was precisely the sort of thing that got people caught, standing around in some vault instead of already being out a door. So Velvet only had a vague idea of what she was carrying, having scanned it. Something about when the eighth arm of the Harmonious Citadel was born, the saint of light specifically.

Any true parts of their history could be used against them, given how much they refused to admit their mortality. Destroying their web of propaganda would cause further dissent on their own worlds, tipping the war against them. And of course, the individuals no longer oppressed like them would benefit as well.

There was so much she could do as long as she got out before the saint of light returned, or any of his prominent disciples. The formations guarding the tower were quite complex, using similar principles to some technology Engineer Uzun had introduced her to. She hadn't been exposed to Ruteran technology before her ascension, so she'd only heard about it in vague terms.

Both that experience and training Chidi in stealth had been valuable for her current situation. The tower used light to sense intruders, but instead of visible beams they were invisible. For Chidi, there would have been no difference. Velvet had trained more senses than just her sight for a long time, but she'd focused on other areas for several years when she was reminded how much she and others relied on sight.

Her normal methods would not have helped her to pass through fields of invisible light. She had several methods to be 'invisible', some of which involved hiding herself more metaphysically to energy detection, and some that were more visible. But even if she were to wrap the light around herself to create a perfect image of nothing, without some sort of forewarning she would have broken the beams. Unless she had been lucky enough to accidentally include the invisible beams in her control of light.

The One Hundred Stars was an excellent cultivation method for dealing with light. For most, a star was the most prominent source of light. That was true even of cultivators, and artificial sources were made to match particular suns. That was enough for Velvet to feel these particular traps that might have triggered even if she had been able to fool normal formations.

Fortunately, once she was out of the more secure vaults human traffic was heavier- and thus formation measures were lighter. They couldn't have security that reacted to everyone passing by, and what they could have wasn't enough. Velvet had a stolen token and sufficient ability to fool anything that tried to feel for her cultivation method. So now she only had to walk out of the building past unsuspecting disciples.

Then she would find somewhere safe… and read through her spoils.

At first, Velvet wondered why the information was secret. It seemed that unlike the others, the saint of light was indeed the first saint in his position. As far as she could tell, the individual known as Hans Sigismund had always been the saint of light. Or at least the person who would obtain that position.

But there were odd discrepancies. Nothing terribly obvious. Some of the records mentioned him discovering a new branch of the Glorious Harmony Technique. A great genius. And indeed, Velvet had no reason to doubt that. But it was odd that no other practitioners had taken that path… and it seemed so divergent from others.

Especially considering how strict they were. For instance, Vari used no weapons so she was deemed unfit, despite her obvious ability. Surely she had the merit to say she'd developed an unarmed branch of the technique. Except, of course, she'd been predetermined to not matter. Perhaps it was the split between the Holy and Glorious techniques, the subservient and dominant versions.

But a weaponless version fit more closely with the weapon forms than light. It was a true oddity. Yet it had been accepted. Then again, the man was quite exceptional. So maybe the practicality had overwhelmed their stubbornness. A whole new branch, and a powerful individual that became their leader. Simply pretending things had always been that way from that point on was a difficult task, but over however many centuries it had been accepted. Either disciples were so deep into the system to accept it as necessary, or they would have died of age several times over. She just wished she could figure out exactly how long it had been.

Perhaps now was a good time to leave. Others might do better at interpreting this information, find something she missed. Or maybe that was all there was to it. It would still be an embarrassing secret to admit, another crack in their facade.

Sometimes, Chidi would pick up two swords. Or if he was feeling particularly ambitious, he would gather a large number of them and have them dance around him. But regardless of which choice he made, he never felt that he would be any more effective than simply wielding one blade.

His training with the swordmaster had instilled in him a desire for fine blades- but unlike her, he was uninterested in having a collection. Or a set. A second sword for him was like her two hundredth sword. A backup, able to be given away freely and without regret.

The problem wasn't keeping track of the blades or moving them. Those were both well within his capabilities. His awareness allowed him to multitask freely. Yet every time, something felt off. Chikere seemed to understand this, and never pressed him to use more weapons. She'd never indicated he was lacking anything, either. Nor was she the type to keep techniques secret.

No, it just didn't fit him. He didn't quite understand it, but it just felt off. Too many weapons broke the flow. The flow of what, he wasn't entirely certain. His use of energy didn't actually fall apart. With practice, he could be nearly as competent as he was now with either style. But that was the problem. Both the nearly part, and the as he was now part.

Because he felt like he should be more. Which was ambitious and possibly arrogant, considering he'd survived a strike or two from an Integration cultivator. But he wasn't just overestimating himself or trying to push too far. He really felt like there was something more that would help him significantly improve, if he could just figure it out. The flow, as it were.

Without Chikere around to question, he could only speak to his more regular friends and allies. He thought he might have to ask Major Sibylla for advice, even though she didn't use the sword. However, his first efforts were met with something like success.

"The flow?" Aconite asked. "Like, the flow of energy?"

"Yes," Chidi nodded. "There's something there."

"You're the one who talks about it all the time," Aconite barked in response.

"I literally just brought it up for the first time," Chidi said.

"Not true. You always talk about it."

"When?" Chidi asked. Did he have amnesia, somehow? How would he know?

"Any time you're fiddling around with things," Aconite replied. "You say 'ah yes, the flow here and here will make this happen. And then? Barrier. Or whatever you're doing with formations."

Well, that was true. Though it had been some time since he actually got to mess around with formations. Aside from dismantling the specimens creating the communications blocking barriers, he hadn't interacted with any in years. He didn't exactly have access to the plentiful resources he had back at home. But maybe he should look into that, to see if it sparked something.

Chapter 692

It was unfortunate for the first couple decades of his life that Chidi had access to a formation Grandmaster and barely capitalized on the situation. It wasn't that he'd disregarded his mother, he just hadn't focused as much on formations as he could have. He could have spent every waking moment learning from her and barely scratched the surface of what she was capable of. On the other hand, while his mother would have been happy to devote that time to him it was also the case she had other things she needed to do. But he still could have pushed for more time.

It was ironic that he had come here wishing for some sense of independence and a desire for achievements apart from his parents, and then he wished he had access to them. Including his father, though not for practical cultivation. It wasn't that Chidi thought his father wasn't worth learning from, but their styles weren't particularly compatible. Shields just weren't for him.

He did have access to Sithembile. The man was a formation master, and they'd worked together regarding the retrieved formation pillars. Or rather, Chidi had mostly watched and occasionally cut them into pieces. But as there was a war going, Sithembile was constantly called away for different projects. And while Chidi could definitely learn from him, this particular project might not fit within his area of expertise.

Chidi stood in a mostly empty section of forest. He remained near Shutoll out of necessity, but would have preferred somewhere more remote if the situation allowed. But he was safe here, and that was more important for training. At least at his current stage.

The first thing he did in his little clearing was rearrange things. Fallen leaves, a log, twigs, and then a bit of 'pruning' and shuffling stones about. He imagined it looked like a mess now, but that wasn't important. What was important was how it felt, and the flow of energy. Natural formations in such a place had much less power than a proper formation involving expensive materials, being by their very nature fluid and changing. Only in exceptional circumstances could they match a properly constructed one in power, either by boundless luck or careful arrangement over the course of years, decades, or centuries.

But he didn't need power here, and indeed it might be antithetical to his currents situation. He needed to be able to sense the flow clearly, and to change it with little effort. A weak formation was best for that.

Chidi went through a few moves, slicing, chopping, and stabbing. The flow of energy around him changed as intended, but not as he'd hoped. He was just carving runes and rearranging the formation with his sword swings. Could he possibly make use of that in battle? Maybe to some extent, as a form of disguising his efforts. But he wanted something more.

With each swing, there were ripples of energy from his blade as he cut through the flow, but they quickly faded like they were upon a windless pond. He didn't change the flow so much as disrupt it. So he tried again a different way. And again. And again. This continued for an entire year, when he had time to train instead of being out on missions.

Then, at about the point he wondered if she would ever return, Chikere showed up. Without even a greeting she asked, "What are you doing?" Curiosity, at least, instead of condemnation for his admittedly awkward stance and moves.

"I'm trying to affect the formation here," Chidi said. "Is that possible?"

"Well, I have a little bit of understanding about formations, courtesy of your mother. So if I were to do it it would be something like… this."

With quick swishes and flicks of her sword, she made a carving motion around the general ring of the clearing. The tip of her blade traced along trees, and her final motion stabbed her sword into the ground.

The energy in the clearing ground to a halt. Chidi felt chills at the sudden change. But… "It's basically just destroying the formation, isn't it?"

The swordmaster raised an eyebrow, a small motion Chidi had gotten used to feeling. "Did you expect anything else from me? I severed its functionality. If you want something else, then sorry. I can't do it."

"I've… never heard you admit there is something you can't do with your sword. At least without qualifying with yet," Chidi frowned.

Chikere flicked her arm, her sword returning to its sheath. "What else do you expect? If you asked me to crush a pile of rocks with a sword, I'd say the same thing. Now, if you wanted them to be powder I could do it. But swords don't crush. I am confident in doing anything a sword does, and no more."

She was right, of course. A sword was meant to cut. To slash, to stab, to bisect, and to pierce. In some cases, it was meant to block or disarm, to break another weapon. But those were edge cases where the boundaries of swords got fuzzy. A sword was not meant for creating formations or redirecting the flow of energy.

Perhaps it was a foolish idea.

"Well, good luck with that," Chikere said abruptly. "I wasn't actually planning to stop by, but this was along the way towards a sword I wanted."

"There's a swordmaster this close?"

"Not for long," Chikere waved. And then she was off, her blade slicing open the world itself almost casually.

That certainly disrupted the flow of energy. But he couldn't do that. He was limited by both cultivation and insight. Nor was he certain that even if he could if he could disrupt the flow of energy in the way he wished.

But instead of discouraging him from his path, Chikere had said nothing. But she also didn't know how to do it, nor that it was possible. Perhaps she supposed he would learn something regardless of what happened, even if it was a waste of time and effort. Or maybe she believed in him.

He chose to believe the latter. The grandmaster was not shy about her opinions. And wishing him luck was probably genuine as well. That probably meant she didn't think it was likely to work, but as long as it was possible, he was willing to try. Even if he continued to have no results for another year.

Early in his career, Anton had the good fortune to obtain a vessel of insights from one of Everheart's Tombs. He had long since passed that off to the Order for use by promising disciples, but over the course of centuries various replicas had been constructed. They were both better and worse than Everheart's version. That one was indiscriminate and required constant empowerment of the vessel and the good fortune to be around someone as they gained insight.

The version he now had for Varghese was more generally useful. It allowed fragments of insight to be created and repeatedly experienced. There were some negatives to it, of course. It required the contributor to understand what would be useful and correct. Then again, the same was true for Everheart's version on the side of the owner of the vessel. They had to discern which insights were correct or not on their own. For Anton's purposes, these new ones were quite useful, as they relied on the understanding of the teacher. And he thought he was getting quite good at that job.

Varghese had found himself drawn to magnetism before Anton began to use it on a large scale- though he had bound himself to Azun before they met. It was likely impossible for Anton to train in every aspect of every type of star, but he still found it valuable to experience as many of them as possible. Azun had been one of those, powerful and interesting but one he was uncertain of its practicality.

To avoid overwhelming his student, Anton started with the more moderate insights, including the feeling of Azun from afar. Attempting to impress him with the full power of the star might prove to be a great encouragement, or it might lead him to despair about the gap between himself and the power he could never hope to achieve. Well, never might be a strong word. Anton understood that with cultivation, anything might be possible eventually. Though he only judged Varghese's talent as above average instead of some sort of genius, his assessment could be faulty- or the right event could change things for better or worse.

Unlike himself, Varghese wielded a sword, though he was not strongly tied to that particular weapon. At the current time, he would use anything that was mainly metal. At a base, that meant weapons like swords where a metal blade made up the majority of it. He had experimented with polearms, and found that a wooden shaft and metal head could have interesting implications for his magnetism, but a fully metal shaft was more comfortable. This sword was what he had the most familiarity with and was of the greatest quality, a longer example meant for use in two hands, almost a polearm itself.

He swung the blade, forming and modifying magnetic fields as he did so. Anton saw that a general field did much the same as all powerful magnetism, creating a slowing effect. That was never what a cultivator would want for their own weapon, so that was to be avoided at all costs. But with the right configuration he could pull his blade in a particular direction, accelerating its momentum. However, the effects shone the most when facing an opponent with metal weapons or armor- the most commonly used.

Anton felt the tug on his own blade. He was not a master with any sort of melee weapon, but he could more than match Varghese with barely a decade or two of experience. That was even without using his greater power. But for the sake of his disciple's training, he limited himself. He sliced out at Varghese, finding his sword blade sticking to the young man. He twisted, making use of the attachment to maneuver his weapon around to a position he could thrust, controlling the young man's positioning with his own power. But Varghese reversed the polarity on his own blade, pushing them apart as Anton attacked and opening up the path for his own attack.

"Good," Anton said as the blade poked into his chest, hovering above his heart. Defense was one area he had no reason to hold back. If he let him, his student could injure him. New muscles and ribs or not, his body still had its limits. And Anton had no trouble admitting when something would have been a telling blow. "Next, we should both make use of our own magnetism. You won't run into many opponents who will make use of something similar but… it would be a shame to be defeated by your own style."

"Of course," Varghese nodded.

The two exchanged blows for some time. Anton didn't make it easy on him. That would simply be impolite, and a waste of time. Instead, he used every trick he could think of. From rapidly changing a field to creating multiple fields around himself and his blade, Anton forced Varghese to reach his limits.

Anton was never the type to focus all his efforts on a single individual forever. And in the case of In'istra, even if Varghese grew rapidly into a prominent position they would have trouble. Because the planet was covered in a large majority of water. There was no less land than Ceretos or other planets, but the same amount of land was instead spread through numerous smaller landmasses. Aspin was just one example, a moderately sized nation among the larger landmasses.

In the current situation where they were recovering from upper realm invasions, their communications methods and willingness to coordinate were both limited. Because of this, Anton intended to continue his efforts upon some of the further locations. The planet wasn't well unified, so he wanted to push for that first. And of course the eradication of the Twin Soul Sect- or other upper realms spies. They still had more than five and a half centuries for the next cycle, but that time could slip by quickly. If they didn't deal with the troubles in their midst soon so they could focus on growth, they might not be able to develop Assimilation cultivators in time. At the current moment, Anton didn't feel comfortable teaching anyone about Assimilation. Not if the enemy could easily come to have it.

If the upper realms were going to learn about it, they were going to have to bleed and die to obtain that information. And then Anton would smile as it was useless unless one lived in the lower realms. Their spies might make use of it, but in a way that could also reveal them. Better to not let it happen at all, but Anton couldn't control everything. Not even if he limited his scope to just himself and a smaller group of individuals he cared about.

Chapter 693

The flow of upper energy was more like a gas than a liquid, from the way forces other than gravity tended to overpower it to the way it could be compressed. And though they were different in many ways, lower energy tended to act similarly in Chidi's experience. Of course, he didn't have much access to lower energy. If he wanted it in any quantity, he would have to separate it from the upper energy. Upper energy was more useful by nearly any metric except for how easily it could be controlled. That was part of the reason it was useful to have objects or materials with lower energy during early training.

He wasn't certain how long it had taken him to focus on lower energy. It wasn't actually a decision, but something had happened naturally over the course of time. Still, it had been some years. He didn't consider his training time before that wasted, but it was certainly less efficient.

A small clearing had been carefully put together with an outer formation that only stopped the flow of upper energy, keeping the area more pure. This was where Chidi would practice, swinging his sword about and observing the way things changed, the vortices and other aspects of turbulent flow. Predicting how it would react in three dimensions seemed nearly impossible… and by normal comprehension, perhaps it was. However, bit by bit he began to gain insights into the flow, and how he could change it.

He flicked his blade, leaving a line of his own energy lingering in the air. This served much the same purpose as formation runes, but if he wanted functionality it had even more exacting standards for length and magnitude. Or he could spend more time carving lingering runes into the air.

He could only keep the form of so many at once, which greatly limited the utility. But if everything went well, he wouldn't necessarily need to hold onto them. A formation breaking could bring with it a great amount of power… and where it was unexpected, even the most rudimentary formation could throw off an enemy.

Chidi immersed himself in his training, such that any time not spend doing it seemed strange. But he still managed to perform his duties as a scout, because he would always be analyzing the flow of energy around him. Occasionally he attempted to apply his developing technique in battle, though he found that it was usually more efficient to directly strike his opponent.

But he still didn't find his training to be without merit. If he could develop his ability, he could choose between otherwise equivalent attacks to set up for something greater. And if all else failed, he could still carve up the physical location of the battlefield into a beneficial formation.

It was quite pleasing for Anton to have a disciple want to learn archery from him, even if they wouldn't ever be an archer. That is to say, their devotion to the form would be merely to the point of proficiency instead of specialization. So when Varghese asked him to teach him archery, Anton was quite pleased.

When he asked Anton to help him develop a special technique, Anton was even happier. And while he already had a technique that achieved the same results, he absolutely understood Varghese's reason to ask for something different.

An arrow flew from Varghese's bow to land in the target, then another and another sequentially. Each of them followed the same path and hit the same point, just separated enough to not hit each other. And the fact that he was using actual, physical arrows was why Varghese needed Anton to make something special.

"I do believe you should learn Spirit Arrows as well," Anton said. "Not only for cases where you run out of ammunition, but to provide versatility to your routine. If your enemy expects you to reach up to your quiver to draw an arrow but you skip that step, you can throw them off. And there are other benefits to arrows that lack physical form."

Varghese nodded, "Of course, if you believe it will be beneficial."

"It is unfortunate. I had a bow that would be quite suited to your current course."

"What happened to it?" Varghese asked. "Did you sell it, or give it to another student?"

"It vaporized in a star," Anton said matter-of-factly. "It was fully metallic and could be used as a melee weapon. I suppose it might be possible to get you a replica, but the resources might as well just be used for different weapons."

Having recently lost all of his arrows, Anton was uncertain if he should build up a new collection for special circumstances or forego them entirely. Spirit Arrows were good, but he could admit there were also benefits to physical arrows. And they worked well with the Flowing Lines, the magnetic archery form that Varghese now used. They had different methods to redirect themselves in flight, and as Varghese had shown there was some efficiency to be gained from reusing an already formed path.

Then again, Anton didn't want to be predictable. Having a set path for his attacks would result in problems. On the other hand, the efficiency per shot was increased and he wasn't limited to just one path. Perhaps if he could adjust the technique to not rely on strict magnetism and set paths he could gain something.

The Reef of Serenity had inherited its name from a time long past, that much Anton was certain of. It had hardly been serene in the past few decades, even for a moment. Of all the places on In'istra, it was the most contested. It contained not only valuable sea life around the islands, but it was also the main route connecting many regions of In'istra. That was because various sea currents met around it, forcing most travel to enter their domain.

And yet, those same currents meeting made a zone of especially difficult travel. Anyone who wished to stop in their territory had to be guided through the waters by locals, and their familiarity also made it possible for them to attack passing ships with near impunity, since retaliation was difficult. That was what seemed to be going on above decks, according to Anton's determination.

As he made his way onto the deck, the captain called out to him. "Honored guest, it would be best for you to remain below decks," the young woman known as Wangi warned him.

"It appears we are being pursued," Anton said. "How did they know we were coming?"

"I don't know!" she snapped, then cleared her throat. "We were… just trying to figure that out. We should have been able to rendezvous with some friendly locals, but we can't get to where they should be. They'd better not have betrayed us."

"I don't believe that to be the case," Anton said. The feeling of this particular group was somewhat familiar. Not the Twin Soul Sect, but another sect from the upper realms. How they stayed hidden was another question, though that might have the same answer as how they knew this ship was coming.

A massive ballista bolt flew through the air, narrowly missing the bow of the ship. "Honored guest-"

"I do have a bit of cultivation," Anton said. "I would prefer to assist, since it would be quite inconvenient if the ship were to go down." Most people would drown, since the wild areas around the reefs would not only crash ships but drown cultivators who would otherwise be able to swim vast distances. But in truth, Anton was more concerned about arriving on a boat instead of flying. That was why he was on this ship at all.

"Fine," Wangi shook her head. "Just stay out of our way."

People were scrambling around for their own weapons, as well as manning the sails and rushing for oars below. Oars were surprisingly valuable for ships carrying cultivators, so even those that mainly worked by sailing had some oars to complement them. The issue of water entering the ship was easily solved with simple formations, quite affordable for any serious cultivators. Of course, the same was true for these pirates.

"What was that?" asked a grumpy older captain.

The individual manning the ballista flinched. "I don't- it seems that my shot missed. It shouldn't have happened."

"No. It shouldn't have."

"But my predictions-"

"Were clearly inadequate."

The old man watched as the ballista was loaded once more, and as they were closing the gap the ones further back on deck were fired as well. All of the shots somehow missed the enemy ship either diving into the water, going straight over the decks, or wide of the ship. Nobody even managed to clip a mast or snag a sail.

"Clearly all of you are in need of remedial lessons," the captain said.

"But elder, they clearly have a formation of some sort!"

"Then take it into account!" he roared. "If you cannot manage something so simple, why did we allow you to become members of the Void Scrying Sect?"

Nobody responded, afraid that they would only provoke further wrath. Unfortunately, their attacks continued to arrive off target.

The elder shoved away the nearest disciple, taking over the ballista for himself. The ship they were pursuing was managing to keep some distance, and now their stern was to the pursuers, limiting the targetable area. But that wouldn't be sufficient to stop them. The elder poured a good portion of his energy into the ballista, as much as it could handle. The bolt fired with great power, far too much to be diverted. According to his predictions, it should cut through two masts at minimum. Or more likely it would be deflected by the enemy captain, but it would still crash into the deck and cause significant damage.

But instead of either of those, it drifted to the left. Nobody said anything, fearful of what would happen. Until…

"Fire!" one of the disciples yelled from the back. "Fire on the sails!"

"What happened to our defensive formations?!" the elder demanded.

"It seems to have pierced through, elder."

"In a single shot?"

"Perhaps there is a Life Transformation expert among them?" the disciple said tentatively.

The elder just glared. "And you think I couldn't predict that?"

"N-no. I mean, of course not, elder. But if they were particularly skilled at hiding their power they might have slipped past our initial impressions…"

The elder turned, then looked up. "Why aren't the fires out yet?" He didn't wait for an answer, instead leaping up the mast and smothering the flames himself. It took quite a bit more of his energy than he expected. The flames were sustaining themselves with more than just the fuel of the sails. By the time they went out, there were so many holes those sails would have to be replaced. And the enemy vessel was pulling ahead.

"You can shoot quite a distance," Wangi commented.

Anton grinned, "You don't live as long as I have if you cannot learn to keep your distance. These old bones are quite fragile, you know?"

Wangi nodded, but she wasn't really listening. "I've heard of ships going missing in this region before," she said. "But here specifically it was thought to be captains getting too close to the dangers of the reef. It's the most dangerous around here, I thought pirates didn't operate here."

"Perhaps they were desperate," Anton said. "I have met some of them before," he added. "They should be some of those from the upper realms. The Void Scrying Sect, I believe they called themselves."

"Diviners, are they?" Wangi frowned. "We are lucky to get away unscathed then."

"No prediction can be perfect," Anton said. "Do you think the locals will wish to hunt them down?"

"If they won't, I'll convince them," Wangi said. "Can't have invaders living upon our trade routes." She looked at Anton. "Can we call upon you if there is another attack? Your abilities could be useful. We could pay."

"Certainly," Anton said. "I will help where I can." He looked off into the distance, beyond the horizon. He would remember that ship. And he would find wherever it went to berth. Disseminating that information to others might be more difficult, however.

Chapter 694

The islands sheltered within the Reef of Serenity were a step or two below Paradise, but from Anton's perspective that was high praise. They were extremely comfortable and teeming with life, with human cultivators being the most obvious of those. They were rather tricky to actually get to, but it was worth the effort. Well, flying would have been easier but far too suspicious.

"Here we are, honored guest," said Captain Wangi. "Are you certain you wish to remain here instead of continuing on your journey?"

"Thank you, captain," Anton said. "But I have some business I must finish. If you are still here when I wish to depart I will of course happily continue on with your ship."

"Well…" Captain Wangi frowned. "We were planning to depart immediately after exchanging goods, but the issue with the pirates…" she shook her head. "Perhaps I should stir something up with the harbormaster before we move on."

"Truly? I also have business with the harbormaster," Anton said with technical truth. Even if he hadn't had said business a moment before, sweeping his senses around the area had revealed a few things. "Perhaps if I come along he will see me afterwards."

"If you wish to," Wangi said. "I do owe you for the pirates."

"It was only right as a passenger on your ship."

"And yet you paid for both passage and safety, which we couldn't fully provide," Wangi shook her head. "But I have the feeling we'll be at this forever if we let it happen. If you wish to come along, it likely won't be until tomorrow. We have our shipping to take care of, and it would be better if we were ready to leave as soon as possible."

"Then I shall see you tomorrow," Anton said.

Light streamed into a large warehouse from plentiful skylight, off to the side of which were a collection of small offices. Anton made his way inside, knocking on a particular door.

"Hello. Are these the offices of the harbormaster?"

The woman inside didn't even look up from her papers, "You're off three blocks and on the wrong side of the main street," she said.

"Must be my old eyes failing me," Anton sighed, "This surely seemed like the right place. All the business going in and out speaks of efficient management."

"Yet another reason this isn't the harbormaster's. Far too much business there to keep things efficient. But the Azure Sails do a fine job of things."

"The harbormaster is one of the Azure Sails, then?" Anton asked.

"He is." The woman finally looked up at Anton. "You are not local."

"Clearly not," Anton agreed. He did know which islands he would claim to be from if pressed, but he was even less local than it at first seemed. But he'd been around for enough years to match his accent to them well enough.

"Do you have business?" the woman asked.

"I was going to inform the harbormaster that the ship I came in on was attacked by pirates in the southeastern reef."

The woman sighed, "Any business with us here at The Reef's Expanse, sir?"

"Well now that you mention it, I'm not sure if I can meet with the harbormaster. So if you could spread the word…?" He waited, but she just looked at him. "Your name, lady?"

"Jamilah," she spat out. "The harbormaster will deal with that."

"I suppose so," Anton said. "But the Void Scrying Sect isn't easy to catch."

Jamilah had been constantly shuffling through papers even as she talked with Anton, but she stopped for a moment. "You must be mistaken. They have been eradicated. I know of this personally."

Anton nodded, "I would not doubt you," he said. "So perhaps they found a method to return unnoticed? I have fought against them before, in the war." Not the same war Jamilah would be thinking of, but not necessarily a different one from the right perspective. "Regardless of what was, they are there."

"That still isn't our business," she declared. "Tell it to the harbormaster."

Suspicion flashed on Anton's face. "Awfully dismissive, aren't you? You know, I have access to a certain technique… did you know that members of the Twin Soul Sect can hide their true cultivation?"

"I am aware," Jamilah said, her body tensing.

"Then you'd better be prepared to… reveal your cultivation!" Anton technically made use of the technique he was alluding to. And exactly as he knew it would, nothing happened. "Oh my, terribly sorry," Anton bowed his head. "I thought you might be one of them. If anyone here could have hidden from my sight, it would have been you."

"Didn't you say your eyes were bad?"

"It's an expression!" Anton shook his head. "Tell me, have the methods to detect the Twin Soul Sect not been disseminated here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jamilah admitted. Her eyes flicked nervously to the open door. "If you know something about it, why don't you come in…?"

Anton closed the door. "Anton," he extended his hand. She shook it. Then he pulled out a technique scroll and placed it on her desk.

She glanced over it, "How much?"

"Well, it is rather expensive to come here…" Anton quibbled. "But unfortunately I have to think about other matters first. I have a personal vendetta. That is why I sent the first copies to the harbormaster."

"Where's the rest?" Jamilah asked, looking at the scroll.

"That's the whole thing. No, I didn't cut it up into parts so nobody could take the whole thing. It's not too much trouble for me to replicate it or anything," Anton said. "I at least have that down. I'd suggest you try it yourself but…" Anton shook his head. "I already scanned your workers here and they're clean."

"Are you certain?" she asked.

"Unless any of them are secretly as powerful as yourself," Anton said. "What do you think happened to the other copies? Do you think the ships delivering them sank?"

"What ship were they to be delivered on?" Jamilah asked. "When was this?"

Anton gave her the names and dates. The memory of a cultivator was an amazing thing, but he had to admit he actually had looked them up once he realized that the Reef of Serenity hadn't responded as expected.

Jamilah tore open cabinets behind her, pulling out a stack of papers and flipping through it with great speed. Not as quickly as she might with Ten Thousand scrolls, and she might have just been skimming, but clearly she had some technique to aid her speed as the natural energy flowed through her.

"They… both arrived on time. All goods intact."

"And the scrolls?"

"There's nothing like that in my copy of the manifest."

"Strange," Anton frowned again. "Something must have happened to those. Do you think someone at the office of the harbormaster…?"

"You didn't wander in here by accident," Jamilah said.

Anton shrugged, "I could have. Nobody stopped me."

"I'll concern myself with security later," Jamilah shook her head. "What do you want?"

"Just what I've been saying. Revenge. Justice. All that."

"I need to bring this up with Harbormaster Bachtiar," Jamilah frowned.

"Oh, that reminds me. I did forget something." Anton pulled out another scroll. "The revelatory technique. It sets off their energy in a manner that disrupts their facade. Don't let them get their hands on it or they could find a counter." Unfortunately this meant Anton had to carefully watch this copy. He didn't think Jamilah would intentionally give it to the wrong person, but with circumstances being what they were… he might have to act quickly. But preferably he would get the situation under control. "What else do you think I should include in my report?" Anton asked, drawing Jamilah's attention away from her thoughts for a moment.

"Hmm? I'm not sure…"

"I have all sorts of details. Like the name of the ship, placement of weapons, number of crew on deck, some damage to the hull… I'll need this all ready for tomorrow."

"Why don't I come with you?" Jamilah asked. "You can use these techniques, right? They're not long, but seem like they would take some time to attain proficiency."

"When using them without a target, that is indeed the case," Anton admitted. "But if you can find a member of the Twin Soul Sect to practice on…"

"Maybe you can reveal one tomorrow."

"Let's hope so," Anton said. Though he wasn't worried about that part of things.

"You're late," Wangi declared as Anton approached. "I was just about to leave without you. And you were, what, picking up another young woman?"

"Wangi." Jamilah nodded. "He got you too?"

"Jamilah." Wangi nodded back. "He's so uneasy to underestimate, like a harmless grandpa."

"Oh good, the two of you already know each other," Anton smiled. "And I am a grandpa. Many times over."

The women basically ignored him, which save him some effort.

"So your ship was the one attacked?" Jamilah asked. "You verified they were Void Scrying Sect?"

"They weren't close enough for most of us to feel clearly," Captain Wangi admitted. "Just barely in range of their forward artillery. But they found us before we even really approached the reefs…"

"Hopefully we can track them down," Jamilah said.

Their feet carried them onwards, away from the docks and up the main street. Anton and Jamilah were making this trip for the second time in a row, but it wasn't that far of a walk by cultivator standards. They easily slipped their way through crowds and past wagons carrying goods from ships to warehouses.

Jamilah took charge as they got to the harbormaster's offices. "We're here to see the harbormaster," she declared to a secretary in the front room.

"His schedule is currently…" the man withered under her gaze.

"I am Jamilah of the Reef's Expanse. He will see me and this captain."

"Of course," he smiled nervously. "Go right in."

In the hallway, Jamilah looked at Anton.

"He's clean, obviously. Or he'd have taken over one of the more functional positions."

"Secretaries are important," Jamilah said.

"Only if they're good at their job," Wangi pointed out. "Recognizing allied leadership is part of that. And what's he clean of?"

Jamilah's eyes shifted to Wangi.

"Her too, obviously," Anton said.

"Twin Soul Sect infiltration," Jamilah explained.

"And he can sense that?"

Jamilah frowned. "Unverified," she said. "But that's what we're here for."

"If we don't run into one on the way to the meeting, I can redirect us to find someone on our way out," Anton said confidently.

A figure hurried out of the office ahead of them, clearly none too happy about being kicked out. But obviously Harbormaster Bachtiar had sensed them coming, and recognized at least Jamilah.

He was a bit too muscular for someone working in an office, but that was the way with cultivators. Most higher ranking positions were given to the most powerful, regardless of other qualifications. Not that Anton thought inside workers couldn't and shouldn't be fit, but it was easiest for them to slack in that area of their training. Even on Ceretos, many people did just enough to surpass Body Tempering. Though the proportion fluctuated over the years, and in all cases was better than a population that was mostly not cultivators.

"Captain Wangi's ship was attacked," Jamilah said straightforwardly.

"I see," the harbormaster nodded. "And this man?" he gestured to Anton.

"A passenger on her ship."

Anton caught Jamilah's eye. But she didn't have the look. Well, everyone had their blind spots.

"I see," the harbormaster said. "What happened?"

Captain Wangi provided the answer to that. "A ship manned by the Void Scrying Sect attacked us after predicting our arrival time and location. We need the Reef to organize to hunt them down."

"Preposterous. We already eradicated them. They couldn't have been from the Void Scrying Sect. How do you know?"

"He sensed it," Wangi said.

"Then he was wrong."

"A rather radical declaration," Anton said. "Should you not be more concerned about continued piracy, regardless of its origin?"

"Indeed I should be," he said. "One might wonder how they knew when your ship would be arriving." The desk didn't stop him from jumping forward and grabbing Anton. "You really thought you could get away with it?"

"I could say the same of you. But I actually have proof," Anton said. A pulse of energy from him changed the aura around the man from that of the sea to merely a painting of the sea, or perhaps some sand that found its way inside clothing. In short, his facade was broken, and his cultivation as a Twin Soul Sect member revealed.

Chapter 695

The grip of the harbormaster was intended to restrain Anton, but instead he had used the contact to use his own technique. Seconds passed awkwardly as Captain Wangi and Jamilah both took in the revealed cultivation of Harbormaster Bachtiar. Anton was surprised at his restraint to not immediately attack. That was a decision good for his health. Sure, Anton wasn't terribly confident in close quarters combat… but that was against people of similar cultivation.

"This is a trick," the harbormaster said, squeezing Anton tighter. "This criminal is attempting to set me up."

"Is that so?" Anton asked. "Then how about we both submit to being arrested and these two here make sure there is a very thorough investigation?"

"Preposterous. Allowing such a thing would bring shame upon the Azure Sails."

"I'm sure you would care about that if you were truly part of them," Anton admitted. "But as the head of the Order of One Hundred Stars, submitting to a just investigation would be my pleasure." Anton casually looked towards Jamilah, "If you decided to execute this guy before you are done investigating me, make sure to destroy his soul so he can't report back. Same goes for the other three in this building."

"They won't be doing anything of the sort," the harbormaster said. "I'm in control here."

"Are you?" Captain Wangi's cultivation appeared as calm as the sea on a clear day, but Anton could sense the volatility beneath the surface. "Because not only did you deny his version of the report, but you also acted like I was not attacked at all. And taking these reports seriously is literally your only job."

"The Azure Sails-"

"Will understand why we are bringing you in," Jamilah said. "It will be just a momentary inconvenience for one of you."

"Come on, Jamilah. You know me."

"Do I? Because the person I knew wasn't a member of the Twin Soul Sect. But I feel your cultivation clearly."

"I told you, this is a trick!"

Jamilah nodded, "And if it is, then when we separate you and constrain your energy, the illusion will fade."

"Make sure he doesn't have time to rebuild his facade," Anton said. "Unless you want to practice that technique. You should probably get things moving along, though. One of the three below seems likely to slip out the back in a moment."

"Everyone!" Jamilah called out, projecting her cultivation and voice. "Lock down the building! No one in or out!" She looked straight into Bachtiar's eyes. "Any objections?"

"I can't believe my own allies would suspect me on the word of a stranger," Bachtiar sighed. "Fine. Do what you must."

As one of the highest ranking members of The Reef's Expanse, Jamilah happened to have on her several pairs of energy restraining manacles. When she took them out, Anton easily offered his own wrists. She put them on Anton first, giving him a side-eye as she then continued to shackle Bachtiar.

Anton breathed a sigh of relief, as he was not a hundred percent confident in defeating the man with his energy restrained. Not without binding the local star. Perhaps he should do that, but he hated to do so without permission of the system. Times of war were a special exception, and he also preferred to not be at war. Then again, the man was not even peak Life Transformation, so Anton at least felt confident enough to resist a single blow while shackled.

It was impossible for people to not feel the conflict in the building even before Jamilah called out to the entire harbormaster's building. So curious onlookers and cautious protectors crowded around. Jamilah waved them all away. "Everything will be explained later to the elders of the Azure Sails. Tell them Jamilah requests their help with an investigation."

Before they left, Anton intended to point out the others. But Jamilah found them without his help. She must have spent the entirety of the previous afternoon and perhaps into the morning practicing the detection technique. Though having successes still required a good head on her shoulders.

Now Anton had to hope that the elders of the Azure Sails weren't stupid or overly concerned about face. Because he really didn't want to have to break his way out. At the very least Bachtiar was the only member of the Twin Soul Sect with a notable cultivation, so they shouldn't be corrupt in that particular way.

Anton was humming to himself when Jamilah appeared in front of him next.

"You're awfully chipper."

"You gave me a good cell," Anton said, inclining his head towards the tiny barred window. "A view of the sun."

"Confident you can escape?"

"It would be difficult," Anton said. "I'd rather not have to try."

"What if I told you we already cleared Bachtiar? His testimony against you is enough for an execution."

Anton shrugged, "I would then suggest you take a careful look at the people who made that decision. But you haven't done that."

"How do you know?"

"You're not great at deception, and you trust me."

"I met you two days ago," she pointed out. "I've known Bachtiar for decades." Anton waited. "So I really shouldn't trust you more."

"Need any more techniques?" Anton asked. "Pretty sure the soul destruction method was in my bag. It's specially tailored for the Twin Soul Sect, you know. Were you having trouble finding it?"

"We haven't opened your bag."

"Why not?" Anton asked.

"Nobody wants to risk it."

"What, you think it's trapped?" Anton smiled.

"Is it not?" Jamilah frowned. "What are all those formations for?"

"All storage bags have formations. That one just has extra durability." He wasn't going to bet it would do any sun, but hopefully it would survive an attuned sun if he lost consciousness like last time. While conscious, he could keep safe anything on him.

"Still better to not. Just in case you're cleared. Wouldn't like to risk your wrath."

"It's alright," Anton said. "As long as you don't break anything."

Jamilah shook her head. "Who are you?"

"Anton Krantz. Sect head of the Order of One Hundred Stars."

"I looked it up. That's a small sect on Aspin. The sect head isn't you."

"Varghese is the head of the local branch," Anton clarified.

"So you are connected." Jamilah stepped closer, "But there's another problem. What is your cultivation?"

"I reached the peak of Life Transformation over a century ago."

"Ridiculous. I know the names of every Life Transformation cultivator. And you said you fought in the war, so don't pretend you were in isolation."

"I never said it was here," Anton replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said. I fought against the Trigold Cluster, including the Twin Soul Sect and the Void Scrying Sect. Just not here."

"I know all names on In'istra, not just the Reef of Serenity."

"Exactly."

"Why didn't you ascend?"

"Can't," Anton shrugged.

"I don't believe you," Jamilah said. With that, she left him.

"Troubles with your cultivation?" Anton's words startled the guard.

"Quiet, prisoner."

"Not supposed to talk to me? That's fine." Anton nodded. "If you're having trouble finding your Essence, I'd suggest thinking about what you gravitate towards when you're not here."

"You cannot beguile me with your techniques. Your energy is sealed."

"Exactly," Anton said. "So you could talk to me. What's your name? I'm Anton."

No response.

"I would suggest something that involves improving things. Not just yourself, but also others. But if you want to focus on perfecting your ability to ignore prisoners, you can do that."

A few days passed, and Captain Wangi managed to get in to see Anton. "Could you have sunk that ship?"

"Hello to you as well," Anton replied. "Trying to find it?"

"I want to know if you went easy on them."

"Depends. Does tracking them back to their harbor count as going easy?"

She crossed her arms in front of her. "When did you have time to track them down?"

"I'm an archer, you know. My senses extend pretty far. Did you see the techniques in my bag? No? Well, my archery master taught me Horizon Shot. For that, you have to be able to sense beyond the horizon." Anton grinned, "She might be the worst teacher in the world. But she knew what she was doing."

"Did she die?"

"She ascended," Anton replied. "Last I heard, she was doing well."

"You really made things difficult for Jamilah, you know?" the captain shook her head.

"And you, I imagine? You were supposed to be moving on."

"After the harbormaster dealt with the pirates, yeah. But you know how that went."

"He wasn't going to deal with them anyway," Anton shrugged.

"That part I fully believe. So where did the pirates end up."

"I can tell you a distance and direction. But unless you're an arrow, you'll end up crashing into some reefs," Anton said. "I could draw the path through the reefs they took, but the tides were changing so you'd have to have… good predictive abilities."

Captain Wangi sighed, "I believe you. Not sure about anyone else though."

"They'll come around," Anton said. "You can tell Jamilah I'm open to answer her questions on anything. She hasn't been back recently."

"Did Danial manage to break through?" Anton asked. "Or is he still working on that?" The new guard just looked at Anton. "Come on, Wahyu, I can barely do anything if you won't talk. Danial was a special exception since I could easily tell where he was stopped up."

"Do you do the supplemental body tempering in Spirit Building? The problem is probably you standing around all day. Obviously I'm not going to tell you to do exercises and wear yourself out on shift, but I can show you a few good sets for after."

Taking the guard's attention as agreement, Anton went through some motions. "Now this one I can't quite do. Short chains. So imagine this, but twenty centimeters further apart. You'll need those back muscles for your spear."

"I hear you scared away three guards in twice as many days," Jamilah said upon her return.

"Only technically. The first one stuck around for a full three days, and the others were pulled off duty for some reason."

"Probably the sudden changes in their cultivation."

"If they had a good teacher normally then they would have already been moving," Anton countered.

"Seriously, who are you?"

"Already told you. If you wait until night I can point to my star. But I'm also from the lower realms, if that makes you feel better."

"You don't seem like it," Jamilah shook her head. "You know too much."

"Helps that we won the last two cycles. We're not planning to let anyone reset us again."

"... Can you really do it? That soul destruction thing?"

"If necessary," Anton said. "Twin Soul Sect only, unless you can be very convincing."

"How long are you going to be around?"

"Well, currently…" Anton gestured to his chains.

"Ah…" she bit her lip. "Can you forgive us?"

"Of course. Especially if you arrive at the right conclusion, which it sounds like might be the case. You learned those techniques?"

"Got four people to practice on," Jamilah said. "And maybe… a few more I spotted around the harbor."

"I haven't run into false positives," Anton said. "But if you want to be sure, revealing their underlying cultivation should clear things up."

"I can't do it for Bachtiar. I believe you, but the elders are still studying the techniques. It did take him most of this week to sneak his cultivation back to replicating ours. He said it took that long for your technique to fade and the truth be revealed but…"

"Should be pretty obvious it took active effort on his part," Anton nodded. "No shackles are perfect."

"... Why did you lie about just one thing?"

"Sorry?" Anton tilted his head. "Perhaps there has been a miscommunication. I didn't intentionally speak any untruths."

"I read it. Your Path to One Hundred Stars. It says your sect has a clear path to ascension. But you lied and said you can't."

"Oh…" Anton nodded, "I will admit that was somewhat deceptive. But also true. I can't ascend. A forbidden technique let me steal ascension energy, but made ascension impossible."

"Is that so?"

"It is," Anton said. "But can you keep a secret?"

"I am capable."

"Have you told anyone about me being from… elsewhere?" Anton asked.

"Not yet."

"Well, I appreciate that," Anton said. "Since there's already enough distrust here. I kind of wanted people here to handle everything on their own."

"And yet you led us to Bachtiar."

"When I teach someone to use a plough, they still perform the work on their own," Anton shrugged. "What's the point of knowing things if I don't pass them on?"

"You're remarkably open with your advice."

"It's both my personality and actively good for my cultivation."

"I thought you hit the peak of Life Transformation a century ago?"

"That's the other secret," Anton grinned. "I didn't ascend, but that doesn't mean I stopped there."

"... Tell me about that."

"Sorry," Anton shook his head. "Not while any upper realm invaders still dwell here. Or especially Twin Soul Sect."

"That's… fully reasonable," Jamilah admitted.

"So am I being released at some point?" Anton asked. "I could point you to some pirates. Would be great for picking you as the next harbormaster."

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you certain you aren't just a devil in disguise sent to tempt people?"

"It'll be really obvious if they're who I say they are," Anton said. "And you can even bring me along in shackles."

"... It might be a few more days," Jamilah said. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I suggested this," Anton replied. "Make sure to keep an eye on Bachtiar."

"He's as secure as you… and the Reef's Expanse are providing the guards."

"Good plan," Anton said.

Hopefully she meant as secure as Anton was supposed to be. The shackles she first used should be sufficient, so that was probably what she meant.

Chapter 696

Bright sunlight and a cool breeze on Anton's face were quite a pleasant combination as he stood on deck. It was only very slightly compromised by the chill of manacles around his wrists, but his inner warmth quickly solved that problem.

"Stop looking so happy," Jamilah said from next to him. "I don't like being manipulated."

"Everyone is always manipulating everyone," Anton said. "Some of them are just more honest about it. What's your problem with me?"

"You didn't warn me about Bachtiar."

"Didn't I?" Anton asked.

"Not properly. If you had just told me I could have…"

"Could have what, shown up with an army in the headquarters of your allies? Without warning any of them? This way, you took him in peacefully."

"It could have gone badly, though," she admonished.

"So he attacks someone. I stop him, and take the blame. And then you properly look into him and we end up here eventually anyway."

"You were too hasty."

"Better than giving him a chance to cover his trail."

"And what trail do you think he had?"

"Embezzlement, accepting bribes, all sorts of corruption," Anton answered.

Jamilah narrowed her eyes. "You knew?"

Anton shook his head. "I know the type. If you're already a traitor, what's a little corruption on the side? Nobody would even look into the harbormaster's finances, I imagine."

"Probably not," Jamilah admitted.

There was silence for a time, then Anton began the next step of their conversation. "You cultivate based on your understanding of the Reef of Serenity. The ebb and flow of the tides, the deadly shoals, and the storms about the area." Anton wasn't asking, instead stating. "But you haven't been here before."

"... So?"

"What stopped you?" Anton asked.

"There is much work to be done and…"

"The Harbormaster limited 'unnecessary' trips? Especially to the more dangerous locations."

"It was quite reasonable," Jamilah said.

"That's how it always begins," Anton agreed. His eyes focused on the area ahead of them. "Unfortunate. It seems we will not be able to reach our goal at this moment. The tides are quite wild here."

"I can move forward alone," Jamilah said.

Captain Wangi, who had been remaining silent, interjected. "And get yourself killed all alone? Don't think so. You'll bring along myself… and him, if you're smart."

"Given who you are up against," Anton added, "It is likely that even if all of your men arrive with you, you will either be surrounded in ambush or they will flee."

"We have other ships watching the outside," Jamilah explained.

"Then they are either already gone, or prepared to fight like a cornered tiger."

"You just want me to unshackle you."

"I am much more effective that way," Anton grinned.

"Well too bad. We didn't bring your bow."

"I am aware. It had better be there when I get back. It's irreplaceable."

"What is it made out of?" Jamilah asked. "Nobody could figure it out."

"That's exactly why," Anton said.

"Can you actually fight without your bow?" Jamilah asked.

"I can create a bow out of energy, just like my arrows," Anton said. "Though it is markedly less effective, I should still be of some use."

Jamilah narrowed her eyes. She was at least somewhat aware of Anton's true cultivation going beyond LIfe Transformation. "Let us hope it will be enough." She pulled out a key. "I'm going to need a promise not to cause trouble."

"I give you my word I will not harm anyone not from the upper realms or a disciple of the same."

"Good enough," Jamilah said, channeling her energy into the key and removing the shackles one at a time. "I just hope they're still there."

"They are," Anton confirmed.

"I thought you were speculating about them having run?" Captain Wangi asked.

"That was before I could properly sense them," Anton gestured to the shackles. "Now then, I do believe proceeding any further with this ship will sink us. But I will follow your lead, Jamilah."

"No, you're right," she said. "The flow here is too unpredictable. Better to rely on our own bodies, though we will be without the strength and speed of the ship. We have to at least confirm the enemy's presence. Come on then, it's time for some wave walking!" The last order was conveyed to the crew as a whole.

Swimming was a valuable skill for sailors of any sort. The excuse that going overboard would kill a man on the open sea only went so far. That worked for captains who didn't care about their crews surviving more than they cared about them wanting to keep the ship afloat, but it didn't work so well when one considered cultivators. Any cultivators of merit had a strong survival instinct and would take any chance to increase their survival.

But for cultivators like those around the Reef of Serenity, there was an even more valuable skill, walking atop the water. It was a significant expenditure of energy, as each individual was essentially holding themself up on a non-rigid surface, but it provided more flexibility in combat than swimming. Attacking through the water was quite difficult.

And so, the crew began to one by one leap onto the sea. Some floated much lower in the water than others, up to their knees or even waist. Others like Captain Wangi and Jamilah stood fully atop the water, though ultimately it was still much worse than solid ground due to constantly moving footing.

As Anton could fly, it was much easier to do something like standing atop water. He let his feet dip under the surface, not because he couldn't easily manage better because it was easier to reduce his up and down bobbing by not focusing on the surface of the water so much. His movements wouldn't throw off his archery, but that wasn't a good reason to get careless.

Jamilah seemed to carry no weapons at all, but Anton knew that was simply her combat style. Even without seeing her in action, he was able to pick up on how she would fight. Wangi quite obviously carried numerous javelins on her back, which would be used either to attack something approaching her ship or used as a small spear if they actually got aboard.

The rough shallows tossed people about as they approached their goal, not yet visible on the horizon. However, moving about was only dangerous when they approached rocks or whirlpools that might drag people down- both sensed easily enough from the surface. Jamilah picked out a good path that the others followed, with Anton staying close behind the two leaders.

"There it is," Anton said the moment something was visible on the horizon. The others didn't quite believe him until they got closer.

"That's a lot more than a temporary encampment," Jamilah commented.

Wangi shook her head, "Couldn't be made just from local materials, either. Someone had to be trading with them."

"I doubt they'll keep records of it," Jamilah said. "But we could get lucky. Though I imagine most of it flowed through Bachtiar." She looked over at Anton. "Now that we've confirmed their presence there really aren't any grounds for suspicion upon you." That wasn't quite true, but she seemed to be keeping the secret about him not being from their world, for the moment. Perhaps it was a test, but Anton never even considered abandoning them.

When they could, the group walked along any solid surfaces, leaping between boulders and reefs and the like to conserve their energy. Soon enough they were nearly to the enemy fortress- a solid structure of stone.

"I've got that," Anton said.

"Got what?" Jamilah asked.

Anton gestured over his shoulder to where a signal flare was being shot up into the air, a lingering bolt of energy. "That," he said as a golden bow formed in his hand. He drew back his bow slowly, taking shots one-by-one. Of course, he could have done much more… but he wanted to conceal his power from both friend and foe. "It is only a few squads attempting to snatch your vessel while we are away," he said, firing another arrow. "Basically just Essence Collection or Spirit Building." Sure, there had been one Life Transformation cultivator, but they seemed to have barely stepped into the stage to begin with.

"How did they-" Jamilah shook her head. "Scrying, of course."

"I'd assume so," Anton agreed.

"Shouldn't they be able to predict the loss?" Wangi asked. She held up a hand to cut Anton off. "No prediction can be perfect, I get it."

"Exactly," Anton said. "It seems they forgot to account for range."

"How many kilometers is that?" Wangi asked.

"Just five or so," Anton replied. He'd been able to shoot that far for all of Essence Collection, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Except to a planet like In'istra who had recently undergone repeated catastrophes.

"Alright. What next?" Wangi asked. "We've confirmed their position so…"

"We bring it down," Jamilah said.

"Sorry?"

The waters began to swirl unnaturally beneath Jamilah's feet. "Unauthorized structures within the jurisdiction of the Reef, especially those housing pirates and invaders, will be destroyed."

Anton grinned. It seemed someone wanted to show off a bit. He was glad to watch.

The waves lapping up against the shores of the fort suddenly receded, then crashed forward towards the walls. The process repeated several times, before ballistae upon the walls began to shoot down at them. The large bolts crashed into the waters around them.

Wangi narrowed her eyes, looking at Anton. He looked back without guilt. She could likely tell there was a reason the bolts missed, and that it was him… but if she was going to complain about that, Anton would offer to let her ship sink next time. Not that she appeared particularly upset at the current circumstances.

The walls of the fortress had at least rudimentary barrier formations, but that didn't stop Jamilah. As she continued to walk forward without fear, the crashing waves grew stronger- but instead of just battering the walls, she focused on the reefs below. The Void Scrying Sect was wise enough to not build things on simple sandbars, having made solid foundations below, but Jamilah dug deep under the water until she managed to find something she could pull apart towards the 'front' of the fort, where the docks had a few vessels lined up.

Some people tried to stop the docks from falling apart, but a few shots from Anton made it difficult for anyone to stop Jamilah. The walls crumbled along with part of the docks, and the true assault began.

With part of the wall crumbled, the barrier formation was greatly weakened. Wangi was now within range for her javelins as well, just a few hundred meters away. The first thing she did was take out the crews of various ballistae. Their group contained members of both Jamila's sect and Wangi's crew who boldly approached the fortress.

Anton was fairly certain they had things in hand. The Void Scrying Sect was successful not for their straightforward battle prowess but their predictive abilities, avoiding that which they couldn't win. So the fact that they were here meant they thought they would come out on top- at least compared to facing the ships outside their 'harbor'. But even if their prediction had been correct as far as they could manage, it didn't account for Anton very well. In fact, he would be surprised if they had been able to predict the fleets outside their little den. They would have been expecting Bachtiar to warn them the old fashioned way, most likely.

Either way, arrow by arrow, Anton dealt with the most dangerous individuals. He didn't necessarily kill them, but if an arrow took out a shoulder, elbow, or knee the ability to fight was dropped drastically. Those who noticed that it seemingly took little more effort to cripple a Life Transformation cultivator than one in Essence Collection besides a several fold difference in actual power were more likely to judge their senses as being incorrect- or to not care, because they were busy staying alive. Anton hoped that what would be most remembered was Jamilah bringing down the walls. And if anyone was overly concerned with his sniping abilities, he would just teach a dozen people Horizon Shot before he left and show them. Maybe Wangi could do the same with a javelin.

Chapter 697

The fortress of the Void Scrying Sect was not prepared to withstand a serious assault. Their entire method of operation was to avoid being discovered in the first place, picking on those who were weak without it becoming obvious they even existed. With the help of the Reef of Serenity's harbormaster they had been doing that for at least a few years. Perhaps half of the ships thought lost to storms or shoals had truly been lost to them.

Despite it not being their intention to end up in their situation, they still put up a good fight. In most circumstances, they would have taken a significant amount of people down with them. While the forces of the Reef and Captain Wangi's ship were certainly not without injuries, subtle effects greatly swayed how serious those injuries were. A small burst of energy knocking an attack off course, or felling one foe and allowing allies to fight together. Nothing anyone would notice as they were quite busy devoting their own focus to survival.

Every disciple of the Void Scrying Sect fought to the last, not that anyone was keen on letting them surrender to begin with. If it was easy they would capture the leaders to interrogate, but there was no scenario that upper realms invaders would be left to live. Anton understood that mentality from various systems, including systems on both sides of the spectrum as far as previous victories. In'istra had been on the losing end, though apparently not enough of a threat to completely wipe out and lose as a resource gathering operation.

There were a few oddities, however. The Twin Soul Sect being perpetual spies made sense, but the Void Scrying Sect didn't quite fit. They were more capable of hiding themselves than others, but why would they risk being present at all, when that could only remind the locals of what would happen? At least with Ceretos and Weos, they endeavored to destroy as much history as possible and leave only confusion after a cycle.

Or perhaps this was part of that, sect members staying behind and recruiting to manage their goals. Perhaps they would have begun hunting down those who remembered and causing a second wave of calamity.

Anton caught the attention of Jamilah and Wangi, nodding his head towards the inner structures. It wasn't the setup of a full sect, but they still had something like a library. As for their formations, they were easily dismantled.

"A formation master too, are you?" Jamilah asked.

"If I can topple a wall does that make me an engineer?" Anton grinned.

"Fair enough," she conceded, "But I have the feeling you know more than you'd let on."

"Never enough to claim the title of master, though," Anton shook his head. Then he began grabbing books and handing them to Jamilah.

She frowned. "I can pick things up on my own."

"Well, my storage bag is currently in someone's custody," Anton said.

Jamilah busied herself with stowing things away, though she kept one eye on Anton suspiciously. "What are you doing?"

"Handing you writings," Anton said.

"They'd better not be damaged."

"Of course not," Anton said. "Who do you think I am?"

"I still barely know," she said.

Wangi was also watching Anton carefully. "Are you… skimming everything?"

Saying 'no' would be true in only the most technical fashion. Just like saying he didn't have a single coin if he had a hundred. "I'm definitely checking them out," Anton said.

"Some of these are local sect's techniques," Jamilah pointed out. "People don't like their secrets being revealed."

"You got to see mine, it's only fair," Anton said. "Here we are," Anton said, holding up a pile of documents. "The important stuff."

"What about them?" Jamilah asked. "They don't look like techniques."

"Anyone can make techniques and cultivation methods," Anton said. "But not everyone can explain the motives of a group."

"And these do?" Jamilah questioned.

"Unfortunately, they weren't so foolish as to write everything down. However, it's clear enough that they had some intention of taking over in a more permanent fashion, not just weakening your growth for the next cycle. That's abnormal… as far as I am aware."

"They're not so strong…" Jamilah began.

"Imagine in a century, when Bachtiar is at the peak of Life Transformation and organizes a coup with sects scattered all around In'istra, including all of the leadership positions of the main countries."

"We would have stopped them," Jamilah said. "We've been finding Twin Soul Sect members for over a decade. They would never be strong enough."

"Unless you never found any to begin with," Anton pointed out.

"Certainly, but just because you came here and pointed out the harbormaster doesn't mean we wouldn't have eventually… oh."

"I figured it out because my techniques weren't passing through here," Anton said. "And then I sensed him in particular. "

Captain Wangi looked between the two of them. "I feel like there is information I am missing. But I'm not certain I should know it." She inclined her head. "I think I will go find my crew."

"I should have been more careful," Jamilah said.

"It's fine. She likes me. And in the worst case scenario, I can leave. Though that would be a loss for the Order."

"... I forgot you started a sect."

Anton waggled his finger, "I did not. I planted a branch."

"What are your intentions?"

"I would like to see them grow big and strong like all of my grandchildren and disciples," Anton said.

"If you're planning to conquer In'istra, we won't let it happen so easily."

Anton turned towards her. "Please, do you think I'm the type?"

"It's easier to believe than you being… this," she gestured at him broadly.

"And what is this?"

"A lovable grandpa who just wants to help."

"You only like me because we're not enemies," Anton said. "Ask Bachtiar if he thinks I'm a lovable grandpa. He's still alive, right? Because I don't want to hear you guys let him die and reincarnate in the upper realms."

"We've taken precautions," Jamilah confirmed.

There was silence for a time, just the rustling of papers. Scrolls and tomes as well.

After a while, Anton turned the conversation to somewhere new all at once. "It's easier to hand out cultivation advice to people who are struggling. If you want guidance you have to talk to me, or at least stand outside my cell for a few days."

"I… don't need it," Jamilah crossed her arms.

"I'm not asking for anything," Anton reminded her. "This is good for me, and it's what I want. It's good for both of us." She had nothing to say there. "It will be dark when we get back."

"So?" Jamilah asked.

"If you bring me my telescope, I'll show you my star," Anton grinned. "Oh, and there's a really neat one nearby, if you take the chance to look up close. It's tiny but powerful."

"Why do you like stars so much?"

Anton shrugged, "They were nice to look at. But mostly, my mentor liked them. And it's not a bad idea to have a hobby related to your cultivation. There are a lot of insights to be had." Anton gestured around them, "You like the Reef, don't you?"

"I suppose I do."

Nowhere on the way back did Jamilah suggest shackling Anton again, and he certainly wasn't going to suggest it. They were a single step away from a formal proclamation of innocence to begin with. But first, he showed Jamilah the stars.

"Most of my grandkids didn't get into the stars, you know? The one that did mostly cared about them as massive power sources for her formations."

"That does seem rather practical," Jamilah admitted, looking into the telescope as Anton had set it up. "That's your home star? It's… rather nice."

"You can say it's boring," Anton shrugged. "It's quite plain. Only notable to me because I'm from there."

Jamilah looked down, as if she could see In'istra's sun. "Ours isn't particularly exciting either."

"Let me show you Azun," Anton said, redirecting the telescope. As he had a connection, it was easy to aim it by instinct rather than careful measurement. He wouldn't mistake something that just looked similar, or slip past what he wanted.

Jamilah frowned as she looked at it. "Are you sure that one is closer?"

"It certainly is," Anton said. "Except instead of being a million kilometers across, it's in the low tens of kilometers. I suppose knowledge of astronomy was wiped out with many other things."

"How did that happen?" Jamilah asked.

"Oh," Anton grinned, "Let me tell you about star life cycles."

A few days later, Jamilah brought Anton to see Bachtiar. "We can't get anything out of him," she said. "Though I did at least forcibly reveal his cultivation in front of others. His sect didn't like it, but they were also clamoring to kill him and erase him from the record."

"And that's why you need me," Anton said.

She just nodded.

When the two of them entered Bachtiar's cell, he just glared at them. "Why is he here?"

"Why do you think?" Jamilah asked.

"A master of torture, I presume. But I won't crack. I have only secrets of the Azure Sails regardless. This false technique purporting to oust me as the Twin Soul Sect-"

"I don't really know what your angle is here," Anton said. "Surely you should just be asking for us to kill you more quickly? Unless you're fond of torture."

"Still just trying to drive a wedge between us," Jamilah shrugged. "Even though we already slaughtered the Void Scrying Sect. Anyway, you're wrong. He's just here to kill you."

"I will not succumb to threats."

"Seriously," Anton said. "Does getting tortured give you extra contribution points after reincarnation or something? I don't get it. Not that it matters. Because you don't get to do that."

"Your threats won't-"

"This isn't a threat. I'm not going to ask any questions," Anton said. Spectral energy gathered around his arm. "I'm not going to stop. I just want the last thing you ever experience to be fear. I'd say regret, but you'll never get to that part."

Anton jabbed his arm through Bachtiar's abdomen, the spectral energy ripping apart his dantian and cultivation. Anton hadn't personally performed such a task often, as they'd usually had formations to catch them, but he knew what to do. And with his energy suppressed, Bachtiar hadn't been able to fight back at all.

"So that's it…?" Jamilah said shakily. "He's gone, and he'll never reincarnate?"

"Not as anything that resembles Bachtiar, at least. So for all practical purposes, that is the end."

"It's awful," Jamilah said. "Though he deserved it."

"He did," Anton said. "And I think… if he had lived his life in a way that accomplished anything good or lasting, it would not be the worst end."

Jamilah shook her head. "I don't know. Even if I presume that after death I will not remember any form of reincarnation… knowing that I would not would burden me."

"It's not that bad," Anton said. "Just make the best use of your time and don't think about it. I wasn't expecting anything before I became a cultivator, and then after I basically got back to that right away. In the grand scheme of things."

"Sorry, what?" Jamilah tilted her head. "You speak like…"

Anton held up one hand, letting small motes of ascension energy dance around it. "For this, I gave up ascension." He held up his other hand, "And for this, reincarnation."

"Can you teach me?"

"You're too young," Anton said.

"What does that mean?"

"Just what I said," Anton shrugged. "Fleeting Youth is of minimal value to you, for much lost."

"I… ascension, at least, is not appealing to me," Jamilah said.

"I wouldn't give up on it just yet. Not the entirety of the upper realms is full of awful people." Anton paused for a moment, "Sure, the Exalted Quadrant and Trigold Cluster are pretty bad, but in the middle… after you take out the Harmonious Citadel, there are some decent folk. I could point you towards them, if you were interested."

"I'm more interested in that… Assimilation thing you spoke of."

"Hmm…" Anton frowned. "First we have to get you to the peak of Life Transformation. And make sure the Twin Souls aren't around to slip away with that knowledge. That part will probably come about first though, so don't worry about it."

Chapter 698

The responsibility that had been thrust upon Varghese sometimes still put him off balance. Did he deserve to be the head of a sect? Even though it was merely a branch of a greater sect, that didn't necessarily change his feelings. Instead, the greater weight of responsibility still wore down on him. What qualifications did he have, except coincidentally being the first person Anton spoke to?

When he asked, Anton had told him the qualifications were the same as required of any member joining the Order of One Hundred Stars. That is to say, the capacity to be a good person. There was more to it than a quick surface level judgment, but instead a detailed analysis required. Above all else, Anton valued growth- but not in the ways other sects might. He did not care to have genius disciples who rose through the cultivation ranks at great speed, but rather those who put in the effort to grow whether it was easy or not. More than that, those who would help others do the same.

But of course, that had little to do with morality, at least directly. Helping one's self and one's allies was not an act of goodness- it was one of basic functionality. Expending effort to help others, especially those who may never be able to pay back said effort, that was where things started. Altruism, in other words. Anton explained to Varghese that altruism was the basis of goodness. It was not enough to try to avoid harm. On the other hand, once one had other's benefit in mind they would obviously do their best to do them no wrong.

Things weren't always so simple of course. Varghese remembered a particular conversation. "Why are all of your instructions so… vague? It would be easy to accidentally cross a line."

"Tell me, Varghese, would you prefer a definitive list? A compendium of laws."

Varghese had nodded. "Of course. Written by you, with your great wisdom, I am certain it would benefit those who followed it greatly."

"Certainly. I will get you a list of every single situation by the end of the day. And then tomorrow, when the world changes, I will write it anew."

"Surely things do not shift so rapidly."

"Perhaps not," the old man had shrugged. "But tell me this. You would agree that stealing is wrong, would you not?"

"Of course."

"What about from an enemy sect? Or invaders from the upper realms?"

"Well, that's not really stealing…" Varghese had begun to say.

"Perhaps not," Anton said. "What about from a neutral sect?"

"Well-"

"Perhaps you have had conflict with them in the past. Or if it is the first time encountering them. What if you are competing for a prize. The corpse of a great beast, the fruit of an ancient tree. When is it right to claim it?"

"Whoever obtains it first in such a situation is the rightful owner," Varghese had declared confidently.

"Very well." Looking back, Anton hadn't actually said he was correct about anything. Nor that he was incorrect. "And when they are the victors?" Varghese hadn't known what to say. "If you can accept that, and the same of the others, then it is reasonable. But if snatching it away leads to a conflict that gets your disciples killed, is it still moral?"

"But we can't just let people get away with threats when we rightfully have something," Varghese said.

"And so…" Anton had spread out his hands, "What is the resolution? Is there a right or wrong? What is it?" Anton then let out a heavy breath. "Don't get me wrong. Not all situations will be thus. Right and wrong surely exist. But in a world of conflict, it is rarely clear. And we have only postulated about one area. So while I can definitively declare a few things wrong in the vast majority of circumstances, and the same for things that are good, you must always weigh the benefits and harms to people as a whole."

"I understand," Varghese had answered with what he believed was the truth.

Now, he knew that he was missing so much. While Anton couldn't answer every question, his experience could still guide Varghese. But right now, he was waiting on an answer. Usually, Anton was able to respond to his queries right away, but Varghese had been waiting for days. That was not so long in the grand scheme of things, but waiting longer to make a decision would also come with consequences.

It should have been a simple matter. He found someone in the markets stealing from the vendors. Or rather, intimidating them to make them pay 'protection' money. There were legitimate ways to go about something like that, but this was a scheme he concocted on his own, with the money flowing into his own pockets and likely no protection actually coming in return. Aspin had their own laws, but they also provided significant leeway for sects to handle justice on their own. Which was to say, powerful sects were almost above the law.

The problem was the group the young man was from. If it had been any other, Varghese could have made a swift decision. But he was a member of the Iron Plate Mercenaries. Now time was nearly running out, and he would have to make a decision on his own.

Except… he felt the pulse of energy that was him receiving a response. The personal communication device he had been given by Anton- a replacement, as apparently his first one had its connecting device destroyed- finally showed signs of a response. Varghese knew he should have been patient, but every day that passed with the individual in custody weighed heavily on him.

The response he got? "What do you think you should do?"

Of course it would be like that. Varghese tried to remember what he'd explained about the situation. He sent some more details first, before providing his actual response. "I would want to punish him. The situation does not seem deserving of death, but repayment of the losses and perhaps expulsion from the mercenaries might be appropriate."

Fortunately, the response was swift. "Then why not do that?"

"I am worried about the harm to the Iron Plate, and our relations with them."

"But you have not handed this individual over to them to deal with as they wish."

Varghese sighed. He trusted Sharma and Vasudha, who led the group. He would generally consider them good people, but they still fell into the mindset of typical cultivators. "I am afraid they would make the wrong decision."

"Then perhaps it is you who must guide them."

"Is that it…?"

"I'm not going to tell you what to do. But I must ask, have you considered the other consequences of your choices?"

"If he goes unpunished the merchants will suffer." Was that it? There had to be more.

"What else?"

It was like Anton was here, looking at him and watching his reactions. But he wasn't. Was he? Varghese felt around with his senses. If Anton was watching, why did he care? Because he didn't want to make a mistake. So he should follow Anton's promptings. "There could be damage to the Iron Plate's reputation. Further damage, I suppose." And indirectly, the Order.

Covering it up… was definitely wrong. And only considering direct harm, it would be worse in the future if anyone found out. No, the largest issue would be allowing the troublemaker to continue as a blight. But because it concerned Sharma's company, Varghese needed to convince him of that.

"I think I have arrived at a solution."

"Good. And I am sorry about the delay. I was separated from my equipment briefly."

Varghese understood. Actually, he should strive to not be dependent on the man. After all, something could come up that would bring him away for years again. And while he could theoretically still remain in contact during that, it would be much slower. Only good for longer term questions.

Sun glinted off of Chidi's sword, though he noticed the sunrise from the warmth and the fact that his delicate formation crumbled apart as his blade sliced down. He was making progress but even factors like the sun being in the sky and whether it was behind hills or clouds would influence his formations. But if he was able to find a few stable moments, he could accomplish amazing things with relatively little of his own energy.

That was what it was all about. Efficiency. Swords were efficient because they concentrated power on a smaller area. That was the point of weapons, in general. Some got their use through momentum, but ultimately their only purpose was to be more efficient than bare hands. If they weren't then they were not used.

Putting it another way, Chidi could cut down someone several times as powerful with him using only a portion of his energy, if he properly concentrated it around his blade and they weren't able to properly defend. A thin horizontal slice on someone's body was only a tiny fraction of them, and thus equally distributed energy defenses would be inadequate. And while all successful cultivators would react and redistribute their energy to some extent, the efficiency on their end was a factor. That was true until one cultivator could control an overwhelming power compared to others. Like, say, the difference between early Life Transformation and Integration. If Chidi were to use random examples that might get him killed in the near future.

But he wasn't willing to give up. Rakiya might grow stronger over the years, but she would not advance proportionately as much as he would. A few more years and he would step into Life Transformation, while she would still be in the same general stage of Integration. Perhaps increasing the equivalent of another rank by the standards of One Hundred Stars while Chidi would grow several ranks and gain the power of Life Transformation.

He felt a presence nearby. "Aconite," he waved. "I'm done. You won't be interrupting."

His wolf friend approached. "You grow strong."

"Thank you," Chidi said. "I am working hard."

"Your studies in formations go well. But I believe you are missing one area."

"What do you mean?" Chidi asked. According to Sithembile, he covered all areas of study- and he had his own practice with swords and redirecting the flow of energy using his blade.

"Do you recall how our parents met?"

Chidi pondered for a while. "It was in the lower realms, was it not? There was some sort of fungus or weird moss that took over bodies. Fuzz barely survived its removal."

"That is correct," Aconite agreed. "But then he grew strong."

"He gained determination," Chidi nodded.

"But not just that. His body was repaired… and augmented. Your mother's formations gave him hope."

"Oh. I remember," Chidi said. "Personal augmentation formations. Mother steered me away from those, however."

"Why?"

"Too young and inexperience," Chidi admitted. "I would just hurt someone."

"But you are neither of those now. You are far more experienced in formations than she was when she started."

"I suppose that is true. I might be able to do something to myself…" Chidi thought for a few moments. "But that's not what you want, is it?"

"My body is more durable," Aconite said. "It could recover from minor mistakes more easily."

"But I-" he didn't want to hurt his friend. On the other hand, she wasn't really asking for the sake of him training, was she? She had lamented the lack of a teacher here, though she only mentioned it rarely in recent years. But without that, her growth had limits. Limits that Chidi was surpassing on his own. "I could stand to learn in that area," Chidi said. "I know where I would start, I suppose." His mother hadn't taught him much in the topic. But in a way, that was actually a good opportunity. It would show whether or not he could do the same as her and pave his own way. Even if it followed her example, without her directing him it would be his own thing. And as long as he was cautious, it should be an improvement for Aconite and himself as well.

Unlike Fuzz, she was not in desperate need of assistance. She was functional on her own. So he had to be a bit more cautious. It wouldn't do to harm his friend. And even if she didn't get upset, Spikes certainly would. Those teeth were sharp.

Chapter 699

A scraping sound filled Chidi's ears as he carved apart a boulder. A sword was by no means the correct tool to use for the job, but it was what he was most comfortable with. Away went a slice up top, and a chunk down bottom. Then another in the other direction, forming four protrusions on the bottom. Pieces were carved off the front and the rear of the oblong object to form two more.

Chidi nodded. "Alright, it's ready."

"... what is that?" Aconite asked, pacing around the figure.

"What are you talking about? It's you."

"... In what way is this me?"

Chidi frowned. "Good point, hold on." He carved out sharp teeth in the mouth. "There."

"Only the teeth are even close," Aconite said. "The rest of this is…" the wolf sighed.

"It's close enough," Chidi crossed his arms. "I'm not going to just start carving you up."

"I believe it began with shaving away fur."

"Still better to not mess that up," Chidi said. "Let me just…"

A few quick swishes of his blade and he had a good outline of what he had been thinking about. Just a faint flow of power. A few more and it was really coming together. And then… the whole thing shattered.

"Ahh, dammit," Chidi shook his head. "The dampening runes weren't enough. It probably wouldn't happen on your body, but… it could actually amplify your own energy to be worse, if I did it wrong."

"Is there a reason you were so quick?"

"Well… habit, I guess?" Chidi tilted his head. "If I'm fast enough I don't have to think about where things link up so much, and how. But obviously… I've been focusing a bit too much on the lethal aspects of formations."

"I don't mind, as long as those lethal aspects affect my enemies."

"That's why I'm practicing," Chidi said. Now he had to find something else to carve another Aconite out of. The second round would be better, no doubt.

Especially during times of war, infiltrating a sect like the Harmonious Citadel wasn't trivial. It wasn't like Velvet could just spend a few days or a month getting closer to her target and then slipping inside to grab something. Years before she'd come out of their territory with piles of secret information, but the magnitude of what it suggested required her to infiltrate them once more. Over a decade of work, and all she came back with fit within a single folder. But it should be sufficient to confirm or refute what she'd found before.

Even though her task was important, she barely managed to get time with Catarina and some of the other leadership. The war was really ramping up, borders pushing back and forth. Oddly enough, the nearly useless planet of Yaitis had become a focal point around which the borders pushed back and forth, the stalemate there preventing anyone from pushing too far past it, unless they wished to leave themselves open to flanking maneuvers. Of course, space was three dimensional so it wasn't the only critical planet, but it had become one of a handful in the region that had to be held on to maintain control of the systems. And the very fact that the Harmonious Citadel refused to give it up was enough to want to keep their hands on it as well.

"I look it over," Velvet said, placing the papers in front of Catarina, Timothy, Enes, a number of leaders from the Dark Ring, and Tauno. The latter was only present by coincidence, though his opinions were valued above many simply because of his strength. "Unfortunately, it seems the information holds true."

"Is that a problem?" Tauno asked. "This sort of controversy… it could make the Harmonious Citadel crumble."

Zazil shook her head, "Perhaps that would happen, but consider this. If word spreads that the Exalted Quadrant established a mole, no, the current leader of the Harmonious Citadel… what happens to the 'peace' between them and the Trigold Cluster? And what happens to all of us that live in between?"

That was the problem. All of them looked over the documents in question once more, but it was difficult to come to any conclusion except that the origin of the 'light' path, and thus Hans Sigismund, was the Exalted Quadrant. Obviously this was not information that was recorded directly, but along with information from elsewhere the picture fit together. The information was accurate, regardless of the details. For example, it was unclear if Sigismund was still beholden to the Exalted Quadrant- and it might not matter. For the purposes of rattling the Harmonious Citadel, one of 'their' techniques coming from outsiders was enough. And the same was enough for the Trigold Cluster to enter the area should the information be proliferated.

Fajra was one thing- Everheart's Tomb had been something of a neutral ground, an exception to the rule. But for the most part, neither side was supposed to have people even pass through the area. After all, there was no need to do so, since the Scarlet Midfields were located directly between the two territories.

"We should not make use of this," Catarina said. "Unfortunately, the consequences will likely outweigh the benefits."

"I don't trust their pact will hold, given an excuse," Timothy agreed.

"Prasad has recently been pressuring them from the east," Tauno added. "It is not critical to our participation in the war. Perhaps the status quo suits us best. If we can truly birth more Augmentation cultivators within a century…"

"Half that," Catarina said confidently.

Tauno shrugged, "There isn't much difference. Our forces strain, but we are holding up against the Citadel. The difference in time will not be so important."

"Then we are agreed," Zazil said. "Information on this does not leave this room. Not until the Scarlet Alliance agrees it would provide more benefit than harm."

Juicy. So juicy. It was totally worth all of the effort infiltrating Xankeshan himself to hear that news. And with his system practically ready, Everheart was tired of waiting. The gentle stirring of war was simply so inefficient. Someone needed to knock over the pot and burn down the house.

Of course, Everheart wanted to make certain he caused the most damage possible to the intended targets. This Scarlet Alliance… well, they did have his niece Vari after all. Sure, they did take his planet but that couldn't have happened without the Trigold Cluster's interference. And the Exalted Quadrant were no better. No doubt they would raise the bounty on his head even further if they were aware he was alive.

In truth, Xankeshan was in a better position than they let on. Those kids from Ceretos were doing great, and their friends from Rutera? Fascinating machines they had. Unfortunately, the facilities run by Engineer Uzun relied more on technology for its security than proper formations. Not that it was easy to get through any of Xankeshan's formations. That Catarina girl had learned some techniques from him, and she'd developed her own counters to him from that.

But over the course of a few years he'd still managed to infiltrate the planet. After all, she didn't know they were still in competition. Probably figured he'd crawled in a hole and died somewhere. Not that Everheart really felt like he'd won. He managed to sneak about and listen to some information, but there were places even he couldn't go. And he imagined if he actually activated his cultivation to any extend the whole planet would come down on him like a pile of mountains. And Everheart didn't want to bet on surviving another planet attempting to kill him.

This juicy information. He would certainly make use of it. It wasn't just the spear saint that was responsible for his grudge with the Harmonious Citadel. He had simply been at the top of the list. This saint of light could eat it too, and he would. But if that was going to happen, he wanted the Citadel to collapse as quickly as possible. For that, there were a few plans the Scarlet Alliance had in place that should be coming to fruition soon. If they took out one more saint, then even with their hidden Augmentation members Everheart wouldn't feel threatened by them.

If the Citadel collapsed quickly enough, then the Scarlet Alliance could use what resources they scavenged from them to withstand the fallout of the revelation. Everheart was confident they would manage. Or maybe not. If they weren't good enough, that was their own problem. It's not like they were allies. He didn't have any of those. Not that anyone would agree to ally with him to begin with. Except maybe other crazy men, but Anton didn't count. It's not like they were even on good terms anymore.

Anton frowned. He had a bad feeling, suddenly. Like a bug crawling up the back of his neck, or a spider dangling from its web. But the feeling passed. Maybe it had been a sudden fluctuation in devotion. Even though he wasn't around the Trifold Alliance, he had a steady flow of devotion from that direction, including what Anton thought was a small trickle from Ekict and the twin planets. The latter had a fairly small population, but they were favorably inclined towards Anton as a whole. If nothing else, simply ending a war instead of being related to the cause was taken better. But Ekict didn't seem to hate him, either.

Then there was a small amount from the upper realms, and a growing quantity from his current location of In'istra. He didn't intentionally develop devotion in people- but as it turned out, his cultivation style leaned into that on its own. Certainly, he preferred people to like him or at least appreciate his deeds. Anton was quite certain much of the devotion came from people who actually knew nothing about him personally.

It was a great benefit to his cultivation, especially considering that he was not bound to In'istra's star. Being able to refine devotion kept his cultivation on an upward trajectory. That was important for another reason, as he still found himself teetering at the edge of his lifespan. The drop in cultivation from giving up Ekict's star had come with enough other things that he couldn't be certain the cause of all his woes, but the life force thing was at least part of it.

At least Fleeting Youth continued to grow happily. He wasn't going to incorporate ascension and spectral energy into his standard attacks, but he was able to use them more freely year after year. And to think in just another handful or two of decades he might reach rank 129, the next prime. Somewhere around there would be the brink of Augmentation, or some lower realms equivalent. Though perhaps he was wrong about that. Catarina and some of the others thought that would be another critical point, but the One Hundred Stars seemed to be diverging between upper and lower realms.

Not that there was anything wrong with that. Adapting to suit the situation was the whole point of it. For so long they had been the Ninety-Nine Stars, a professed statement of their incompleteness. Anton needed to keep in mind that he couldn't be certain that his would be the generation to consistently bridge that gap and the next.

Which was why he had people like Varghese, and everyone back on Ceretos. Anton grinned widely.

"What has put you in a good mood, Sect Head?"

"Your very existence," Anton said.

"Is that so?" Varghese shook his head. "Somehow, that seems more honest than 'your talent' or anything like that."

"Don't be concerned about that. You've got a good long while until you're the age that I began cultivating. That's quite a head start, and a dozen chances to become a whole new person, to see the world a different way."

"Uh, alright," Varghese nodded. "That's actually… kind of encouraging?"

"I try," Anton said. "But you didn't really get into my farming based anecdotes so a lot of my material became useless."

"Maybe I'd like to hear more about that, sometime. You before cultivation."

"Sure thing. And from me, you can hear the true story… unlike the embellishments of my granddaughters." It certainly took quite a bit of that to make people he hadn't even met in the upper realms think so much of him.

Chapter 700

In front of Chidi stood a nearly perfect replica of himself, expertly carved from a boulder he had found on the side of a mountain during a recent mission. The reason he chose it was because it survived the collateral damage of the battle, standing tall and strong among a field of rubble. Now, here it stood, representing himself in a stance, his sword ready. It was only missing… something.

A sudden bark of laughter drew his attention to Aconite. "Sorry. I just… thought that maybe you were making fun of me when you first made a replica of me. But that's… literally nothing! Is that even human? The only thing I can recognize is your sword. Actually, how long did you spend on that? It even almost has a metallic reflection off the blade…"

"The sword was quick," Chidi said. "I spent much longer on the details of the face."

"The face…" Aconite said.

"And the hair."

"There's hair of that? I thought you just cut gouges into the skull! Seriously, I thought you could feel the fine details of things, how is it… like this?"

"I don't really get what you mean," Chidi said. "Obviously it will feel a bit different because it's stone. But this is nearly perfect." It was only missing something. But what? Ah, that was it. He raised his blade level with his head, then stabbed forward and twisted. Once. Twice. Shards of stone scattered, and then it was finished. "Now it's perfect."

"Okay," Aconite said with defeat in her voice. "If you say so. At least I know you'll do a good job with the formation markings. Speaking of which, what are you thinking on that front?"

"... I haven't considered it yet," Chidi admitted.

"So something similar to me? Speed and fine energy control?"

"I don't think so," Chidi frowned. "I thought it would come to me when I got to this point, but… clearly that was optimistic." Oh well. He would simply have to continue working at it. Though he wasn't certain how long he had until Chikere came back and dragged him off to his death, so he should probably make certain he was ready before then. If he wasn't even in Life Transformation, his battle would be hopeless.

Patrolling the seas around Aspin was the duty of every sect and clan that dwelled upon it. There were many possible threats. Sea beasts were first among them, and though they rarely threatened the land they had to be dealt with so as to not disrupt ship traffic. Travel and trade were important to In'istra as a whole, especially now that the flow through the Reef of Serenity had cleared up. Before that, messages took a while to get through the central hub. Some could go around the planet in other directions, but the best routes all crossed over each other there, with plentiful locations to resupply along the way.

The second threat, though rare, was still possible. Enemy sects or alliances thinking to take over Aspin's prosperous location. Though it was unlikely for any significant threat to reach them without advance warning, those who patrolled the waters could be the last line of defense, providing time for the mainland to ready themselves.

The third threat was much the same as the second, but more insidious. That was members of the Twin Soul Sect or other members of the upper realms infiltrating as spies. There were fewer these days, but they couldn't rest until all of them were eliminated.

Varghese took his duties very seriously. His first memories were all about the aftermath of the invasion and the ruined cities of Aspin. Now, decades after Anton had first revealed himself to Varghese and begun the process of rooting them out, they were actually nearly rid of them. And Aspin was prospering, replacing rubble with new buildings- though the population would take several more generations to recover.

The Order had their own ships. It was difficult to believe, coming from his nearly hopeless prospects using the first cultivation method he got his hands on. Now he was an Essence Collection cultivator taken seriously by everyone in his home nation. There were still Life Transformation cultivators above him in power, but he would take his place among them relatively soon, at least as cultivators measured things.

He kept his senses tuned for anything. He was aware that Sect Head Anton could sense enemies from… well, he never did say how far. But he could find Varghese anywhere on Aspin, which wasn't a small area.

Varghese couldn't do that, but he could search for powerful sources of natural energy. That could find either beasts or cultivators. But for the latter, he actually had another method. He could feel fluctuations in magnetic fields. That would get him most ships, because even if they were primarily made of wood there were always plentiful metal bits. Weapons both for the ships and cultivators, as well as armor and things as simple as storage containers. All of those would leave behind signs nobody considered.

Currently, the Seahawk was patrolling the seas in between ports. Official ports could handle themselves, what Aspin was worried about were those who were not heading for one. Many trips they encountered no one, but it seemed that this one would have some. Best to be polite about it though.

Varghese directed their ship to come up beside the approaching vessel, cautiously. They flew the flag of Aspin, both as a warning for those who were up to something, as well as to placate those who were just going about their business. Anyone who ran would be suspect, but to avoid confusion he would announce himself properly as they got close. There was a good chance anyone familiar with the area could recognize the aura of the One Hundred Stars. It was pretty distinctive, if he did say so himself.

"Crew of the Cato. Please be advised that you are subject to inspection."

"Of course, sir. Feel free to approach."

The captain had already won himself some points with the politeness, but Varghese was aware of what could be hidden beneath the surface. He kept on his guard, as he would until they were finished with this ship.

Varghese pulled the Seahawk next to the Cato, matching their speed and trajectory. "I am Varghese of the One Hundred Stars, inspecting under the authority of Aspin's ports."

He showed a formal badge and openly displayed his cultivation. The captain of the other ship had a familiar swarthy complexion, though Varghese didn't recognize the man nor his particular cultivation method. "Captain Anik," the man said. "A pleasure."

Was there such a thing as too polite? Already, Varghese's opinion of the man was wavering. Then again, he already approached with suspicion. But he would not act on anything unfounded. Should it come to battle, however, he felt the Seahawk had the upper hand. Though the patrol vessel was smaller, it was more maneuverable- and on board with Varghese were two early Essence Collection cultivators. Not enough to cow a large sect, but sufficient to threaten a merchant such as this man appeared to be.

The first thing Varghese did was sweep his senses over the ship to catching anything obvious. It felt initially clear. "Permission to come aboard." Technically, the captain was obligated to give it. But politeness was best held on both sides, and he didn't want to startle anyone. Varghese waved the two 'elders' to stand behind him, indicating they would be part of that. They were elders, though one of them was hardly older than Varghese, and the other was barely his father's age. There were of course older cultivators around, but those willing to change to a fully new cultivation method were rarer the stronger they began. And loyalty was best fostered from those early in their cultivation.

Captain Anik gestured, opening a hole in the simple defensive formations of the ship- so that they would not have to force their way through. "Come aboard, then."

Varghese and the other two jumped over, where they began to scan the crew more in depth. There were a few bounties they were on the lookout for, but mostly upper realms invaders.

"What port are you sailing to?"

"Lanilan, of course."

That would be the most logical place to go, on their current trajectory. "Seems you're a bit off course," Varghese said conversationally. "But I'm sure you can correct once you spot land. Anything you'd like to declare?"

"Only standard goods," the man lied. Varghese wasn't sure how much he lied, but he was quite certain.

"Let's take a quick trip through the hold."

"Of course, sir."

He seemed quite willing. He must have good hiding places. Varghese confidently walked below with him, but he didn't sense much in the way of hidden compartments. Not in the vessel itself. Instead, there were goods stacked on top of each other oddly. Yet Varghese didn't sense anything illegal. Drugs were of concern to him in particular. Those could ravage poor populations… or even groups of promising cultivators.

Ultimately, Varghese decided that the man was technically clean. But he also likely wasn't planning to dock at a normal port. Likely intending to avoid taxes. It was still smuggling, of course, but Varghese didn't feel beholden to the port tax collectors. Their pockets were fat enough already.

In a perfect world, Varghese knew he would still call out the captain. However, his predictions for the consequences were both problematic. First was being offered a bribe, which he would have to refuse- which would then lead to the next most likely scenario. Battle, and the cost of any human life would be too much. Varghese returned to the deck. "Thank you, captain Anik. You're clear. Do be safe."

Once back on the Seahawk, Varghese took aside the 'elders' to explain to them. They most likely noticed the same things as he did, and he just wanted them to be on the same page. Ultimately, they agreed that the discretion was reasonable, if not desirable. And if they disagreed, they would have told him clearly. That was why he picked them. Anton had made it clear that surrounding himself with yes-men would be the best way to get a single generation sect. And maybe a short generation to boot.

They continued on with their patrol, hoping both to find something… or nothing. It was better to not have trouble, but letting it slip by rather than dealing with it was worse. The next day, they came upon another vessel.

Things went much the same way, except the captain was an older woman this time. They approached peaceably and checked everything out. Everything passed except… one person. That was basically what Varghese told the captain. "What about her?" he indicated an older woman among the crew.

"Picked her up a few voyages ago. Strong, dedicated. Why? Is there some… trouble?"

"I need to talk to her," Varghese said. He approached carefully, making sure he had backup with him. "Excuse me…"

"Yes, sir?" the sailor said.

"Can I see your hand for a moment?" That seemed to catch her off guard. But of course, there was nothing special about her hand, so she didn't hesitate too much.

The technique Varghese used hadn't had many real opportunities to practice, but he'd been tutored by Anton himself. When the woman realized what was happening, it was already too late. But she reacted quickly, drawing her blade and swinging it for Varghese's neck, only to find that it slowed drastically as it approached, allowing him to catch it. "Men, arrest her."

Three against one, it wasn't difficult. And the captain and crew didn't seem interested in interceding. "Didn't know anything about that," the captain said.

Half true. Maybe more. Most likely, she knew this woman was hiding something. Then again, how often was that true of sailors? Cultivators were prone to travel, but spending your life doing so was a good way to avoid certain trouble that might otherwise catch up.

"You'd best be careful in the future," Varghese said honestly. "I'm sure you've heard what they can do."

Most likely, the woman avoided leaving the ship at port, letting her go unnoticed. Or perhaps they had laxer standards where the ship normally docked. Either way, this would be the woman's last journey. Aspin had dozens of people who could verify her status in the Twin Soul Sect, which was enough by itself for a death sentence. One more dealt with. Varghese wondered how many more remained.

Chapter 701

Conflicts between humans arose most easily out of fundamental needs, or perceived needs. At a basic level was food and land. Shelter, home, and area of safety and control. Cultivators were no different, though they needed energy as well.

There was only so much Anton could get away with, giving things away. People got suspicious, for good reason. So right now he was wandering through the wilderness planting seeds while thinking about how the vast majority of In'istra's surface was unused by humans. The same was basically true of Ceretos, but while the total landmass was similar In'istra was somewhat larger so the effect was more obvious.

Sea plants were the solution- but could also very easily be the cause of another problem. Any plants that had a high density of natural energy would be tasty treats for the sea beasts, which were already a problem for the humans. If they grew stronger and were competing for something, he couldn't see it going well. Certainly not as they were. And it wasn't like they needed to be efficient in their usage. Not this century or the next. Heck, maybe close to a millennium depending on their growth rate.

But with his help and their own work they would doubtless recover from the latest invasion more quickly. If they properly retained the knowledge of the cycles and the coming threat, they would be ready to face it. And with Varghese and the local branch of the Order established, he hoped they would never forget.

Soon enough, it would be time to move on. He would still visit, of course, but he couldn't focus on one planet forever. Not when he knew there must be dozens more in the same situation, or more. That was the problem with the lower realms, the disconnect between systems. They didn't necessarily have to be unified… but at least aware of each other. And unity would be better, as long as they agreed on the right things. Best to not let them turn into another conglomeration like the Exalted Quadrant or Trigold Cluster only together for the power they gained over others.

If only off-planet communications weren't limited to important military functions, Chidi could ask for advice. He didn't want to royally screw something up for himself. And that was quite possible because he was talking about messing around with his body. Inside it, perhaps.

Then again, that was what the replica of him was for. And despite what Aconite said, it was perfect. And he had yet to carve a single line for formation markings. He just wasn't sure what made sense. Speed was paramount when wielding a weapon, as long as you were fighting someone in the same realm as yourself. The ability to land blows was critical. And yet… he wasn't sure in what way he would want to augment his speed.

He returned every chance he got, comparing himself and the statue and groping around for inspiration. For the sake of his own development, he always at least practiced his new flexible formation style, redirecting the flow of energy in the area with his sword. So far as he could tell, it was as advanced as he could possibly manage before stepping into Life Transformation. Or maybe advancing was a requirement for him to step into Life Transformation. Technically, he could just create an energy gathering formation and push himself over the threshold. The One Hundred Stars would allow him to advance, but without the right progression of his essence, it would just be a hollow step forward. A bit more power, but without meaning behind it.

His essence was that of the sword, but he couldn't deny that was only part of him. Formations were a component of that. And then there was the thing that had prevented him from contacting his mother even though he could have come up with an excuse, given her position. His parents were wonderful. They had given him everything he needed to grow. He couldn't even say they'd been overbearing or demanding. Even so, he had a need for independence. And yet… he also intended to find his mother and learn from her in depth after everything was over. Did that make sense? Conflicting ideas stifled his understanding.

But perhaps that was the way of cultivation. Sorting out those contradictions. From what Chidi understood, it would never be finished. Not even in Augmentation, and probably the same was true of Domination.

Still, no matter how hard he thought, Chidi couldn't think of a single formation he would want constantly affecting him. And that wasn't made better by the thought of multiple. He liked the idea of flexibility, but he couldn't help but grimace at the way every piece of every inactive formation would react with what he wanted at any one time. It would be in constant flux, and that was without considering outside energy flows. Like the kind he would be intentionally causing extremely frequently.

Somehow, he felt he would find the answer. It was inside him, somewhere. He just had to dig it out. Hopefully soon, because the swordmaster was clearly getting impatient.

Sometimes, Anton wished he could be everywhere all at once. Then he would remember Everheart, and he would be glad there was only one of himself. Besides, he didn't want to solve the whole galaxy's problems on his own. He just wanted to do what he could. And the best thing he could think of was building people up so that in the future they could do the same for others.

In'istra was a good place for that. Varghese was a good pick, not to pat himself on the back. Then there were Sharma and Vasudha. Their talent was less important than their character. That was true of everyone, from Anton's perspective, but it was nice to find those with talent.

Jamilah in the Reef of Serenity. Anton regularly returned to her- and thus aided her and the Reef's Expanse. It was likely she would take over as harbormaster soon. Not just because of cultivation, but if administrative abilities were considered more important she likely would have been managing the harbor a decade prior.

Then there was Captain Wangi, who roamed the seas. He would occasionally find her in ports, but since she didn't fully know about him- and more importantly her crew might find cause for concern with a strange man flying in- he would limit himself in that way.

Back on Aspin, there was even Jai, the proprietor of Varghese's favorite food stall. Or rather, the only one he'd been able to afford. But now, it was his favorite. And Jai still ran a food stall, it just involved a lot more use of natural energy in the cooking process, flipping various things on a grill using extensions of energy like spare hands. That was what Anton liked most. People who cultivated and simply continued to do what they did… but more. Jai fed people in at least two neighborhoods, including many who couldn't pay. Or who hadn't been able to pay. The establishment of proper education and training had allowed people to fill in the gaps in… well, literally everywhere. But at first it had been construction or just removing rubble.

Removing the spies from the upper realms had been a slow process. It was still ongoing, but Anton had hopes for it being fulfilled to completion without a great war. After all, there were only so many Twin Soul Sect members that could hide among the populace before they just became the populace. And they found all of the important parts of society below them.

That was the problem, really. If the upper realms just wanted to manage worlds in the lower realms in a non-exploitative fashion, Anton wouldn't have any quarrel with them. But it was so easy for people to fall into that, especially when the harm they caused was more than just a world away, out of sight. Not that everyone cared about the damage they did, but some people would at least have empathy.

Soon he would have to see if In'istra had any close neighbors, and then spend a proper amount of time pondering over whether to introduce them. Even if both sides had the best of intentions, poor timing could cause new interactions to go poorly. Ekict was a lesson Anton wasn't eager to repeat, a malevolence beneath the surface that was still ultimately the fault of the upper realms leaving a lingering wound on the system even after their defeat.

Watching from afar, Chikere had wondered why her apprentice didn't just cut apart the statue he'd made. Obviously he had to take his time to make sure he did it right, but she hadn't seen any other reason for it to exist. Though the sword it held was rather nice, it would be a shame to see it gone. The materials would never hold up in a real battle, but she still liked it.

After watching him for a while, Chikere decided that her apprentice was dealing with things she couldn't understand. Formations and the like. And even when he finally got to something she understood, she didn't get it.

He took his sword and cut it. Made sense. A vertical swing, and a slice that ignored the outer layer to cut apart some of the inside? Useful practice, if nothing else. Though of course proper defensive energy would stop the attack either way, so the only thing accomplished was that he presumably cut precisely what he intended and no more. A lofty aspiration that Chikere could get behind, but she couldn't understand why. There were no internal organs there. No muscles that would be bisected. If that weird looking statue was a person, they'd suffer basically no damage at all.

But of course, that was the point, wasn't it? She learned that as he continued his efforts, carving both inside and outside the statue. She wondered when he would stop. No doubt he would have to think about it more soon.

Yet he didn't. In fact, from the moment he actually began to the very end, he never paused for more than a moment. Chikere was right about what it was. A formation, obviously. She'd seen and studied many of them from the practical side of things, where she had to cut them apart. But what it did, she had absolutely no idea. Obviously it would do something. It had to, or there wasn't any point in it, was there?

Instead, it looked like it was just… part of a formation. A bunch of intermediate pieces. Like a sword without a hilt. Or maybe its blade. Or maybe it was only missing the guard? Whatever it was, it was annoyingly incomplete. She couldn't wait to see it finished.

And then he stopped, and nodded his head like he was satisfied. But it wasn't done. She wanted to yell that at her apprentice, but she'd promised the next time he saw her she'd be dragging him away to fight Rakiya. So she kind of had to hang out away from him for a few extra months. His growth was so quick that she hadn't really thought she was pushing things, but there was always the issue of breaking through to a new level. It was impossible to say how long that would take.

Chikere almost missed it. Her little apprentice stretching out his blade, and then all at once swinging it forward. He not only chopped in half the statue of him- she knew that was going to happen to it eventually- but created myriad tiny blades that cut… into himself. Unless Chikere was mistaken, the process that Catarina had used on Fuzz and herself had been more… gentle.

Bleeding from hundreds of cuts, both internal and external… Chidi had to advance from it, right? She should feel something amazing. Any moment now. Except instead, he just fell to his knees in the dirt. Along with blood, he was leaking energy like a sieve. She should probably do something about that.

But something stopped her. Perhaps she could have interpreted the expression on his face as acceptance of his own death, but she chose to believe it was confidence. Even if she didn't understand it in the slightest. This was perhaps the first time someone had used a sword like a sword and she didn't understand the results. How exciting. She'd have to ask him about it assuming he didn't die here, or from fighting an Integration cultivator.

Chapter 702

In retrospect, rejecting Aconite's presence to avoid distracting himself was unwise. She could have remained at a distance without disturbing him easily enough. As warm blood dripped down his arms into the dirt, Chidi focused on his injuries. It really was a lot all at once, wasn't it? But forming it a little bit at a time might have been more dangerous. Formation markings had to be constructed with intention. Even if they did precisely nothing.

The bigger problem was how it didn't seem to have done quite that. Specifically, how his natural energy had fled his body. He kind of needed that to stop all the bleeding. He didn't want to stitch up his wounds, or the scars might be wrong.

He took a deep breath, and felt his lungs fill with upper energy, a portion of it flowing into his system. He breathed out, but it remained. He began to circulate it through his body. It was like molasses inside of him, resisting the flow. Because although he knew how to control it, he didn't normally use it. In fact, it had been his intention to fully support himself with 'lower' energy until he reached Integration.

But he'd made a miscalculation. The incomplete formation inside of him was meant to function with upper energy, which naturally separated from lower energy. Thus, he'd purged it from himself… rather quickly.

He took another breath. He could manage this. He controlled upper energy with formations every day. He began to pull in more and more energy, replenishing his stores. Then he circulated it throughout his body, seeking out each and every wound and intentionally imperfectly sealing them. Each one would scar, creating a lingering formation marking. Hundreds of them, which all together did precisely nothing.

Chidi was uncertain how long it took. He was dizzy from loss of blood, and he'd had to avoid taking any blood replenishment pills because those would affect his internal healing. Usually in a positive way, but he needed the scars.

He chewed on some bread he'd brought with him. It was soft, at least. Fresh this morning, even if wartime rations weren't exactly a delicacy. The energy content was minimal, and it wouldn't improve his cultivation. But it did fill his belly, and he found himself able to stand.

All this work, for formation markings that did nothing. No, it was worse than that. All this work, and he'd created a brand new weakness for himself. Anyone with sufficient formation knowledge could… do what, exactly?

Chidi shifted his grip on his sword. He'd never lost it, even at his weakest moment. He traced lines around him, and with a pulse of energy half of the trees around him were split apart. At least that hadn't been a failure, then. What he'd created within himself was not a complete formation, but rather components that could fit in common formations. Or at least, formations he intended to use commonly. That meant many of them would be half complete or more simply because of his presence.

And it was true his opponents could use that against him. A few swipes of their energy and they could force his formation markings to work against him. But so what? He just had to not let them. Exactly the same as he would not let someone draw their sword across his throat, he would likewise not let them disrupt the energy in the area in a manner that would kill him. In fact, it was only a small risk. Anyone who could easily exploit it was either a formation grandmaster that could defeat him regardless, or would have to specifically study to defeat him- which would take decades of carefully watching him. A small risk, when it would be easier for most people to just stab him. Or at least, it would certainly appear easier. Chidi didn't intend to make that easy.

A snapping twig turned his head, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. There shouldn't have been anything there. "... What happened to your swords?" Without her blades it was difficult to recognize his master. She was almost empty. A blank canvas. Sure, he was aware of the shape of her body. And her face, though that wasn't particularly better for recognizing people than anyone else in Chidi's opinion.

"I'm getting them sharpened," Chikere said. "Just back in town. We're going."

"Alright but-" Chidi found himself jerked along. "I need to say goodbye to Aconite and Major Sibylla is going to want to know-"

"We'll be passing over Shutoll," Chikere said.

"I-" he wasn't going to get better than that, was he? Alright, time to see how well this worked. A sound formation was pretty basic so… just a little swish here and there… was actually extremely difficult at the speed the grandmaster was dragging him along. Good thing he started it as they were approaching, because it took him until they were on the far side to get his energy in place all at once. Part of that was the speed, and the other part was actually using upper energy now. "I'll be back soon, Aconite!" he called down below. He wanted to say more, but he just didn't have time.

As they had passed over the city, swords had pulled out of the city below and flown into the sky after Chikere. Many had sheathed themselves, but she carried one openly in her replacement arm. Chidi was being dragged along by her left.

It was still going to take a few days to reach Rakiya, probably. So if Chidi was planning not to die, he would have to make sure he got used to using his new formation base as much as possible.

He crashed into the ground. He hadn't told the grandmaster he needed to get used to his new power. Honestly, Chidi wasn't quite certain if this was any good. Was he even in Life Transformation? He couldn't quite tell, because his energy was so different. Lower and upper energy had a different flow, with the former being generally gentler and weaker. But that was only in general. If properly controlled, Chidi felt it could match upper energy. It was easier to control, but a high degree of control could also make it more effective. At least… that was the idea behind his training to begin with.

A dozen attacks came at him from all directions. Chidi a few hours before could have cut them down without effort. The Chidi now barely managed to slash apart one before he had to dodge wildly. Rather than a clean cut, he turned his target into a bloody pulp. The transition to upper energy was going to be rough. His dodge also brought him through a tree.

At least his defensive energy was durable enough to take care of that, and he'd managed to get it in place before he even crashed into the group of enemies. Now they were approaching. Swords, of course. Chikere could find sword cultivators more easily, and she also liked to see them defeated.

Chidi took a stance. It was none that belonged to any sword style Chikere had taught him, and far removed from anything the Harmonious Citadel could perform. In fact, it was at best half a sword stance. In actuality, it was really Chidi just placing his body as it needed to be. He was the core of the formation. His movements followed a familiar pattern, and a burst of energy flung away the charging enemies.

Once again, they were not cut. He had only power, without precision, accuracy, or speed. He knew how the formation was supposed to work, in a way augmenting his own blade or at least the idea of his blade, but he had previously been using carefully converted natural energy, lower energy, to control the natively prevalent upper energy. Of course he would be off. He had known this would happen, on some level, but he'd vaguely expected his internal flow to remain the same.

The enemies returned. By the end of the battle, Chidi was coughing up blood. Another issue with his formations, he could damage himself. On the other hand, the same was true of performing a sword slash wrong. Anyone could twist their ankle while dodging- defensive energy hardly protected a cultivation from their own actions.

He was basically getting used to being in a new body. But at least he was the one who walked away from the battle, and his enemies wouldn't. Ultimately, he did managed to cut them down instead of simply bludgeoning them, so he knew he'd made progress.

Though walking away was a misnomer, as he was simply carried off by Chikere. "This is the weirdest thing I've ever seen, kid."

"... Is that bad?" Chidi asked.

"I have no idea. I might not be able to teach you anything from now on."

She wasn't a great teacher anyway. Not that Chidi hadn't learned a lot from her, but… clearly instruction wasn't her strength. She got by on the pure ability she demonstrated, and her disciples' affinity with swords. Still… "That would be a shame."

"Only if you stop using swords," the grandmaster said. Which of course she would.

"Time for a break," Chikere said.

"Oh." They were stopped in a clearing. Based on the lack of sunlight hitting him, Chidi assumed it was night. "Alright." He figured she was going to bring him all the way to Rakiya in one go.

"You need to be rested for your match tomorrow."

"Of course," Chidi nodded. "I'll do my best."

"She probably won't be expecting it. Until we get close, that is. It's up to you how you capitalize on that."

"... Can you bring her to me?"

"She won't follow me far," the swordmaster said. "But we can manage something."

He had been hoping for something like a day to set up formations. Instead, Chidi was given the time it would take Chikere to run a handful of kilometers, taunt Rakiya, and return with her. So a few minutes, if he was lucky.

"Well, you didn't spend all that time learning flexible formation techniques for nothing, right?" Chidi spoke aloud to empty wilderness full of trees and boulders. Well, mostly empty. There were some animals around, of course. And there was a road not far away. Actually, if he wasn't incorrect this place should be visible from the city walls, at least to cultivators focusing their vision. It was near the horizon, probably.

Chidi kicked around some dirt. Swords were good for precision, but sometimes you just wanted to move a large amount of material and as it turned out they were terrible shovels. And it was kind of disrespectful to use them like that.

What was he doing? Waiting to be killed by an Integration cultivation. Even if Chikere believed in him, he was still maybe just entering Life Transformation. How could he bridge that gap? Was it crazy of him to accept the challenge, regardless of how it was forced upon him?

Too late now. As his master would probably say, he just had to win. And then it wouldn't be in question if it was possible.

He'd focused so much on his breakthrough that he hadn't thought to make a plan. And Then he'd been figuring out control. And now he was here, with no idea how to win. But he'd promised Aconite he'd be back soon, which implied returning at all. So he had to win. But overcoming an Integration cultivator with Life Transformation cultivation was literally impossible.

He scrambled to do everything he could think of, and then… Rakiya arrived.

He felt her sword first. A vertical slash. It cut apart a one hundred meter rift in the ground. Chidi had just barely deflected it to not cut him vertically in two.

"Wow. She really did just leave you out here alone, huh? No ambush by anyone else. And she's off over there still…" Rakiya shrugged. "I guess I get to kill her apprentice today. What did you do to make her mad?"

Chidi had hoped for an immediate follow up. But perhaps words could do something here. "I tried studying formations."

He shifted his footing slightly. He was actually closer to the rift, making his position a bit precarious. But that was how it had to be.

"You think you can survive more than three attacks?" Rakiya asked. "I bet you do. You managed two last time." Did he really? "But you have to know that three is impossible, even with a little more cultivation in you. I know your tricks."

"... Are we counting… this one?" Chidi gestured to the rift next to him.

"For your ego? Sure."

He was unable to feel her move, but it was her intent to behead him that he responded to. Her blade would be behind him, coming for his neck. He had to duck forward. No, roll. That was his only option. She was behind him. Her momentum had to stop momentarily. He felt her figure, just as before. He might have thought her attractive if not for her attitude. The missing arm… that sort of thing didn't bother him. Not that he cared about physical beauty. To him, looks were literally nothing. Like that notch in her eyebrow.

Even deflecting her blade with a parry of his own, Chidi had a trail of blood running down the back of his neck as he came out of the roll, facing her. He'd barely even begun to make use of his formation abilities. He didn't have the power to affect anyone like her. But he stood, his feet planted. His sword across his body, angled to his left. Her blade would come from that side.

Her attack was a simple thrust. And true to her word, he could not survive it. It was impossible. He would be speared by her energy, extending beyond her blade. She could annihilate him while reserving the vast majority of her energy for defense. Her speed would be something he couldn't match.

As her sword came for his heart, Chidi let everything go in a simple exhalation. Was this how the grandmaster felt when she received an epiphany, or was it just him? Or maybe… he'd miscalculated.

His own blade slashed up as he stepped forward, but that would only bring her thrusting blade closer. Its extended projection was a meter from his heart and growing. Half a meter. Ten centimeters. One centimeter. And then… nothing.

Chidi felt nothing at all. He couldn't see, which was nothing new. His ears worked just fine, but they couldn't process what they were hearing beyond the whistling of blades. It was strange, to grow so accustomed to the enhancements of energy. Without it, he could only feel two blades and nothing else.

He extended his attack, making use of everything he had. He was ever so slightly taller than Rakiya. Their blades were similar in length, with hers being a few millimeters longer. But his hilt had a good centimeter. He needed more than that, so he let go with his right hand, letting his blade almost dangle from his left fingers as it slipped through.

His sword chopped up to where he knew her wrist must be. It was holding the sword, after all. With his right hand, he grabbed her blade. And then, everything came back. Energy once more existed. Even using Rakiya's energy, he could only sustain an instant of an energy negation formation. Her internal energy had automatically rebelled at the phenomenon.

But, for that moment… she was not an Integration cultivator. And he was not a Life Transformation cultivators. They had simply been two people with relatively strong bodies, fighting with swords. And he knew exactly how she was moving, assuming his counter would mean nothing. And she would have been right in any other circumstance.

He stepped back as his right arm twirled the sword in his hand. He had to twist it to pull it out of his rib. It had technically made it all the way through that and just a little into his heart, but without energy extending its destructive radius it didn't matter. He shook the hand off of his sword.

Rakiya's energy was acting strangely. Chidi wondered if she had some sort of special attack. He'd assumed she would be killing him with her backup swords about now but…

"How?"

"You don't even understand swords," Chidi said. "How could you understand that?"

"I can still kill you without a weapon!"

He dodged around her, preparing himself for the obvious quickdraw. He sliced at the tendons on one leg as she performed a textbook Harmonious Citadel inward stepping pattern. Then he kicked her to stop her sword from… her sword…?

She fell into the rift of her own making. It wasn't particularly wide, but for something created by a blade it was… inelegant. She ended up halfway in the ground. Not really stuck, but it was weird.

"... Do you not have a backup weapon?" Chidi asked.

"Do you think blades so fine are easily obtained? I couldn't use a lesser weapon. Besides, how do you expect me to wield a sword without hands?"

Chidi struggled to open his eyelids. "I dunno. You kinda just figure things like that out."

Then he turned around and began walking away.

"Get back here!"

"The Harmonious Citadel doesn't have any unarmed combat methods," Chidi explained as she ran after him. "You may have ten times my energy, but without anything to augment your force it's meaningless. Your foot techniques are all wrong," he said while avoiding a kick. He began walking down the road towards the grandmaster, and it didn't take more than a few moments for her to approach.

"Hey. You done?"

"I have no reason to fight her anymore," Chidi said.

"Cool. We're going then." She grabbed Chidi and pulled him away from the flailing form of Rakiya.

Chidi couldn't help but think about how pathetic the whole thing felt. He didn't really intend to cripple her, but he could understand why Chikere felt the way she did. At some point, Rakiya hadn't been a swordmaster worth fighting. And now, she wasn't a swordmaster at all. Even if she reattached her hand, she would never be able to fight again. And while Chikere didn't intentionally mess with enemy morale, Chidi knew it would be far worse for the Harmonious Citadel that she would remain alive.

"So how long do you think before the sword saint shows up?" Chikere asked. "Like, a week? Because I've got things to do."

Oh right. This was all to provoke that. Chidi was fairly certain he couldn't negate an Augmentation Cultivator's energy even if they intentionally powered a formation for him. But it wasn't his responsibility to fight a saint.

Chapter 703

It was good fortune for Sibylla that she was present at just the right time to command the Scarlet Alliance's forces coming out of Shutoll. A perfect opportunity to show her support without just being an extra in the larger war.

Sibylla marched forward between Shutoll and Koton, standing at the head of the army. Having only encountered the swordmaster in short bursts, she didn't understand much about Chikere. However, Sibylla knew enough to be aware that this time Chikere was going to cause chaos. So this was their chance to act and finally take back some lost ground. And with that, perhaps they might be able to open up some more airspace. They could really use some backup. Sibylla was quite aware that despite being an ascension cultivator, she was near the bottom of the upper echelon. A new Integration cultivator.

And as far as her position went in the Scarlet Alliance, it was much the same. They gave her the chance because of her cultivation and willingness to head into danger. She didn't want to waste the opportunities afforded to her. She would much rather take some risks to earn the support of a larger faction rather than attempting to continue on her own.

Their quick march brought them close to Koton in half a day, having encountered several squads of scouts on the way. So the enemy would know they were coming, but that didn't mean they could prepare a true response. Major Sibylla knew she wasn't invincible just because there were few Integration cultivators on Yaitis, but she was aware of her own strengths. Unless their intel was severely erroneous, she would be able to lead them to victory.

There was a significant gap in the cultivation of most of her cultivators. Essence Collection had made up most of the higher end cultivators when the planet was first occupied. Now the war had been dragging on for decades without giving them an opportunity to cycle in and out, so many had advanced to early or mid Life Transformation. That left very few late Life Transformation experts, and beyond Rakiya, Chikere, and Sibylla herself there were very few Integration cultivators on planet. Or rather, if there were more they hadn't shown themselves.

Sibylla continued to march forward confidently as they got within range of Koton. "Make ready!" She ordered the small army behind her. As they continued to approach there were attacks from the walls. However, instead of the Scarlet Alliance's captured emplacements, they made use only of archers. That was… a factor she had not considered. The stubborn insistence of the Harmonious Citadel to fit within their niches greatly limited them.

Not that Sibylla was going to complain. That made her job easier. The army was stretched out behind her on the road, and she spun her glaive, creating a vortex that dragged in the projectiles and then spun them around on the city. The effect was actually hardly dangerous to the defenders on the walls, but it hurt their morale to be bombarded by their own weapons.

"Forward!" Sibylla ordered. Squads already had their own orders for how to assault the city. Some would be formation breakers, others would be preparing to scale the walls. Sibylla was there more as a target. A distraction, even. It hurt the pride of cultivators to not even attempt to attack a powerful cultivator standing alone.

Unfortunately, she couldn't draw their attention forever. But by the time they committed to focusing on the rest of the army, it was too late. The local formations were torn open, and Sibylla was able to easily leap up onto the wall. Her spinning blade cut down all of those on either side of her.

She looked down into the city. She was hoping that they would stay out of the way. It might be too much for them to act against the Harmonious Citadel, but spies indicated they were quite unhappy with the occupation.

Within an hour, Harmonious Citadel forces were fleeing the city. Sibylla wanted to chase them and wipe them out, but she knew there was too much risk to her forces and even herself. Better to let them go. That way, they would be less interested in holding their ground the next time, if it could save their necks. It would mean enemy forces condensing, but Sibylla was waiting for good news.

It came the next day, news came from Chidi. The young man was the child of two bigwigs in the Scarlet Alliance, but Sibylla had seen his effectiveness scouting, and his skill training with the swordmaster. Now she had dragged him off… and Sibylla only hoped that the message meant he was alive.

"Rakiya is defeated."

"You killed her?" Sibylla sent a surprised message for confirmation. That was… not surprising exactly. Grandmaster Chikere had indicated she could slay Rakiya at any point, but there had been something about the young fellow fighting her. And he had just barely broken through to Life Transformation, if his screaming goodbye as he passed over Shutoll was any indication.

"Not dead. Worse. For the Harmonious Citadel, and for her."

That sounded like good news to Sibylla- and it was. If she had known what the intentional consequences would be, she might have been more skeptical. Sibylla wasn't interested in facing an Augmentation cultivator in the form of a sword saint, but fortunately for her it was also not her responsibility.

A string of arrows pierced through a creature of more mouth than anything else. It was a step down from the absurdity of distortion beasts with rings of teeth that could attack from all directions, but the floating body of the creature still seemed to be nearly half teeth.

Anton frowned. This was beginning to become a problem. The population of sea beasts was growing too quickly- and while it inevitably had to stop at some point, it might not be before disaster. In'istra relied on safely traversing their waters, and not all sea beasts were strictly constrained to the depths.

Then there were the flying beasts. Anton imagined that their populations were traditionally kept in check by local cultivators, but the recent drop in numbers had made that difficult to handle.

This was a problem that Anton might have solved himself, but the scale was beyond him. He was all for culling the populations of beasts to maintain a proper ecosystem balance, but covering part of a forest was vastly different from the whole of a planet. Within a hundred kilometers of Anton at all times were millions of beasts with at least a spark of cultivation, so even if he could slay thousands per day the most he could do was hamper the growing population.

Most of his efforts were devoted on tracking down the strongest among them. The kings and queens, overlords of the regions around them. He was hesitant to slay them, because the wild fighting for power as a result of that could spill over into human territories. It was entirely possible that slaying one powerful beast here would have a rippling effect a thousand kilometers away. And while he could focus on any small part of that area, he didn't actually keep everything in his senses all at once. Especially not with the sea, the density of which limited the range of his senses and the depth of which added a far greater volume he had to keep track of.

Humans, by and large, were a single thin sheet placed atop a planet. At most they were on the top layer, varying locally by a couple hundred meters vertically or less. The sea, however, had beasts living on every layer of it, ranging from a single kilometer not far from shore to ten or more depending on the depth.

There was only so much he could do on his own, and unlike the purge of the cultivators from the upper realms he didn't believe the locals could deal with it themselves. Which meant involving himself more openly and coordinating with the locals. He had already established a presence in many areas, but he was risking details of his identity slipping out. His own safety was hardly in question, but he wouldn't want the Order to be persecuted for being promoted by an outsider. But of course, he couldn't decide everything by himself, and he didn't have to.

He was glad to find Varghese at the headquarters of the One Hundred Stars in Aspin. The island nation was large enough that they actually had multiple branches, generally throughout major ports. Though there was less access to resources due to being spread out, it helped their recruiting methods. After all, not everyone could make their way to the headquarters. Even if it wasn't terribly distant, not everyone was willing to leave their jobs for a few days or a week to test themselves for entry to a sect.

More than that, because Varghese wanted to keep in line with the requirements for disciples, it often took longer. Having a local presence to interview people about the cultivators in question to determine their standing was quite useful. Of course, there were always those who were skilled at hiding their misdeeds, and those who came from a background of crime but wanted to change. That was why it was just one step in the process.

Varghese was teaching a class on combat and preliminary magnetism. He noticed Anton watching him, but completed things without comment so as to not cause a ruckus. "Good to see you again, elder," Varghese inclined his head. The narrative was that Anton was an elder from another branch, which wasn't untrue and kept people from asking too many questions. It still made sense for the local sect head to be respectful, and explained whatever people noticed of his power. "Nothing urgent, I hope?"

"I would have stopped you if it was," Anton said. "Though it is also not something that can be put off." Anton explained the situation with the beasts. Varghese was already aware, but Anton had learned more since they last met.

"So we will need to hunt down sea beasts to cull their numbers…?" Varghese asked.

"And collect their bodies to use as materials. Partially to convince other cultivators of the value of doing the same, and partially because… well, the sea beasts can't use each other as the same if the bodies are gone."

"I see. By removing food from the ecosystem, we can starve them out."

"Only to some extent," Anton said sadly. "This is a wide scale phenomenon, and many beasts will be able to subsist mainly on natural energy. So if they are culled too much, the lack of competition might produce stronger individuals. On the other hand, the same could come about from them devouring each other. In short, there isn't just one solution. Adaptive approaches will be required, needing to be tailored to each situation. I was hoping you could at least rally the efforts around Aspin. If I am overestimating the danger, then you simply spend a few years training disciples and gathering resources."

"If you underestimate the threat, we will be at more risk. But… that's all the more reason to do it, I suppose," Varghese said.

"That's right. I would suggest focusing your efforts on excursions with yourself and other higher ranking cultivators first. And you could suggest to the Iron Plate that it might be a good supplemental source of income."

"... And you will be busy dealing with the rest of In'istra, I suppose."

Anton grinned, "I don't intend to leave you high and dry. But I doubt it would be of much benefit to you if you survived without the rest of the planet."

"I will arrange things as you say," Varghese said. "We will begin our hunts soon."

"Don't rush too much," Anton said. "But I would delay no more than a year at the utmost."

The Reef of Serenity was the next priority for Anton. Though in some ways they were sheltered by their position, they were also limited by it. If deadly beasts roamed all the waters outside the reefs, then they would not last long. And the reefs themselves weren't exactly unpopulated by beasts- they were just managed already.

Chapter 704

Air rushed by Chidi's face and limbs, giving him the feeling of flying. But of course he was not flying. While he might someday achieve such abilities, he didn't have them for the moment. That was why he had to angle his body in just the right way as he began to pick up speed. His energy filled the air around him, forming small shapes extending from his body. The formation core in his body activated, and his momentum greatly slowed, letting him hit the ground with a moderate impact instead of forming a crater and possibly hurting himself.

"I guess we'll talk later, grandmaster," Chidi said, vaguely directing his voice to the sky. He didn't really expect her not to drop him, but he would have liked some warning.

But now he was back in Shutoll. He could feel the sword clutched in his hand, the proof of his victory. It felt good for various reasons. He had a nice sword, he lived up to the swordmaster's expectations, he surpassed his own expectations, and the war on Yaitis would be smoother now. Until the sword saint arrived, at least. If he didn't show up from this, he probably wouldn't be coming at all. That would be better for Yaitis, maybe, but Chdi was uncertain if it would be better for the Scarlet Alliance as a whole. Did he believe Chikere could kill an Augmentation cultivator?

Well, it didn't matter what he believed, did it? Only what she believed. Or something like that. He'd experienced overconfident people before, but Chikere was just… her. Though the cultivation gap remained an issue. Chidi didn't fully count himself as having defeated an Integration cultivator. Instead, he'd simply defeated another Body Tempering cultivator while he was likewise in Body Tempering. Basically. Consistently getting that fraction of a second was also likely beyond him at the current moment.

His feet inevitably brought him to the most important thing, though he did need to use his nose to assist him. He was looking for pungent scents, things his body would warn him about. Though for the most part, Aconite didn't leak too many of those scents from her pouches.

Still, he was able to track her down easily enough, approaching her in a small lab where she was grinding things into powder, using her energy to direct a pestle. He waited until she finished dumping the powder into one of her bags.

"Hi," he said. "I'm back, and I got a cool new sword." He'd promised to return, so he had. There wasn't much more to it than that.

"You survived," Aconite growled lightly.

"It appears so," Chidi said. He was honestly not quite willing to believe it himself at this point. Though he had passed along the information to the Major and command in Shutoll, since it seemed like something they might need to know. "I don't plan to be doing that again."

Aconite sniffed at the herbs she was working with. "Most likely your reasons will be different, but cultivators don't tend to stop challenging themselves. I will do the same, eventually."

Though on the surface both of them seemed quite relaxed about the whole ordeal, Aconite had simply come to terms with her friend possibly dying long before. On the other hand, Chidi still barely comprehended that he'd actually done what he did- it felt like he must have heard it from someone else.

With everything over and time to dwell on their thoughts, they would deal with the emotions yet to come. But as cultivators, they would ultimately have to grow strong enough to deal with their worries, while not being so foolish as to disregard them.

Catarina looked at the writing in front of her, shaking her head. "I can't believe it took him a week to contact us."

Timothy shrugged, "Perhaps he didn't want to sound like he was bragging. Half of that is basically just wanting to talk to you about formations once there's a chance."

"We should go now," Catarina said. "We could conquer Yaitis easily."

Timothy shook his head. "Why wait until now only to mess things up at the last moment? We're not Augmentation cultivators, but people pay attention to us. The sword saint likely will never show up if we do something to spook him."

Catarina sighed, "Chikere is going to get herself killed someday."

"Perhaps," Timothy said. "It could even happen here. But the chance of her victory is worth it. In truth, I have trouble imagining any results short of mutual destruction."

"I hope that she's not overestimating herself. The saints are not as untouchable as they claim, but they are still Augmentation cultivators. It's crazy to defeat someone in a higher realm alone."

"It's been done before."

"But never in a straightforward manner. Chidi… well, I suppose we don't have enough information on that. But he certainly implied that was also the case with him."

"We need to remember to tell him how proud we are," Timothy said. "Preferably without implying that he has to do the impossible for that to be true."

Catarina sighed, "I've only been a parent once, but it's much more difficult than I imagined. If we weren't cultivators, Chidi's life would already be half over and I feel like we've barely done anything to raise him."

"I think we did fine," Timothy said. "Given the world he was born into, we gave him as much time as we could spare and let him grow with little restraint. I cannot wait to see him again in person. Though I would not throw away Chikere's multiple decade long plans and how they might benefit the Scarlet Alliance."

"I get it," Catarina said. "I'll wait. But if Chikere asks me to make a planet spanning formation taunting the sword saint, I'll do it."

"What was his name again anyway?" Timothy frowned.

"I believe it was… Zavis?"

Sprinkles of powder that had once been a communication device trickled out of Zavis' hand. Rakiya, one of his most promising disciples… defeated. No, worse than that. Humiliated. And people were saying it was by a lad that was barely a Life Transformation cultivator. Yet others said that it was by the swordmaster Chikere.

Either way, he had to crush the former rumors, and dispel the latter in the most straightforward manner possible. News of this could not spread beyond Yaitis, the Harmonious Citadel could not stand more instability. And he had no intention to wait for the other saints to say something and try to weaken his position. No, he would go to this planet and settle things all at once. He just had a few things to clean up before he went.

Dangling from a fishing rod was a long line, both made purely of energy. While in some cases those would scare off anything that might otherwise take the bait, for what Anton was trying to snatch it was perfect. The line and rod themselves might actually be better bait than the shark on the end of the hook.

Of course, there were plenty of beasts that were too intelligent to be taken by such a simple thing. He'd already had to replace his bait three times due to nibblers that carefully avoided getting caught. He could have probably managed to wrap his line around something and catch it, but he wasn't aiming for efficiency. Fishing wasn't necessarily his favored form of relaxation, but he liked to partake from time to time.

Besides, he had a particular catch in mind, which was why his line dangled all the way down to the ocean floor. And he might be finally about to get his target's attention. He watched it half swim half crawl along the ocean floor. He actually only barely spotted it as it approached- its ability to conceal its own energy and other features was quite astounding.

But it eventually took the bait, swallowing the shark whole, at which point Anton extended his energy through the hook. The line was already fortified greatly, so when the fish pulled back Anton was merely pulled a dozen meters into the sea.

He should have anchored himself better. Spreading out his energy, he pushed and pulled. A hundred meters of ocean rumbled and splashed around him as he pulled against the flatfish at the bottom of the sea. Fish had a surprising amount of muscle power they could leverage, especially as it came to oversized individuals with cultivation. Only Nthanda could probably give it a fair fight as far as physical strength went. But energy was part of a cultivator's strength, and it wasn't his fault if the beast didn't have much skill at controlling natural energy.

Being able to control the properties of his line was extremely helpful, and if he ever messed up and it snapped he could simply add more energy to bridge the gap. That was almost certainly cheating, but he wasn't intending to enter a competition.

The struggle continued for several hours as Anton wore down the creature. Slowly he pulled it away from the depths, shortening his line as it approached while keeping his energy spread out to provide sufficient counterforce when it tried to pull downward. It wasn't as effective as simply killing it and dragging it out, but Anton wasn't actually certain he wanted to kill this one.

Exterminating sea beasts was one thing… but this one was likely not dangerous to humans. Nor was he interested in eating it for the next several years, or dumping it all on some nearby harbor to sell. It had simply caught his interest, and he wanted to see it on the surface.

Once he lifted it out, he looked at its face. Each eyeball was nearly his size from head to toe, both placed on one side of its head. He didn't know the proper name for this sort of flounder, and calling it a giant flounder seemed insufficient. It flopped about on the platform of energy he created, still attempting to resist. A stubborn one, it was. Anton liked it, even if it was a bit derpy. Its mouth was still oriented the same way as upright fish would be, with the eyes just plopped on there.

He kind of liked it. It seemed like a shame to force the thing to work so hard for nothing, though. Well, it was currently digesting a midsized shark… but that wouldn't really fill its belly. If Anton were intending to eat it, he wouldn't feel bad but tiring it out and throwing it back into the sea was a good way to just get it killed. And he really didn't want it feeding some of the worse sea beasts around.

So he kept his platform in place just under the water's surface and tried to pick out a good specimen, with a healthy body and good quantity of energy. If he could shift the balance of power towards something unlikely to attack humans, it might be for the best. He did consider that the flounder might develop a hatred towards humans because of this, but if he understood animals even half as well as he thought it would probably forget him or even be somewhat fond of him.

Arrows flew through the water. While his range was lessened because of the density, that hardly meant anything to Anton. Even without a local star bound, he still had great power. His arrows pierced through a creature of twisted teeth and spikes. Not something most creatures would want to eat, but this gigantic flounder could probably crush anything it ate without harming itself.

He snatched the spiny fish up to the surface with lines of energy, pulling it away from other sea beasts seeking it out. He determined it didn't have any poison, and as a courtesy to the flounder he decided to chop off the pointiest spines and teeth before placing it near the thing's mouth. It immediately noticed the fish, sucking it in whole. The flounder continued to lay in its position for a few minutes, no longer trying to escape- though Anton had released his grip. It seemed content to rest in its strange position. And then, it flapped itself once, pushing off of Anton's platform and diving towards the depths.

Anton wished it well. Tomorrow he would be done with his distractions and continue dealing with the problems facing In'istra, though he did have to consider which sea beasts were the biggest threats. Anything that was unlikely to attack humans could be left alone, even as it grew large and powerful. Or at least they wouldn't have to be the first priority.

Chapter 705

Looking over the sea, what Anton really wanted was… Paradise. Having a friendly lord of the sea would really do well for In'istra right now. Unfortunately even if Paradise himself were open to the idea, it would be a bit difficult to transport him four hundred lightyears.

Then there was the matter of origin. Local beastmaster sects would be more valuable for such a task, whether they solely tamed beasts or treated them as partners. Ultimately, the difference for those who were effective tended to be minimal. There were exceptions like the Ultimate Phoenix Sect whose sect head was willing to sacrifice their beasts to preserve his own life, but most understood that a beast was as valuable as any of their other members.

There was no amount of time that would allow Anton to know everything about a planet- at best, he could memorize the most well known sects and cultivators. The same was true of In'istra, so just because he couldn't think of any suitable candidates didn't mean they didn't exist.

"Jamilah," Anton drew her attention for his following question, "Do you know any beast cultivation sects that could tame deep sea creatures?"

She shook her head. "Locally, we have very few. Some live off of the local wildlife, but the closest we have is the Lustrous Pearl Sect."

"What do they do?"

"They raise big clams, for the sake of growing oversized pearls. They're valued for their looks and their properties for enchantments."

"Not exactly inspiring in their combat prowess," Anton admitted. "Though I suppose they could be useful fortifying areas in a defensive fashion." As he spoke, he was sweeping the whole Reef of Serenity. The whole thing was made up of various components, including central islands and sandbars that had been built up in various ways. That included intention depositions of stone, occasionally shipwrecks that were left in place, and coral growths among other things. "What about them?" Anton asked. Realizing Jamilah couldn't sense what he meant, he elaborated. "The coral guys."

"Coral cultivators? I suppose rock cultivators are useful for fortifying our harbors, but that's about it…"

"Corals are animals," Anton said.

"Sorry?"

"They're little animals that make rocky homes. Often with some amount of algae along with them for the sake of photosynthesis."

"I have heard that, I suppose," Jamilah said. "I never really studied them closely."

"Why not?" Anton asked. "How long have you lived here?"

"My whole life."

"And you haven't taken a close look at coral? They're so interesting!" Anton said. "You should."

"I'm not going to change my style of cultivation."

Anton grinned, "I wasn't saying you should. I was just saying you should know as much as possible about everything local. I can still remember every nook and cranny of my forest…" Though it had changed greatly since he became a cultivator, he still recognized the forest near old Dungannon.

"Will this help deal with the looming threat of a sea beast tide?"

"It will make you more relaxed and happy," Anton replied. "Or you might hate them, but I doubt it. Every living thing is worth taking a close look at." Anton stepped forward. "I'm going to go talk to that coral sect."

"Good luck, I suppose," Jamilah said.

The first target Anton picked out was a woman with hair bleached white by age and the sun, naturally dark skin pigmentation a shade deeper from the latter. The winkled woman was not the strongest among the coral cultivators, nor did she seem to have a place among the elders. Nor did Anton detect great talent- after all, at her age one would expect more from her cultivation. Instead, he chose her because she looked happy.

"Found an interesting one?" he asked, moving next to the woman as she floated on the surface and peered into the waters below.

"They're all interesting," she said without even turning to look. "Look at these, like rainbow flowers in bloom. Almost makes you want to pick them up and pretend they're a bouquet."

"That would probably be a problem," Anton said. "They'd dry out."

"Plus the toxins," the woman said. "That wouldn't be great for you either."

Anton focused his senses on them more closely. The toxins weren't actually that difficult to detect, though in Anton's estimation they were fairly weak. Then again, on the scale of creatures basically unaugmented by energy the toxins were probably quite deadly. "So no eating them?"

The woman turned towards him. "I'm afraid not. A pleasure to meet you, I'm Cahya."

Despite her looks, if Anton were to judge her by her cultivation she should be somewhere around half his age. Perhaps even less, closer to one hundred and fifty than one hundred and seventy. But that was just an estimation. She was younger than his granddaughters despite their effective youth, but with them being Ascension cultivators most people were younger by a great margin. "Nice to meet you. I'm Anton."

"I've heard of you," she said.

"From who?" Anton asked.

"My nephew Danial," she said. "He'll surpass me in cultivation soon enough, it seems."

"That doesn't have to be the case, you know," Anton said. "I bet I can help you stay ahead for a while, at least."

"Why?" Cahya asked.

"Because I am invested in cultivators being strong enough to survive."

She shook her head. "But why me? And why should I care about my cultivation?"

He looked at the woman carefully. This was not a woman who had given up on life. On the other hand, she also didn't seem particularly concerned to be aware that her end would come. As far as he could tell, it didn't really matter to her either way. "Aren't you happy? Wouldn't you like to live another two decades, or ten?"

"Might be nice," she said. "Can imagine I'd ever reach Life Transformation, though."

"It's not impossible," Anton said. "You'd just have to want it."

"Then, it is impossible," she said. "I'm fine as I am now. Don't need to be stronger."

"And a longer life means nothing to you?"

"Should it?"

"I would at least expect you to prefer prolonging your current enjoyment."

"Only if that can last," she shook her head. "I couldn't do much in the war, and I doubt I'll do much in this next one. Against the beasts."

"I believe an Essence Collection cultivator should have some effect," Anton said. "I'd imagine you to be capable of combat in the sea just fine."

"I'm not that strong," she said. "And have no prospects nor interest in becoming stronger."

So that was it. "The latter might be true, but I can guarantee your prospects aren't hopeless. If you're not interested in growing stronger, might I suggest other reasons to cultivate diligently?"

"Suggest as you will," she smiled vaguely.

"You'll get to spend more time among the coral. And your nephew will probably be glad to have you around."

"A nice thought," Cahya said. "But if I spend half my time cultivating and half among the coral for a decade, it's just the same as spending all my time among it for the next five years. And maybe I'll be killed after five regardless."

"What if I told you that you could not only cultivate all the time but also spend that time doing what you love? All for the low, low price of listening to an old man for a while."

"Pretty steep actually," Cahya grinned. "But I'll take the chance. What insights do you have?"

"Me?" Anton asked. He looked at the coral. "They like sunlight."

"That's pretty obvious."

"That's the only one I had," Anton shrugged. "But it's not about what insights I have. It's about yours. It's quite simple to glean insights from simple interest. And quite conveniently, there should be a route to improve yourself in the same way as the corals grow."

"I'm a bit solitary to have a whole colony," Cahya explained. "I joined the sect out of convenience, really."

"But it fit you, did it not?"

"On the surface," she agreed. "But eventually, I determined many points of contention."

"A method that doesn't quite fit you… almost as if it might be imperfect," Anton commented.

"So you're selling a perfect cultivation method?" Cahya asked. "You could find someone with more money."

"I'll consider that, when I have a perfect cultivation method. But unfortunately, the only one it will be perfect for is myself. As for you, I have studied many methods. If we establish motivation for you, I can help you deal with areas of energy control that might trouble you. Or be a sounding board for insights." He pointed to something that looked vaguely akin to a vine waving in the currents. "Is that also a coral?"

"Soft-bodied kind," Cahya explained.

"I see," Anton said. "It has the color and feel, but they're all quite different. I know the surface details about them, but I'd like to hear more. Oh, and I would suggest circulating your cultivation as you study them. Don't concern yourself with being slow about it. I guarantee it will be worth the effort, and it might even be better than hours sitting in a room meditating about words on a page."

Anton took his own advice, not that he ever really stopped. If he wanted to, he could stay in constant daylight… but he found that rest and night were good for him, even if he didn't necessarily need to sleep. Perhaps that made him less like the sun, but so be it. Or maybe they just hid their rest cycles better.

The arrival of the sword saint on Yaitis came with a clear threat- the promise of death. Chidi clutched his chest as he felt the promise of bisection, no- being minced into tiny little pieces. All that, and the Augmentation cultivator was still on the far side of the planet as far as he could discern.

"What's wrong?" Aconite asked.

"The sword saint has arrived," Chidi said. He could feel the blade, though just barely beneath the rage of its wielder. He felt a strange malice from the weapon itself, but he couldn't quite pick out the reason. It almost felt like the blade hated its master. Or perhaps that was him projecting. Regardless of his interpretation, the feeling faded quickly. Even an Augmentation cultivator could not project their energy so strongly forever. It was a simple taunt- but not for Chidi. Though perhaps he felt a sliver of disdain for him personally. No, the clearly intended recipient would be grandmaster Chikere. And he had no doubt she would be on her way to face the sword saint soon enough.

"Should we inform someone?"

Chidi hadn't even considered that. It just seemed natural to him that everyone would have felt that. But the moment he set about to find someone, he felt it.

Blades clashing. Had Chikere been waiting for him where he landed? Chidi's legs gave out from under him as he focused everything on feeling the tiniest traces of the battle. He wanted to be there, though he had the feeling that if he was he would die- regardless of anyone intentionally attacking him.

"Chidi," Aconite nudged him worriedly.

"Sorry. I'm feeling the battle," he said from his position sprawled out on the ground. He realized how she got there. Chikere could cut through space, he'd seen her do it. Though she didn't do so when traveling with him. Possibly because she couldn't, or didn't feel like it. More likely, it would have overwhelmed him. He'd thought he'd experienced her serious, but just the tiniest traces of the battle reaching him made him tremble.

Could anything survive around them?

He felt the power of the sword saint, a power far greater than Rakiya's Integration cultivation. Chikere was good, but was she good enough to survive that? The battle raged on for minutes. Perhaps she was.

Then, space tore apart next to him. Chikere stumbled out, surrounded by fifty blades. She fell to one knee. Blood dripped down her body in great rivers. Chidi could feel the lingering intent behind the slashes, cuts, and stab wounds.

It wasn't just her body that was wounded. Chidi felt nicks in her blades, which he knew were always kept pristine. Then there was her replacement arm, her right. It was dangling from her right shoulder, cut through in many places. It barely managed to clutch a broken sword between its fingers.

The worst part of her visage, however, was the trails running down her face that weren't blood. Though the composition of tears wasn't all that different from blood, Chidi could distinguish between them well enough.

"Dammit…" Chikere said, her muscles trembling. "Why… why did it have to happen like this?"

Chidi brought himself to attention. "Grandmaster. Please… tell me what happened." He was going to have to get her to treat her wounds, but perhaps hearing the story from her would distract her from her pain. Or perhaps it would make it worse.

Chapter 706

For the last few months, Chikere had been waiting every day for the arrival of the sword saint. But that was not the end of it. Before than, she had spent decades with Chidi as her apprentice, anticipating the day. And then there had been the nebulous time before that, ever since she had heard of the existence of the sword saint. An individual with proclaimed sword skill of immense measure. Such an individual would be worth battling, and undoubtedly carry a weapon unmatched in the Scarlet Midfields.

His arrival had been anything but subtle. It was a challenge- or perhaps a response to her own challenge. To Chikere, it did not matter the exact details. She knew where he was, and she could finally reach him. There was some intention to do this for her allies, but the majority of this was for her. This was what she wanted.

Feeling his power, she knew that as an Augmentation cultivator he could absolutely kill her. But she had not the patience to wait to grow to a higher cultivation herself. This had to be now. Something inside her told her that if she did not press for this at her earliest opportunity, she would miss something forever. Chikere was never the type to question thoughts like that.

So she cut open space. She could travel interstellar distances by doing the same, though not so instantaneously. Crossing a planet was more difficult than moving through empty space, but still within her capabilities. There was some risk, but she gladly accepted it for herself. Failure might kill her, but that was always the case. It hardly mattered if it was in battle or in another display of swordly might.

The sword saint was… unimpressive. He locked eyes with Chikere as she arrived outside of the port he had just landed in. He certainly had the power of an Augmentation cultivator, but something stifled his sword path. His blade, however, shone bright like a star. It was a perfect work of art. The fact that it radiated bloodlust and malice was of little consequence. Swords were meant to kill, and it would have its fill in her hands.

A field of blades grew around Chikere. Every weapon she could use took its intended position. Whether intended for defense or offense, each had their own place, shifting as the intentions of both cultivators changed and they judged each other's capabilities. It was only an instant before they clashed. In their first exchange, the sword saint- what was his name, Zack?- swung his blade with great ferocity. His blade cut apart two of Chikere's own. Number 73 and number 67. A shame, but no great loss.

Chikere's understanding of the Harmonious Citadel's style was the only thing that kept her from being cut down with every attack. Sometimes it wasn't enough. Zarbon's sword would cut past her defenses, slicing into her. But every time it did so, she understood a little better.

Then came the fall of the newly promoted 74. Shortly after that, sliced directly in half- number 15. Better 15 than Chikere's neck… probably. Though she'd much rather not lose either. Chips and cracks were filling many of her swords as she swirled around it, all as a consequence of Zagar's sword.

His sword. Not him. That was when Chikere began to truly understand her fight. She was fighting the blade. This sword saint was merely a vessel for it to enact its rage upon the world. Oh, he was perfectly in control of his own actions- but without the sword, he would just be a guy that was rather strong. He didn't have the technique to destroy her blades.

Who had made the sword? That question flashed through Chikere's mind every time she connected with it. She'd never felt another like it, but it wasn't new. A century old, at least. Perhaps more, but it wasn't ancient either. It should have been forged for the sword saint's own hands. The grandmaster smith who had forged it should have made other blades of similar quality, or even surpassing it. So why had she not encountered any? Was it a fluke? A single spark of inspiration that couldn't be repeated?

Chikere deflected a thrust at her heart, causing it to merely puncture a lung. No, that wasn't quite right. She felt the blade. It was familiar, somehow. Then she realized. Just as Sadiq had forged blades for her from swordmasters weapons and their own blood, the blade echoed of a life lost. Yet it did not ring in glory and triumph, the exhilaration of a smith sacrificing themselves for the pinnacle. No, instead it seemed quite the opposite. The very thing that pushed it beyond its limits was the death of the smith by the blade… not of their own will. It would have been an astounding sword regardless. Instead, Zathan had killed a smith who could have made other amazing weapons.

Upon that realization, Chikere stopped thinking. It was only for a moment, but she carelessly attacked with all of her energy. A simple attack with little technique behind it. Vast cutting power, but easily dodged or deflected. Or even blocked. Except, when the sword saint moved his weapon to do just that, it did nothing. Chikere cut through his sword like it was made of paper… and following the sword, the sword saint.

Chikere caught the fragments of the blade in her hand. A clean cut, but the spine of the sword was broken. It couldn't be repaired- it would be simpler to forge it anew. Chikere looked at her reflection in the two halves, and tears streamed down her face. She was a horrible person.

She thought to soak them in Zababwa's blood, but the sword saint was unworthy of his essence being forged into a weapon. Chikere looked up. A city was watching. In her shame, she fled. Space sliced open, and she returned to her apprentice.

"... And that's why I'm just as bad as him!" Chikere sobbed, her body like a human puddle splayed out on the ground.

"So… you broke a sword, and now you're upset," Chidi confirmed. "It… is a shame," he nodded seriously. "But I think… this was what it wanted."

The swordmaster sat up, staring at the pieces still clutched in her artificial hand. "Swords aren't meant to kill those who make them, but instead those who wield them. Perhaps… from that point on, this was never a sword at all."

The two sword fanatics nodded together, as if they had uncovered deep truths of the universe.

Aconite just watched them from a distance, tilting her head in confusion and sometimes sighing. Then she realized something. If Chikere had killed the sword saint, someone should probably… tell someone. Specifically, leaders in the Scarlet Alliance.

"Let's go!" Catarina said, stomping towards the spaceport. "And don't you dare say the Alliance needs us elsewhere."

"Of course not," Timothy smiled. "Yaitis has turned out to be strangely important to our movements. And the One Thousand Palm Sect will no doubt be launching attacks vigorously upon hearing this news. They are quite eager. Though the council will likely vote on whether we release the information about the saint of light."

"I don't care," Catarina said. "The Exalted Quadrant doesn't matter. The rest of the council will do fine without us. We can finally see Chidi."

"You're just excited because he asked about learning formations from you."

"He was a good student, for what he sat through. But I thought you were the one concerned about his wellbeing the most, weren't you dear husband?"

Timothy shrugged. "I was. But as he survived trials and Chikere, I gradually had to come to accept that we had no control over that."

Catarina nodded. "But now we do. And we're going to shatter all of the Harmonious Citadel formations on Yaitis for daring to keep our son away from us for so long."

"Of course," Timothy nodded. "Perhaps we might even make it a family project. If Chidi is interested."

Catarina couldn't help but skip along. "We may not be so imposing as Chikere, but he can still see our power and what we are able to teach him."

"Or what you can teach him at least. He wasn't particularly interested in shields, and I have the feeling my swordsmanship isn't up to par," Timothy shrugged. Occasional messages weren't enough. He'd talked to Anton more frequently even shortly after the man had been flung into a star and lost his communications devices. He needed to connect more with his own son.

A few years passed in an instant. In those years, the beasts of the sea continued to breed and grow in number- but more troublingly, individual power. Anton would not despair, however. In'istra and its people would survive. He wished them to fight off the threat with the fewest losses possible, but he was under no illusions that there would be more deaths. Some had already perished, delving into depths too flush with beasts, either through overconfidence or misperceptions. But the beasts had to be culled. The signs were clear, and the damage they caused even without overfilling the seas was significant.

Humans had not remained stagnant in their growth. While any individual advanced at most a few ranks within the later stages of cultivation, more humans grew their cultivation overall then each year prior. In'istra was on an upswing after their near complete annihilation of upper realms spies. That would be resolved soon enough, though it was important to not put it off or forget about it just because of the beast troubles.

Around the Reef of Serenity in particular, Anton had worked with Cahya and thereafter other members of the Branching Coral Sect. He had seen what they could do, how they could grow- and how they could influence various corals to do the same. While most were small, starting off around the size of a palm or for the softer ones perhaps a flowing shape an arm's length, few surpassed those limits except by small multiples. From the perspective of a cultivator, doubling or tripling such a creature in size was mostly irrelevant.

However, recent developments proved beneficial with Anton's guidance helping Cahya and through her others of the sect intrigued by her growth. She was but one example of many throughout the planet. Ceretos had recovered over the course of six centuries without any outside help, but a simple half century of Anton's presence was boosting the process on In'istra.

Anton had some doubts about whether coral would be the ultimate salvation of the planet. Then again, no one thing was important on its own. The creatures were beautiful, animals that crafted homes of stone and dwelled along with algae that provided them sustenance. Brilliant colors only went so far. They needed something more.

Like the toxins of some particular species. The flexibility of others, which when controlled by cultivators could restrain approaching beasts. And the durability of yet others, building ever more complex and sizable constructions. From the size of a palm to the size of a man, cultivators helped the creatures develop. Formerly reliant on sunlight, they could only dwell so deep. With greater heights, some of them might have overtopped the reefs and burst out of the surface of the water. But with infusions of natural energy they could settle somewhat deeper, handle somewhat different environments. They were placed all around the Reef of Serenity, deep enough to not scrape upon a ship but also covering enough area to restrict other sea beasts. While they might not necessarily harm them, they could provide as warnings- or silent killers, in the case of those with toxins.

Few beasts were interested in eating them, even as their cultivation developed. Where there was trouble, the Branching Coral Sect came to support them, just as the Reef of Serenity's other sects supported them.

That was the thing that Anton was most pleased with. Cooperation. In'istra was not particularly different from other planets of cultivators to begin with, but that meant each sect or clan or other group with power generally watching out for themselves. Here, they were working together. It might still be with their own interests in mind, but Anton was perfectly happy if people would accept that their own best interests went hand in hand with others.

Chapter 707

Every once in a while, Everheart liked to return to Rouhiri. Both to remind him and them that he could, and to check up on his little project. They seemed to consider his project with their fancy statues vandalism, but he considered it avant garde art. They set up barriers all around it, of course. A nice little diversion for Everheart while he made his way to the statues to continue his work. There was no realistic chance that the Harmonious Citadel would leave his formations alone on their home planet for decades if he didn't come by and tweak them every once in a while to throw off their work.

But today the time had come to finish off his work. Good news had come in, though it was also somewhat concerning to Everheart. Someone from Ceretos had killed the sword saint. In front of a whole city, and hundreds of disciples at minimum. Someone apparently in Integration. Which was why that was also bad news.

Someone from Ceretos had killed an Augmentation cultivator alone. Someone that might want to kill him. If he remembered correctly, this Chikere had been to several of his tombs. She'd been around during his return, and she seemed able to move between the upper and lower realms as she pleased. The swordmaster had been friendly with the Million Sword Vault, too. So while he hadn't personally taken anything from her, the resources and weapons he stole from the Vault might be another reason for her to not like him.

So it was good news, but it was also bad news. Better to avoid ending up in a situation where such an individual might express her displeasure with him.

Dripping the last bits of dark star mercury into the formation markings, Everheart reviewed his work. Yes, everything was as it should be. All he had to do was remain somewhere safe and feed voice lines into his little puppets.

From the perspective of Rouhiri, their most holy courtyard had been defiled long before. Most disciples tried not to think about it. However, that was impossible when their blockades exploded everywhere, and the statues of their saints began moving around and shortly thereafter attacking their towers.

A tall, handsome statue holding in his hand an crystal orb smashed it into the side of the tower of the Saint of Light. "Hello. I am the Saint of Light and I am definitely not a spy sent by the Exalted Quadrant to subdue your cult. My name is Hans Sigismund and I carry this large orb to compensate for something missing."

If that had been all that happened, it would have been a disaster, but one that the Harmonious Citadel could control. They would have smashed the statue in an instant and dealt with the fallout, cursing some sect or blaming some planet they were already planning to assault. But that was just the first statue.

The second was the statue of the spear saint. Or rather, what had been the statue of the spear saint. It still had most of its components, with the exception that Damjan's head had been torn off and impaled on the stone spear. "I'm Damjan. I killed the previous spear saint in a betrayal most foul. Then I had to make a fake copy of Luminous Heartpiercer to compensate."

Then came the sword saint, tapping his weapon against the tower of the core sword disciples. Or at least, about half of his statue. From left hip to right shoulder there was a cut. "Sorry, I can't speak," the upper half of the statue explained to anyone within earshot. "I got cut in half by an Integration cultivator."

The statue of the bow saint didn't attack her own tower. Instead, she simply ran away. She would be loudly proclaiming that fact as she ran throughout the core of the sect.

The axe, shield, and morningstar saints were less inspired. "We haven't done anything in decades and had to flee from just one guy because we were afraid he'd rip out our spines and use them as weapons."

The dagger saint… well, that statue was missing.

There was an eighth statue present, however. It displayed a well-groomed young man, complete with a full beard with individual hairs carved out of the stone. He casually tossed about weaker disciples in the area. "Wow, you'll need to do better than that. How are you going to replace all these saints, huh? Maybe you should come temper yourself… in the Everheart System!"

Everheart shouted as he carved navigation coordinates into everything within reach. He was done sitting around waiting, and he was absolutely exhausted from the amount of work he had been doing. To stave off assassination attempts from himself, he had to absorb all of his projections after a short few years, so he remembered doing all of the labor. It was terrible. If he didn't know better, Everheart would think he was trying to drive himself to suicide.

The statues had always been highly enchanted. They were meant to endure forever- until the saints were replaced, of course. So while the core of the Harmonious Citadel's power had tons of Integration cultivators raring to crush the statues, they had a problem. They were hesitant to destroy the figures of their sants… and when they tried they found it was much more difficult than expected. Which gave Everheart more time to shout facts, mixed in with some occasional speculative insults and pure defamation. Because people would remember inflammatory facts, regardless of whether or not it was true.

So it was a good long while with all eyes on the situation before someone showed up who could handle the situation. That someone happened to be a woman, her appearance just past her prime. Most people disregarded her at first, because she didn't feel like much. However, she first walked up to the statue of Everheart.

"You're that bastard Everheart?"

"I am Everheart, the grand and might. The wise and powerful. The-"

Her fist drove straight through his head- or rather, the statue's head.

"Wow. Rude. As I was saying-"

She leapt into the air, metal greaves smashing apart the statue vertically. But she didn't stop there, pulverizing it to pieces as it continuously attempted to continue speaking. Then she approached the statue of the saint of light. "Hey, where'd you get your info?"

"I am the saint of light himself," the statue declared. "Every word from my mouth speaks the true history of-" that mouth was quickly shattered- though once more it didn't matter. "I found it in the true archives of the Citadel. Surely you know how to access those…" the statue raised its arm dramatically, then pointed at the woman. "Forbidden saint number one!"

"It's Tuva, idiot. And I'm not a saint." She jammed an armored elbow into the statue. "They just pay me."

The woman's success confused many of those watching. The statues were easily fighting off several Integration cultivators each, then a strange woman showed up out of nowhere and destroyed them with ease. She didn't even feel like anything. Her cultivation was, what… Essence Collection at best? At least, as far as anyone could tell. But clearly, that wasn't an accurate measure.

"You're totally a forbidden saint, though!" yelled the axe statue. "Come on, it's a cool title!"

"You bastard…" she grumbled, launching herself towards it and tearing it apart. Then she shouted at the remaining statues in general. "You're controlling all of these actively, aren't you?"

"Of course I- I mean, we are the true spirits of the saints! The Harmonious Citadel is corrupted, or whatever! We're here to restore balance and definitely not as a prank!"

Tuva shook her head and continued smashing statues until there was just one left. "Hey. Where's the dagger saint?" she asked the statue of the morningstar saint, which only had a head and torso remaining.

"Probably off doing her usual assassination stuff," the statue's voice boomed throughout the area.

"I meant the statue, idiot!"

"I'd bet it's doing the same thing," the statue grinned. "Probably off killing the owner of your favorite sandwich place."

"You-" she smashed the statue in anger. "I don't know why I even bothered. Goddamn Everheart." She lingered only a moment to make sure the statues were fully dismantled, then she ran off. "... It better not be."

While Everheart was curious to find out where Tuva's favorite sandwich place was, he was busy guiding the dagger saint's statue into their vaults. The vault was the most secure place in their whole little cult-empire. He really wanted their stuff, but he also didn't want to risk his actual self. In truth, he didn't expect to have any success. This was just an initial run, and unless they completely replaced their formations with brand new ones that worked on entirely different principles to accomplish the same goals, any progress he made here would be useful in the future. There was no way he was going to let the Scarlet Alliance get away with all of the loot from this place when he was directly responsible for killing one saint so far, and more in the future if he could wrangle it. Thus the taunts about the Everheart System.

He managed to get a few doors open- the statue didn't really have traditional senses for him to use, but the formations were simple enough for him to get through. Hardly more than a few layers of complexity and an occasional subrune stitched in. A few looparounds meant to throw people off.

But of course the vaults of the Harmonious Citadel weren't just one big pile of loot. No, they had more layers and complexity than that. Lots of hallways and side rooms. Most were no doubt filled with traps. Then he opened one. In the center of a large room, there was only a single tome on top of a plinth. There was absolutely, positively no way that the tome was not bait. He created a gust of air, but the tome didn't even flutter.

It was probably nothing. But boy, did they know how to make good bait. And they were the ones who were going to have to clean up the broken pieces of their own statue when he flubbed it. Or their security would be total garbage all the way through and he would be walking out of these vaults with everything this very afternoon.

Trifold Cluster activity had ceased upon In'istra. It seemed that they had been successfully wiped out. Anton had doubts, however. The last few suspected pockets hadn't been eradicated. Instead, they'd been found empty. One of which he'd heard about himself, so it had been active within the last year.

No, he couldn't leave it at that. Unfortunately he hadn't been able to keep track of every place all the time. He was at least a few months late here. But all was not lost. He remembered those he'd seen in their safehouse, and more importantly their energy signatures. He would be able to recognize them, as he specifically kept them in mind.

The first thing to check was if they were present in the city. That was a pretty clear negative. The next step was to check the dock records. Ships going in and out were usually logged. Of course, nobody would say they were carrying spies. They might not even know. And anyone who was smuggling them might not declare passengers.

But it was a place to start.

Hints and clues led to other information, half or more of which were dead ends. But ultimately, Anton pulled on the thread and made his own presumptions. Now he was at the bottom of the sea, checking to see if anyone built an underwater base. Normally he should be able to feel them from the surface, but with sufficient distance and formations blocking his senses he could never be too sure. So he moved along, hoping to find something.

What he didn't expect was that something was about to find him.

Chapter 708

Aside from the deepest depths, at least a modicum of light filtered down to the bottom of the sea where many creatures made their home. Specialized eyes picked up as much as they could, depending on how each denizen tended to live. In this case, the creature lived directly upon the bottom. The only room for eyes was on top, so two of them ended up there. These picked out various dangers, though at some point they had become almost superfluous compared to other senses.

As far as dangers were concerned, there was a better way. A strange sort of energy that everything strong had. That included not just other creatures of the sea, but humans as well. Today, it found a human, just like the others that had been causing trouble lately. Swimming just above the sands, even brushing along them, the creature crept forward… then ambushed. Its large maw opened wide as it sucked in water, pulling in the unsuspecting human in front.

The sudden suction pulled Anton back, and he barely caught himself on the rim of a giant mouth. It was instinct, though he wouldn't have been damaged by the snapping teeth anyway. In fact, it would have caused the creature more trouble had it actually succeeded. Anton spun around, pulling back as he focused on the creature. He had been far too focused on looking for humans that he had forgotten about certain denizens of the sea- and even then, this one had to blend in for him to miss it.

Upon seeing the massive flounder, Anton grinned. "Derpy! It's you again," he waved. "Sorry about last time." He pat the thing on the side of its mouth. Or the top? He wasn't really sure what was appropriate to call it.

He fully expected the thing to attempt to continue eating him. The next option was for it to run away. Instead, its eyes shifted as it looked at him with… understanding?

Anton was not a beastmaster. Thus, he didn't fully understand how some beast grew powerful in cultivation but retained animal intelligence, while others didn't. It wasn't just based on the type of creature, but it also had something to do with some luck during development. Greater intelligence vastly increased their survival rates in the long run.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have seen other humans around here?" Anton asked. Though doing so was a waste. In the chance that Derpy was intelligent, he likely didn't understand speech. That had to be learned. How should Anton get the point across?

He started with forming a replica of himself out of light. It wasn't exact, but that was better anyway since it was supposed to represent someone else. He mimed following after it in a few different ways, eventually 'grabbing' it and causing it to disappear. Then he watched the big flounder.

It remained in place… then slowly shuffled back and began to turn around. Well, he could see why it had been scared off. But as it scuttled along the bottom, it turned so he could see its eyes once more. Did it really understand and want him to follow? He could at least try.

He walked along the sea floor after it, though it took unnaturally quick steps to keep up with something of that size made for the water. The flounder didn't seem to be attempting to pull away, so Anton simply kept up with it for a while. Until it began going in circles.

Anton stopped, thinking it might just be very bad at throwing people off. But Derpy turned about, fins flapping up sand. Anton considered the situation, then looked towards the middle of the circle. Because it was just one, and rather precise too.

He saw nothing. Nor did his senses pick up anything. Which, in itself, was a red flag. He began to make ever more complex patterns with his sensory energy, determining where it flowed the wrong way or seemed to fade into nothing. The formation was pretty well set up, they must have a proper formation master among them.

"Good job, Derpy," Anton pat the giant flounder on its closest edge. "You hungry? I can-" Before he could even seek an answer to the question, the flounder slurped up a three meter wide crab scuttling nearby, crunching it down in a few bites. "Well, it seems like you've got that handled. Let me know if I can repay you somehow. And sorry about yanking you so far up back then." He didn't expect it to understand, but the more the fish grew used to human speech patterns the faster it could learn to truly understand, if it had the intelligence and the drive.

Though his first instincts were to blast apart the underwater base, or melt them with focused light magnified through the water, Anton had a problem. He didn't know if this would be the only base of its sort in In'istra. If they were in contact with others, letting them be aware of his presence- if they hadn't already noticed him- would be a mistake. It would be best to get more locals on board, especially to pick apart their formations in ways Anton couldn't.

"Hmmmmmmn," Catarina said as she slowly circled Chidi. "Very interesting. But isn't it a little exploitable?"

"Why don't we find out?" Chidi replied to his mother. "I am confident that if you cannot exploit the flaws, then it cannot be done. I don't intend to make it easy for you though."

Timothy just watched from the sidelines. Indeed, these two were very much cultivators. Instead of saying anything about not seeing each other for so many years, they directly got into it. Cultivators were fond of training and competition. In this case, it was a bit of both- though strongly unbalanced towards one party.

But Catarina clearly wasn't trying to win. The two of them crossed swords, dancing around the area. Chidi managed to maintain his position on offense, and Timothy was surprised to find it was mainly legitimate. Specifically, Catarina wasn't holding back just to let him show off. She also wasn't attempting to defeat him quickly, though.

Her defenses were impeccable, but rather than slipping past her guard Chidi seemed to be going for something else. Timothy could both see significant flaws in the way his son swung his sword… and no flaws at all. That is to say, everything seemed intentional if inefficient. He seemed to be trying to do something, but…

"Nice try," Catarina said, halting her own attack just shy of Chidi, "But I like being able to use my energy."

Chidi clicked his tongue. They exchanged a few more moves and then… the young man suddenly froze in place.

Catarina walked around him, shaking her head. "You're going to have to do better than that," she said. "But I think as long as you don't do anything crazy like fighting Formation Masters you should be fine." She tapped his shoulder with her sword, and Chidi was able to move again. "I wouldn't bet on that trick you were trying working against any other Integration cultivators, either. Was that was got Rakiya?"

Chidi nodded, "Basically, but I tried to make it last longer. The setup was… worse."

"Far too slow," Catarina agreed. "Anything that takes more than a move or two is a danger against stronger opponents."

"Don't I know it," Chidi sighed.

"Well," Timothy drew their attention. "I can see how much you've learned from Chikere. So I doubt I can teach you anything about swords directly…" Timothy shrugged, "But I can give you the opportunity to see if you can slip something past a cultivator who doesn't specialize in formations." Timothy hefted his shield. It would be a bit inconvenient if his energy was negated even for an instant, but he was confident in his ability to defend himself regardless. He also had some ideas for countering Chidi, with the most straightforward method involving simply wasting his energy all over the place. It would be a waste to see their son get to this point and grow overconfident to the point he tried to take on more Integration cultivators. Even the one attempt was far too crazy in Timothy's estimation.

Major Sibylla thought she was very fortunate. She'd been handed a perfect opportunity, and hadn't even had to sustain too many risks herself. It might have been a problem if the sword saint hadn't been taken out so quickly upon arrival, but everything worked out there.

Now she barely had to do anything. Leading her army to capture cities was more of a token gesture than an actual challenge, as half of the Harmonious Citadel forces on planet were without leadership, and the other half were fleeing as quickly as they could. Soon the place would be abandoned by the Harmonious Citadel. Unless they were willing to commit more saints to the battle, but in that case they would have to redo all of their work here. It seemed unlikely, and more importantly the Scarlet Alliance fleets were beginning to properly take control of the area.

But even with most everything going her way, she was still nervous when approached by a man and woman from Ceretos. "Councilors," she inclined her head. "What is it you need?"

"We heard you took care of our son for a while," began the woman. Catarina, if Sibylla recalled correctly.

"I would hardly say that," Sibylla said. "The swordmaster has been a much greater influence besides."

The woman continued on bluntly. "Where are you from?"

"Roistea," Sibylla said clearly. "That information should be easily available."

"It is. I just wondered if you would admit it. So why are you here?"

Sibylla shrugged, "It seemed like an easy way to endear myself to the Alliance, going somewhere like this."

"Not that," the woman shook her head. "Why are you here?"

"Same reason as you, I suppose." Then she frowned, "Though I suppose you were from before Assimilation was common. Either way, I wasn't going to stay around Roistea."

"Come on dear," said the man, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Think about what your grandfather would say."

"I am," the woman folded her arms. "He's also the one who reminded me to be cautious because of the war with Ekict." Catarina just stared at her for a bit.

"Well?" Sibylla tilted her head. "Should I say more? My opinion of the Sylanis cluster isn't necessarily any higher than yours."

That got a more positive reaction from her. "A fair point. Mostly, I was wondering how you would react. You could have been hoping nobody remembered where Roistea was, so if questioned you could say you technically didn't hide anything."

"But we weren't here to make you uncomfortable," Timothy reminded Catarina. "We came to offer help dealing with formations."

"Right, that," Catarina nodded. "Since not all formation masters are interested in moving about, it could be useful."

"I will gladly accept any help," Sibylla said. "And don't worry, I intend to make my place among you- or I wouldn't have joined the Alliance at all."

Everheart grinned. The first visitors had come to his system. Sadly, they weren't from the Harmonious Citadel. It would require more pressure to get them to come, given there was a war on. Or maybe they were planning a more concerted attack. He couldn't imagine they would simply let the insults stand.

There was a slight issue that might come up if they sent all their saints together. He was confident, but not crazy. Five or more ascension cultivators would be far too much, even in a place he had prepared. If they did decide to do that… well, he could figure things out then. They probably wouldn't, as that would basically involve giving up their home systems to the Scarlet Alliance and surrounding enemies.

As for the people in his system now… well, he was doing his best to let some of them survive. It was no good to get people to show up and not report back how deadly and potentially treasure laden the area was. It would be bad for business if nobody showed up.

Chapter 709

Given the location, Vari expected everything to be a deathtrap. However, she thought common courtesy was that within the Everheart system it would mostly be the planets that tried to kill her. Or at least the other visitors. At the far end, she could see it being reasonable that deathtraps would begin at the outer limits of the system. That was why she'd planned to disembark her ship outside the system and make the rest of the trip solo. She had very little reason to believe she would be safe, but she at least had a few points in her favor. Coming on official business, a speedy ship of the Scarlet Alliance had carried her to the outskirts where it was promptly pulled out of subspace by a distortion beast.

The ship had somehow limped away as Vari wrestled with a creature that seemed to be made only of various sized spines- from large ones that could have been hollowed out to make a tower to microscopic ones that dug into upper energy and latched on, slowly burrowing inward.

Vari was still shedding her outer layer of defenses as she fled the scene, now resting on a lone asteroid upon which she hadn't found any traps. Rather than presuming it was a safe place to rest, she was more worried than ever. If she didn't find any traps, then she simply wasn't cognizant enough.

She clicked her tongue. "All I needed to do was find Everheart. Or a piece of Everheart."

Her sort-of-uncle had previously shown that he probably wouldn't kill her. That was the unfortunate reason she had been selected as the delegate sent to him- or rather, why they had even considered sending one at all.

Vari looked down at the asteroid beneath her. Was it growing over her, or was she sinking into it? Perhaps the difference was purely academic. Either way, she kicked her legs to break away, throwing herself away and into a trajectory she hoped wouldn't run into anything of note in the near future. She needed a short break to recover her energy. As far as she was from the Harmonious Citadel's territory, she could only rely on the upper energy and less on devotion. That made her consider that she had to come up with a new source at some point- but she wouldn't be upset about losing some power after achieving a long time goal of revenge. She'd put so much effort into furthering their goals to not be acknowledged, and that was before she knew that her disregard was not just apathy.

So while it would be slightly inconvenient when the saints were gone, she didn't consider that future an actual problem. What would she even need so much power for, once they were gone?

Over the course of a year, Anton was made aware of several more underwater bases. Various individuals were responsible for revealing them and the connections to them, but the one Anton recognized most prominently was Derpy.

The giant flounder had a knack for finding people, and none of the cultivators bothered to take note of his presence. He wasn't terribly good at communicating- at best Anton managed to wrangle out whether people had overall entered or left a location. But Derpy could lead Anton to specific individuals outside of the base, or at least where they made land. That let Anton track them down and follow them thereafter.

It seemed the Trigold Cluster's spies had taken the extermination efforts seriously. Even with that ongoing, they had managed to set up a fairly complex system of drop points and indirect communication, all while gathering the materials for their formation master to set up formations in several disparate locations.

They were aided in part by the growth of local beasts. A coincidence, as far as Anton could tell. It should have been expected, really. With human cultivators limited in number and the overall natural energy levels of the planet increasing, of course the wild beasts would go stronger. It simply hadn't been an issue on Ceretos because even after the wars their numbers had not dropped so precipitously, and they were already managing the globe just fine.

Anton wondered if the spies knew this would happen. Surely the Trigold Cluster had previous experience with the same, given their invasions of other worlds. That hadn't been a matter anyone had been interrogated on previously, but it was now of note. He would suggest the topic to others, though it was of lesser importance compared to making sure they rooted out all of the invader spies.

The sharpness of the blade in front of Chidi was almost sufficient to cut him in two, despite it simply being displayed in front of him. He had to admit, Rakiya had good taste in swords. Her blade ranked along with the highest of his master's blades, even after Chikere secured Grandmaster Smith Sadiq's blade in the combined tournament and trap so many years before.

No, nor her blade. The blade she had carried. Chidi was uncertain if it had ever truly belonged to Rakiya, but at minimum it was his now. His blade. The first one he'd taken for himself, instead of receiving from someone else. He still appreciated the weapon Chikere had picked out for him, but it had been set aside for this one. Unlike her, he used a single blade at a time. Though he had been considering adaptations to his style that might incorporate two, any more than that was simply impractical. Grandmaster Chikere might manage it, but she was only focused on the flow of energy she used directly to attack, and not what it meant with regards to the flow of energy on a wider scale. She didn't make use of formations, just the straightforward essence of blades.

Every time Chidi trained with his mother, he understood to a greater extent his imperfections. The formation markings he had carved into himself… well, they were not yet perfect, but neither would he consider them flawed. Instead, if he was unable to take advantage of the core he had formed for himself, that was an issue for himself in the current time.

Strangely, he found his style shifting more towards that of his swordmaster even as he learned more about formations. The simple fact of the matter was, he didn't need to affect the flow of energy to generate a formation if he could defeat an enemy with a few simple moves. Against his mother, it would rarely work- though that didn't mean he never tried. After all, how could it be training if he didn't push himself to grow?

He of course continued his efforts in the army as a scout, but that would only continue for a short time. Yaitis would be fully in the control of the Scarlet Alliance soon, and Chidi would have to consider where his future led from there. Defeating the Harmonious Citadel was still his wish, but the way he would contribute to that was unclear.

Of important note was whether or not he would be going with Aconite wherever she decided. She was seeking out practical training with regards to her poison abilities. Chidi couldn't help with that directly, but he knew having someone around to support her could be useful. So it was less a matter of whether he intended to go, but instead if she wanted to bring him. Perhaps he might hold her back in some way. If they did separate, Chidi would miss her- but he knew that as long as they both survived they could meet again. Whatever Aconite decided was best he would go along with.

In just a few short years, Anishka would have spent the same amount of time living with the people of Ekict as she had her family on Ceretos. This place was just as much a home for her, though she didn't plan to stay indefinitely. The same was true of Ceretos. While there was likely a limitless amount of information to learn within a single system, the rate at which such learning could be accomplished diminished with time as more was covered. She still had the same ambitions that had fueled her early cultivation, even as she now understood it was impossible. But she didn't need to know anything. The pursuit of her goals was what mattered.

"What do you think, Sergeant?" Anishka asked the little void ant. "They're not doing so bad here now."

"This is a fine place," the Sergeant agreed, wiggling her forearms and antennae. "Should the people wish it, I would suggest to the queens that colonies be established here. However, I understand that would best wait for another human generation."

"It's not so easy for people to forget," Anishka agreed. "Though for many, the changes were welcome." She gestured in front of them, towards a series of formations that channeled the heat of the sun into a contained area.

"Such a dangerous place," the Sergeant said. "I don't understand how you humans subject yourself to that."

"Do you mean your training isn't dangerous?" Anishka asked.

"Of course not. I merely have to deal with dense natural energy. Perfectly safe. And tasty, sometimes."

"For us, that is less dangerous," Anishka gestured to the area in front. "But since the heat isn't sustained by natural energy itself, it's certainly a more significant threat to you." Anishka believed the Sergeant continued to underestimate herself, but she also didn't want to push her friend further than she felt comfortable. At least she was willing to admit she existed as an individual now. Admitting she might be strong seemed like it would take longer, even if intentional training was making it ever more true.

The current location they were staying was the former home of the Enkindled Sun Sect, currently occupied in part by the Vermillion Inferno, along with half a dozen other fire sects. After all, the facilities that still remained intact were much more than they had access to in their own sects, and it would be a shame to not use them. As for working out how to share, it wasn't terribly difficult. Oh, the process had taken years to fully iron out- but the sects had naturally been managing just fine before they had official details.

In a century or two, the plan was for the training grounds of large sects to be mostly irrelevant. Ekict was on a course to improve the natural energy of the system, just like the Trifold Alliance had done.

Anishka saw Celina approaching. "I can't believe you're already in Life Transformation," the woman said.

"You will be soon enough," Anisha replied. "Don't sell yourself short."

"Only because the Vermillion Inferno got access to good cultivation methods to study."

"Are you saying that the Fire and Ice Palace's methods aren't good?"

"No I-"

"Then it's not strange at all. I just had access to good methods earlier."

"I suppose so," Celina nodded. "Is it true you're leaving?"

"Not forever," Anishka said. "But people have grown uncomfortable with my presence. We were just at war, and even if those who live here wanted to take down the larger sects… you also aren't fond of outsiders."

"We should have focused on what we actually knew. The Trigold Cluster is… well, you know. But we should have at least tried to understand not everyone was like that."

"Lessons of the older generation that reach the young," Anishka nodded. "Though I doubt they wanted to be that lesson."

"I imagine not," Celina said. "And now we're far behind where we could be. We'd have some Assimilation cultivators by now, I bet, had the war not happened."

"And we were perhaps too trusting," Anishka said. "If we had been on guard, showed no openings… would those sects have launched the war?"

"I think not, but ultimately it got rid of them. And that's probably for the better. Just as long as others come to accept your people," Celina said. "I understand that not everyone shares my opinions."

"And that is why I will be leaving. I don't need to seem as a threat. And of course, the Sergeant will come with me."

"Most people don't understand how much that should make them relieved," Celina grinned at the little ant. "Since those who survived didn't have to fight void ants."

The Sergeant signed in response. "It is unfortunate that we had to battle at all."

Everyone agreed on that. But the influence of previous generations- both successes and failures- inevitably influenced those who came after. It was impossible to have a perfect result, and for the cultivators of Ekict death and wars had just been part of life. Even if it didn't have to be.

Chapter 710

The wild power of Azun would easily tear apart Anton if he were not bound to it. The rare phenomenon of a mixed pulsar and magnetar was always worth returning to for additional study, though his study was quite different from the way a scientist would perform the same. Instead of concrete data, he was more interested in the feeling of the thing. The flow of energy in all its ways, from the condensed heat far beyond the scale of the other stars to the burst of radiation to the absurd magnetic fields and gravity… each of these taught Anton something.

He could still only use the smallest fraction of a star's power, but he seemed to have stumbled upon a particularly effective Assimilation method. The fact that he had nearly died to achieve it wouldn't deter any other cultivators from trying, especially considering what he could wield of a star's power when he was directly proximate to one.

The next step was still far from his grasp and intuition. But as his cultivation improved, he expected to develop further insights. And if it turned out he was unable… he wouldn't be too upset. He was quite content with his accomplishments throughout his lifespan, from simply when he lived without cultivation to his time after.

Considering his ambitions, Anton focused for some time on the radiation. It created beams that could be detected even from as far away as Ceretos, and while they were not damaging there… they were easy to pick up and entirely unintentional. Though Anton could say that the lack of intention was true about everything involving stars. At least as far as he was aware, there was no godlike being going around making planets and stars. Regardless of their origins, their current existence was just the continuation of a process, and no stars Anton had encountered had any sort of active intent. With no living components, he wasn't sure if they could. Energy on its own was merely that.

Returning to the beams of radiation, they passed so far merely by virtue of great power and not active intent. So if Anton were to ever complete his wild thoughts of sniping into the upper realms, he found it a good area to focus. Though there were logistical concerns to be considered. His senses could stretch a vast distance, but they didn't even begin to bridge the gap between the closest systems. Without using his energy senses as a guide, targeting was impossible. Not to mention the impossibility of his attack arriving in a timely manner. Even if he were able to attack through subspace, was an attack any good if it arrived weeks or months late? Certainly not.

But that didn't stop Anton from using the principles to shoot holes in floating asteroids that were trapped far afield in Azun's orbit. The first few he exploded into chunks, and while it was more visibly impressive that was the opposite of the control he wanted. If he couldn't maintain pinpoint precision within the bounds of a system- a small part of one system, really- then how could he ever hope to meaningfully impact anything outside of one? Just like the pulsars passing over a planet and doing little more than exciting technological sensors.

Focus. Speed. Control. If he could improve, then it would be a waste not to do so.

He wished he was in closer contact with Prospero. He did have communications with the man in the upper realms, but messages were quite slow and lacked the nuance of in-person communications. It seemed they had developed similar techniques, in some way. Specifically, Flowing Lines and his magnetic archery style vaguely fit what Prospero had learned to do with his Falling Stars, and catching them in an orbit around himself. Maybe Anton would get lucky and a young genius from the One Hundred Stars would come about, able to provide additional insight.

What was next? Anton decided to test the maximum number of arrows he could have in flight, and under his control. It was impractical in a real world scenario because he wouldn't have more than the bare minimum of control, but it was still useful.

Arrows flew out by the hundreds, this close to Azun taking on a native blue hue. They rotated around Anton as he added more and more. Somewhere in the low thousands he couldn't both keep the form of his arrows and control their trajectories- but long before that they were individually too weak to even be a threat to any higher ranking cultivators. That included Life Transformation, or particularly sturdy Essence Collection cultivators. And Anton couldn't see a scenario where someone could easily handle just one or two hundred projectiles aimed at them and not a thousand. Better to focus on a smaller number and just hit.

Gravity. If he wished to, Anton could influence gravity locally- but it was certainly not his area of specialty. Weos' star had some interesting effects in that area, abnormal for its size. Against cultivators directly, influencing gravity was perhaps less useful to Anton then attempting to shove them around with unattributed energy. Unless they happened to be throwing real asteroids at him.

Maybe he needed to get in contact with Nthanda. She could probably do that. But before he went back home, he had to finish up with In'istra. Or at least, the current stage of In'istra's development and recovery.

The scale of a single planet was so small. Anton was constantly amazed by how he felt that, when his whole world had once been Dungannon and the surrounding forest and still seemed massive. But such was perspective, and his was more than a little bit skewed by now.

Water was an annoyance, a dense blocker that limited his senses and attacking ability- but not so much he couldn't stay well over the underwater horizon when watching an enemy base. Currently, he was waiting for a signal. It would be slightly delayed, but as it was still the fastest form of communication on In'istra it didn't matter. Anton would like to introduce more to them, but he couldn't really explain where it came from. He wasn't a formation master. Someday, when both sides would be comfortable, he would reveal his origins to the world as a whole instead of just a select few people.

This base was for him alone. Or perhaps just him and Derpy, if the building sized flounder decided to show up. There weren't really any plans Anton had shared with the fish, but he lived around here and did tend to keep tabs on the spies.

Silvery spectral energy sparkled on Anton's fingers, ready to pierce through the seas and the barriers of the base. If he couldn't crack the barrier in that manner, then he would resort to brute force.

The message came in. The strike was underway. In that case, he too had to join in. Better not to bank on catching each and every last individual fleeing the area if he could just stop them before they got to that point.

His first shot circled around the area for a few moments before hitting something. The concealment barriers were still in place, and for obvious reasons Anton hadn't tested the exact limits to which they distorted space. Simultaneous shots from different angles picked out more details of the barrier's construction. Anton had a fairly good estimation of how he should shoot to be most effective, unless the barrier was actually an absurd shape.

He rode upon the wings of a spectral spirit arrow, piercing through an outer barrier to find himself inside. He was able to maintain the connection and control, but it was like swimming through murky waters. He focused on looking for something important to break. He swiveled into some runs that he knew affected the flow of energy. Whether they were a control or simply part of the energy storage system he didn't know or care. Both would greatly hinder the base.

There was no external response, except for a few flashes of lightning where his arrows struck. Anton hoped that continued, as it would use up their energy without ever tracing back to him. Just a dozen kilometers was far beyond what these cultivators could reasonably expect. No doubt they would have picked out his locations because he couldn't hide his energy during battle, but there was a serious question of whether they could reach him.

But before they could make a decision, Anton intended to burst their bubble. The crushing pressure of the sea would at least hinder them somewhat if they charged at him. He slipped in a couple Ascension energy shots, battering different sides of what he perceived as a dome… and he was justified in his understanding when it began to crack, the spatial distortions fading. The formations were actually quite high in level to be more than just a visual illusion to begin with. Anton was impressed.

Just about that point, Anton felt something coming. No, two somethings. Or rather, one something followed by a large number of others.

In the lead was Derpy, followed behind by a large number of sea beasts. Anton wondered when he'd become a leader… but only briefly. The details of such a straightforward situation wouldn't elude him for long. No, the beasts were led by another creature. A lionfish, a creature covered in envenomed spines not dissimilar to the snack Anton had fed Derpy when the first met. Except that one had been without toxins. This one was of course much larger than typical- half a meter was the large end for a standard creature. Instead, it was closer to five from end to end, spike length included.

Derpy skuttled along the ocean floor, while a swarm of diverse sea beasts chased after him. Whether it was because he felt Anton or because the base was now revealed, the gigantic fish altered his trajectory, running directly into the center of things.

Chaos broke out. Human cultivators that were worried about Anton suddenly had to deal with a swarm of beasts, about half of which chose to focus on them rather than continuing the hunt after Derpy. The leading lionfish continued to keep pace, however, catching up slightly where Derpy was slowed by pesky cultivators who thought to stop them.

Anton's hands never stopped moving. His goals hadn't really changed, just how he would accomplish them. Fewer cultivators were directly focused on fleeing or charging towards him, though he kept his senses open for that. Instead, he watched the balance of the fight with the sea beasts.

Derpy made three partial circles through the compound before darting off vaguely towards Anton. The lionfish was quickly gaining, and Derpy was looking tired. Of course, even without such a clear plea Anton still intended to help his fishy pal. He first aimed for the fish's eyes. It seemed to understand that they were weak points, and the beast's cultivation was even enough to protect them with defensive energy- but Anton had some tricks for that.

Forming arrows of pure light, his arrow struck forward. They would be partially hindered by the defensive intent of energy, but while he might not puncture the eyes he could at least cause sudden flashes of brightness. At the same time, Anton focused his energy bows on some of the crowd following along, various creatures that didn't all swim at the same rates. They were weaker than their lionfish leader, and were quickly deterred from the chase with just a few injuries.

The lion fish slowed. Anton expected Derpy to continue retreating… but instead the fish flipped completely over backwards and slapped the lionfish into the seafloor. The majority of the spines didn't pierce into him. It had to be partially defensive energy, maybe a bit of something to do with slippery outside. Either way, it seemed like an instance and desperate maneuver. On the other hand… maybe it was just Derpy being himself.

The fish didn't hesitate to take a chomp out of the stunned lionfish, not even when spines began to get in the way. Maybe Anton had been worried for nothing.

Then Derpy slowly drifted to the bottom of the sea, paralyzed. So it wasn't a brilliant maneuver so much as an ignorant one. Anton supposed he was going to have to help with that. He didn't have any giant fish-sized medicinal pills, but he could at least help pull out some spines and hope the creature recovered. Though he also had to make sure no cultivators got away, the marine life based chaos was doing a good job of keeping them occupied.

Chapter 711

At the end of the day, Anton got away with no cultivators escaping the base, and Derpy having survived. He might have preferred that fewer individuals were eaten by sea beasts, as they didn't always think through whether or not they were swallowing a storage bag. Then again, these particular creatures probably had no prior experience with that. It would be a fun surprise for them later, depending on what was inside. Anton kept track of a few higher ranking cultivator's bags, as they might have something important like a key to a vault he would have to retrieve.

He was uncertain if the base was more or less destroyed due to the unexpected interference. Certainly the beasts smashed things up, but he might have had to do worse himself to accomplish the same goals. It was a shame he hadn't been able to capture many people, but that was just how things had ended up. Ultimately, they were only being kept alive to find out if they knew where any more spies were.

After the first day of falling, Vari was fairly certain she wasn't going to land at any point. It was interesting, because she could alway see and feel herself getting closer to the planet below. She could even control her lateral position above it. But she never got any closer. Nor did she seem to be able to get further away. In short, she was stuck there. Alone.

"I'm going to deck that jerk in the face when he shows up," Vari grimaced.

"Who's a jerk?" A familiar voice asked.

Swiveling in the air, she immediately kicked out towards the approximate location the sound came from. A hand reached up and grabbed her keep, holding her in place.

"You are," Vari huffed. "Seriously, how long have you been watching me fall?"

"I just got here," Everheart said defensively. "Do you think I'm so bored as to watch that for an entire day?"

"Maybe," Vari said. "How did you know it was that long if you weren't?"

"Obviously my traps are keyed with alarms. I was just here to deal with whoever came here."

"You spatially locked this planet…" Vari said. "Can I assume it's important?"

"Planet?" Everheart raised an eyebrow.

"Sonuva- is it all an illusion?"

"No reason it shouldn't be. You know how much harder it is to make someone fall forever compared to convincing them that they're falling forever?"

"... Why didn't I fly out of the area?"

"You slowed yourself down to match the planet's velocity so you didn't smash yourself," Everheart shrugged. "Then you didn't commit hard enough to flying away."

Vari folded her arms. "There has to be more to it than that."

"Might be, who can say?"

"You could!" Vari yelled. "Ugh, this isn't what I'm here for." Well, yelling at Everheart was always its own reward. But she did have other purposes too. "I'm here as an envoy on behalf of the Scarlet Alliance."

"I haven't even declared war or anything," Everheart said. "But I'll gladly accept your surrender."

Vari sighed. "That's not it at all. We want you to help us."

"No way."

She kept talking while ignoring his objections. "In return, we will aid you on endeavors that work towards both of our goals. Like bringing down the Harmonious Citadel."

"And why should I?"

"Because even with all of this," Vari gestured broadly, "You'll eventually just die alone when someone too powerful for you to deal with comes around."

"I've died before, it's not so bad."

"Someone who can properly finish you off. Or you can work with us."

"... And die with other people around to take my stuff?"

"Exactly!" Vari said. "No, wait uh… you might not die."

"Hmm… nah. Too boring." With a flick of his wrist he sent Vari spiraling away. Which at least broke her free of the illusion.

Rather than trying to approach him again, or look for another projection, Vari just pondered at the results. Sure, he'd flat out declined the offer. But for him, that was actually pretty good. At the very least, the seed had been planted and he would be thinking about it.

While In'istra figured out what they were going to do with the spies they had, Anton figured he would spend some time looking around the area. Specifically, he wanted to know if there were any neighbors they could eventually make contact with- or ones that they should specifically avoid.

They were a bit closer to the border with the upper realms, so if Anton found any systems with active cultivators he expected similar results to In'istra, trapped in the cycle that the Trigold Cluster was forcing upon them. Then again, he'd encountered more places outside of that cycle in one way or another. Weos and Ceretos had just recently eradicated the last of the upper realm spies- and won over their invaders in the second invasion after the shorter cycle. While that didn't mean they were forever going to be able to resist the upper realms, the fact that they could defeat Augmentation cultivators and were only getting stronger didn't say much for what the Trigold Cluster could try in five hundred years. But they weren't going to get careless. Oh no, they would be ready.

Still, along with Rutera that had never been a target and the Sylanis Cluster that had also managed to clear them out with the advent of their Worldbinding cultivators, that was six systems free from their grasp. Ekict managed the same. The twin planets ultimately seemed to have lost that battle, but survived regardless. The hidden system of Doruma sealed themselves off so they couldn't be found, and Xicil seemed to be doing fine for themselves, displaying nothing worth taking. Then there was Gnadus, which seemed to have nothing going for it beyond difficulty and ice. No invaders would be interested in them.

On the other hand, besides Rutera all of them seem to have had problems with the upper realms. The various systems shut themselves off for a reason. Perhaps there would be more like them. The lower realms might be undergoing a massive revolution. Or perhaps Anton would find more worlds caught in the cycle. But with the right push, he might let them get beyond. He did keep in mind Tenoun'a and Shrenn. The Trigold Cluster wasn't above scouring a world if they met with too much resistance. Which just motivated Anton to do even better, and with more than five centuries he felt confident that he and others could be a catalyst that catapulted systems beyond what the Trigold Cluster would expect. And the more that were successful, the more they would harm their enemies in the upper realms as they did so.

Anton had already visited some of the nearby stars. With a few months of travel, he completed his initial survey. In all directions, including above and below relative to the galactic plane, the closest systems seemed to be uninhabited. That covered an area more than ten lightyears from them, and a few dozen star systems.

From that point if he were to try to expand out in a circle, he would quickly overwhelm himself with systems. Even if he took no time at all to explore a system- which wasn't actually accurate- it would take days or weeks to reach each one. He could easily lose a year or two for just a slight increase in his explored radius. So he continued with his plan to focus on a narrow band to the 'north', towards the upper realms. He had some chance of identifying an occupied system from its neighbor, if they were powerful enough to create a large effect on the system's natural energy.

Anton surveyed the different types of stars. At this point, he'd seen almost everything with relation to stars. No doubt that wasn't actually true- there would always be interesting differences to discover, if he looked at similar things often enough. But at least as broad categories of stars went, he'd visited many kinds and bound as much variety as he could while keeping a few open for emergencies. Over the last few decades he'd attuned himself to a few stars of various sizes and temperaments, though most didn't have anything he could consider unique properties beyond their star type.

The most notable exception to Anton's list was a proper red supergiant. The twin planets had allowed him to bind to their blue supergiant- its radius more than a couple dozen times that of Ceretos' star- but red supergiants could be even more astounding. Hundreds of times the radius, in fact. It was already hard to comprehend the size of any star- with the exception of a neutron star like Azun- so being even larger was just mind boggling, even if he was used to stars in a broad sense.

Then, of course, there were things that were no longer stars. Black holes, for example. Anton had no intent to seek them out, and the closest ones that seemed to have been detected were still several times the distance from Ceretos to In'istra. He would eventually make the trip, but considering they didn't produce light or heat, he wasn't willing to consider them a star. His cultivation essence was about growth, and he doubted that consuming power would help with that. Still, seeing one might prove interesting.

Anton had all of these thoughts during his long treks between systems. Other than that, he could only focus on his movement and cultivate the energy drawn from his bound suns, making sure he wouldn't exhaust himself in the middle of nothing. As it turned out, space was mostly empty so the chances of just running into anything were relatively low. Which was why he was surprised to discover… well anything at all.

He first noticed it because of its energy, making it stand out starkly from the complete lack of it anywhere else. He was almost past it by the time he reacted, as its path crossed with his and his own speed was immense. He could have very easily missed it. No, he should have missed it. Because he was not even traveling in normal space. Anything less than a star should have hardly registered.

But he felt it, and because of that he immediately began to chase after it. Which is to say, he noted its trajectory as he hurtled past, and hoped that it wouldn't change significantly in the time it took him to redirect his speed. Star Steps allowed for nearly instantaneous changes in momentum, but only when traveling in normal space and not nearly so severe.

It took him three days to catch it, during which time he should have already arrived at his destination planet. For the majority of that time, he was second guessing his senses. But there it was, just sitting there. Floating along almost casually, without a star. Anton knew that rogue planets existed, but he'd never visited one. This one was a step more odd, as he approached it in subspace.

He was careful in his approach, uncertain of why it radiated so much natural energy. He also didn't want to risk drawing the attention of distortion beasts to it, should it actually be inhabited.

This time he knew he was going to encounter it and was already moving in the same direction as it so matching its speed was an easier task. Then he had to make only slight adjustments to his speed to slowly approach.

The first thing he noticed were lights. Many of them, standing out with comparison to the near lack of light Anton otherwise experienced. The light of stars was vaguely comprehensible within subspace, but this was more… real?

Anton orbited the small planet several times. It wasn't tiny, but Anton couldn't help but compare to Ceretos. By that metric, it was somewhat small. As for the lights, unless he was greatly mistaken he knew what they were. He would recognize those patterns anywhere, that of cities at night. They were nothing compared to Rutera with its pervasive technology, but even Ceretos before it developed such technology had energy lights at night. This was closer to that, Anton thought.

Cities. And the patterns of people. He approached, cautiously. This planet shouldn't be here, and in a way neither should he. He didn't want to end up on the wrong foot, or causing some sort of disaster. So he wasn't going to just land somewhere. Instead, he needed to observe more.

Chapter 712

The strange planet below lacked any sort of large scale barrier, a planetary formation. That allowed Anton's senses to focus on particular locations, starting with seeking out cities. Most of the larger ones did have barriers, and while Anton could have likely pushed through to sense inside them, he didn't want to worry about raising alarms. That led him to focus on smaller population centers, ones which still acted as sources of light in the constant darkness.

It was strange, stumbling upon this planet that shouldn't exist. It would be one thing for it to merely be a rogue planet wandering in the void between systems, but it was quite another to find it like this. Within the space behind space, hidden from the stars.

Darkness itself didn't make Anton nervous, nor did he even feel particularly strange traveling through subspace with minimal access to his stars. But here, there was a place that may have never seen a star. More than how it came to exist, Anton wondered how it continued to exist.

His senses focused on a particular city. Architectural differences abounded between individual planets and further between different systems, but certain features were simply practical. Some sort of covering to keep out the elements was universal. Indeed, Anton found the same was true of this planet. Perhaps it was even more necessary to have proper insulation, as his senses indicated that the planet was below freezing. Though it was odd, because there was very little in terms of ice or snow to be found.

He focused on a particular hut. There was a crackling fire in the center of it, surrounded by a dirt floor and a small number of furnishings. No, he wouldn't quite call it a dirt floor but instead it was a step beyond that. It was bare soil, with plants growing out of it. Anton wondered who was so hard pressed as to not be able to pull up weeds within their own home, but in a moment it became clear to him that the plants were quite intentionally kept. The packed dirt from walking around them had a very particular pattern, an intention to avoid them. Some sort of crops, then?

The inhabitants of the hut slept, as with most of the rest in the small city- shop and other public spaces alike standing empty. Anton sought out another area, looking for people who were up and about. Without an external source of light, there was no cycle to be followed but the majority of the city seemed to follow a set time.

But finally, Anton found some alert individuals. The first was a shepherd, tending his flocks while bundled in many layers. The sheep in question possessed a very thick wool, enough that Anton wasn't quite certain about their body shape or if they were in fact sheep and not simply piles of wool, not without looking deeper. If this was the time of twilight, Anton would have expected that along with the shepherd farmers of all sorts would be up, tending to their fields. However, he found only a few in all the fields.

It was simple to judge the city as being particularly lazy and full of sluggards… but without dawn to judge by, he wondered what getting up early amounted to at all. A proper farmer worked hard all day and rested fully at night. But as long as the work got done when it was needed, Anton couldn't discount anyone's personal style. And without a sun providing heat, any time was just as good as any other. Synchronizing to the city center was not particularly odd.

After a few hours, Anton was finally able to determine it had become early morning. That was because various activities began. Bakers starting on their wares, shopkeepers setting up. People out and about on the streets, though still in small quantities. They began to interact with one another, and Anton discovered a slight hiccup in his current method of observation. He couldn't understand any conversations.

It wasn't that he didn't have the capacity to transmit the sounds from down below back to himself. He simply didn't understand the words. Focusing on signs and other writings, he couldn't make sense of any of it. Even cut off worlds that had distanced themselves maintained some recognizable roots, but this was completely different.

But though he couldn't understand their words, people's actions generally spoke for themselves. He could even tell how a conversation was going by body language. There were certainly some quirks of bodily expression he didn't immediately understand, but he understood confidence, anger, and exasperation. There was also much to be understood by tone of voice.

For an entire day Anton watched, uncertain what to do. Should he do anything? They were living their lives just fine without him. He seriously doubted that the upper realms would be trouble for them. But even so, he found their lifestyle rather… pitiful. Citizens began to push through cramped streets, many of which were covered increasing the claustrophobia. And yet, Anton saw the design was intentional. People nearly fled from one place to another for warmth, and gaining some warmth from people before their destination might prove to be more valuable to them than the comfort of personal space. He might have thought the city simply grew too quickly, but the pattern continued even on the outer edge, next to their fields.

Everything growing in the fields was some sort of root vegetable. Some fields appeared to lie fallow, but when Anton took a closer look he found that the crops grown within were merely buried deeper. It was a bit warmer there, perhaps.

The world was cold… but none were freezing. Or perhaps Anton should better interpret that as those who would freeze had already done so.

Some equivalent of local evening came, and then night. But rather than settling to bed on their own time like Anton expected, the whole city began to synchronize on one final daily task. No, it wasn't just the city. Anton had expected individual cities to keep their own time, but instead he felt the planet change all at once, with a very slight bias towards a phenomenon beginning in the largest cities with their barriers and pulsing outward.

Cultivation. Everyone began to cultivate all at once. Anton felt a flow of natural energy pulling in from all of the surrounding areas… but there was more. Even though it had no connection to him, Anton recognized a great flow of devotion from the outlying areas, flowing from small villages to cities to the metropolises. But it wasn't just a one-sided gathering. Something also flowed out in the reverse direction, a comforting and protective feeling- though that was merely what Anton gathered secondhand. He was not present down below, nor did he think he would be welcome.

There were imperfections in the flow, but like eddies in a river they faded with distance. The greater flow was unstoppable, falling into place naturally. Anton could do nothing but watch with rapt attention. It was imperfect, but still beautiful.

Then, just as it had begun, it also ended. The vast flow faded away, turning into tiny trickles which faded away.

Then Anton felt something more. Something quite unexpected, in his position. Something looked at him. No, someone. The path of their gaze caught Anton on the outside of one of the large cities, where he was absolutely not planning to look further. Then it was gone, swiftly enough to almost make Anton believe it was a coincidence, or that it did not happen at all. But he knew better than that.

What should he do? Curiosity told him to stay. Common sense told him to leave. Caution told him to learn more before making any moves.

The next cycle came. Calling it a day seemed inappropriate, as there was no day to be had. A few individuals resisted the typical constraints of the cycle, but Anton had not noticed a single individual disconnected from the greater flow of cultivation. During other hours, however, Anton felt very little cultivation, though some used natural energy to aid their labor.

He focused on finding a schoolhouse. If he wanted to understand what was said, he needed to learn the basics. Fortunately, they did have some form of formal schooling. With somewhat more intentional speech, and a relation to their system of writing, Anton picked up the very beginnings of a grasp of the language. But Anton was no closer to answering his biggest questions.

But he did consider something. His innate desire to help could lead him into inserting himself into situations where he really wasn't wanted… but while he was quite certain that this planet could continue to survive without him, he wasn't sure if that was enough. Was this truly what they wanted? Or, like Gnadus, had their ancestors merely ended up here. Were they trapped, if they could not ascend?

Could they ascend, from this place? Anton didn't think there was a lack of natural energy that would prevent them. In fact, he had the uncomfortable feeling that the individual who spotted him was beyond Life Transformation.

The fact that he could not simply leave them alone didn't say much. Anton knew that was who he was. It wasn't something good or bad. He knew there were probably more technically efficient ways to help people. He could have left- he could still leave, finishing his journey to a nearby star system. If he found people there, he could influence millions or maybe billions of their lives- over the course of decades and centuries of course.

That might not necessarily be different from this one planet, except for an important factor. These people couldn't become part of an alliance. Certainly, they would have a more difficult time doing so, reducing how much they could contribute in the overall fight against the invasions of the upper realms. And while that was important to Anton… sometimes, he just wanted to think about people on a smaller scale.

He wanted to tell a young pair of siblings practicing archery how to adjust their stance. He wanted to chat with a farmer about what he was growing. More selfishly, he wanted to ask about the worldwide cultivation phenomenon. What did it mean to people? While they appeared to be doing it willingly, perhaps they really had little choice. All this and more Anton wondered.

Yet with every moment he felt time slipping away. He should be doing something else. Something more impactful. How long was he even going to live, anyway?

That last one was what got him back on track. Not the thought of limited time, exactly. Instead, it was the reminder that everything he currently was able to experience was already extra time. Certainly, it was worthwhile to spend his time trying to improve the lives of the most people possible. But if he did not remain true to his own desires, could he continue to provide faithful aid to others?

In other words, this was part of his vacation. And he was going to remain as long as he felt like, unless he could determine that the people wanted him gone. But at the moment, he was just observing- and not prying into the private lives of anyone.

The puzzle he was trying to figure out now was why people didn't live underground, especially considering they had little in the way of proper structural material like wood. There had to be a reason, given that all their buildings were simply losing heat to the world around them. It was a wonder they hadn't frozen over already. The only thing keeping them going was likely their dedication to cultivation, and natural energy supplementing the actual heat they had.

He'd picked up a bit of the language. Not enough to have an actual conversation, but his ability to intuit what people were talking about had improved.

"Good morning," a grocer indicated to a customer. Crops from the surrounding area were placed atop his shelves, remaining fresh despite being there for days. Because unlike other places, this shop was kept cold.

"Thank you, sir. Good morning to you as well," said the female customer. "If you could acquire for me -" It was there that Anton got lost, among the names of various vegetables and herbs, all of which they were fortunate to have at all given the harsh growing conditions. The grocer quickly plucked things off the shelves, and Anton noted them for the future, hoping to match them with words later.

His senses shifted to find others talking, and then, eventually to a farm. There he saw someone digging up the deep roots, and found the first clue to why they would live on the surface. Instead of proper digging, the farmers were performing a task more akin to mining. The earth was hard as a rock, frozen as it was- and it hardly eased up as they got deeper. Was it worth so much effort for the plants? Anton determined that it was, given the bits of natural energy he felt inside them while those on the surface were nearly devoid of it. But if it could be done at all, why not use it for something longer term like shelter? Anton knew people did everything for a reason, though sometimes that reason was lost to time and not very good to begin with.

Chapter 713

Hundreds of individuals were arrayed in front of Nthanda. An intimidating number she might have once thought impossible. She had never considered herself a teacher, but with Anton away everyone wanted to learn archery from her. She would have preferred if he was around, because while he hadn't been prepared for a body focused cultivator like her, she was also lacking in ability to train those focused primarily on energy. Given the difficulty of tempering the body beyond Spirit Building, few cultivators actually made that their goal.

Western Steel Body was a good technique, of course. Refined and improved over the last centuries, it was worthy of being called a high tier cultivation method. And yet, with the availability of other notable techniques it was still not very popular. It made sense. After all, Nthanda's method to surpass Life Transformation wasn't something she could replicate for others. And these days, Ascension was losing in popularity to Assimilation.

"I see all of you are ready. You have been assigned to your lanes. Twenty at a time, you will each perform a hundred shots upon the target."

There were multiple reasons to have them in such relatively small groups. First, because it was simply impractical to set up hundreds of archery targets. Second was to test their patience. Third, to give people time to rest between stages. And finally, because she could only watch so many people at once. Her assistants were great, but they simply didn't have her experience.

"This isn't a beginner's course," Nthanda reminded them. "So you are expected to be able to manage on your own. I also need to judge your capabilities firsthand."

Some people lost points immediately. Just because she hadn't told people to be serious didn't give them an excuse for slacking off. They should know to take things seriously, but some were doing the bare minimum required for a hundred shots. She didn't care if they hit the target or even got a bullseye every time, that was losing them some points. They just didn't know it yet. Eventually, she would weed out those who were serious, and those who wanted to participate because of famous names. She understood that some would simply not mesh with her teaching style, but she could direct them to a number of other options.

Actually, archery was becoming less popular year over year. Rutera had guns, after all. Whether they were lasers or conventional projectiles, both were effective weapons. Many of the same techniques applied to archery would apply to them. But for Nthanda, they were useless. They relied more on the manipulation of natural energy than the body. Good for some, but definitely not for her. Some of those here would do better learning firearms instead, but they'd most likely been drawn to archery because of Anton's popularity. Though some did seem to take after her, with a focus on bodily strength.

Some students didn't put in enough effort. Some pushed themselves too hard, not making it to a hundred shots. Others were able to judge exactly what they wanted, stretching themselves but knowing their own limits. During their training, Nthanda picked out a few she initially judged well, though she might change her mind as she got to understand them.

"Alright," Nthanda said. "Now that that's done with, we're going on a short ten kilometer run." Anton was still a proponent of physical fitness even if he followed the more traditional energy style, and for cultivators ten kilometers really wasn't all that much. But quite a few people complained under their breath, wondering how it applied to archery. And she wondered how they'd graduated from school, or how they got here. Were their parents just rich enough to throw away money? What a waste of everyone's time. Though it was only a small proportion of people, it still annoyed her that they would take things so lightly.

Some took Anton's mantra of improving themselves in every way for whatever they did lightly. They cared more about appearances than actual substance. But such was the way of people. Eventually, even those who could afford expensive guidance from powerful cultivators and buckets of cultivation medicine would wash out if they didn't give it their all.

While it might seem the end of the cycle was far away, Nthanda had felt like the two hundred year cycle had gone by in the blink of an eye. Three times that wasn't really all that much more- and they'd already been in one interstellar war in less than fifty years. They had to be ready, and Nthanda in particular wanted to know who could be relied on.

Thinking back on how he first met Anton, Varghese knew he had been foolish. He wanted so much to drive away invaders that he didn't stop to think if he could. And in fact, at the time he most certainly could not. Recently, he had been just part of the efforts of taking down the Twin Soul Sect and other upper realms spies. It was quite clear to him that he was not strong enough yet. He was barely beginning to comprehend the information in early Life Transformation- and the One Hundred Stars continued all the way up into Assimilation.

He'd only recently been able to look at the full technique beyond Life Transformation, and he understood why. First was the dangers of making everything public, and second… he wouldn't have been able to do anything with it before now. Actually, he still wasn't able to do anything but speculate.

He needed to comprehend it, though, if he wanted to fight proper invaders. It wasn't just a matter of strength, but simply an issue of lifespan. Even if he reached the peak of Life Transformation he would not live six hundred years, barring some sort of miracle. Nor did he think a Life Transformation cultivation would be sufficient, if the Trigold Cluster brought serious forces upon them.

He wondered about the One Hundred Stars and its other members. They were apparently both back on Anton's home world… and a significant number ascended to the upper realms. That was an option for Varghese too, but he doubted he would take it. He had plenty of reasons to stay with his home, including the sect he'd accidentally become responsible for.

Ascension cultivators came from the lower realms with some regularity. While at some point the rate for all of Ceretos had been less than one per year, their population had grown almost a full order of magnitude in the past centuries. Combining that with Weos, Rutera, Gnadus, and a small portion of the Sylanis Cluster meant they got several per month. It was hard to say if that was many or few considering the tens of billions they drew from, and compared to native Integration cultivators from the upper realms their numbers were far fewer.

However, one thing about true Ascension cultivators was a required level of energy control that not all Integration cultivators achieved. That was known by most of the powerful factions. There was a reason the upper realms had their fingers in the pockets of the lower realms, after all. The Harmonious Citadel had been quite glad to get their hands on anyone they could from the lower realms, and to take a crack at converting them.

Now, much of the undirected traffic flowed towards Xankeshan or at least someone else in the Scarlet Alliance's control. They would not force anyone to join them militarily, but they were at minimum bound by the laws.

Uzun looked at Catarina, and the formation they'd managed to put together. "I am quite pleased," he said. "We surpassed my expectations because of your formation knowledge."

"On the contrary," Catarina said. "Without your technological expertise, we would have needed one of us remaining her to monitor the formation at all times. Or at least someone with great expertise."

"I have another project I am working on," Engineer Uzun said, "With regards to our ships. We've managed to get production underway, which is an amazing step up for how long it has been. But I have concerns about reverse engineering. I am concerned about people getting their hands on subspace drives and automatic barrier load distributors."

Catarina shook her head. "I wouldn't be worried about that too much."

"Why shouldn't I be? Those are the pinnacle of our technology here, greatly affecting how our fleets stay ahead of the Harmonious Citadel."

"I get it," Catarina said. "But I'd be more concerned about them getting their hands on basic circuits. We could toss subspace drives at them all day and they'd never be able to properly replicate them. It's the simple components they could figure out, and begin to develop from there."

"That's something of a problem," Uzun said, "Because we're looking to release Ruteran technology for non-military applications on a wider scale."

"I'm just saying we need to be cautious with it," Catarina said. "And in fact, if it is ubiquitous they may not realize it is of value. Though preferably we would be rid of them first."

"You really think that's possible? Uzun asked. "They still have five saints left."

"And probably some backups," Catarina agreed. "It's going to be a difficult time for this next century. But I can see Augmentation on the horizon."

"Already?" Uzun asked.

"I've already been here for a hundred and fifty years," Catarina said. "Fifty or a hundred more isn't short or long compared to that."

Uzun shrugged, "Some people spend that long in Life Transformation."

"Not many these days, I'd imagine," Catarina shook her head. "The path is well known now, instead of us stumbling around in the dark."

"So if you break through… we'll nearly match them."

Catarina smiled, "You're forgetting many others. Myself, of course. Timothy, Chikere, Velvet… Alva and Fuzz, even. Maybe it won't happen all at once. Kseniya may take longer as well. But if even two or three of us actually break through within a century? That's a big deal."

"What do they feed you on Ceretos?" Uzun asked.

"You'd know. Basically the same as on Rutera now. And to some extent, here."

"A fair point. Xankeshan's practically drowning in upper energy."

"Half of that was Everheart's work. Or those who came before him. But our reciprocative energy growth methods work quite well."

"I'm amazed more cultivators don't do it," Uzun said.

"Perhaps they do. Not so much in the Scarlet Midfields, but the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Quadrant…" she shook her head.

"Speaking of which, what are we going to do about them?"

Catarina laughed. "I have no idea. I can't worry about that now. So… I'm just going to hope they send a lot of sword cultivators at us."

"And how would that be good?"

"Don't you keep up with the news? The sword saint is dead."

"I don't see how that leads into anything."

"You remember who killed him?"

"That would be grandmaster Chikere, would it not?" Uzun asked.

"Exactly," Catarina said. "And I already listed her off."

"... I don't suppose these are different Chikeres?"

"They are not," Catarina said. "The one we named our son after is the grandmaster is the one from Ceretos."

"And she's… not in Augmentation?"

"Not yet."

Uzun frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

"That's how things traditionally are with her. I would not count on her for all our troubles, of course. While she is a good friend, she is hardly present reliably. Nor particularly motivated outside of the realm of swords. But that is also why I can rest easy if the biggest problem we face is a swarm of swordmasters."

"Good to hear. Actually, if you have some sway over her movements… can you make sure she shows her head around here soon? Now that I am reminded of who she is, Doctor Escarra would be quite cross with me if I did not make sure to properly maintain her arm."

"Please do," Catarina said seriously. "She deserves to have the best she can get."

Chapter 714

Within the space behind space, Anton continued to observe the synchronized cultivation of a planet. It was beautiful, really. And as far as he could tell, mutually beneficial to all involved. Perhaps some would benefit more than others, but this wasn't more powerful cultivators drawing from the weak to promote their own interests.

Then after another few days, Anton got to see people in action. The circumstances weren't what he might have wanted… but danger came to the world, and the world responded.

Anton almost didn't notice it. In a way, it was more difficult to pick out the thing swimming through the void from this side. And when he looked at it… nothing was right. His mind refused to accept the distortion beast, more real here but still not something that made sense. It was lines and angles, strange shapes of muscle, and bone. Spikes and teeth and internal organs that he could feel both the internals and externals of at the same time. Long tentacles that seemed to bend but might have also been straight.

It was right on top of the planet when Anton noticed it, descending towards it by the time he was able to comprehend it.

He more felt than saw a streak of absolute cold rising into the sky. First one, but immediately followed by dozens more. Arrows of ice, from which cold spread in strange and disturbing ways throughout the creature. Anton would swear that some of the arrows that hit the front spread chill to the back of the thing, and he was almost certain that had nothing to do with the techniques of the archer. Almost.

The first thing Anton was certain of was that this archer was wielding power beyond Life Transformation. That was true even during the opening volley, after which the planet responded and he felt energy flowing to empower this individual. Ice arrows repeatedly struck the mass of the distortion beast, and seemingly locked in a physical position it was lacking one of its main threats. However, it was durable and continued to reach closer to the planet, extending tendrils dozens of kilometers long as it entered the atmosphere, continuously stretching without the mass seeming to come from anywhere.

The archer continued to attack the creature, especially its intruding tendrils. But it wasn't going to be enough. When one fell, two more approached- sometimes literally, as severing the appendages of the creature didn't always result in there being less of them.

Well, he hadn't wanted to interfere… but Anton wasn't the sort who could stand by when innocent people were in danger. Revealing himself might harm future prospects, or it might help- but Anton wasn't considering either when he acted.

In this place, without direct access to his stars, his power was limited. But he still had Fleeting Youth and his alternate energies. Ascension energy was still within his grasp- if slightly muted- and spectral energy was not limited in any way.

He added his own attacks, solar flames burning away outstretched limbs. This wasn't a battle for victory, as he was quite certain the distortion beast would perish regardless. This was to save every life they could. Hopefully the falling pieces of the creature wouldn't damage anything important.

Spectral energy formed arrows aimed for the core of the creature. Anton knew it didn't have a proper outside and inside, so he just focused on what seemed like it might cause the most damage. Organs that might be important, somehow, or anything that looked like an effective weapon.

The distortion beast quickly recognized the danger it was in, seemingly wishing to withdraw. But while it was easier for it to attack those already mostly in the same space as itself, it was also more difficult for such a thing to withdraw. Even as it twisted and turned inside out, its momentum suddenly reversed, Anton and the other archer continued their assault until the thing seemed to be dead. Anton stopped firing at the same time as the other archer.

Then he felt a gaze on him. It was familiar, even if he'd only felt it for a moment once before. So he had been spotted previously. Since he was fully revealed now, he politely flew over the city that this archer was residing in. And then… nothing. Did he want to go closer? Were they peaceful, or simply hoping to catch him somewhere he couldn't retreat?

Anton first thought to write in the sky. Then he remembered that they didn't share a language. So more for the sake of appearances than because it would actually make much difference, Anton stored his bow and flew slightly downward. He extended a prong of energy downward, intentionally making it easy to pick out. Something reached out in return… and he exchanged words.

"Sorry, I don't speak the same language," he replied after hearing more of the local language. "Do you happen to speak… this?"

A response in the same language. So he assumed not. What had he learned? No words that would help. He didn't think he knew 'peace' or 'friend'. What else could he try? He at least wanted to see who he was speaking to.

Ultimately Anton gestured towards a nearby mountain peak. It seemed to be uninteresting to the local cultivators. Then again, they seemed to have little in the way of natural resources or wild beasts, and the amount of natural energy wasn't particularly impressive on the mountain peak.

He sat down, knowing the archer was watching. He gestured in a way that to him asked for someone to come closer. Hopefully it didn't mean anything offensive here. Their body language was certainly different.

He watched the city with his eyes and senses, and soon enough a figure stepped out. In the broadest strokes, Anton was reminded of Kseniya- but only the basic description. An old woman, and an archer. If that was what defined a person, Anton and Kseniya were almost two-thirds the same. Though Anton personally thought Kseniya was closer to Chikere in temperament.

This woman had silvery eyes. Possibly blind, thought with energy like hers it barely mattered. Her bow looked to be formed of something black, or at least dark enough to have no visibility outside the lights of the city. The woman felt cold, much like her arrows. Though unlike Anton, they were physical things- the tips of a similar material to her bow. The bow dangled loosely in her hand. Not on guard… but not stowed and incautious.

Anton put on his best grandfather smile, though he was most likely younger than this individual. As she slowly walked towards him, he pointed to himself and spoke once more as their energy met. "Anton."

She stopped, then pointed to herself. "Nalini."

A name, probably. Based on Anton's experience here, more likely for an individual, but he wouldn't put it beyond being a style.

The woman approached slowly, and Anton began to wish he had some Ruteran technology. They had translators, even if they mainly spoke one language. Their speech was different from the majority of cultivators, whatever that meant. Whether it was only the influence of the upper realms or something more that kept language similar between disparate systems, Anton still didn't know.

Ultimately, their interaction devolved into the one language Anton knew they could speak. He very carefully began to draw out the shape of a bow with his energy, so as to not spook Nalini. He pointed off into space, before taking the energy bow in his hand and firing. He had seen her shoot around a good quarter of the planet, but he wanted to know if that was her limit. And he was willing to show off first.

At some point, Anton had discovered their moons- nearly devoid of natural energy, and not reflecting any significant amount of light. His shot went past one before fading away completely- his attacks weren't much good at such a distance, but that was about the limit of controlling any sort of energy. It was quite significant.

Nalini's shot didn't quite make it to the moon, at least not with any energy on it. The arrow did in fact hit the moon, as she had a physical component underneath… and nothing was going to stop the momentum unless it was acted upon. Anton couldn't be fully certain if that was her limit or she was holding back. Without any real communication, determining trust or deception was difficult.

Anton held a little bit of sunlight in one hand, pointing to the vague images of stars back in normal space. This was what he cultivated.

Nalini spread out her palm and showed… nothing. But a quite cold nothing. She gestured broadly around them. The near absolute zero of space, perhaps.

Anton carefully reached out above her hand, watching Nalini as he did so. He felt no aggression from her, but he didn't want to get hurt on accident either. Rather than suddenly feeling cold, instead he felt the heat drawing away from him as his hand got closer. That would explain how the pieces of the distortion beast had frozen so quickly. As it almost had to be for a high tier ice ability, it was an active freezing rather than a passive. A drawing in of heat, instead of simply having an area of cold that would have to chill surrounding areas based on their thermal conductivity. Cold had an absolute limit, after all- so there was also a limit to what it could do in normal circumstances.

Heat had no such limits, but that was also what made it dangerous. Anton was quite certain his body could have handled a few hours near absolute zero before he achieved Assimilation, but he'd almost burned himself to a crisp. Actual absolute zero was another question, because matter itself started to break down at extremely low temperatures. He didn't study it as much as he did heat, but he understood some of the details.

Anton was glad to finish the interaction without anyone getting attacked. He felt that Nalini was cautious, but ultimately friendly. And in this place, she should be significantly stronger than him. That was without considering allies. Would she be alone at her stage, or were there others like her?

Anton pointed to himself, and to his ears and mouth, gesturing at the cities around them. Could he continue to stay to learn the language? Or should he leave? Nalini was slow to respond. She reached out towards his energy bow, slowly squeezing it out of existence. Anton didn't really fight that. Nalini dusted off her hands and nodded to him.

Right, so he could probably stay. But no violence. That was perfectly acceptable to Anton.

Anton could have left and returned later- perhaps with some Ruteran translation technology. But he couldn't be certain to find this place again. It was on a fairly understandable trajectory, but if he was even a tiny fraction off in his estimates and more than a few days passed it could be gone forever. No, he thought it was best to make sure he took the chance while he had it. And while it might not help people directly, the knowledge of this place's existence would be of great interest to many.

Then there was the possibility that they were trapped here, and if so Anton could help. Having to face distortion beasts, it wasn't like they were living in some sort of idyllic paradise. Had they chosen to be here? Did the current generations have that same choice, and share the same opinions? Just because they had made themselves able to live on with what they had didn't mean this was how things should be.

Every 'day', he felt the same flows of cultivation, from the smallest villages through the towns and into the large cities- and then back, filling the people. The plants were nourished less directly, but Anton couldn't say his understanding of how to raise crops translated to a planet such as this. So he wasn't going to even attempt to touch them until he could speak to people and ask them about it.

Chapter 715

Since Anton didn't intend to intrude upon the good graces of Nalini or the rest of the planet, he kept his language learning to longer distance observation. While people might not like being observed, Anton did his best to limit himself to relatively public places and classrooms. His understanding of the spoken language continued to improved slowly over the course of half a year, but what was even more important was how he developed an understanding of their writing.

Once he could read with some accuracy, he sought out anything written down- while doing his best to avoid anything that appeared secret. Without prodding his way through barriers around the larger cities he doubted he would run into much of anything he shouldn't, but he preferred to avoid sneaking looks at cultivation methods or the like. If he was going to look, he wanted to be able to ask.

After learning to read, however, his progress accelerated greatly. Ten Thousand Scrolls allowed him to read through everything available by doing little more than scanning pages with his energy. Of course, that was because of his familiarity with the technique.

He learned about many things he had been curious about. Names of towns and cities, yes. But more importantly, he learned the name of the planet. Aipra. He also learned that the people of the planet knew what they were doing- though that wasn't surprising. Underestimating the understanding of people working to survive was easy, but in such a harsh environment it wasn't possible to get by with just effort and some cultivation. A proper understanding of things was key to creating a functional society.

First there was the apparent lack of ice- or rather water of nearly any kind. Anton picked up about half of what he knew just from observing them, but the oddities of the planet meant they had an unusual atmosphere. Enough for people to breathe, but it didn't carry a lot of water. There was no rain, and water was quickly absorbed into the ground, not leaving behind oceans or lakes. But they weren't lacking in water. In fact, it was quite the opposite below the surface.

The ground was freezing, but water still flowed into it instead of just freezing on top. At least, in part. Actual ice in the cities was intentionally removed, but underground it seemed to flow like a liquid despite being well below freezing in most cases. What he read didn't reveal all the details, but it was a combination of particulates mixed into the water combining with the absurdly low temperatures. Without that, Aipra would have likely perished. Instead, they were able to create wells to draw upon the water for themselves and their crops. Small crops, for the most part. Some root vegetables and weird leafy plants that didn't look any good but were consumed regardless. Things that could survive without sunlight, though it took infusions of natural energy to make them grow.

That was just a small part of what allowed them to survive. Anton was impressed, and had little he could think to offer them. However, perhaps a cultivator like Nalini would know. Using a combination of written and spoken language, he could doubtless make actual contact, if she was not busy.

Prospero Vandale found him in space on the far side of enemy territory. The Harmonious Citadel's territory had grown and shrunk somewhat over the course of the war, but they had their core in a series of systems since their debut. Going around them wasn't impossible, though time consuming. But he had a good reason to make the trip, visiting some allies. Or at least enemies of enemies.

The One Thousand Palm Sect was not on good terms with the Harmonious Citadel, and their leader Prasad was quite open about that. He had been influenced to make a move on the Harmonious Citadel some decades before, but now was time to engage in deeper coordination.

Coming face to face with Prasad himself, Prospero found the man quite intimidating. He was a largely built man, though his muscles were not terribly bulky. But his body alone wouldn't mean much to an Integration cultivator- or an Augmentation cultivator like he was. It was his energy that made him larger than life, sometimes literally. He seemed to take up the whole room in his rather opulent formal chambers. Prospero determined that it was in part due to his intentions, and in part simply related to his power.

"So they send a youth," Prasad said. "Interesting. Come. Sit."

Certainly, Prospero knew his current appearance was young. And even if he counted the several centuries of his previous life, it was likely that Prasad was a good bit older- though he did not appear old or wrinkled.

"Thank you for receiving me here," Prospero said. "I find myself impressed by the power and wealth of your sect." Prasad didn't seem above a bit of flattery, and it was quite true. "As a representative of the Scarlet Alliance, we were hoping to work together more closely with relations to dealing with the Harmonious Citadel."

"What, am I not doing enough?" Prasad asked. "Ten worlds in as many years conquered does not satisfy you?"

"On the contrary, we are aware of your effectiveness," Prospero smiled politely. "But surely you wouldn't wish to limit yourself to such efforts. The saints… well, they are still a powerful force, if less so than they once were. Running into them at the wrong time could be a problem for you- or conversely, if you were able to come upon any of them unexpected, you would have your own advantage. "You are powerful, but not so much that you can defeat five Augmentation cultivators at once. Or more, perhaps."

"More?" Prasad raised an eyebrow. "Everyone knows of the eight saints. And with three dead…"

"That would be the case, if the Harmonious Citadel were as straightforward and Righteous as they claim. But we both know that is not the case. After all, their saint of light… seems to be a member of the Exalted Quadrant. And no," Prospero emphasized the word, "Not a former member. But here under their direction."

"Trouble waiting to happen," Prasad shook his head. "But if they choose to cause trouble, your people will be more in their line of fire than ours."

"And the opposite with the Trigold Cluster."

The man clicked his tongue. "We can't afford another war between them here."

"Certainly not," Prospero agreed. "But first, we must deal with the citadel. Of the remaining members, who would you prefer to go up against?"

"Shield, morningstar, axe, and the saint of light. The last one…?" Prasad frowned. "I don't recall."

"Daggers."

"Ah yes. The assassin. Not a concern for me. As for the saint of light, I'd rather not have to deal with him. Shield is a pain. Either morningstar or axe would provide a straightforward enough battle."

"Would you win?" Before the man could take offense, Prospero continued, "Could you take them out of the picture permanently without them being able to flee?"

"That would depend on them. I wouldn't lose, though."

"We have plans for all of them," Prospero said. "The next one that falls… well, it will depend on what backup they are able to reveal afterwards. If you work with us to keep track of their movements, we can attempt to maneuver a favorable battle your way."

"Very well," the well-muscled man nodded. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you wish to battle?"

"At this time… I doubt either of us would benefit from such a thing," Prospero shook his head. "I am not under any illusions that I could even force you to expend serious effort."

"Maybe that Tauno fellow will, then."

"It could be suggested to him," Prospero said. "An exchange of pointers could be useful for all involved." At least until after the Harmonious Citadel was dissolved. Even then, it would likely be decades or centuries before the space between the One Thousand Palms and the Scarlet Alliance was claimed by either side. Assuming the Scarlet Alliance remained together after the defeat of their common enemy.

The Great Queen was capable of flight on a level satisfactory for interpersonal combat, but travel between systems was outside of her abilities. At the very least, she had no desire to attempt it, hoping to find enough energy to sustain her on her route, especially since it wouldn't be faster than a proper ship.

Such was one that had carried her on her most recent journey. Though it was not solely for her own sake, she was part of the reason for the journey. Of course, there was a desire to explore ingrained into many from Rutera, a desire which Weos and Ceretos shared.

"Well, here we are," said the woman in charge. The Great Queen tried to remember her name. Matija, it was. Names were part of humans, so it was best to remember them if she could. "I don't know if I would want to go much further."

The Great Queen looked out the window- though she cared little about what she could see with her eyes. It was simply the location least insulated from the outside energy, or lack of it. In front of them was a dead zone, lacking in natural energy. But beyond that… well, it was like staring at a banquet scattered over a wide field. The Great Queen was not averse to eating off of the floor, unlike humans.

She signed, indicating her words to the explorer with her. "The upper realms. Full of ascension energy."

"And deadly, to those who are not ready for it. Ignoring the dangers of the border."

The Great Queen was quite pleased to communicate directly. Not everyone learned the void ant's sign language, instead relying on translation devices. It was slower and less personal, though at some point the Great Queen would not have cared about the latter. "We cannot get closer?" she asked.

"We're still developing ships that run without using natural energy at all. It's… many times more difficult. Information from Engineer Uzun might allow us to make something that could swap between energies, but it would be difficult to test."

"Could not Anton help?"

"Eventually, sure," Matija agreed. "But the upper realms are currently occupied with the war anyway."

"One war after another. I doubt there will ever be times of true peace."

"No, but we can hope. Or at least have our current allies at peace."

"We could aid greatly, in the upper realms," the Great Queen signed.

"Yes. But you know how people will react."

"Extermination," the Great Queen admitted. "I am aware. I believe we were intentionally eradicated from the upper and lower realms. Though I hold out hope for there being hidden colonies."

"If you were in the upper realms…" Matija shook her head.

"I could slay Augmentation cultivators as easily as Integration or Life Transformation cultivators," the Great Queen said. "Or if not, I would rapidly reach that level of power. But that day may never come. I do wish to aid our allies there, if we could."

"Unfortunately, the border is a great divide. Someone like Chikere cutting her way across doesn't often happen. Except, perhaps, every Ascension cultivator."

"The mysteries of cultivation are foreign to me," the Great Queen admitted. "I simply must understand what can slay me, and what cannot. I am quite pleased that Nthanda is a friend and not an enemy."

"It will be a great risk for whoever makes the first attempt," Matija said. "That much is certain."

"I have heard of freezing. Cryogenics?" the Great Queen spelled the words out. "We could send some young ants."

"And have them die?" Matija shook her head. "It would be a waste."

"It was merely a thought. In fact, it would do us no good if uneducated spawn were to reach the upper realms. They would need a proper guide, or they may make the mistakes of the ancestors."

"Which were?" Matija asked.

"Not making friends with cultivators. No matter our advantages, we cannot stand against a world of cultivators. Nor should we. Instead, with some on our side… we are undefeatable."

Of course, the Great Queen knew better than any that the void ants could indeed perish. She was the oldest of those alive, and had seen the most death before and after her proper awakening to intelligence, and her joining Anton. But she also firmly believed that while an individual was mortal, a well put together alliance could be eternal.

Chapter 716

As the rogue planet of Aipra casually drifted through subspace, it remained open to attacks by distortion beasts. However, despite that factor it seemed they were relatively infrequent. Then again, they didn't appear to be that common in general. Anton had only encountered a small handful in his career, though one sect on Ekict appeared to have techniques meant to make use of 'smaller' ones. Their records had been preserved for study, but actual practice of the techniques as written was quite forbidden.

Somewhere around eight months had passed since the distortion beast attack. For a planet that seemed relatively easier for them to attack, Anton was uncertain how long of an average would be odd. Then there were other factors… like lacking the gravitational potential of the rest of a system.

Regardless of what should be expected, another one did in fact arrive after eight months. This one was the largest he had ever seen, at least relative to the dimensions he could see. He noticed it because the already dim presence of stars slowly began to fade as the creature wrapped itself around Aipra.

Anton expected the planet to react with great vigor, sending all of their strongest cultivators to combat it. Alternatively, if Nalini was the only one he expected her to do something. But instead of either of those, another lone cultivator was the only power he felt.

Unlike most of the other distortion beasts, Anton didn't see anything directly threatening except the size of the thing. It was like a large leathery sheet… but the menacing way it was moving to encircle the planet made it a clear threat.

The new cultivator had a simple power, making use of something Anton hadn't even considered. Energy reached up out of the atmosphere to grab 'nothing', but there was in fact something there. Random small bits of debris that Anton instinctually ignored as a natural part of the planet suddenly turned into dangerous projectiles. It only took a slight nudge to bring them out of their orbit and towards the distortion beast at an oblique angle. With the addition of energy to bolster their durability, they crashed into the creature. Each piece only made a small hole in a seemingly endless creature, but the damage quickly began to add up.

Like the time with Nalini, the sole defender was aided not by another active cultivator, but by the planet as a whole, people all over the planet reacting to the threat and focusing their devotion to the defender.

But of course, Anton was going to add his own efforts to the battle. He had already revealed himself, so waiting for the threat to draw closer was foolish. Anton had no idea what part of this thing was vulnerable, so he began to shoot anywhere he pleased, trying to discern some difference in the reaction. Instead, he simply contributed holes in different places than the planetary defender.

Except not even that. His holes were more precise and focused, but eventually he began to notice something. Smaller wounds simply closed up. And while he was certain that it must take some form of energy, he didn't know if it was a worthy endeavor to try to wear it down.

But he hadn't spent so much time cultivating for nothing. While he no longer had the bladed bow from the Million Sword Vault, it had still taught him a new technique. So instead of focusing in making as many holes as he could, he began with a few large gashes. But unfortunately, the thin wounds still meant that the horrible flesh knitted together. Strangely enough, despite its vast area, the creature seemed to be only a few fingers thick. Though that could be a matter of perception, as distortion beasts were incomprehensible.

The increasing power from the planetary defender was filling the distortion beast with more odd shaped holes than it could regenerate, but Anton was getting concerned about it closing in on the planet. If it just grabbed onto the surface and squeezed… would it crush every cultivator outside of a barrier? Anton also wondered why the others were doing nothing. At least Nalini existed, and probably others. Some freezing arrows would be nice about now.

But lacking that, Anton began to focus on flaming blades shot from his bow, leaving burning gashes in the creature. Those certainly healed up more slowly, but Anton had even better ideas. Since the creature seemed uninterested in defending itself, he began cutting across his previous shots, removing a vaguely square chunk of the creature. Or at least, that was the plan- but while he certainly cut part of it loose, the position of the leathery flesh remained in place relative to everything else around it.

It was going to take more than that, then. Since he was causing some damage at least, Anton began to focus on creating the longest gashes he possibly could. From the ends of his bow extended hooks of energy, turning it into a single ten meter tall bow, upon which he gathered more energy, especially ascension energy. He followed an arrow as it left his bow, flattening into a blade and cutting through the ever closer distortion beast. Then he circled around and came at it from behind, sewing in and out of the thing at shallow angles. Ten meters at a time wasn't enough.

He was barely outside the atmosphere now. The guardian had launched most of the available debris, and was now tearing boulders off of mountain tops. Anton couldn't have imagined greater peril while simultaneously being fully unconcerned for his own life. He would survive. The cities would. But it could likely crush the bodies of those in smaller villages.

But Aipra had not survived so long to simply fall to an unexpected distortion beast. Anton felt a great pulse of energy from the planet as a whole as the creature drew closer, pushing outward into it as it wrapped itself more tightly around the planet. Surprisingly, a sizable portion of the beast tore away- and it actually disconnected from the rest. Somewhere around a third of the visible portions of the creature fell as the rest was blasted away- perhaps willingly, as the connoted portions of the creature seemed to intentionally retreat.

The falling mass of the creature was effectively a continent sized parachute as it fell. Anton wanted to do more to stop it, but he couldn't catch such a thing. Indeed, Anton wondered if attempting to cut it into smaller pieces would cause it to impact with more velocity. Gravity strained against air pressure, and the whole thing picked up speed, crashing into Aipra.

The vast distance it covered caused the crash to happen over the course of several minutes around different parts of the planet. Some buildings toppled. Some foolish individuals who were outside were crushed- though the distributed weight didn't always kill people.

It was a disaster, covering a large portion of the planet. Anton wondered if people could breathe. He immediately began to cut apart what he could, freeing people and focusing on buildings that were on the verge of collapsing. But he was not the only one.

Though there was certainly fear among the people- reasonable, given the conditions- there was no panic. They acted in coordination, making use of their own cultivation to begin to save themselves, then their neighbors. It was a thing of great beauty, even among disaster.

And even as people chopped up bits of distortion beast to free themselves, Anton heard people wondering if it could be used for anything. "Do you think it could be made into a blanket? Or maybe a pavilion…"

Of course, along with the positive, there was the negative. Anton had no idea how many buildings were destroyed, how many people died. But even as disaster struck, Anton knew that Aipra had survived before, and would continue to survive afterwards.

The rogue planet being only slightly smaller than Ceretos meant that close to a third of the planet being covered at first seemed like an insurmountable task. Anton could only help so many individuals. And the planetary guardians seemed to be doing nothing.

Then a small mote of ice caught Anton's attention. In effect, a miniscule arrow shot by Nalini. It drew his attention to her city. Knowing it must be for a reason, he approached. She stepped out of the city as he flew closer. "Do you… want something?" Anton spoke awkwardly, unused to vocalizing their language.

"You understand?"

"I speak enough," Anton said.

The old woman nodded. "You… recover quickly? Tire slowly?"

"Slowly… yes," Anton agreed. "But I will eventually run out of energy."

"You fly quickly."

Anton nodded. Outside the atmosphere, at least. If he was going far, it was often more efficient for him to leave atmosphere to circle around a planet.

"Can you… deliver supplies?"

Anton was honestly surprised he was asked. Not because he thought such a mundane task was beneath him, but because a powerful cultivator like her held the same opinion. He couldn't imagine people from the Trifold Alliance who didn't know him asking for that. Then again, Aipra might know nothing of other cultivators. What they had was a spirit of cooperation.

"I can," Anton said.

"You may… enter the city," she gestured- and pulled out a token that he imagined would get him through the barrier. "Follow me."

Around the city, Anton saw people scrambling to cut apart the distortion beast draping over the barrier, stacking it into piles. Inside the city, everyone was busy doing something, carrying tools or food or many other things.

Nalini brought Anton to a large warehouse, with neatly packaged foodstuffs. Water and dried rations. Not particularly exciting, but important. "Bring these to the seventy-second county."

"Where is that?" Anton asked.

"They are the most remote. At the center of this disaster," she pointed. "You can find it?"

"How much of this do I take?" Anton asked.

"One pallet."

It was both a large amount, and very little. But that was how such things tended to be. Dealing with anything at great scale quickly reminded Anton of how much stuff there was. "Okay. And what else?"

"When you return, I will direct you."

"I can carry more."

"Truly? We would not want… to tire you. Or to lose anything. How much can you carry?"

Anton looked in his storage bag. "Maybe a tenth of it on each trip can fit in my storage bag."

"A tenth… of this?" she gestured to the large warehouse. "... Storage bag?"

Rather than try to explain with words, Anton put a pallet of stuff in his bag, then pulled it back out. "See?" Then he began loading more. "Where else?"

"Have them direct you to other county centers. Larger places."

Anton nodded, filling his bag to just below bursting. Then he was off.

The next few days were filled with very little sleep. Anton had to slow his flight to match the rate he could replenish his energy- he couldn't draw much from the planet even if he wanted to, so he had to rely on his diminished connection to his stars. And yet, he felt he recovered faster than the individuals or the planet as a whole did. Aipra felt drained. And it would likely take a long time to replenish. Anton was confident they would manage as long as another disaster didn't come quickly, but even they hadn't anticipated something quite like this. Death and destruction, yes, but not in quite the manner that it happened this time.

Everywhere he went, Anton was given strange looks. A man whose energy clearly did not match, with a strange accent, who pulled things out of nowhere… well, he already knew what things they were saying when they thought he was out of earshot. But regardless of their confusion about him in particular, everyone was grateful. The heads of the counties received their food and directed him towards the next, while immediately working on their own distribution and rescue plans.

During the course of a week, the leathery hide of the distortion beast- which was as far as Anton knew the only body part the thing had possessed- shriveled and dried out slightly. While that made it lighter, it also reduced its area, meaning anything wrapped around a building caused additional damage. And while there were cultivators all over the region, and coming in from neighboring sections of the planet as much as they could, it was clear they weren't equipped to travel far. They traveled by foot, with nothing in the way of mounts, pulling wagons by hand to bring supplies to the outer edges.

The scene was both beautiful and horrific, as parts of the distortion beast began to smell and people continued to help each other. Anton thought it was quite fortunate that the beast's flesh didn't seem to be poisonous, despite the foul smell. At least, there weren't any immediate consequences.

The citizens of Aipra worked with determination, feeding their hungry, healing their injured, and burying their dead. And each day, they cultivated, the flow of energy spreading throughout the planet- though clearly thinner in the damaged region.

Anton marveled at the hardiness of the people, and how they could keep a smile on their face- as much as they had smiled before, at least. They weren't exactly dancing in the streets, but they hadn't given into despair before, and they would not now.

When interconnections between towns, villages, and larger cities were being reforged and any emergencies were finally dealt with, Anton allowed himself to rest. That involved picking an empty area and just plopping himself down for what he was fairly certain was a several day nap, after which he was hungry. He rarely had to eat, but without direct access to his stars eating would be more valuable to him. But he didn't feel like eating when the planet had barely enough food for everyone. Barely enough- but they still managed to store up for disasters, and distribute it among them.

Anton was going to have a lot of questions for Nalini, and he would hopefully be able to answer some in return. He didn't have great experience in enchantments like making storage bags, but he could translate some information he had on him to help in various ways. Aipra was able to survive, but he wanted to do whatever he could to help it thrive. Even if he brought it just one step closer.

Chapter 717

Once they had time outside of the crisis, Anton actually got to sit down and speak with Nalini. From what he could surmise the other planetary guardian was resting, and any others were either keeping themselves fresh for more distortion beasts… or keeping themselves concealed in case Anton himself was a threat. But he didn't mind that, since Aipra had to take care of itself.

"Why are you here?" the straightforward question came from Nalini.

"I spotted you during my travels and I was intrigued," Anton said.

"... is that all?"

"I don't know if you realize how uniquely situated you are. Unless you are aware of other rogue planets in subspace?"

Nalini shook her head, "We have vague knowledge of other cultivators from long in the past. But we have no records of encountering anyone from the outside since our current state."

"Your current state…" Anton asked, "Were you not always here, in subspace?"

"I don't know," Nalini shrugged. "This… not-space you speak of, it is here?" She gestured around her.

How to explain that? His growing familiarity with the language was still lacking in deep concepts. "Let me see if I can explain with few words. You know of stars?"

"The dim lights in the sky," Nalini nodded. "The records say they are made of fire."

"So you were outside of subspace… or at least have knowledge of it," Anton frowned. "Probably. Regardless, they are more real where I am from. They have many planets around them, like Aipra. The suns provide light and heat."

"Truly? That sounds… nice."

"It is much easier to live with such a source of energy," Anton agreed.

"Do they not burn up quickly?"

Anton shook his head. "At such a size, they last unfathomable amounts of time. Years numbering in thousands of thousands are the shortest lived."

Nalini nodded. "So you came here because we were strange. Where were you traveling?"

"I was looking for other cultivators. If you do not have contact with others, then that also means you are not troubled by the upper realms. How should I explain it…" Anton briefly explained the conflicts with the Trigold Cluster and Exalted Quadrant, and how he wanted to help others stand against them.

"... if this world of stars is so full of disunity, perhaps it is not worth living there."

Anton shrugged, "I think most lives are worth living. And there are so many people…" he shook his head. "Compared to here, even a single similarly sized planet can sustain many more people. You have… a few hundred million people, perhaps?" Stating that number was more roundabout than the direct words, since million hadn't been in his common usage. He didn't want to think about how many might have died in the recent disasters. Too many. "Even the less populated worlds tend to have five or ten times as much. Some have many more. With the ability to expand, people fight over resources."

"It is… a shame," Nalini said. "It should not be necessary, with so much available to them."

"It shouldn't," Anton agreed. "But not everyone is good. Even here, you have criminals do you not?"

"Lapses of judgment come upon many," Nalini agreed. "Most understand their duties to the whole."

"If they didn't, I don't imagine you would still survive," Anton said. "I quite admire what you have here. I would offer seeds for plants… but the majority of them are meant for planets with sunlight." Though he did have a few they might make use of. Along with other things, if they wanted his help. "But I would not want to disrupt things."

"You have caused no harm," Nalini said. "Though perhaps we will not dazzle the common populace with stories about an outside world. Here, we have unity."

That was fair enough. Revealing information without making it possible for people to leave might only cause despair. And thus, simply informing the populace could cause harm. So if it was a difference between keeping secrets and informing everyone, Anton had to err on the side of the decision making of those who lived here. Though if it were wholly up to him, he would have liked everyone to have the choice to learn more.

Besides, they shouldn't be fully trapped here. He could leave, and while it was difficult for him to bring anyone with him using his techniques… there were still options. Even if they would take a long time to come to fruition. "What do you know of Ascension?" Anton asked. They didn't have a proper word for that, actually. "Cultivating to attune to another source of power beyond Life Transformation, leaving behind a world?"

"It sounds awful," Nalini said directly. "Leaving a world behind after everyone brought you to such a status… it should be disdained." She drew back, "Did you do such a thing?"

Anton shook his head. "I am on a different path. But where I am from, individuals are responsible for gathering their own natural energy for their cultivation, or at most they work with a sect. Even if we have alliances on a grander scale, or cultivation is individual."

"That sounds wasteful."

"Perhaps," Anton said. "But I am certain there are risks to these methods as well. Nothing is perfect. I intend to stay some time until I can speak in depth about cultivation, if you wish to. Or I can leave at any time."

"We do not need you to leave," Nalini said. "You have aided us, even if you were not part of us. Many lives were saved. As long as you cause no harm, you are welcome."

So he would stay. But while Anton knew he could probably spend an eternity learning about any individual world, he knew he had to leave eventually. Another year at most, and even that seemed like it might be too long.

The architectural style of the buildings Engineer Uzun had constructed was now familiar to Catarina, but she had ascended before contact with Rutera was established. The style had only followed a century behind her, and it was still limited to a relatively small population of those who actually considered it their own. A few other ascension cultivators from Rutera and their few generations of descendents.

Engineer Uzun himself had no children. Catarina could have easily ended up the same, were it not for Timothy. And just having one child had been difficult enough. They might plan to have another, but based on Chidi it was clear there were risks. They likely wouldn't get so lucky again.

"You asked for my assistance?" Catarina asked, joining Engineer Uzun in a sort of conference room.

"Assistance and consultation, among other names," the man nodded. "I have been presented with a puzzle from the lower realms. A challenge, even. But fulfilling the requirements to answer might cause more trouble."

"Doesn't it always?" Catarina asked. "Every development has risks."

"Indeed," Uzun nodded, "But these are greater and require careful consultation. In the worst case, it could open up the lower realms to invasion at the whims of the upper realms without relying on the tides of the world."

"That sounds… problematic," Catarina agreed. "What is the issue at hand?"

"Simply this, making ships that can travel between upper and lower realms."

"I can't imagine that would be good for cultivators," Catarina said. "Immersing oneself in upper energy, or facing the desert of lower energy… this is why ascension is so difficult."

"But part of the problem is solving those risks. And if we can do it for ourself, then it can be stolen and used by others. Or it must be kept very small scale and unknown. The origin of this conundrum is the void ants. They wish to colonize the upper realms."

"They would be of great help," Catarina said.

"And a threat to the surroundings powers," Uzun pointed out. "But at first, not in a beneficial way. They would wish to wipe us out."

"Of course," Catarina nodded. "We will carefully consider it… though there is a chance they will decided to do so regardless."

"I will bring the matter up to the council, and lean on the guidance of those in the lower realms as well. But it matters little until there is a practical option. There are concerns for every option. The Great Queen proposed some… interesting options. They all come with some risk. Among other things, the separation of the void ants from the Great Queen. She has the respect to keep all in line within the lower realms. Possibly even as they continue to expand. But if colonies are established here and decide they are better off without us as allies- or even joining the other side?" Uzun shook his head. "It would be a disaster."

"From what I have heard, the void ants are unwaveringly loyal."

"They are still imperfect beings," Uzun said. "And some of these concerns came from the Great Queen herself. For example, the simple method of freezing a queen and sending her through the gap to land on a planet. Should she awake, will she remember her goals? The lessons the void ants have learned in community with cultivators?"

"That is a slight problem," Catarina admitted.

"And there would be no one to guide them back on the correct path. Especially if they do not speak. Should they become aggressive, the only option is to wipe them out quickly or risk death. It is not like sending a stronger cultivator to suppress them is beneficial."

"You could use a flamethrower though," Catarina pointed out. "If necessary."

"I… could, yes." Uzun admitted. "Mundane flames could likely kill all but the sturdiest of them. Not that I expect to be involved in combat with them, nor would I want to. The point is to avoid it even being an option. The Great Queen spoke of rising… independence… among her people. A few individuals have their own take on her ideals. So far, she finds she supports their interpretations."

"But there could be some that fully go rogue," Catarina nodded. "But the logic for cooperation still exists. And our enemies would be hard pressed to even begin communications with them. I imagine that won't be a problem."

"They could turn feral, though," Uzun said. "Another possibility presented by the Great Queen, you must understand. If the queen does not grow to the point of sapience, her offspring may not gain it either. And while it is assumed that they would quickly gain it feeding on upper energy, that is only an assumption. Should it be otherwise, they would simply be clever ants capable of hunting down anything with great energy and seeking to devour it. And while a few dozens of colonies limited to a few billion ants is already a great many, imagine if they took over whole planets. They seem to have innate knowledge of conservation, and thus are unlikely to wipe themselves out by devastating the ecosystem." Uzun shook his head. "But that wasn't the point. I want to ask about formations. And you have also made the switch from lower energy to upper, so you are aware of the pitfalls."

"I can indeed help you with ideas."

"And it may be that we should create purely technological ships, without even the old Ruteran methods," Uzun said. "Running on alternate power sources. But there is still the issue of capture and reverse engineering. I know our enemies don't currently understand technology, but I would not want to bet that they cannot. They might be arrogant old fogeys, but that doesn't mean we should be arrogant younger versions and assume they can't learn… given time."

"Time is something cultivators have in abundance," Catarina agreed. "I suspect that the spread is inevitable, but the slower we can make it outside of our control, the better. And of course we can have self-destroying technology."

"That will slow them down," Uzun agreed. "But nothing like that is perfect."

"Yeah, even Everheart's reckless disregard for people surviving intended uses of his formations… well, it is possible to learn much he doesn't want people to learn."

"Exactly. But we're not here to solve all the problems. Just to get things started, in case we go forward with some of these options."

Chapter 718

Despite another year of effort, the only thing Anton was able to provide Aipra was a slight relief from the pressure of distortion beasts and a few useful techniques. Most of them weren't impossible for the local cultivators to come up with, but they had little time to devote to anything but bare survival. He was able to exchange cultivation pointers with Nalini, but they had branched down different paths so it was not like he could properly guide her. Just give her ideas for further development.

"If only you could reap the benefits of a sun…" Anton sighed.

"Are they really so valuable?" Nalini asked.

"For you specifically?" Anton shrugged. "It would likely throw off your cultivation. But Aipra is on the verge of losing a functional flow of energy."

"It has been this way for generations, and will continue to be so. We will not let our planet fall. It merely requires everyone to continue working together."

"So it is," Anton nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality. And good luck. I plan to return for another visit at some point, but I cannot guarantee that I will. I could misjudge your trajectory and never find you again."

"We will be no worse off than before we met you. No, in truth you were quite helpful," the icy archer said. "But we had no expectation nor hope for your arrival, so we shall not count on more benefits from you."

"I intend to tell others about your existence, if you do not mind. I imagine some would be interested in seeing this place as well. They would make it worthwhile, I am certain."

She thought for some time before eventually answering. "Only if they return with you. From what you have said, many outsiders are untrustworthy. We would need to be certain."

"Of course," Anton said. "And we would not wish to treat you as exhibits to gawk at… but I know many intelligent individuals who may be able to provide ways to improve the quality of life upon Aipra." Even some simple technology would be helpful, though it was unlikely they would have the fuels required to run non-cultivator tech. Anton could imagine people would be happy to spend effort developing ideas for the chance to visit a subspace rogue planet. Anton really hoped he would be able to return, but his measurements could only be so accurate with what he had on him.

"Very well. I am certain Aipra would be happy to see you return."

"There is one more thing," Anton frowned. "I am sensitive to the flow of devotion, and aware of its value as a cultivation aid. Some number of strands are directed to me from this planet. I don't mean to disrupt your cultivation practices…"

"Worry not," Nalini said. "You will receive only what is proportional and fair for the value you provide."

"Good. I would not wish to damage Aipra's already limited stores of energy. That's not why I helped."

"We are aware. Otherwise, you would have intentionally spread your name and face to many, instead of simply assisting with the disaster relief. Either way, the stronger ties you feel would have been lost without your aid so nothing is lost."

Anton truly hoped he could return some time. It seemed they likely had deeper knowledge about devotion, and while he didn't want to exploit people… understanding it was not going to hurt anyone.

"I must be off," Anton said. "Or we may remain in conversation for another year. Hopefully I will see this place again before too long."

As Anton flew away from Aipra he took a short detour by each of its moons. He'd visited them and found nothing of interest- mainly just chilled rock that the people would be unable to exploit. But he came back to get some samples, just in case someone could find value. This place really needed everything it could get. The fact that it had life at all was already amazing, but Anton wanted them to have every little advantage he could give.

It was strange, moving away from the rogue planet. Normally he wouldn't be in subspace until he was much further from any sort of celestial body. This time, he had simply already been there. He had been quite surprised to see an actual feature instead of simply experiencing nothingness flow past him, and he hoped to do so again some day. Though he wasn't certain if he wanted to find other places just like them, given their struggles.

He made his way towards the closest star. The planet was moving fairly quickly through subspace, but it hadn't put him very much off track. Less than a lightyear, even given the oddities involved.

Stopping next to a real star and filling himself with his heat was a luxury he would try to never forget. Even the coldness of Gnadus was mitigated by a star, if one that was distant and dim. He wondered what that planet could have been like if its inhabitants had worked together. Actually, he supposed he didn't have to. Gnadus was more unified now than ever. Only people who chose to endure the environment for training stayed, and others had the option to leave. Some traditional groups would doubtless keep all its members for generations, but that was their choice. Anton hoped Aipra could have a choice eventually.

A quick survey of the system he was resting in gave Anton time to fully recharge. He found nothing particularly notable about the planets- no doubt there would be many interesting places, but without life one of his main drives was missing.

Instead of leaving immediately, however, Anton remained around the edges of the system, simply looking. He looked not just at the stars and what was around them, but at the in between. The spaces of nothing- or nearly nothing. His interest in rogue planets had grown, knowing they could be more than just bare rock or balls of gas. If people lived upon them, he wanted to find them.

But of course, they were not easy to find. For all his efforts, Anton found exactly one- a large gas giant that he nearly missed. He was lucky to notice it as it passed in front of a distant star, causing minute distortions. It took all his efforts to confirm he actually saw something instead of making it up. It had only a small energy signature, easily dwarfed by the relative power of the closer planets in the system behind him. But there it was, outside of subspace. Though that should really be the norm.

He decided to visit it, even if it was days away from anything else at his fastest pace. It was comparatively much warmer than Aipra, though that wasn't much of a surprise. The movement of its various gasses would let off some heat, even if it left the planet well below freezing temperatures for water. Yet even that was still 'warm' in comparison. To establish their civilization, Aipra must have been founded by cultivators. Not that he expected different, but he still wondered why. Was it on purpose, or some accident? Perhaps they were traveling through subspace and crashed there. Either way, he admired their durability.

As for this rogue planet, it wasn't anything much. Though he did log it for the sort of people who cared about that sort of thing.

"A planet in subspace!" Matija waved her arms around. "Do you know how many theories this affects?"

"No," the Great Queen said straightforwardly. "Also, this planet sounds like a terrible place to make a colony. I do not think any offspring could survive."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"That is a primary concern to be considered," the Great Queen replied. "Uniqueness isn't of concern to me. Shall I take it that you are running off to this place posthaste?"

"Nah," Matija shook her head. "I'm not going to just give up on the work with you. And it's just a planet. If he found a star there? Well… I assume he'd probably bind to it, actually."

"That is most likely. He has more to gain from uniqueness than my kind."

"How come you're not following him around? I'm sure you could find good planets to colonize."

"There are greater benefits to be obtained than my own improvements," the Great Queen said. "And planets without a human presence would be lacking. There are many things we cannot establish properly, given our size. At least not at a tolerable rate. Besides, I do not believe we should expand for its own sake. That would only draw ire."

Vincent was not surprised but also not expecting communication from Anton. Did he need something from the Order? Perhaps he had an estimate for when he would return. But it need not remain a mystery. It was a short message without much substance. It just thanked him for taking care of the affairs of the Order of One Hundred Stars while Anton was gone. An unnecessary gesture, but appreciated.

As for when Anton would return? It seemed it would be a few more years at least. Perhaps a decade. That would be unfortunate for some aspiring archers who could use his guidance, but on the other hand… Anton had plenty of writings that could guide archers in many styles. And for the sect as a whole, he continually updated the Path to One Hundred Stars, with notes not only from himself but other Assimilation and Ascension experts.

Among those people was Vincent himself. It was strange, really, because Vincent hadn't ever seen himself reaching such a level. Or even the peak of Life Transformation. It wasn't that he had lacked talent, but his motivation for cultivation was minimal. For his purposes of recruiting he had mostly been strong enough. It was only around the time he recruited Anton he found himself lacking. If he could have stopped what happened to Anton's village… that would have been best. Though he was unsure what the current state of the world would have been like, without Anton beginning his path of cultivation. Certainly different in many ways, and most likely far less prosperous.

Vincent had been most motivated when Anton surpassed his cultivation. It was also something about the way he encouraged training. Anton valued cultivation for it making people better at whatever they were already going to do. Combat power was a sometimes necessary side effect. In Vincent's case, he had been encouraged to continue his recruitment efforts, and simply increasing his own travel speed and perceptive abilities helped with that.

Now, most people came to the Order without any contact with him. They were famous across multiple worlds, after all. They weren't limited to just one location, either. While it was possible to travel around a planet or between planets much more easily than it had been a few centuries prior, it was still a bit difficult for those without much money, generally early in cultivation. The alliance didn't really have anyone who didn't cultivate at all, but some were certainly more casual about it, or perhaps unable to find a method that suited them and assuming they were low in talent.

Vincent still delighted in making personal connections, however. So in addition to visiting all of the branches of the Order, he still personally reached out to a few individuals he felt had good potential, or otherwise fit the Order. Because he always thought and Anton agreed that it was better to have disciples that fit the spirit of the Order rather than ones who were simply good cultivators.

The personal touch Vincent had certainly made a difference. Before becoming an Assimilation cultivator, there were almost so many that he wasn't able to remember everyone. But of course, that was a detail he truly cared about. He never wanted to encounter a situation where he recruited someone and then later forgot them if they didn't stand out from the crowd. How would that feel? In other sects, it might simply be the norm but Vincent didn't have to like that. He understood not everyone could keep a personal connection with so many, but he could at least remember names and details. What good was cultivation if he couldn't memorize a few little things?

But as much as he affected many people in little ways, Vincent still thought Anton managed to do more. He was concerned with both individuals and the collective, and his friendly nature shone through. It was why Vincent had decided to approach the man in the first place. Teaching him cultivation hadn't ever been part of the plan. Vincent smiled as he imagined the current Anton tutting at him for assuming a ninety or one hundred year old couldn't begin cultivating. Though to be fair, it did take special caution. Or a reckless disregard for life and a driving passion.

Chapter 719

At first it had just been casual interest that brought Rahayu to the edge of the Everheart system. He wanted to see what the most infamous Ascension cultivator from Ceretos was up to now. He'd heard of the various treasures stored there, no doubt half truths meant to lure people into deadly traps. But by visiting himself, even without entering the system… he was hooked.

He could feel it. Just sitting there, tempting him. Rahayu grinned. He knew it had to be a trap, but how could he refuse something like that?

The planet itself was covered by lines of strangely banded atmosphere, ranging through many colors. It didn't have the consistent gradient of a rainbow, but instead violet was the primary color. Then there were washed out bands of slate, intermingled with green and blue streaks.

Rahayu kept his sword within his grip as he approached. He knew never to underestimate Everheart. This trap was probably for the now-dead sword saint, or for Rahayu's former apprentice, but it worked just as well on him. Actually, maybe it was for him. He couldn't write that one off. Everheart had to know he'd ascended. Was there some remaining grudge between them worth killing Rahayu over?

No, actually, had they ever really resolved anything? Hardly.

But Rahayu wasn't going to just leave a blade like that sitting there unused. Death was one thing, not making proper use of swords was far worse.

The warm side of the planet's oceans were boiling, but the side away from the sun seemed to be just below that point. Quite unlivable for non-cultivators, but not too difficult to deal with on its own. The whole thing was likely toxic though. Actually, there were a surprising number of planets in this system full of rare toxins. Maybe that was why Everheart had chosen it. Or maybe he added some of those after the fact.

It wasn't Rahayu's job to know or care. He lined himself directly over the blade he wanted to liberate, slicing through the barriers and dropping down into what was almost certainly the real trap. Or possibly an additional layer of bait. He'd find out once he got there.

A few years of lighter action was exactly what Tauno had wanted. There was only so much he could improve his cultivation in conflict with humans. And his equipment would fall behind too, if he let that happen.

The Dancing Slayer Sect was not meant to forever sit in isolation, meditating on their path or energy. It was fine from time to time, and preceding his breakthrough to Augmentation had been necessary for secrecy. But now that the war was shifting in the Scarlet Alliance's favor, Tauno had some time to improve himself. He intended to take full advantage of it.

The Harmonious Citadel probably had its saints frantically growing stronger as much as they could, though Tauno was unsure if they could actually relevantly change in just a decade or five. They hadn't been around as long as they claimed individually, but according to the Alliance's information they relied upon devotion to train. No doubt they were still receiving some from their brainwashed masses, but even they couldn't suppress all of the defeats… and the deaths of three saints. One or two they might have handled.

But ultimately, they were not the driving factor for Tauno. He wanted to grow for himself, and because of the pressure of his own allies.

There were more than a dozen folk from the lower realms that seriously believed they could break through to Augmentation in another half or full century, and if nothing else he was certain they could reach the peak of Integration. Going beyond that was not as simple. Even so, he took note.

Now that he finally had some freedom of movement, he took the opportunity to visit an untamed world. These were worlds teeming with beasts, either never having cultivator presences or having overrun whatever humans once lived upon them. Regardless, when a planet had a great amount of energy, so too did its inhabitants.

He wanted to fight some flyers, or at least he was bored of things crawling along the ground. The location he picked was up in the mountains around tall cliffs. Even as he descended, he was set upon by giant birds who had probably never seen a human before. And they wouldn't get a second chance.

Sharp claws and beaks scraped upon the scales that made up Tauno's armor, flecking off small bits of it. He countered with a blade made from bone, slicing apart their wings, displaying only the barest martial technique. He fell with the bodies, considering what he could do with the feathers and talons. Ultimately, they weren't better than anything he had so he would store them for sale to an outside cultivator.

He needed something tougher, and he found it in a serpent. The creature was winding its way up between the rocks, and he wasn't able to react in time to its strike. The creature was merely four meters long, hardly impressive on the scale of beasts with cultivation… but its fangs sunk right through his defensive energy and armor into his thigh. He felt the flash of movement and the sting, and the venom was injected before he could slash at the creature. His blade barely nicked the thing as it quickly pulled back, watching and waiting for him to fall.

Tauno took a deep and slow breath, forcing a blockage on the flow of blood through his leg. It only took an instant before his blood had jellified and it wouldn't flow regardless. But that wasn't all. Sparks of pain shot from within his leg, nearly incapacitating him. He knew most of them weren't real, but good luck telling his brain that.

He clenched his teeth, the muscles in his leg taut as he stepped forward. He had to swing his leg more like a peg, unable to bend it. The actual damage would have to be enumerated later.

The serpent reacted to Tauno's sudden slash, dodging appropriately even though he appeared to be out of range. But he followed up, forcing it further back and off the edge of the cliff. He looked down, not expecting it to truly perish from the fall but interested in chasing after it.

He didn't expect a tail to whip him in the face as it went over the edge, nor did he expect it to widen and begin to wriggle. Flaps of skin slowed its descent… and then they undulated and caused it to fly up into the sky.

Tauno wiped blood from his face where the sharp tip of the tail had cut his cheek. He felt a trace of numbness beginning there too. This would be a good one.

With only a slight application of energy it seemed the serpent could fly at least for a short distance, and its movements were rapid. Tauno did his best to keep up with it, even though he knew it was trying to get the poison to spread through his system faster. His blade cut through scales as it tried to land another bite, but without the element of surprise he was able to stay ahead of it, even with a useless leg.

Then he fell to the ground, and the snake thought it had a perfect opportunity. It didn't realize its mistake until the sharpened bone blade Tauno carried was sticking out of the roof of its head, his arm in between its fangs.

Tauno couldn't help but grin. This thing had good scales… and those fangs had to be useful for something. For him, they would be even greater. That was how the Dancing Slayer Sect made its way in the world.

So far, Anton had been disappointed with the neighborhood surrounding In'istra. He had been expecting to find more cultivators, but perhaps he had expected too much. A few dozen systems wasn't that much in the grand scheme of things, and he'd inspected several times more between the Trifold Alliance and Azun, with only four systems occupied. Two of those had been fairly obvious from neighboring systems, but two had been concealed.

Then he found it, an entire system filled with a haze of natural energy. The entire planetary plane was practically swimming in natural energy. As Anton approached, he expected to find a system occupied by powerful cultivators but as he drew closer he realized he was quite wrong.

The star he thought he'd seen was not a star at all. It was a good order of magnitude dimmer than even the smallest red dwarf, but Anton had simply thought that would be because of stellar dust in the way. But instead, he found merely a particularly large gas giant surrounded by other planets. A brown dwarf, by some names. Too small to sustain nuclear fusion.

Anton was disappointed in multiple ways. The system seemed to have so much potential, but it was just barely short. The brown dwarf could potentially provide minimal light and heat for a very close planet, but that greatly limited the options. On the other hand, the natural energy he thought was from overflowing planets actually was more of a trapped fog that the planets simply weren't powerful enough to condense around them.

Only one planet had cleared out its ring, a small rocky planet that Anton surprisingly found life upon. Or rather, mostly inside. Beasts of various types living underground, both types similar to traditional burrowing creatures and novel ones. Many beasts had a small amount of cultivation, and there were plants that absorbed the natural energy and used it to grow. But being completely untouched by the presence of humans- as far as Anton could tell- he was rather unimpressed by the power level of the creatures dwelling there.

There were a few more traditional planets, doing little to generate or absorb natural energy. Anton continued his survey from outer to inner. He was still hoping to find humans, but he felt no intentionality about anything in the system.

But he continued inward, until he came to the innermost planet. It was compact, with a dense gassy atmosphere that made it nearly impossible to see the surface. Anton felt little hope, but he swept his senses across the planet trying to find cultivators. Nothing.

He almost left just there, but something told him to look closer. Descending below the clouds, he was surprised to find buildings. Towns and cities… and even people. He merely missed them because they didn't display much natural energy- or only the barest traces of it.

On a close pass, he found several Body Tempering cultivators in a larger city, as well as one that he would have deemed around the level of a Spirit Building cultivator.

It was simple enough for him to determine that they had been long disconnected from interaction with the wider cultivators, simply by listening to their language. Yet there was a small portion that was similar as well, indicating they had a tenuous connection.

He could find no signs of destruction- at least not on a scale that would indicate this had happened in any of the previous two cycles due to the actions of the Trigold Cluster. If they had been previously invaded and purged, it was far beyond physical recognition. It was simply that they had little cultivation basis. It wasn't that a few individuals or sects were hogging everything- he would have sensed them. Though Anton couldn't entirely rule out a grand sect with a formation beyond his capabilities, he would have expected more higher ranking cultivators in general if that was the case.

So then, what should Anton do?

The easy answer was just to leave them. And Anton couldn't say it was wrong. They were not in constant turmoil. From what Anton could tell over the course of a week, they lived much like he would expect for a place with few cultivators. Sadly, that didn't mean it was all peaceful farming without danger and violence, only that the violence tended to come in the form of many mundane individuals.

Across the whole of the planet, he found several places that seemed to be at war. It was either a travesty, or normal daily life. That would depend on who was asked, probably.

So, it was not that they had no violence. In fact, they had plenty of their own. Would Anton improve anything by giving it to them, or would he cause more harm? He might even draw the attention of the upper realms. But… he also wanted to shout better farming techniques down from the heavens.

Before he could know for certain, he needed to know the people. That meant watching and listening, and learning their language. Hopefully he would be faster this time, with more experience with odd languages and it actually sharing some ties to the widespread language of cultivators.

Chapter 720

The meeting between Zazil and Velvet was mainly casual, discussing minor matters pertaining to the Scarlet Alliance. This was not something that required a majority of the council to deal with.

"There is only one more matter," the Dark Ring cultivator said to Velvet. "There has been no contact with swordmaster Rahayu in some time."

"How long?" Velvet asked.

"A little more than a year."

"Well, he's probably off doing… something. You know how he is."

"Indeed," Zazil said. "But this time he was properly persuaded to leave behind the barest message that he would be doing something, instead of simply traipsing off. He had not indicated that he would be gone for long."

"That is a bit concerning," Velvet agreed. "But he might have simply failed to report back. On the other hand, his business could take longer."

"You would know better," Zazil agreed. "Just thought it should be brought up. At least Chikere lets us know where she is, directly and indirectly." The latter was mostly a trail of dead enemies, but it was still useful. Though she had lost some motivation as of late, with the sword saint dead.

Then again, from Zazil's perspective… an Integration cultivator killing just one single Augmentation cultivator and never having an impact again would still have been a great boon for them. The latest generation from the lower realms were quite something to see. Even if this Rahayu was closer to her own age than the rest, he maintained an impressive demeanor after ascension.

It was for the best that Anton had gotten practice with understanding language, because the planet he was surveying had more than just a single branch of language. It wasn't that odd, with the lack of powerful cultivators limiting globalization.

It did make naming the planet a bit difficult, as they didn't agree on just one name. Ultimately Anton ended up sticking to the name that became his personal favorite, Poriza. It just had a nice ring to it.

Though perhaps it was incorrect to accept a single name, because the planet was more than just one place. Obviously it was many different countries and cities, but there was no unity as a planet, beyond the simple disparity of naming conventions. Countries and small sects and clans were in constant turmoil. It wasn't an uncommon amount from what Anton understood, but there was never a time of true peace worldwide.

There was so much he could do for them despite their lack of a true star, yet Anton was unsure if he should do anything. Empowering the wrong people would just make wars worse. He stood by his plans to increase the overall cultivation of people so that individuals were less unstoppable, though ultimately he wasn't sure how well that had worked. With the alliance at peace, none of their own people felt the need to take out the strongest, the Assimilation cultivators. So it hadn't really been tested. In a world that barely had cultivators at all, he was uncertain if a slight increase would help those on the lowest rungs, or merely add another tier in the power divide.

It was difficult to admit, but Anton really couldn't do much for them at the current time. Though he was adamant about providing some useful farming tips where he could. In the worst case scenario, people would be prosperous enough to go to war with each other- which was already happening but some people were starving while they did so. Anything beyond that minimum he had to consider strongly. He wished he could just spend a small generation with these people learning more about them… but he was still limited to being in one place at a time. He had no plans to change that. He'd never be an Everheart that way, but on the other hand… nobody in their right mind wanted to be Everheart. Maybe not even Everheart.

Anton spent two years on Poriza, visiting common folk and providing them bits of practical and easy to implement advice to make their fields more efficient. He wasn't introducing anything so revolutionary as energy absorbing plants that would reshape the planet, just a simple basis of knowledge that farmers were too busy working to be able to experiment with.

Ultimately he wanted to do more, but he had to consider how much what he did would actually help, and especially how cultivation related advancements might make the world draw the attention of the upper realms. Was putting people at risk of potential danger to make their daily lives better worthwhile? The answer was yes- but there was a balancing point that Anton couldn't say he was a perfect authority on. For the moment, he was content to bolster the lives of simple folk.

One of the first things Anton was going to do when he got back home was to get a proper translation device. But more than that, he wanted a technique for it. He couldn't rely on an object to not be destroyed. He was already forming the basis for it, based on some of the principles of Ten Thousand Scrolls. In short, a larger initial learning time for more efficiency when it actually came time to use it. Optimally he would be able to immediately have conversations upon dropping into a new area and surveying a few hundred conversations.

And he was returning. In'istra seemed to be mostly on its own, except for the hidden system of Aipra and the people of Poriza, neither of which could be enemies or allies of In'istra in the near future. So it was finally time for Anton to return home again, taking a different route to cover alongside the corridor he'd already explored on the way to Azun, his neutron star.

Over the course of his training, Tauno had made use of several sets of claws, talons, various bones, stingers, scales, feathers, and of course hides of creatures he slew. Everything he used himself would be enhanced by the Dancing Slayer Sect's techniques, and the rest stored away for someone else.

Now he had traveled to a colder area on the inner mountaintops on the untamed planet he was training upon. A lingering sense of danger had been following him around, but neither birds of prey nor hidden serpents seemed to be the cause. The creature in front of him, while dangerous, could also not bring the sensation upon him.

As beasts with cultivation went, it was barely oversized. Perhaps half again as tall as other creatures of its size. It was some sort of large goat or yak. Something wooly with significant horns. But the important aspect was its cultivation. Enough to be something Tauno had to take seriously, even if it didn't seem territorial enough to dominate the region. He could have very easily avoided the thing- it was likely vegetarian and would not hunt him down. But he also couldn't ignore the challenge of it, nor the benefits he might reap. If this thing's body was as tough as its compact nature would allow, one of its horns would actually be more valuable than something the size of a skyscraper.

Compared to the bones of a hundred meter long lizard, a horn that was just about the right size to already be a spear was fantastic. Not only could it retain its purity of form- helpful but not required for synergy with the Dancing Slayer Technique- it should be able to match the whole of a larger creature, possessing greater density and durability. Though some of what allowed this creature's power was simply greater quantities of natural energy that might supplement such things, he still had high expectations.

The first thing he did was throw a fang at it. While it wouldn't have the same results as a proper injection, the fang still had traces of the serpent's poison. Likely unused to range attacks even being possible, the hairy quadruped was unprepared and was struck fully in the side, the fang sinking past its fur.

It quickly locked eyes on Tauno and charged at him, moving nimbly over rocks, ice, and snow. It lowered its head, swiping at him with a horn. He parried, but instead of careening past him the creature swiveled with surprising dexterity and swept at him with its other horn. Tauno's new armor received a clear gash.

Good. This was the kind of thing he needed. He had to fight something with merit. While he would normally expect such a creature to rely on bulk, agility was a good surprise.

Ultimately, however, it only had a few attack patterns available to it. Charging and swiping or stabbing with its horns, or if he tried to move behind it kicking at him with its rear feet. Tauno wasn't able to maintain a position on its sides for long, but he still managed to wound the creature severely.

Just as he was gearing up for a final blow, made possible by the venom finally taking effect on the creature, he felt something stab into his lower back. His left kidney, in fact. As a cultivator, reacting to unexpected situations with haste was what kept them alive. He swept behind him with a new spear, driving away the attacker. However, the dagger plunged into him remained in position. He felt a twinge, more than just the pain of an injury.

The second fang of the serpent he stabbed into his own gut from the front. He at least knew the negative consequences of that. He couldn't stop the poison from spreading very long, not without focusing too much of his energy on it. So he made that decision without any real thought. Instinct was the Dancing Slayer Sect's best feature.

His stab knocked the dagger out of him, the remnants of venom instantly beginning to coagulate his blood. Hopefully, that would prevent most of the applies poison from getting to him. If not, maybe he would just die. He might already be dead.

Tauno turned to grin at a seemingly empty expanse of swirling snow. "Wasn't expecting to meet any snots today. Sorry, saints." He thought the taunt was pretty good for the spur of the moment, but the assassin he knew had to be the dagger saint didn't show up.

He flipped backwards, vaulting over the charging creature he'd been locked in combat with. He had no doubt it could jump up high, but it wasn't expected the maneuver so continued under him.

The yaklike creature didn't immediately spin around to face him, likely also sensing the hidden dagger wielder. Nobody was on a team, here. Everyone was enemies with everyone else, which was exactly what Tauno liked.

A tiny shuffle of the creature's legs alerted Tauno to the location of the second adversary an instant before he picked up on the energy signature. His weapon spun, catching two daggers both stabbing together.

That was instantly followed up by consecutive attacks. Just because this dagger saint was capable of assassination didn't mean she had to be a poor combatant. Tauno couldn't help but smile as he swing and stabbed his spear, while at the same time his guts struggled against him from two overlapping poisons.

Seeing two perfectly good targets next to each other, the native creature charged the both of them. Instead of properly dodging away, Tauno leapt towards the creature, grabbing one horn and yanking to redirect it, adding his own energy on top of its own to stab into the dagger saint. Sadly, no physical contact was made and their combined energy barely even drew a drop of blood from the woman.

And of course the yak was mad at Tauno, attempting to trample him. But Tauno was still pleased. He didn't know how this woman found him. He didn't care, at the moment. He just had to kill her. He only had one saint under his belt, after all. Might as well make it two. It was just too bad that humans rarely had any body parts worth making into equipment, though.

Chapter 721

Even if they properly worked together, Tauno was uncertain if he and the hairy beast he was fighting could beat this assassin. The Harmonious Citadel's saints preferred to conceal their names for the narrative that they were eternal and limitless, and the dagger saint was secretive even before she secured her position. Thus, Tauno really didn't know her name. But the description had been accurate enough for him to determine it was her, and not some other Augmentation dagger wielder from the Harmonious Citadel.

Which was good, because if there was an extra one of them, Tauno worried about the prospects of the Scarlet Alliance. Then again, if the Harmonious Citadel could actually crush them, they would have done so decades before.

But instead of worrying about that, Tauno realized he should be considering how to stay alive. Poisons wrestled in his guts, one turning his blood into jelly and hopefully keeping much of the other contained. He dodged away from his yaklike opponent that would still be quite happy to spear him. The open terrain around was a danger, allowing his enemies to come from every direction.

With a few quick movements, Tauno dashed towards higher cliffs. He was unable to detect the dagger saint following him, though he presumed she did. The beast he had been fighting was too stubborn to give up. Which was exactly the sort of thing he liked in his opponents.

It charged towards him, and he ducked out of the way as best he could. The wide horns gouged out a huge chunk of the cliff as the creature stopped itself and slashed towards him. He'd hoped for it to run face first into the cliff, but unfortunately it wasn't that easy.

At least he had one side that was protected, so he only had to watch somewhere around a hundred and eighty degrees around him. Plus above and below.

A single redirected snowflake tipped him off to an incoming attack, and he managed to sway back, the dagger merely slicing into his scale and hide armor and not penetrating deeper. He couldn't afford more poison or bleeding wounds, so even if it took a bit more energy to achieve those results, that was what he had to do.

He continued to circle around, counterattacking when he could but as often as possible getting the beast between him and the dagger saint. Its senses were top notch, so it could pick her out even as she tried to sneak past. She was fast, but even so it had to tire her out to avoid swiping horns while countering with her daggers. The compact beast continued to charge with intent to trample either of them. Once or twice it hit the cliffs, but the cliff always got the worst part of the equation. Stone was gouged out, earth trembling. And the beast wasn't stupid enough to actually hit its head, so it minded not at all.

Tauno threw a few scavenged talons, using them like darts. He didn't expect to cause any serious damage, but he hoped he at least delayed the dagger saint's approach as he drew the ire of the beast once more. Then it charged him, energy extending beyond its horns and digging up masses of snow, dirt, and stone.

Tauno dove forward under the creature's legs, twisting his body sideways. No doubt it never expected anything to intentionally get into trampling position, so it wasn't prepared to adjust its stride. Then it crashed into the cliff.

The glint of a dagger came at the same time as the crashing cliff. Tauno swiped with his spear while rolling to stab a fang where he thought a foot must be. His movements prevented his throat from being cut, instead earning him a gash along a cheek. But any intended follow-ups were discarded with the desire to escape the collapsing cliff face. It would likely cause little actual damage to the dagger saint, but as Tauno was buried beneath it, he knew he could have taken advantage of the lack of mobility.

He was quite happy that the beast seemed to find the collapsing cliff as an attack, and it continued to tear it apart with its horns, turning the temporary hazards into a longer term landslide.

During that time, Tauno churned through the sludge of blood and poison in his guts. He then happily took advantage of the creature's distraction to strike with his spear, finishing off the exhausted creature. He half expected the dagger saint to strike then… but it seemed she might have withdrawn. A shame, but he had two very sharp horns and some excellent hide to make something out of.

If he was not wrong, he had survived a bout with the dagger saint… which was good enough for him. Great, in fact, given that he was here for training. With new equipment and some experience, he thought he might end up ahead. Assuming the poison didn't have too many long term consequences.

For the first time in over a decade, Anton was back on Ceretos. Passing through the less populated but nonetheless settled outer planets, he finally reached his first home. It was good to be back. He had many people he wanted to speak to in person, instead of impersonally through communicators.

And it was a place to rest. Too many things weighed down on his mind. People he wished to help, others he was uncertain if he should interfere with. Matters of the twin planets, In'istra, Aipra, and Poriza were jostling around in his head. That was all without wondering about Ekict, though that wasn't his responsibility anymore. And he preferred to keep it like that. He was no longer bound to their star, and he felt that an appropriate end.

Before he announced his presence, he sought out familiar presences. Lev, in the ever expanding domain of the Grasping Willows- the Grandfather Willow itself several times the width it had been when Anton first laid eyes upon it. Annelie, within the Palace of Fire and Ice. Treloar, of the Worthy Shore Society. Many others from both continents. Anton wasn't quickly able to find Nthanda, because her energy was quite restrained… but he assumed she was around somewhere. Devon seemed to be visiting Paradise.

Finally, at the Order… he found Vincent. Through their connection, had the man already realized his return? Perhaps that was the case. Regardless, Anton approached closer to the planet. He carried a token that would grant him access through the barrier- and while certain individuals might not know of his return, someone would. It was unfortunate that the comings and going had to be watched, but Anton found it preferable than letting in dangers. And he seldom had any reasons to make his arrival private.

Anton descended through the atmosphere, towards a familiar mountain. Moments later, he landed next to Vincent.

"Sect Head," Vincent and those engaged in conversation with him greeted him at the same time.

Anton nodded and smiled. "Good to see you, Vincent." He greeted the others by name as well- he would have newcomers to memorize, but he could easily keep track of the hundreds of individuals in Life Transformation. For others, he might know little but a name and face- but he had only grown more determined to keep up with that since the war with Ekict. "If you will excuse us, I need to speak to elder Vincent about something."

The disciples swiftly left, of course. It wasn't quite an order, but they also weren't engaged in anything important enough to delay.

"What do you need?" Vincent asked.

"Come, let us retreat to the offices," Anton said. "I would prefer privacy."

"Is it something dangerous?" Vincent asked.

"Don't worry," Anton shook his head. "It is nothing like that. But I don't want to announce it to everyone immediately."

Anton's private rooms were modest, at least compared to the luxury he could have had as the head of one of the most powerful sects on the planet- or in the whole of the lower realms, most likely. Not that they were meager, but they were lacking in some of the ostentation certain individuals preferred. Instead, they were somewhat practical. Fine materials were used not just for beauty, but for durability. Left alone, the bookshelves and the books upon them would last centuries at minimum.

Anton sat behind the desk, gesturing for Vincent to sit across from him. "So…" Anton said. "I have been gone for some time."

"As one would expect of someone in your position," Vincent said. "Do not worry, we are able to handle the affairs here without you. The elders are all very competent."

"Indeed," Anton said. "Which is why I think that it should be this way longer term."

"Are you planning to leave again immediately?" Vincent asked.

"Not quite," Anton said. "But that's not the matter at hand. The sect does not need me." Anton held up a hand, "Of course, I don't mean to imply the sect does not want me. I understand that I am appreciated. But, if it came down to it and I was away, you would be required to make the decision as acting sect head. So we might as well make that official."

"... What?" Vincent asked.

"It's not so strange. Don't think of this as me giving up my position. In fact, if you look at it from a certain angle… I may even be elevating my own status. You will be promoted to the local sect head. Meanwhile, I will be establishing more branches of the sect. You are already aware of In'istra, of course."

"... I will be?" Vincent looked astonished. "Me?"

"Of course. There is none more respected among us, and you are our only other Assimilation cultivator. You already fulfill the duties." There were more than a few potentials who might reach Assimilation soon. There had been a glut of cultivators around Anton's training group, along with numerous ascension cultivators in the following one hundred and fifty years. But as far as Assimilation cultivators went, Vincent was the lone example. After all, ascension was generally preferred- and potentially easier, though nobody had ever experienced both so they could only do inexact comparisons.

"I simply hadn't thought about it much," Vincent admitted.

"Good. I prefer you to act as you would already. The only thing that should change is your title," Anton said. "Perhaps you will have more people who wish to speak to you, but those who are important would have already accepted you. And should people need me… I do not intend to abandon our alliance. I will simply be more difficult to access, as people must have grown used to recently."

"When do you plan to announce it?" Vincent asked.

"That would be up to you. Whenever is convenient. We can discuss the schedule. But before that, tell me of our new disciples." Most likely they could spend several hours simply going over names and dates, but Anton didn't mind that. He was already itching to tell Vincent more details about disciples on In'istra. And his thoughts on recruiting people elsewhere. There were so many places, but they didn't necessarily need to follow the same cultivation path.

Though if Anton could be a little biased, he thought the One Hundred Stars was one of the best methods available, suitable for a wide variety of individuals.

The discussion at some point drifted to the war in the upper realms- it was unfortunate how little they could do to help, but Anton believed in those who were there. "I'd love to meet my latest grandson up there," Anton said. He could keep track of how many generations removed certain individuals were, but he saw little point in adding extra words into conversation. "Apparently Chidi is more like his namesake than his parents ever expected."

"I would love to speak with Prospero as well," Vincent sighed. "But the divide between realms doesn't make that easy."

"Yet it also keeps us safe… sometimes, at least." Anton said. "Once we have fully established powers friendly to us, perhaps that might change. But it will be a slow process. But regardless of distance, we can still be connected in hearts and minds."

Chapter 722

One of the individuals most eager to catch up with Anton was the Great Queen. She had much to say about the goal of expanding into the upper realms, and about the individuality of void ants.

"It is somewhat of a risk, to allow more individuality to develop among our people," the Great Queen signed. "But I must recognize that no matter how much I approach it, I will never achieve perfection. Only the intelligent perspectives of those like myself will be useful guidance. But if they spurn our allied cultivators, the consequences will be great for all."

Anton nodded, mostly listening to her share her concerns. "And you think this might happen? That they would make such a choice?"

"Not if they think logically. This is one area I am quite certain I am correct on. But allowing people to make mistakes is…"

"Part of letting people manage themselves," Anton said. "Though I believe it is best to let them make smaller mistakes and experience the consequences first, so that they can avoid the greater mistakes."

"Not all performed so admirably as the Sergeant," the Great Queen signed. "Some sought their own selfish advancement, taking what was not theirs. A small amount of freedom, and they went so far…" The Great Queen shook her head in a mannerism adopted from humans.

"Sometimes, that is simply the way things are. If they were not allowed freedom, perhaps those individuals would have simply found a method to work behind your back to the same ends. Your control is not absolute, is it?"

"No, it is a matter of factors around birth… and how individuals are raised. It is possible to promote the development of certain characteristics. The default is subservience with enough intelligence to fight and follow orders. This holds true even up to the Royal Guard. Queens must have more autonomy, however."

"And what about them?" Anton asked.

"They are interested in maintaining positions and wary of what I might do to them. Though I believe we share the same understanding, and I have not had to enact more than minor discipline or corrective training. I am respected as the Great Queen."

Anton nodded, "Indeed, I haven't heard of any trouble caused by void ants… and if it does not affect humans, then for the most part I wouldn't have any objections."

"Some expand too rapidly. Sending their nest to devour everything around. They nearly starved themselves, and might have repeated the same mistakes were they moved to a new nest. But we have not had such trouble in a century."

"That is good to hear," Anton nodded. He went on to speak of his travels, mainly about In'istra and the surrounding area.

"Hopefully they shall successfully manage their seas," the Great Queen said. "But I am more interested in this Aipra, in subspace. I have spoken about it with Matija. We would not visit ourselves, but the danger of distortion beasts is understood. Similarly with Poriza, it sounds too bleak for void ants. A lack of natural energy would greatly hinder us."

"I doubt they would be open to you establishing a colony there right now anyway. They have their own issues. I do wish I could give them a proper star, however…"

"If that is your desire, I know you will accomplish it," the Great Queen declared. "But let us speak of the contacts on our side. We established communications with three systems. Two to the north, and one to the southwest. Initial contact is friendly with two of the three, and we anticipate future developments. These same systems seem to have their own version of Worldbinding or Assimilation."

"I hadn't heard that yet," Anton said. "But I suppose I am not surprised if it can be developed twice… or more?" He wasn't actually certain if the Sylanis Cluster had developed it separately between their systems. "Regardless, it is reasonable others would have come up with similar methods. As long as they had motives to remain in the lower realms…"

"Udre to the Southwest managed a stalemate with upper realms invaders in the most recent cycle, forcing them to leave as the tides of the world shifted. Nidec to the north retained enough of their cultivation techniques in secret vaults to recover."

"And they developed Assimilation within the last half century?" It wasn't necessarily odd, especially if they were already working on it before. Anton managed to formulate most of his method before he even reached the peak of Life Transformation- then it took another decade or so.

"It seems to be the case," the Great Queen continued. "The last is somewhat weaker. I heard that they were not subject to the most recent invasion. Perhaps it did not seem profitable to the upper realms."

"And that system is not as friendly?"

"Indeed. They are called Vrelt. The plan is to monitor them, but it has not been decided if they will accept an ambassador or if one would be provided. The others have permanent contact, though any exchange of information is limited by caution."

Anton nodded. Nobody wanted another Ekict. Though for that system in particular, he heard they were on a path that might eventually result in further development of relations. Anishka in particular was part of the driving force behind that. Anton was proud, and hoped they could at least return to amicable terms- at the current moment, Ekict was still undergoing planetary restructuring and internal growth after their strongest sects were destroyed. It was quite likely they would be more open to outsiders, given the remaining individuals had been oppressed by those same sects- but it would only be clear with the development of the generation.

The Scarlet Council was gathered together upon Xankeshan, seated in chambers more expansive than currently required for their numbers. Velvet stood at the forefront, giving her report.

"We've received word that the saint of light himself will be participating in an attack on the One Thousand Palms sect. This information has already been relayed to them, of course. Here, we must plan our response."

"We have to support them, of course," Timothy said.

"And use the opportunity to take out their leader," Tauno grinned, several new scars visible.

"How was this information obtained?" Zazil questioned. "It may be a trap."

"Oh, definitely," Velvet said. "It was way too easy to get this information. However, it has been somewhat widely announced throughout the Harmonious Citadel. If they don't follow through they will look bad which they most certainly cannot afford right now. So there will be something. It's simple about the magnitude of response we prepare."

"I think the true attack will be elsewhere," Catarina commented, "However, if they send two or three saints to defeat Prasad, he will be in danger. We need to provide proper support. But if they do happen to send three, that will leave them quite vulnerable."

"Except for their hidden members," Velvet reminded. "We can't necessarily commit to a counterattack if something happens. Though that might depend on what they know about what we know. We've caught some spies before they could report back, but that doesn't mean there aren't ones we haven't caught." Spies couldn't be true members of the Harmonious Citadel as they were easily spotted, but they had enough wealth to pay unconnected individuals for the great risk involved. Or to at least tantalize people with the prospect of great wealth, since they might never get paid.

"We have also managed to cut down many of their Integration cultivators," Hoyt pointed out. "If we bring enough of us, we can at least hold off a saint. I should be one of those to go, since I am the official diplomat to Prasad."

"And we can of course provide ships," Zazil said. "But I think the Scarlet Alliance must keep our few Augmentation cultivators in reserve. Is there any word from Everheart?"

Vari shook her head. "He's kind of neutral on the whole… alliance thing. Which might be for the best. But if we can inform him of an opportunity to cause trouble for them, I imagine he'll take advantage of it."

"Close enough, I suppose," Zazil shrugged.

Ultimately among the support for the One Thousand Palms were Hoyt and Alva. Because Alva was going, Fuzz also was coming along. And with Fuzz came Spikes. All were in late Integration or some equivalent, though there was still a significant gap between them and Augmentation. It was not guaranteed that they could defeat an Augmentation cultivator even with the advantage of numbers. Chikere was a freak exception, and would likely only perform that well in her best matchup.

Language composed of growls and barks came from Fuzz as they were on their way. "We have gone too long without involving ourselves in action."

Spikes replied in the same manner. "Yes. One of our daughters has even surpassed our current merits."

Though Fuzz was the main progenitor of the wolves actually having a language, neither he nor Spikes tended to speak much. It was the younger pups that grew up properly speaking to each other and certain humans that were more verbose.

Alva was pondering on her own when Hoyt approached her. "What are you thinking about so strongly?"

"I don't think I can dodge light," she admitted. "The same is probably true of Fuzz with me riding him."

"Already anticipating battle, then?"

"Aren't you?"

Hoyt shrugged, "I have done all reasonable training. And from the lesser members of the light style, they don't necessarily have long range. If they do, we can still handle them. Or perhaps that will be Prasad's duty. He may not be able to dodge light either, but I bet he can slap it around."

Alva nodded, "I'm just concerned about being so far from the main part of the Scarlet Alliance." The One Thousand Palm Sect was on the far side of the Harmonious Citadel's territory, good for flanking but reaching them meant taking the long way around the region.

"Well, it's not the nicest thing of me to say… but if we're in real danger, we can just leave. No point in dying 'honorably' with Prasad, if it comes down to it. At least our ships should be able to bring us away."

"If we can get to them," Alva agreed. "I just don't know if I'm ready to really fight Augmentation cultivators."

"I know I'm not," Hoyt said. "But what better way to prepare than to actually do it? Personally, I feel in need of the inspiration."

"Same here," Alva admitted. "I just wish there was another way to get it. Exchanging information with grandpa is… limited. And Kseniya is uh… like that."

"Still not a good teacher," Hoyt nodded. "Her growth is also a bit slower, I think."

"Don't tell her that," Alva said. "Or do, maybe? She's already quite motivated for an old woman."

"Proportionately, we're closer than ever. She's barely more than a century older than us."

"Ugh," Alva grimaced. "Will I ever get used to time passing like this?"

"Signs point to no," Hoyt said. "Time does as it pleases, and leaves us to scrabble about trying to do something as it passes us by."

Prasad was waiting for them when they arrived. He was large, with much of his muscled dark skin on display. "The sincerity of the Scarlet Alliance is appreciated," Prasad said.

"Even if we aren't Augmentation cultivators?" Alva commented.

"We are not so close that I would expect such. Besides, sending young talents says more in some ways. It is more individual risk for the likes of you." He turned around, "Come, let us get you settled in for whenever that coward decides to show himself."

"Do the two of you have history?" Alva asked.

"How could we not, as neighbors for so many years?" Prasad shook his head. "We were once the target of their conquests, and survived only because I broke through. He would not fight even a new Augmentation cultivator. Now, I am stronger. I cannot swear to slay the saint of light, but I can at least drive him off. Depending on the situation, I will call upon you to assist with the task. Or hold off one of their other saints, if it is required."

Chapter 723

The attack on the One Thousand Palm Sect didn't come immediately, but on the timescales of cultivators it also wasn't terribly long before Harmonious Citadel Ships were approaching. It wasn't possible for them to suddenly descend upon the sect itself, as most of their cultivators couldn't travel through space on their own. Nor was a force with Augmentation cultivators exactly subtle. And they had not one, but two.

Prasad stood within the central palace of the sect, looking at the oncoming forces, his hands clasped behind his back. He spoke to the group from the Scarlet Alliance. "Only two? Perhaps they underestimate us. Or their assassin may be laying in waiting. Regardless, I sense that one among them is the saint of the morningstar. I wish we could simply ignore her, but I fear that our buildings would be reduced to rubble. You fend her off. I'll take the light."

"So he really came?" Hoyt asked.

Prasad shook his head. "That remains to be seen. Regardless, I will deal with it. Focus on your task. We will provide support as we can."

The group departed quickly. Planetary defenses were already attempting to shoot down the approaching ships. "They're not really very good, are they?" Alva commented.

"The ships or the defenses?" Hoyt asked.

"We already knew about the ships," she said. "Old styles that are merely meant to bring troops to ground without them collapsing." To enunciate her point, she pulled out her bow and fired a few shots into the sky. "They'd rather spend that money on mediocre formations."

"Don't forget they've gone centuries without any real changes in terms of formations," Hoyt pointed out.

"Yeah, and they've had half of one to get used to it. Uzun set up a whole factory thing and they've done nothing!"

Fuzz barked derisively.

"Yeah, that is good for us," Alva admitted. "Looks like she might be headed for the east end."

"Most likely," Hoyt agreed as he watched the sky. "Mind if I disrupt that?"

"If you can, be my guest," Alva shrugged.

Hoyt nodded. Just a handful of kilometers up, the atmosphere was significantly less dense. That made certain things easier, like Falling Stars. He doubted he would ever be as good as his grandfather. No, he might eventually surpass the technique of the old Prospero- but the reincarnated version of him certainly wouldn't let Hoyt catch him. Not that it was a competition. Hoyt had once avoided learning the technique to not appear like his grandfather. Now, he was past that. It was a practical ranged ability, and he was quite willing to make use of it when proper. He couldn't achieve as many fancy results as Prospero could now, but he was more than proficient.

He raised his hand, the motion being more than just ceremonial. His presence expanded into the skies above, growing into a massive figure. His own energy mixed with that within the atmosphere, drawing it together into an enormous fireball. With the reduced density and friction, it was able to speed up greatly. A single 'falling star', though it would not land anywhere on the planet.

Hoyt aimed for the group of ships surrounding the ship carrying Luksa, the morningstar saint. If they were better organized he might call them a squad or formation, instead they were simply there. The foremost ships swerved away from his attack, but the morningstar saint seemed unable to resist a challenge of power. She hefted her weapon upon her ship and took a swing at Hoyt's attack.

Which was exactly what he wanted. His Falling Star exploded, a shockwave of energy traveling through the area and tearing apart many ships- including the one the morningstar saint rode. Because of her counterattack it wasn't completely destroyed, but she obviously hadn't expected Hoyt to loosen his control of the attack at the very end, letting the dense energy pull apart on its own.

The core of the One Thousand Palm Sect took up the space of a small country- and more spread beyond. A few dozen kilometers away in the skies of another part of the battlefield, the saint of light and Prasad began to clash with each other.

As the name of the sect implied, Prasad struck out with his palms. Shockwaves from his attacks extended far beyond the mere strike itself, expanding outward to the size of the approaching ships. In return, the saint of light appeared in front of each strike, instantaneously covering the distance. Then with a flash, the shockwaves of the palm strike would disappear.

"You really think you can stand against the power of my sect?" the saint of light said haughtily.

"Of course," Prasad declared in return. "But you're a bit wrong there. You see, there are two reasons it is not even your sect. First, the saint of light is just an add on rider within the last few generations using stolen techniques." Prasad's arms spread wide, and he slammed his two palms together, crushing a ship that was just about to land. "Second, you're not even the saint of light. Just some brat with big enough balls to pretend. I know you keep your own sect in the dark, but I've met the man. You think I don't remember?"

Rather than respond verbally, the light cultivator responded with aggression. His figure flickered out of existence before appearing in front of Prasad, leg swinging down in an axe kick. Prasad casually blocked it with an outstretched arm. Though he did have to admit it had some force behind it, he wasn't willing to show weakness here.

The damage to the morningstar saint's ship caused her to crash further away from her targets than intended, though there was no fall that could harm an Augmentation cultivator in anything approaching normal gravity. In fact, it was unlikely they could be harmed in anything short of hundreds of times the norm.

But it did slow her approach to her goal, and gave time for Hoyt and Spikes to get into position to block her. Fuzz would have done the same, but he was serving as Alva's mount. The archer continually fired arrows from his back, and though the saint didn't seem particularly injured by any individual attack, it would weaken her defensive energy.

Hoyt crashed into her like a Falling Star of his own, flames wreathed around him as his axe met her morningstar. Great pillars of stone smashed into her from either side at the same time, though the stone seemed to get the worse end of the bargain. Hoyt was knocked back, but the coordination of various attacks kept the saint from counterattacking with her full potential. The disciples of the sect were doing their best to keep Harmonious Citadel cultivators away from the battle.

"You're quite brave to take on a saint," the woman said.

Hoyt shrugged, "We've already killed three of you."

"Everheart and Tauno, you mean," she shrugged. "But I know your sect. You are the cowards who hide behind their barriers upon Xankeshan. A few upstarts who attained Integration together."

The battle didn't cease as they exchanged words. Arrows continued to rain down as Hoyt and Spikes kept up the pressure. The morningstar saint seemed annoyed to be facing a small number of people, and slammed her weapon down onto the ground. A rift expanded from where she struck, targeting local forces and the buildings behind them. Alva and Fuzz were also in the area, though the wolf easily leapt away.

With a great howl, Spikes charged towards the expanding rift. The expanding crack trembled for a second, then changed trajectory, finding its path hindered.

"You must have grown up within the Citadel," Hoyt said. "Relying on your station at birth to leech from the cultivators around you. That's all the Glorious Harmony Technique is."

His axe and flames could hardly touch her, as she easily deflected his attacks. Spikes returned to aid him, but the saint knocked both away at the same time. Then she charged towards Fuzz.

For a woman who relied so much on simple force, her speed was not lacking in any way. She closed the distance in an instant, despite Fuzz's four legged stature. The wolf spun around to meet her as her weapon swung down, lunging to grab just behind the head of her weapon. Blood trickled out of the sides of his mouth as his teeth cracked.

An arrow released at point blank from Alva's bow, aiming for exactly the moment the saint stopped moving. Up until that point, she had not harmed the saint directly… but not all shots were equal. The condensed energy of the arrow drove directly into the elbow of the woman, beyond where her offensive energy was strongest.

"You forgot one death," Alva said. "Chikere cut the Sword Saint straight in two."

"That's an exaggeration," the saint said as she yanked her weapon away. But instead of retrieving a morningstar, all she had was the lower half of its haft. Which made it quite awkward to block Hoyt as he dropped out of the sky.

Of course, she was still an Augmentation cultivator. She wouldn't be defeated so easily. Even so, she was fortunate that a moment of carelessness had only resulted in the loss of her weapon and a modest injury.

The remainder of her weapon was destroyed as she blocked Hoyt's attack- though most likely because she intended to dispose of it anyway. Luksa had a backup weapon that she quickly retrieved from her storage bag. But the very moment she was pulling her hand away, Spikes lunged forward and tore away the container.

Luksa couldn't instantly reverse her momentum, and if she had tried she wouldn't be able to block Hoyt with one hand and use her bracers to deflect Fuzz's claws with the other. Meanwhile, Alva continued to fire her bow like she wasn't suddenly right next to the enemy, as Fuzz danced around Luksa.

Fuzz was now aflame, having previously not had any use for fire while remaining mobile. But now with Hoyt, they could combine their power together, increasing the pressure on the morningstar saint.

Luksa began to flag. Their own side was not without injuries, of course. Fuzz would likely be unable to use his fangs any further, and Hoyt's arms were strained from clashing with the Augmentation cultivator. But as the battle stretched on, the confidence of the lower cultivation individuals grew, and the saint grew nervous.

Then she made the mistake of running. Not only did it give a chance for those surrounding her to strike without fear of repercussions, but Alva's attacks didn't lose any effectiveness as the woman focused on speed instead of offense or defense.

Luksa leapt through the air, not quite flying. She landed several kilometers away with the intent to spring into the air once more, but instead the earth beneath her wobbled like gelatin. Meanwhile, Spikes solidified the ground beneath her to augment her own speed.

Luksa still managed to reach the ship she was aiming for, a sturdy vessel that would stand up to many attacks. And then she was forced back as a woman appeared in front of her. An elder of the One Thousand Palms, only in the mid Integration Phase. But her focused attack was enough to delay the saint for a brief moment. Long enough for Spikes and Hoyt to reach her. The wolf's jaws snapped around her ankle, and before she could swing her weapon to force the beast off Hoyt's axe chopped into her spine. Even if her defensive energy prevented her from getting chopped in half, it was still a serious wound.

Spikes and Hoyt were sent tumbling away with a sweep of the saint's weapon, but she was unsteady on her feet. The elder of the One Thousand Palms was unable to block her again, and the ship was quickly launched.

Chasing after her… was not something on the agenda for the day. Just forcing her away was sufficient enough. Not that Alva made her journey simple, her shots making several holes in the vessel as it left the atmosphere.

They'd done their part, and it seemed Prasad had more than held his own as well. Another defeat for the Harmonious Citadel… and while their saints would likely survive, their other forces might not be so lucky.

Chapter 724

Retreating in the middle of a battle was mortifying, but Luksa prioritized her life above all else. She couldn't understand how she was unable to crush mere Integration cultivators. Was she so weak? No, that couldn't be. They were simply abnormal. Though her energy had felt sluggish. Perhaps their formation master had been hidden somewhere behind the scenes. Yes, that had to be it.

What was she going to do about those with her on the ship? They would know. Ugh, and he would hear about this. How troublesome.

Still, at least she was currently safe. As the ship traveled between systems it was impossible to-

The ship suddenly jerked. Then it split in half. That would solve one of her problems, but clearly there was another mess to be dealt with.

Luksa drifted out of the ship, weapon at the ready. There were only two enemies. One the swordsman who had bisected the vessel. The other… "You!"

"Me," Everheart grinned widely.

"I thought you were still hiding away like a coward."

"Oh, you flatter me," Everheart spread his arms wide. "I would dearly love to, but I have some business."

"Going to kill me, then?"

"I obviously can," Everheart shrugged. "But I'd prefer if you just come with us."

"... Why?"

"Because you might survive that way. And I won't have to get my hands dirty."

"What do you want?" Luksa gripped her weapon tightly.

"Everything. But this time I'd settle for information. I want to know about the last of your little group of saints."

"Everyone knows about us," Luksa said.

"Oh really? Even the ninth individual who was just with you?" Everheart's aura permeated the whole area. Though Luksa knew she couldn't escape to begin with. "And I want to know about the other one."

"What if there are two more?"

"There aren't," Everheart said confidently. "Now come. Tell me how you feel about them. I'm sure it will be enlightening."

The Harmonious Citadel was able to announce that the saint of light had returned unscathed. Though the Scarlet Alliance knew that was only true because he never showed up to begin with. As for the morningstar saint, a public appearance convinced people of similarly lacking injuries… but something was odd about it. The Scarlet Alliance didn't get eyes on it in person, but they were quite certain Luksa should have been injured. Perhaps she simply did well to not show it. They could only hope it hindered her recovery.

Within the council chambers of the Scarlet Alliance, the results were discussed. "We finally got them to reveal one," Zazil said.

"A second Augmentation level light cultivator," Tauno frowned. "They have their branch, of course, but I have the feeling that this one has the same origins as the first."

It would be troublesome if the Exalted Quadrant continued to have an active hand in the Harmonious Citadel's activities. It was already a problem that they'd infiltrated with the saint of light. The question was if this particular individual had been there all along, or what his purpose was. If he was simply another Augmentation member of the Harmonious Citadel kept hidden, then they would only have to worry how many more remained.

"Though they are doing their best to maintain their public image, they had to have known this attack would likely not be successful," Velvet explained. "We must question what they meant to gain. We have appearances for the saints of light and morningstar, which leaves axe and shield unaccounted for. And of course, she of the dagger."

"I'll tear her apart next time," Tauno commented.

"That would be quite beneficial for us," Velvet said. "But of course, you surviving an assassination attempt still puts us ahead." She surveyed the rest of the room. "Now then, what do we think they will do?"

"They need victories," Zazil commented. "They will cut a straight line here and try to take us on."

"You think they're that desperate?" Catarina asked.

"They can't afford to let us take them on individually like this."

"That's why we should keep it up," Tauno declared. "We just have to push them a little further."

"As long as it doesn't take them over the edge," Zazil said. "They still have a half dozen Augmentation cultivators who could cause untold destruction."

The first indication of something wrong came a few days later, and from an unexpected direction. Unexpected fleets coming in from the west. The only issue was that they did not appear to be Harmonious Citadel forces. If they had taken a long route about… well, they should have been spotted. But the same was true for the incoming fleets. They were only spotted a handful of systems away from Xankeshan, seemingly having avoided the majority of inhabited systems as they traveled.

There was plenty of open space for a fleet to travel unnoticed, but they all had to replenish energy and stores of consumables within a system eventually. So either they had advanced knowledge of every populated system or they had greater capacity than typical ships. Or perhaps both. They were practically on the doorstep of Xankeshan, and it wasn't just a few ships but a fleet of hundreds. The exact size could only be approximated, but it had to be at least that many. That meant tens of thousands of cultivators, and unless someone was planning to throw away disciples they should be in Essence Collection or higher. Cultivators below Spirit Building would die on any higher level battlefield without anyone even having to intentionally target them.

"I don't know how they made it so far," Velvet apologized. "And the lack of other information is likewise my responsibility. Just because we weren't expecting an attack from the west…"

Zazil shook her head. "Many of the territories there are part of our alliance. Your policies can only do so much. Either way, what matters is how we will respond to them."

"Are they coming here?" Catarina asked. "As in, Xankeshan? Or might they be heading past, into the Harmonious Citadel's territory to support them?"

"I don't know," Velvet admitted. "We only know of their existence, and little else. But we can surmise they are not friends of ours, or they wouldn't bother with secrecy."

"We can recall some of our fleets from neighboring systems," Timothy said. "But I think we would do best to rely on what we already have here."

Tauno had a pertinent question. "Are they actually a threat? The barriers around Xankeshan are not to be trifled with."

"They would need at least a handful of Augmentation cultivators," Catarina said. "Along with the armies, of course. If we could focus some of the devices Engineer Uzun has helped put together on just Augmentation cultivators, they wouldn't make it through the barrier. And-" Catarina frowned. "Perfect timing strikes once more. Or perhaps it is best to say that there is constant trouble. An attempt was made to breach the barrier."

"They're here already?" Zazil asked, looking up towards the ceiling.

"No, it was an individual. Perhaps the dagger saint. If the two of you hurry you might catch her but…"

"But what?" Tauno asked.

"The barrier likely deflected whoever it was quite a distance away. I don't feel any signs, but if the two of you would patrol together…"

They didn't hesitate to go- but it seemed whoever it was knew they would have been noticed and thus quickly retreated. That was only the start of the troubles, but it was actually a good sign that the intrusion had been stopped.

Attacks soon followed, not by the known incoming fleets but by a smaller coalition. However, it included at least the axe and shield saints, Abhilash and Eterna respectively. Abhilash was extremely obvious as he immediately attacked the barrier directly. Eterna supported him from the retaliatory effects.

"A perfect target right there!" Uzun sighed, "Yet blocked by one overly focused on defense. If only we could pick out the sneaky one…"

"You're not worried about an assassin potentially having come through the barrier?" Catarina asked.

"Bah, you know as well as I the strength of the barriers. If someone could pass through, we would already be dead." As he spoke he was adjusting settings on a computer.

"Can you kill him?" Catarina asked.

"Depends on how stupid they are. And of course on how well this is calibrated. Our two Augmentation cultivators will be necessary regardless. It will probably overheat."

"I thought you said it was ready."

"It is ready," Uzun said. "I didn't say it would melt. Which it should. If I weren't controlling it myself."

"Sorry. I haven't gotten to see things like this in action… ever."

"A fair point," Uzun agreed. "What I can say for sure is that it is disconnected from the power sources of the barrier and everything else, so it will not weaken our defenses unlike the inbuilt retaliations here. And it makes use of the sun's light, which you should like."

"Obviously," Catarina said. "Did you ever meet my grandfather?"

"Anton? Yes, but unfortunately I never got to see his powers in person. Ah, here we go," Engineer Uzun grinned. "We'd better get on it, before that big fleet shows up."

Abhilash was under no illusions that he could take down the barrier of Xankeshan himself. However, he could test it for flaws, and as long as he did not exhaust himself then whatever damage he caused would be effective. He might simply drain their power stores, but it was costly to replenish such things compared to an afternoon cultivating for himself. Going on the offense to keep them on the back foot was the important thing.

The local fleets seemed afraid to challenge him, which was too bad because he was looking forward to chopping them up.

"Can't you do more?" Eterna complained. "It's not even fighting back."

"Remember how long this place stood in the control of Everheart, in the guise of his tomb. At that time he allowed people to descend to the surface, but it was still impossible to circumvent the trials he had in place. Now, that same power simple covers the whole place. Our formation masters should be working on methods to bring it down. Perhaps you would like to add your own efforts?"

Eterna shook her head. "I must remain vigilant. Unless you wish me to leave you to die."

"Bah. Their Augmentation cultivators are still a quarter of the planet away. What can they do?"

The answer came a short time later, after perhaps another half hour of the man battering the barrier. A sudden buildup of energy on the planet below, though quite some distance away. Nothing that should threaten them, but Eterna had a bad feeling. She readied her shield… and the skies lit up as the world caught aflame.

How…? Eterna couldn't comprehend the composition of energy. It felt like… light. Simple light and nothing more. It was not held together by a cultivator's energy, though there was some guidance far below.

She'd felt it before, from the new ships being used. But this was the first time she'd felt something of such magnitude.

Still, she didn't have to fully understand it to block it. She held in place, protecting herself and Abhilash. Then a fraction of a second later, the beam changed its angle of attack. It wasn't trying to circumvent her defenses, but instead ignoring her entirely. It simply chopped through the ships waiting nearby, with no chance at all for her to respond. And the Augmentation cultivators Zazil and Tauno were now much closer.

"We must retreat," she told Abhilash.

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue. "We should have simply focused all our forces here long ago instead of waiting. It is shameful that the Harmonious Citadel had to fight over scraps of land." Even though he said that, he did not resist as Eterna pulled him away. She should have been able to protect the ships, but without them they'd have to return to the rest of their fleet. They didn't want to risk fighting the Augmentation cultivators without the rest of their support… and certainly not with the weapon below as another factor.

Chapter 725

Hearing about the incoming fleet, Hoyt and Alva were eager to get back to Xankeshan. However, they were on the far side of the Harmonious Citadel's territory so there was little chance of them actually arriving in a timely manner. In addition to that, they were with the One Thousand Palm Sect to support them, so they couldn't just leave even if they didn't think there would be further attacks from the Harmonious Citadel.

Their assumptions were basically correct. The Harmonious Citadel was far too occupied with their other plans. But before the saints even arrived to begin their attack, word came of intruders approaching from the east. They were passing through various unaffiliated systems, but would soon be reaching territory claimed by the One Thousand Palm Sect.

And it wasn't just anyone, but a group from the Trigold Cluster. Though they weren't conquering systems as they went, word is that the fleets were unruly, causing trouble in each system where they stopped. More trouble than usual for cultivators, specifically.

Due to the specific relationship between the Thousand Palm Sect and the Scarlet Alliance, they were under no obligation to assist. However, when Prasad personally came to them to ask for them to accompany him, they weren't going to refuse. It made sense to bring them along instead of more of the local Integration cultivators, and they weren't exactly fans of the Trigold Cluster causing a ruckus.

"So what's the plan?" Alva asked once they were aboard Prasad's flagship. It was a decent ship, but it didn't match the specs of the Ascension Class battleship that the Ruteran engineers were constructing on Xankeshan. On the other hand, it was finished instead of still under construction which was a great practical benefit.

"We must first discern their intentions," Prasad said. "And their strength. We will resist their intrusion with all our might should it be required, but there is a sufficient chance that they are targeting the Harmonious Citadel. In such a case, we will try to smooth out their passage so they can be gone with minimum issues. Better to send them to die against our foes than to take the casualties ourselves for no purpose."

Hoyt couldn't argue with that. And while he didn't like the idea of them mistreating the local populace, getting into an armed conflict with them was sure to result in more unnecessary damage. Optimally, of course, the region would be policed by united local sects that would prevent anyone from acting wantonly in the first place. But the Scarlet Midfields were still recovering their structure. Which was another reason to not tangle with the Trigold Cluster if they didn't have to- they were one of the powers responsible for the current state of things to begin with.

Prasad's fleet was a bit sluggish. It was likely his flagship could have gone several times as fast, but a fleet could only go as quickly as the slowest member. They left behind the actual slowest vessels, but it still took two weeks to cut off the approaching fleet around a claimed system. Enough time for word of the actual attack on Xankeshan to reach them. But they still wouldn't have reached Xankeshan in time even if they'd taken the fastest ships, as they had to skirt around the Harmonious Citadel's territory, which would be months even with faster ships. It wasn't just a system or two.

Prasad stood with the four on the deck- Fuzz and Spikes were too large to move through the normal corridors, so it was that or the hold for them.

"Do you sense that?" Prasad asked.

"An Augmentation cultivator," Alva stated.

"I'm not close enough to tell yet," Hoyt admitted. "Can you tell what style?"

Prasad nodded, "It should be the Slithering Serpent Society. We will approach with caution."

For the sake of indicating their intent, Prasad had the flagship pull ahead of the rest of the fleet. The Trigold Cluster seemed to understand, and drew forward as well. There were three more Integration cultivators from the One Thousand Palms Sect, but the Trigold cluster seemed to have a total of ten among their fleet. Though not all were in the late stage like Hoyt and Alva.

The two ships matched velocity just a few kilometers apart, practically touching by the standards of stellar distances. Prasad spoke first. "For what reason do you intrude upon the domain of the One Thousand Palm Sect? I, Prasad, the sect head must demand an answer." As he did so, his image expanded to cover the flagship, his palms touching in front of the ship as he stood in a meditative pose.

The aura of a great serpent came from the other ship, an old man standing prominently upon the deck of the opposing vessel. "It is not for the people of the midfields to dictate where we may go. However, I will answer your question regardless. I, Nagendra of the Slithering Serpent Sect, come for the sake of an investigation. It seems that the Exalted Quadrant may have broken our accord by establishing their forces in the sector."

"Would that not be the same for yourselves?"

"What, you mean this?" the man gestured, the tail of the serpent sweeping to indicate the fleet with him. "We are but a scouting expedition. A small force, nor do we have any intent to stay here. Nor quarrel with your sect, at the moment." Both sides were displaying their power, auras clashing between the two vessels. Yet it was only to be expected.

"If it is as you say, then you will not mind if we escort you through our territory to expedite the process."

"Not at all," Nagendra replied. "If it will save us further interruptions like this, we will accept it."

That eased the tension somewhat, but of course nobody was quite sure if they didn't simply have a specific target where they would turn upon the One Thousand Palm fleets at a later time. But for the moment, conflict was avoided.

The forces suspected to be from the Exalted Quadrant entered Xankeshan's system as anticipated, but they did not immediately launch an assault. Instead, they loomed nearby threateningly. Perhaps they didn't want to test the local fleets, ships which were able to fly in and out of the local barriers. Or perhaps they weren't willing to admit collusion with the Harmonious Citadel as of yet, though their mere presence was evidence enough.

The Scarlet Alliance was willing to accept the current state of things. Their fleets escorted necessary supply ships in and out of the system, but no attempts were made to stop them. Waiting would be better for the locals, as their supplies could be easily refreshed. More importantly, nearby systems were being drawn upon for reinforcements. It was of some concern that the enemy appeared to be waiting for something, but it was too risky to strike at the fleets away from Xankeshan proper. They would lose most of their defensive advantage away from the planet, and the enemy fleets were insufficient to blockade the system.

Intel from the Harmonious Citadel's territory didn't tell much. What managed to get to them didn't indicate much in the way of fleet movements. But just because the information didn't come to them didn't mean nothing was happening. Either way, their forces were ready to intercept any fleets that came through the buffer systems.

The situation continued until sensing formations on the edge of the system picked up several smaller ships. They would hardly have been notable except for the timing… and their passengers.

Two Augmentation cultivators.

The council was never far apart in such a time of crisis, and they met immediately.

As the one managing the formations, Catarina gave the initial assessment. "These two are clearly practitioners of the Glorious Harmony Technique. One has clear connection to light, while the other is more… subdued. We have a few options for the former. First is the saint of light himself. That might be best for us, if we can withstand the assault. Taking him out would nearly secure victory all on its own. Second, it could be the new individual that attacked the One Thousand Palm Sect. However, the distances involved and his injuries make that unlikely. The worst case would be… a third. Unfortunately, the sensors couldn't provide a confident match as we've never had the saint of light properly scanned. As for the other, it could be the morningstar saint- injured, or perhaps miraculously healed if the news is to be trusted. The worst scenario is once again yet another individual. But if the Harmonious Citadel had ten or eleven Augmentation cultivators to begin with… the rest of the war doesn't make any sense."

"This would be a good time to strike in other systems," Timothy said. "Our communications are slightly faster, so even if they are expecting something they might not expect it so soon. If our forces don't have to deal with Augmentation cultivators, we can gain some ground. Assuming this doesn't turn into some sort of final stand. And if they have spare Augmentation cultivators still…" Timothy shrugged.

"Agreed," Zazil said. "Meanwhile, we will have to assume an assault is coming, perhaps immediately."

"The forces are already on standby," Catarina said. "Yourself and Tauno would be the most important to mobilize properly."

Engineer Uzun added, "Our recent tests have allowed us to improve the calibration on our laser. Unfortunately it can cover less than a single hemisphere, so its utility somewhat depends on the enemy approach. It's also debatable how effective it would be against a light cultivator, and the shield lady seems to have proven some resiliency of her own."

"Even so," Tauno said, "If they're focused on defending against just that, it will serve its purpose. However, I would caution against using it casually. Best they be uncertain of its capabilities until we can use it to strike a deadly blow. If they think we cannot use it again, they will grow incautious."

"We should be moving," Zazil said. "Let us hope our defenses can hold."

As expected, an assault came almost immediately after the two new cultivators met up with the rest of the fleets. And though they did not directly coordinate, the Exalted Quadrant fleet joined the assault shortly after.

Xankeshan's fleets were an important part of their defenses, as the engineers hadn't had the time or budget to set up anything like the orbital platforms the lower realms had. Simply weathering attacks was a losing proposition. Maneuvering in and out of the planetary barrier allowed them to strike with some measure of safety.

Meanwhile, the two enemy fleets continued to pretend the other didn't exist, attacking from opposite sides of the planet. It forced Xankeshan to pick and choose how to defend while providing some measure of the plausible deniability the Harmonious Citadel wished to maintain.

Timothy remained with Catarina as she managed the formations. Most of their functionality worked automatically, but conscious control was still better. Xankeshan had other experts dealing with individual pieces of the formation, such as weapons, but Catarina was responsible for the overall flow of energy.

"The saints aren't fully committing to the assault," she commented. It kept Timothy updated while helping her organize her thoughts. "Perhaps they intend to wear us down. Or they might be continuing to seek out weaknesses in the barrier."

"I don't think Zazil and Tauno have engaged yet," Timothy added.

Catarina nodded, "Going out on their own would be suicide. If we can set them upon fatigued enemies that would be one thing, but we can't afford to get them injured early on." Information was constantly incoming, and the way Catarina managed both nearly incomprehensible formations and digital outputs reminded Timothy of another thing he loved about her- her focus. "The data coming in doesn't match the second light cultivator. We don't have any real amount for Hans Sigismund, however. As for the other… morningstar, but also seemingly different. We're trying to get visuals on both to confirm identities."

"Anything I can do?" Timothy asked.

"Not actively. Please stay with me. I will be more effective with you around."

He nodded. There wasn't much he could do but wait, but if she needed emotional or physical support, he would be ready.

Chapter 726

A stream of attacks constantly bombarded the barrier, each strike disrupting the flow and lowering the remaining energy stored. However, Chidi knew that it could last for another day or two at least, and that was if the enemy could keep up their pace. What good was a planetary barrier if it couldn't withstand a little siege, after all?

"So why are we here, precisely?" Chidi asked the grandmaster. She was standing nearby, her weapons impaled into the ground around her.

"We're bait," she said. "There's an entire eighth of that sect that wants to take us out. So… we draw in as many of them as we can get instead of them coordinating with anyone else."

"What if they don't come here?"

"Then you'd better make your way to that ship over there as quick as possible," she said. "I won't be lingering around here, and you're gonna want to get there before I finish them all off."

"... all of them?" Chidi asked.

"Well, I mean, that would take-" maybe not all that long, after all. If she used a conservative one hundred swords and killed only one person at a time, he couldn't expect her to take more than ten minutes to take out all of the enemy swordsmen. Unless they sent literally every single member of the Harmonious Citadel's sword branch. Then it might take her half an hour.

But the nearest city was a good bit away, so he'd have to hurry the ship along if it came to that.

"Can they even get here?" Chidi asked. "I mean, down to the surface. Not like, here specifically." They were simply in part of the old Garden, which was still mainly wilderness to this day.

"Of course they can," swordmaster Chikere gestured vaguely. "You expect us to just let them keep hitting our barrier forever? That's a total waste. Just you watch."

And Chidi did, feeling the vast barrier shifting and straining, like the creaking of an old building. Something of that scale he could feel from even a great distance. He also felt some sort of interference. Formation masters attempting to poke a hole in the barrier, perhaps? But they would not be sufficient. Chidi knew his mother and many others had spent decades upgrading and perfecting Xankeshan's defenses. They would not be so easily manipulated.

And yet, a hold opened up, Harmonious Citadel ships pouring through. Then another, through which poured Exalted Quadrant ships. But it didn't make any sense. That shouldn't have been possible. Unless… there was a traitor? No, with his mother watching the formations personally that still shouldn't have been possible.

Then the holes sealed themselves, the barrier seemingly unfazed by its momentary damage. Of course. It made sense, once he thought about it. It was much easier to deal with a small portion of the enemy forces split off from the others. And there were so many forces on the ground that wouldn't have the opportunity to fight otherwise. Better to split the burden like this.

"Hey. You might not want to stand directly next to me," Chikere pointed out.

He could feel the blades of those coming to join them, and Chidi fully agreed. It didn't matter if he thought he could fight an Integration cultivator head on or not, he was quite certain he couldn't face two consistently. Or ten. And that was assuming Chikere was dealing with most of them.

On the other hand, for the same reason he couldn't go too far. "I'll go seek out Aconites field of death," Chidi said.

She had been setting up all sorts of poison things a small distance away. Just a kilometer or so. He approached cautiously.

"Hey, is anywhere safe?"

Aconite's return howl indicated he should circle around to the upwind side. Chidi thought that they should have probably brought more backup. On the other hand, the grandmaster didn't expect to draw away the main forces of the invasion. Just sword cultivators. And that was what she got, though Chidi wasn't sure if she had accounted for the Exalted Quadrant, some of which were also taking the bait… though the mass of swords was a good quarter of the planet away, so they would take some time to arrive. Hopefully enough for them to deal with the Harmonious Citadel first.

Chidi made his way to the 'safe' zone, glad to know that at least one side would be prevented from intrusion. Though there was still the issue of attacks from the sky. Even if they couldn't fly themselves, enough people dropping out of a ship together could be dangerous.

The only question was if they would be a danger to himself or to each other. The Harmonious Citadel could certainly fight together proficiently, but he also knew plenty of counters. He clutched the sword that had once belonged to the swordmaster Rakiya. With a blade like that, he wasn't afraid of much. And if he made proper use of his formation flow style, enemies should hinder each other more than they helped, regardless of intentions and formal training.

It took several minutes for the first ships to reach them. It was neither particularly fast, nor particularly slow- though Chidi would have expected them to push for speed. Otherwise, they could get shot out of the air. On the other hand, there weren't any archers with them.

Then one of the ships split in two. It seemed Chikere was tired of waiting. And while Chidi couldn't extend his blade aura so far, that wasn't a limitation on the grandmaster. Actually, he was fairly certain her sword hadn't even touched the intervening space. He shuddered to imagine her using such techniques consistently for something besides transportation. Though perhaps it was unnecessary, since most enemies were close enough.

Chidi heard the fluttering of sails and the scraping on tree branches as ships settled into the forest around him. Five ships. Together they had over a hundred disciples between Essence Collection and Life Transformation, the ratio being about ten to one. Even if he only had to fight half of that due to Aconite- give or take- he was still outnumbered five to one.

And that was just Life Transformation cultivators. It was hard to believe how quickly he'd come to disregard cultivators 'weaker' than him. Especially when he knew very well that it wasn't always the case. But even so, he didn't feel anything particularly special among the Essence Collection cultivators. And he was eager to fight regardless. He could already feel the clashes of the grandmaster's battle.

The first sword to approach was wielded by an eager young woman. Unfortunately, she had chosen the wrong side- and her eagerness was no replacement for skill. Her attack was perfectly adequate by the standards of the Citadel, and thus also perfectly counterable. She went down with one slice. Chidi stepped forward both to reposition himself for the incoming waves, but also as part of his manipulation of the local energy flow.

His next swing brought down two enemies. Then three. For the following move, he was only barely able to deflect the attacks of two Life Transformation cultivators.

Nearby, he heard the screams of cultivators who were finding that a properly prepared battlefield full of poison made hitting anything with a sword quite difficult. Chidi knew this, because he had sparred with Aconite many times- and she was specifically trying not to kill him. The area was filled with sharp hazards that would puncture the feet of anyone careless enough to neglect their defensive energy for a moment. In truth, those were only a distraction compared to the dusting of powder on everything. It was possible for cultivators to filter out dust if they were expecting it, but it usually came at the cost of completely sealing themselves off- restricting breathing.

And Chidi knew there were powders so fine that most people couldn't detect them at all and invisible and scentless gasses within Aconite's arsenal. He had a feeling the entire area was already deadly, even if they triggered no traps at all.

Around himself, Chidi only focused on the closest blades, dancing around them and turning deadly blows into minor wounds. Blood trickled from wounds that a few millimeters deeper would have struck important arteries. But half of his opponents were defeated.

His opponents could clearly see they had to change their tactics, so they attacked together, a group of eight coordinating their strikes so he would have nowhere to move- his upward escape route blocked by another pair leaping above.

Sharp blades cut through the air, upper energy swirling around them. And then, they suddenly struck a solid barrier. Several were staggered by the sudden change in momentum, allowing Chidi to counterattack the instant the very temporary fluctuation of energy faded. He was the center of the formation, and his opponents were merely components of his machinations.

The battle paused for an instant, as every sword cultivator including Chidi shuddered with fear and ambition together. A hundred swords combined into one, a single sweep cutting apart a vast section of forest- and many of the cultivators within.

Chidi would never do that exactly… but he could still learn quite a bit from experiencing it. He just had to survive the battle.

Timothy nodded his approval of the decision to allow some enemy forces to trickle into the planet's domain. Taking a purely defensive position was certain to lead to their defeat, sooner rather than later. There was only so much they could fight outside the barrier without risking overcommitting their forces. Even if Zazil and Tauno were able to face just the enemy Augmentation cultivators, they would be severely outnumbered and outmatched. There wasn't much they could do even with support, not against these enemies. Five Augmentation cultivators, including an individual that was probably their sect head. Even if he was also beholden to the Exalted Quadrant.

Though he wanted to go out and fight, Timothy knew there was only so much he could do outside. Better to be here protecting his wife. "Should I be outside the facility?" Timothy asked. "It will be some time before they make it this far." Enemy forces were coming for their capital, but that was where their defenses were strongest- with Exalted Quadrant and Harmonious Citadel ships being cut into pieces before they could even get close enough to land their cultivators. Some survived to make it to the ground, but they were met by forces waiting for them.

"If we are sieged, it may be best to mobilize you," Catarina admitted. "But I think you would best remain here."

He certainly didn't mind knowing his wife was safe… though he was a bit concerned about whatever Chidi was up to, away from the city with Chikere. So he would wait until there was something to do. His senses focused on the battle outside, searching for threats.

He watched his wife move around the room, manipulating the core of the formation. He noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A vent dangling open. He sprang forward. He extended his arm, his energy reaching beyond his shield, and yet he was one step too short. A figure appeared, dagger stabbing towards Catarina.

Time slowed as a surge of energy poured through him. Not some sort of secret ability or spike of adrenaline, but a supportive power he'd felt many times before. His own abilities were augmented by the formation around them. And the enemy figure slowed.

The attack was just barely stopped, but Timothy's feet continued him forward, swiping at the figure with his sword. She leapt back. The dagger saint seemed to have recovered quite well from his conflict with Tauno- but that was to be expected, as the man had also healed the majority of his injuries.

"My apologies," Catarina said without even looking at them. "I thought it would take her longer to get here. I planned to reveal her with the tracking subformations." She continued to manage the formation as if nobody had just tried to assassinate her- as if they weren't still attempting to do so.

At least Timothy felt good about her confidence in him. Though even with support of the formation he didn't know if he could defeat an Augmentation cultivator one on one. But he was defending not only one of the most critical components of their defenses, but also his wife. He might not win, but there was no way he was going to lose.

Chapter 727

Blood dripped down from the sword, heavy in Chidi's hands. All around him lay fallen cultivators, though Chidi was aware he had not been far from being one of them. But that was how things were. He was simply the one who survived. That was always how it was with cultivators. Was there anything that made him so much stronger that he should win such a battle? Chidi didn't quite know. His blade, of course, was quite exceptional. It was forged at great expense for an Integration cultivator, and it fit well in his hands. But beyond that, he was only blessed with the fortune of training in a different style. He simply happened to know the flaws of the Harmonious Citadel, but not his own.

The true test would be the incoming cultivators from the Exalted Quadrant. They had a different feel to them. More variety, if nothing else. Along with that, Chidi had the feeling they were closer to true swordsmen. Able to grow as they pleased, not forced to fit into a style that might not suit them. One that was flawed but never corrected. Though to be fair, Chidi hadn't exactly told anyone from the Harmonious Citadel the flaws in their style. They would only learn about it as they perished.

A few kilometers away, grandmaster Chikere had gathered up the best blades among her attackers. Chidi did not think any of them would ever see use by her, even those that had been held by Integration cultivators. But perhaps they could replace some individuals from fifty to one hundred. Or maybe, if she had reason, she would expand the number of blades she wielded simultaneously.

Even as she waited for the incoming ships, they danced around her. Chidi was quite pleased by how they altered the flow of energy, half knowingly and half by instinct. They would not form anything on the level of a concrete formation, but the grandmaster's efforts were always both powerful and efficient.

Nearby, Aconite was replenishing the poisons in her battlefield of death. She wasn't one of the actual targets, merely a distraction… and a great boon, protecting one of Chidi's sides. If the enemy had been able to fully surround him, he wasn't sure if he would have made it this far. There was no promise from grandmaster Chikere that they would win this battle. Instead, it was as it always was- they would win, or they would die in the attempt. That was simply the way of things with her. And like the grandmaster, Chidi simply refused to accept the second option.

Catarina's senses focused on the battle above. She trusted Timothy to protect her, and she was already contributing to his support as much as she could. Directly involving herself in the melee would only make her vulnerable. More importantly, she was uncertain if she could ignore the situation with the barrier for even a few moments.

She had said that the barrier would last for several days of siege, and she still stood by that statement. It was just that it required active maneuvering to overcome not only the enemy's formation masters, but also the pure power of the attacking Augmentation cultivators. The barrier had some of the adaptive ability that the lower realms had developed, but it wasn't perfect.

The barrier trembled under the attacks of three cultivators in particular. Abhilash was the axe saint, the heavy power of his chopping weapon causing more damage than hundreds of surrounding ships. Along with him was another burly individual… who was most certainly not Luksa the morningstar saint. That was immediately obvious even without being able to see the individual in person, unless she happened to gain twenty kilograms of mass and ten centimeters in height in the past month or so. And became a man. And while that wasn't the most impossible thing for a cultivator, there was also the matter of the aura. Catarina had fought against Luksa before, and this was clearly a different person.

The final issue was the saint of light himself. Hopefully. Having never seen Hans Sigismund before, Catarina could only go with the descriptions she had heard secondhand. The man was somewhat reclusive, so even those were going to be inexact. Though he didn't carry a heavy weapon- or indeed any weapon- he was probably the most impactful in terms of attacking the barrier. Each strike with his fist or feet sent bursts of light radiating out from them, and even adapted his energy frequently to better damage the barrier.

Catarina kept her focus on the way energy shifted and flowed on a large scale, both the positions the Harmonious Citadel and the Exalted Quadrant were focusing their attacks. But she was only able to help them hold on. They needed something more if they were to hold on, beyond Uzun's planetary laser and their fleets and their two Augmentation cultivators.

Sparks flew as Timothy twisted his shield to block the daggers trying to end his life. For the moment the dagger saint once called Kristel seemed to be focusing on defeating him first, though Timothy wouldn't let down his guard. Catarina was counting on him. He was just barely able to keep up with her footwork, extending his shield wherever necessary to restrict her motion. He made use of the reach of his sword as much as possible, though he was only able to be a threat because the surrounding formations were restricting her energy and augmenting his own.

Timothy felt that it was not just his cultivation as a member of the One Hundred Stars that was augmented, but even his own personal fighting style. Not that he was surprised, because it was Catarina herself who was responsible for the situation. He could feel her fighting alongside him even as she dealt with her own problems.

Though Timothy was holding his ground, he knew he would eventually slip up. As he grew more fatigued, a simple mistake would become more likely. Even with the formation reducing the difference, he knew he was at a disadvantage. But on the other hand, she might not be able to wear him down. Timothy knew reinforcements were coming from the outside of the facility. While there were restrictions on how fast they could be reached, if he just held out for a minute or two while protecting Catarina, the balance of combat would tip.

Unfortunately, a single minute was almost an eternity as far as battles with Integration and Augmentation cultivators went. Each of them exchanged multiple blows per second, two daggers against Timothy's sword and shield. He also kept a close eye for her throwing a blade.

His movement pressed her back towards a wall. The intention was to reduce her mobility, and it mostly worked. Timothy actually managed to nick her eyebrow, creating just the slightest trickle of blood.

But an instant later, before he could even congratulate himself, she sprang forward. The blade in her left hand slashed at his neck, while the other was a stab towards his heart. His sword parried her left, and his shield moved to block her right. But it was a feint. Her momentum stopped right in front of him. Her left hand dropped the dagger, grabbing the edge of his shield. Her right arm came around his frozen shield as she punched her arm through his extended energy, her dagger coming up and around to stab him in the armpit.

All he could do was focus his energy internally and minimize the damage to just the area of the blade, stabbing into his heart and lung. But Timothy wasn't willing to let that be the end. His elbow twisted down, catching her hand as he slashed at her. She ducked underneath his counterattack, her energy rallying to pull her arm away.

She somehow managed to do so while also twisting her body out of the way of the dagger stabbing into her spine. Velvet's second dagger only managed to pierce a kidney on her left side, which was significantly less impactful. For a cultivator, such a wound wasn't lethal- and they could suppress the shock as well. Though injuries still mattered- every bit of blood loss or focus required to prevent it was a boon.

Though Timothy hadn't sensed Velvet's arrival, that was exactly the point. But upon realizing her presence, he immediately adjusted his tactics. He kicked away the dropped dagger, then instantly became more aggressive with wide swings of his sword, even as Kristal wrenched her arm and dagger away. He knew with his injuries he wouldn't last long in a fight, and he had to keep her occupied, unable to counter Velvet.

If he could just hold her still for a moment, they could secure the victory. That was what he concentrated on as poison coursed through his veins, despite his efforts to expel said poisons from his body.

Catarina bit her lip. She had to trust in Timothy. And Velvet, apparently. Her own martial abilities would barely help. And the barrier was straining towards its limits. If it broke now, a large section might remain open for long enough that all the Augmentation cultivators would get through, and maybe the rest of the enemy forces. Even half of them would be a disaster.

She did her best to alter the flow of energy to resist the unconscious rhythm of the enemy's attacks. That got them a few more seconds. But they still needed something. The first wave of cultivators she let through was still being cleaned up- Kristal the dagger saint among them. It was too early to relax the barrier for even a moment, and if she did so it might result in the attackers tearing it open completely.

Then an alarm went off. Catarina didn't remember the particular alarm- maybe it was infrequent. But they really couldn't afford it. She twisted her head, since her energy was tightly tied up in manipulating the flow of the formation. The warning label was quite simple. It was also the biggest red light they had available.

Everheart. The scanners at the edge of the system had detected Everheart. No, worse. The outer scanners had missed him. He was closer.

Honestly, Everheart was impressed. Though he thought that this alliance really should have poured more resources into things. There was no point in keeping things around for next year when you could use them now. If you ran out, you should just go steal them. That was where the plan fell apart, of course. Not that stealing was an issue, unless you were some sort of goody-two-shoes that only stole from 'enemies'.

Everheart didn't come alone, of course. He knew one Augmentation cultivator was not invincible alone. So he brought his most trusted backup. That was, of course, a dozen projections of him that could be sustained away from his own system. And Rahayu, he supposed. The man was quite intriguing, for a simple Integration cultivator. He didn't follow the typical path of a genius or ancient cultivator.

The information he'd gathered from the morningstar saint had brought him here. After all, if he ever got the chance to ambush an ambusher, Everheart would take it. Though this wasn't exactly that situation, he still found it favorable. Less risk, same reward. Everything he could ask for. And sure, this might technically count as part of the deal he'd made with his niece. That was purely happenstantial.

His opening salvo of attacks took out twice as many ships as he had versions of him present. After which Everheart expanded his aura to cover the pack of Harmonious Citadel cultivators. "Hands off my planet, assholes!"

It took less than a tenth of a second for Hans Sigismund, the saint of light, to both react and reach Everheart. Then he punched his hand through Everheart's chest, exploding him into a pile of ash.

Which was exactly why Everheart never liked to taunt from the real him. Sure, these projections might be vastly weaker than him but nobody could tell the difference until they tested it.

The saint of light picked another target, being less excessive with his use of energy. This time it took him three sweeps to take out another projection. The whole time, Rahayu and additional Everhearts were taking out enemy ships. And Everheart was scooping up the best pieces of them, obviously.

Everheart smiled. It always filled his heart with something wonderful to attack fatigued enemies and take their most valuable loot. It was like, what did they call that? Happiness. Yeah, that was it.

Chapter 728

The dynamic of the battle around the formation core shifted with the addition of Velvet. Two Integration cultivators and the interference of the formation augmenting their energy were a more worthy match for the Augmentation dagger saint. Instead of a battle where Timothy was barely holding on, the balance had shifted to one where Kristel wanted to finish the battle as quickly as possible. It wouldn't be long before additional reinforcements arrived, and at that point getting out alive would barely be possible, let alone achieving her goals.

Timothy's wounds were worse than hers, with one lung and his heart damaged… but she had also taken severe damage to her kidney. Her tactics shifted as she moved about the room. Velvet attacked her every time there was an opening, and it took all of her focus to keep the other woman in her perception while fending off Timothy's attacks.

The battle rapidly shifted around the room, but instead of moving towards Catarina it pulled away from her. Timothy didn't mind that, until her intentions became clear. Her daggers flashed out towards nothing- or at least none of the targets Timothy had been concerned about. Neither himself, Velvet, nor Catarina. But delicate components at the core of the formations were in the room.

Her daggers stabbed into undefended components, though the motion left her open to attacks from Velvet and Timothy. Velvet aimed for her upper arm, clearly intending to cripple her offensive ability. Kristel twisted her body to avoid that while still completing her attacks. Timothy slashed at her leg, his attack finding purchase but not as deep as he wished.

An explosion of energy rocked the room, sending the three of them flying. In the moment it took Timothy to regain his bearings, he lost track of her. He rushed towards the open vent, hoping to block her egress… but encountered nothing. "Anything, Velvet?"

Velvet shook her head. "She's gone."

"Sorry, Catarina," Timothy said, approaching her as she strained with control of the formation. "I couldn't do it. I'll at least catch her." Soldiers were bursting into the room at this point, but there was no one for them to take out.

"Do not worry yourself," Catarina grimaced. "In fact, focus on your own wounds before pursuit. And do not think you failed. For what you had to deal with… this is a good result." She took a deep breath, the flow of energy changing, "And we are not without redundancies. If a planetary barrier could fall to a simple scratch, it would hardly be of use."

She had a good point. Several good points, really. He had his own wounds to take care of. The bleeding was one problem, but there was a poison as well. He already felt his muscles locking up.

"In addition to all of that," Catarina said. "The formation has now fully locked onto her energy so we can track her wherever she goes in her attempt to escape."

That was something Timothy wished he had heard first. Or maybe immediately after the taking care of his own wounds bit.

Uzun grumbled as Eterna continued to block the beam meant for Abhilash or that morningstar fellow. Obviously he didn't expect to perfect an Ascension class weapon immediately, but it was frustrating for it to be completely ignored. And in truth, Ascension class was insufficient. The lower realms didn't seem to have Augmentation cultivators, but there were more than a few here. And while they might have merely been one individual out of many billions, across all of the planets in a myriad of systems, their existence was clearly not unique.

With the stupid laser almost out of power, Uzun had one more thing to try. The whole thing was supposed to be on an orbital defense platform to avoid atmospheric interference and especially barrier conflicts, but it took more than a handful of decades to put together the infrastructure to construct such things. He briefly stopped the flow of power as he finely tuned the beam, overriding several safeties in place. He was almost certainly going to melt the weapon, but if he caused any damage he would be satisfied.

He flipped the final switch to return the beam to full power, guiding the flow of energy with his own. To most outside observers, it wouldn't look like much had changed. In fact, it would even appear that the beam grew smaller. Which was technically true. It was more narrowed and focused. Less of it would scatter in the atmosphere.

He aimed the beam right for the eye of the axe cultivator Abhilash. He got a momentary squint before Eterna was in the path of his beam once more, the center of her shield directly blocking the beam. That reminded Uzun of another missing factor, rapid and automatic redirection. It shouldn't be too difficult to redirect the beam with mirrors to instantly change targets, and at such a distance it would force any would-be defender to try to keep up with the speed of light. Only a fraction of it as they were at a distance, but rapidly switching directions would be impossible. Or use a vast quantity of energy.

But instead of that, Uzun was going with a less technically impressive and much more boring straightforward approach. The beam strained against Eterna's defensive energy for a moment before melting a pinpoint hole through it… and if he was lucky, into her hand or arm behind it. Either way, her reaction was quite indignant before the laser sputtered to a halt as part of it melted.

The two waiting Augmentation cultivators wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity. Even a minor distraction for the bulwark Eterna was critical, and the saint of light was occupied by Everheart. Thus, in the moment Eterna was blocking for Abhilash, Zazil locked down the backup morningstar saint's movements, dozens of rings zipping around and blocking his motion. While he smashed several apart in the next instant, Tauno sprang on him. His spear pierced into the man's shoulder, stopped by bone and muscle before it could reach his heart.

Eterna was only occupied for a moment when the attack on her faded away. She and Abhilash sprang into motion immediately, but Tauno danced around the third Augmentation cultivator as the axe swung towards him. "You sure you can deal with us right now?" he laughed. "Your fancy saint of light is going to die."

The saint of light foolishly destroyed the next two closest projections of Everheart. As for the reason it was foolish to take out enemy combat power, it was because he had fallen into one of the many traps available for him. He was now surrounded, with Everheart in all directions. No matter what orientation was considered, the projections and whichever was the real one were spread out around him in all directions.

Each of them held a bow. As they drew their bow back, arrows appeared on the strings formed of pure energy. Upper energy was of course the everyday standard of the upper realms, but the combined amount wasn't something the saint of light could ignore. Ten bows fired simultaneously, and the saint of light instantly flickered away. He couldn't move at actual lightspeed, especially not close to a gravity well, but his speed was exceptional.

Which was why when he ran into an invisible barrier that the impact was that much stronger. Each projection acted as a formation flag. Every arrow was released, firing towards the center of Everheart's personal formation and curving around to strike at the saint of light.

"Tricks won't save you!" the saint of light growled as he clawed at the incoming attacks, blasting them to pieces.

"You think this is a trick?" the words echoed from all directions. "You're trapped here now. You can only die."

"As if I would be without options. All I have to do is…"

The saint of light flickered, his body disappearing before reappearing in front of one of the Everhearts. His leg stabbed out like a spear, intending to impale the projection. Instead, light sprayed out in all directions as he encountered a force he couldn't break through.

"Do you think I'm so stupid as to not make the barrier cover me?" Everheart grinned. "I told you, you're trapped."

"You can't block both outside and inside."

"Can't I?" Everheart raised an eyebrow. "I am the foremost expert on formations, and yes I have seen the Exalted Quadrant's 'grand formations'. Unimaginative and dull. Stymied by worthless rules and lacking creativity. Even worse… budgets," Everheart grimaced. "Besides, your allies can't come save your ass right now. They're busy."

"Then I'll simply break out with force!" Hans roared. He launched himself across the space of the formation- somewhere around ten kilometers across- targeting the opposite Everheart. There was another great explosion but…

"I told you," Everheart said. "My formation is invincible." He held his head high.

The various projections began to slowly drift towards each other, limiting the area Hans could move. He attacked wildly, targeting every projection or random points in between. One of them caused Everheart to flinch. The saint of light had nearly accidentally stumbled upon the actual trick behind his 'unbreakable' formation.

But it was too late now. He'd already expended too much energy attacking Xankeshan, and Everheart had come in fresh. Each projection pulled out the best weapons Everheart had. The best he'd ever collected of every type, except for the bow… and the sword. Every projection narrowed in on the saint of light at once, attacking with diverse techniques yet with perfect coordination. Because while Everheart couldn't stand teamwork, he could at least deal with himself for a short time.

A flash of light… and two figures remained. The saint of light with half a dozen weapons sticking out of him, and Everheart himself. It was unfortunate to lose the rest of his projections, but he didn't mind too much. He chopped off the saint of light's head and tossed it into a convenient orbit, then began retrieving his weapons. And the saint of light's storage bag, of course. Hopefully he had a functional key to the deeper vaults.

Chidi was far too busy fighting to notice other battles happening in the skies above. The sword cultivators of the Exalted Quadrant were far too diverse to handle carelessly. Unlike the Harmonious Citadel, he did not know all of their moves ahead of time. Thus, he had to survive and adapt. It was fortunate that most of them were focused on the grandmaster. If they wanted to stand even a shadow of a chance against her, that was the way things had to be. But Chidi was still greatly outnumbered, including by some who should be his technical match based on their cultivations.

He should lose this battle, by the numbers. He knew it. There was only so much his blade could do to elevate him. But the very confidence that they were going to win was what allowed him to cut down cultivator after cultivator. None of them individually thought they would be the one to bring him down. Or even if they did, it was merely passing fancy. They simply didn't believe it.

But was that enough to win? No, it was not. Chidi had to pull out every trick he had. Even as he cut down cultivators, he moved in such a way to use the energy of the group against them. It was a great many things to keep track of, but such it was with all formations. The changing nature of it was only normal. And in a way, the very skill of the enemy worked against them in the form of consistency, if not predictability. They would vary their attacks so he couldn't exactly predict them, but he could at least count on them to try to attack from a certain area and shift the flow of energy there. He couldn't force them to create the remains of a formation solely on their own, instead fulfilling that role with each slash of his sword as he took down enemies.

He constantly searched for dangers, allowing minor injuries to avoid greater. And that sometimes meant lesser organs being impaled when he couldn't let a blade slip between them. He had several swords still in him, causing him to wince every time he tensed his muscles. But as much as it hurt him, their owners were worse off. Chidi could see why Chikere would wish to use more swords. It was inconvenient to have them sticking into him. And he could pull them out with a bit of energy… but that would alter the flow too much all at once. Especially since some of them were now part of his cultivations.

But he had to fight. It wasn't just for his former comrades who had risked their lives to gain ground on the Harmonious Citadel. This was Xankeshan. His home where he was born. Where he'd been raised by his parents. Where he had met his dearest friend Aconite. And he would defend it to his last breath. Or preferably the last breaths of his enemies.

Chapter 729

Everyone was able to feel the death of the saint of light. While much of the battle had been cut off from their senses due to Everheart's self-formation, the aftermath had been pretty clear. For one side, morale increased greatly. For the other, it plummeted like a rock. Whether that had been a factor at all in Everheart's choices was unclear. He no doubt understood morale, but he might not care.

The battle turned from a confident assault to chaos in a few moments. The first to turn away were the ships from the Exalted Quadrant. First a few of them, then every ship outside the barrier. Instead of chasing after them, the local fleets shifted their focus to the remaining Harmonious Citadel forces. However, the Harmonious Citadel remained firm for a few moments longer. With three Augmentation cultivators against two, they were still at an advantage.

That was until the Scarlet Alliance fleets began approaching… and Everheart turned his gaze upon the three remaining. The first to turn to flee was Eterna, the shield cultivator. She was followed shortly by the unnamed replacement for the morningstar saint. Abhilash the axe saint was just a bit slow… and in that moment he found his retreat cut off by Zazil and Tauno.

For her lack of bravery, the shield saint ran head first into Everheart. Unable to block attacks from all angles at once and already fatigued, he quickly finished her off. The other fleeing Augmentation cultivator drew Everheart away, but had no hope of outpacing him.

Abhilash knew surrender wouldn't result in his survival, but he wasn't able to put up a fight for long. He was brought down when the fleets focused on him- the rest of the enemy forces taking every opportunity to retreat. While they might have feared punishment by their own sect, that was only true if they weren't guaranteed to die… and if the sect had a future. Without Augmentation cultivators, there was no chance of that. The most devoted had already given their lives in the conflicts, and the rest were happy to cut and run.

After Tauno's spear pierced through Abhilash while Zazil simultaneously chopped his arm off, they gathered his body and the saint of light's orbiting head, dropping through the barrier to help deal with the remaining forces inside. Including the dagger saint, who was being tracked by Catarina.

The calm after the battle was a time of exhaustion for all, but they couldn't relax right away. While they were confident the enemy forces were fleeing, Everheart hadn't gone far. Rahayu was still around as well, though he didn't approach to speak with them.

The Scarlet Alliance's fleets remained at a cautious distance when Everheart returned. He landed directly on the barrier, walking around in an odd pattern as he tapped on it with his toes. Before anyone could approach to ask him what he wanted, he left- Rahayu following. And this time, they were certain he left the system as the Everheart detectors picked up his trajectory.

Chidi lay next to his father in the emergency ward. Chidi personally thought he would be out of commission for a few years. He might not even be able to train for most of that. But what was a few years, compared to the vast experience of fighting such a battle? It wasn't just reckless confidence that led him to assist the grandmaster with her bait. It had helped ease the pressure inside of Xankeshan's barrier, preventing them from being able to effectively assault most of the important locations.

The one exception was where his father had gotten injured. He'd fought an Augmentation cultivator, apparently. The poison from her attacks was mostly dealt with, but he was unconscious now.

Aconite came into the room, sniffing her way around. Chidi would recognize that sound anywhere, and the clacking of her claws as well. "They would not let me in immediately since I was healthy… and they don't know how to treat me anyway," she growled her complaints to Chidi.

He reached out his hand, and the fact that she let him put his hand on her head meant there probably wasn't poison in her fur at the moment. "Thanks for the backup. I couldn't have dealt with all of those people at once."

"Of course. I would not abandon you." Aconite made her way around the bed, sniffing. Then she bit Timothy's side.

"What-"

She tore apart bandages and stitched together skin, reaching with her energy. Chidi could tell she didn't have any ill intent, so he waited for her to finish and explain. Though when some black goop came out along with his father's blood, the explanation was clear enough. A few licks from Aconite and some powder from one of her many pouches stopped the bleeding.

"A new poison," Aconite said. "And it would not be good for the remnants to stay inside him, either."

She curled up between their beds, and Chidi settled back to sleep.

Prasad and the One Thousand Palms Sect, along with the delegation from the Scarlet Alliance, escorted the Trigold Cluster fleet to the edge of Harmonious Citadel territory. From there, it was no longer their responsibility. All they could do was wait- and watch.

During that time, messages crossed each other. Responses to the incoming fleets came with news of Exalted Quadrant forces and the attack on Xankeshan. Ultimately everything settled down soon after that.

The spies set to follow the Trigold Cluster fleet reported only an approach to Rouhiri- including a short raid where it seems they captured the second saint of light. Prasad had no reason to stop them from leaving, and Hoyt and the others had to reluctantly accept the Trigold Cluster's presence as they escorted them back out. While they would ultimately be enemies given the Trigold Cluster's activities in the lower realms, starting conflict at the moment was unnecessary and foolish.

What they did not realize was that there was another guest aboard on the return trip. A particular individual who had remained behind, ostensibly to support the second light element cultivator among the Harmonious Citadel. But the individual known as Tuva came along willingly the instant the new opportunity arose.

In the lower realms, Anton received information as it came. The war was finally over, after many decades. But while he was relieved, he knew that peace couldn't reign forever. At the very best, the lower realms would have until the next cycle. And their cohorts in the upper realms would have to act before then. But that was an awfully long time away still, more than five centuries. So many things could change before then. There being no other conflicts would either be a miracle, or mean that they stood by and watched wars happen without interfering. And while that was sometimes the correct option, Anton knew there would be many more conflicts.

But still, for the first time in half a century, both the upper and lower realms were at peace. Or at least the little slice that contained the One Hundred Stars and the cultivators ascended from their little region. The Trifold Alliance… and a few from the Sylanis Cluster that chose to join them. Now if only the state in the lower realms would ever move beyond reluctant trade partners. But perhaps Anton shouldn't desire anything to come about with haste. If it took another century, so be it.

The time came for Anton to return to In'istra, but instead of making the trip alone he was joined by a coalition of others. They were headed to many disparate locations. First was a delegation to the twin planets. Though the alliance was rather distant from them, it was still less than an eighth of the distance to In'istra. Xicil was left alone, given the clear isolationist intent of the desert planet. Though Anton did drop by to check that things indeed continued to go well for them.

The main group of ships continued on with Anton but was not going to visit In'istra. Instead, they were taking the lengthy trip to visit two separate locations. These were not expeditions taken lightly- despite Anton having traveled the path several times, it was a serious commitment of time and resources for most to go so far.

First was a small group that wished to study Azun up close. Pulsars were of great interest to the scientific community, after all. The fact that the neutron star was also a magnetar made it of even greater interest. Matija was leading a team that planned to study it for at least a few decades, which required special preparations to sustain the crew without being able to stop for supplies, except in some cases fuel. Though they would not be lacking in natural energy, as long as they could avoid being overwhelmed by the star even at a distance.

Then there was another delegation heading for Aipra. If they could manage to actually reach the planet, Anton would introduce them. Based on the information Anton had brought them, they gathered various techniques- and pieces of simple technology- that might allow improvements for the lives of those situated there. In return, all they wanted was the opportunity to study a rogue planet within subspace. It was a bit of a risk, though the language barrier should at least have been solved. There was simply the question of whether the sudden presence of outsiders would cause strife. They might have to leave immediately even if they managed to find it. Then there were the 'natural' dangers of the distortion beasts.

Shortly after Chidi was discharged from the hospital- his health was stable and as a cultivator he could function well enough even with his injuries- Chikere came to find him. It was both expected and unexpected. The grandmaster was sort of a hurricane.

"I'm not really in a state to train right now," Chidi said.

"I know. I don't know if I can teach you much else anyway. Not with our styles as they are," she grinned. "You need to grow on your own for a while. But I'll be back."

"... Back?" Chidi asked. "You're going somewhere?"

"Yeah. I'm going to study the styles of the Exalted Quadrant."

"But isn't that enemy territory?"

"They don't know that. And even if they did, they couldn't all know that. It's a big place!" Chikere held her arms out wide, gesturing with two swords as she did so. "They won't notice one more person."

"You think people won't notice you?" Chidi laughed.

"They will eventually. But they might appreciate me, you know? It's not like I'm going there to kill them. I'm just going to train with their sword cultivators and we can learn from each other, exchanging pointers."

"Until some sect gets mad at you and you kill them all."

"Please," Chikere shook her head. "I wouldn't kill them all."

"Unless they all attacked you at once," Chidi said. "Which they might, if you're on sect grounds. I know you wouldn't hunt them down if they left you alone, but…"

"It'll be a good experience," Chikere said. "Fighting so much against the Harmonious Citadel… I'll get rusty, you know?"

"At least bring a communicator. And pay attention to it!" Chidi demanded.

"Sure," Chikere shrugged. "But I don't know why you'd need to say anything."

"That's the point! There might be an emergency. We might need you. Or you might need us." Chidi frowned, "Also, stay away from Everheart. I know Rahayu's with him for some reason but-"

"Grandmaster Rahayu and I are on good terms," Chikere said. "But being apart will be good for the next time we meet and train together." Which was the polite way to say trying to kill each other, Chidi imagined. Chidi had only heard about the former master-student pair's interactions, but they weren't known for holding back. And that was from the perspective of someone who had almost died to Chikere's training while she was holding back. "I don't know what he intends to get from that guy, but I'd rather not have competition at the moment anyway. The galaxy is large enough for our paths to diverge for a while."

"When will you be back?" Chidi asked.

"If I make it back, probably after Augmentation," Chikere said confidently.

"That's… uh…"

"No more than a century or two," Chikere said.

Chidi just shrugged. What was he to expect? He'd barely lived half a century himself, but cultivators often turned out like her… at least in superficial ways. Time didn't mean much to them. At least when she came back he should have had enough time to reach Integration, but he would still be a stage behind. Chidi definitely didn't miss the if she came back part. She was going there to advance her cultivation, or die. And he really didn't expect anything different.

Chapter 730

The question of what to do with the Harmonious Citadel was a complicated one. Obviously the sect itself would be dissolved. Without the saints they had no ability to resist the Scarlet Alliance, or even the One Thousand Palms Sect alone. Their enemies also included numerous smaller sects who had been too timid to join the Scarlet Alliance. In addition, the veil of propaganda they had erected was crumbling for decades and finally disappeared entirely. Before their territory could even be fully occupied, they were tearing themselves apart. Anyone who had access to vaults plundered them, either fleeing with their wealth to start anew further afield, or hoping that it would buy them amnesty or a position within the Scarlet Alliance.

When Zazil and Tauno finally arrived on Rouhiri, they were surprised to find the main vaults mostly intact. Between the Citadel's own members and the Trigold Cluster they had assumed it would be fully looted. With an abundance of caution the formation experts with them slowly dismantled the defenses until they could reach the innermost parts. There they found… very little. Except for a note.

"What remains is your portion- Everheart"

The once vast vaults were nearly empty, but after some careful investigation it became clear that much of the wealth had been drained from the vaults over a longer period of time. What traces they could find indicated that Everheart probably took more than half of what remained- and potentially everything from the most well sealed vaults- but much of it had been spent already. Many cultivation materials were consumed on use, while various currencies worked just as expected. That wealth was simply distributed in the areas it had been spent.

Raiding planets and cities to plunder their wealth was outside of the accepted structure of the Scarlet Alliance, so they would have to make up for the expenses of war the old fashioned way… by occupying and taxing what remained.

Tauno folded his arms in front of him. "Ah well. Stuff isn't much good unless you wrestle it off a beast with your own hands."

Zazil rolled her eyes. "Unlike your sect, most of us could use that wealth. Ironically, I think the local cultivators will benefit from our takeover more than we earn. The strict rules of the Harmonious Citadel forced many to practice unsuiting cultivation methods and techniques. With access to a wider range of options, most will perform better."

"There could be so many promising disciples to snatch up," Tauno grinned.

Vari had imagined that during the final portion of the war she would have engaged in direct conflict with the saints, on equal footing with them. Instead, she fought on the periphery. Without special conditions set up like with the spear saint, she wasn't able to fight them head on. She could only watch as Everheart took down the saint of light… though it was rather satisfying to see him finally collapse.

But just like that, from a stalemate to a small number of victories to eliminating the remaining majority of the enemy leadership all at once, the war was over. And with it, not only her motivation but also a good portion of her cultivation. Her method for Integration was to steal devotion from the saints, but aside from extreme edge cases there wasn't much of that floating about.

It wasn't just her future advancement that she was concerned about, Vari was fairly certain that her cultivation would begin to decline soon enough. The question was whether she cared. Should she just let it? If it faded away completely, could she cultivate something else?

The One Hundred Stars was an appealing method, and her friends had already been quite open with sharing information with her. It would be easy enough to swap over, she imagined. Sure, it might take a half century of effort… but she'd spent longer than that at the peak of Life Transformation.

But something about that didn't feel quite right. Because while she wasn't part of the Harmonious Citadel anymore, she still felt a connection to them. In fact, she shared more with them now than since she had her revelation about the truth. Millions of disciples- especially practitioners of the holy harmony technique- were only just learning snippets of reality. The saints were not immortal, and certainly far from perfect. The same with the cultivation method, split into two specifically to suppress some and empower others.

There would be countless individuals from every planet under their rule that were lost and confused. And perhaps Vari could provide a little bit of stability and understanding to them. If only she knew more. What could she offer but a now defunct alternative? She didn't know. But she resolved herself to find out.

As Anton rode through subspace with a relatively small fleet, his nervousness continued to grow. If his calculations were off, they might never find Aipra again. It wasn't simply a matter of its energy signature being merely that of a rogue planet without a star to serve as a guide, but detection grew more difficult because it was in subspace. So they could only set themselves on a course and hope they approached it.

They were supposed to have encountered it yesterday. Now they were following a search pattern through the area that would make them more likely to cross its path, but Anton could have been off on any number of things. Its relative velocity, the direction of that velocity, and how it was changing or might yet change. In the vast distances of space, being off by a fraction of a percent could be enough. And Anton couldn't be sure how wrong he'd been.

It was even more concerning to him because of the expense of the expedition. It was more than a year's journey even at superlight speeds, and that was time that each and every individual that came along could not get back. Centuries of time wasted, and hopes dashed. Anton's level of insight didn't help, because even if people were not disappointed in him specifically, he could still feel their feelings in general.

But then the sensors picked something up. Or rather, a young technician did. "I found something!" he called out. "You see, there's a slight distortion. This is the third time it has come up in as many days."

Anton closed his eyes and nodded. "Their cultivation."

"Well… maybe." The young man shrugged. "But we'll find out soon enough. We're less than a tenth of a lightyear away!"

That was indeed fairly close. It was still a thousand times the distance of the outermost planets from most systems to their stars, but it was still fairly close. It also made Anton realize how close he had to have come to Aipra to have a chance of sensing it accidentally.

A few hours later and they were actually able to sense the planet directly, and a few course corrections and a few more hours after that and they were approaching the planet, close to entering orbit between the planet and their moon.

Anton left the fleet behind as he approached the planet. He had general permission to return, and had talked about this particular possibility with Nalini. But people's minds could change, even with just a few years passing. And while Nalini wasn't likely to die of anything short of a distortion beast attack- infighting was quite unlikely given how important each cultivator was- it was still possible. If they didn't want anyone around, it was better to hear that directly and leave. And if they were still willing to accept them, they would still want some time to prepare for visitors, both mentally and physically.

He landed back on the peak nearby Nalini's city. Then he fired a few revelatory arrows at the city's barrier, not enough to cause any damage but enough to get the attention of the right people. Soon enough he felt Nalini's aura extending towards him.

Anton likewise reached out, and they exchanged a few words through the connection. "You returned," the old woman's voice came with a measure of surprise. It took him a moment to get back into the flow of the language he'd only used for a short time.

"I said I would, if I could."

"And I believed that you wished to," Nalini replied. "But perhaps not that it was possible."

"I did have a year of measurements." And they almost weren't enough. But rather than saying that, he waited for her to get closer so that they weren't effectively shouting at each other. It wasn't difficult for him at the moment, but she had to conserve her energy in general and Anton was once more keenly aware he was far from his stars.

When she finally was close, Nalini continued. "There is no benefit for you here."

"I will have to disagree," Anton said. "Both morally and practically. Because helping others is good for all. And my specific brand of cultivation gets along quite well with aiding others."

"Perhaps," she shrugged. "But you would certainly receive more benefit from the populous planets you spoke of, with many billions of individuals."

"It almost sounds like you don't want me here," Anton grinned.

"I just don't understand. We help each other because we must. I do not believe it is possible for us to provide anything for you in turn."

"Perhaps not. I will admit that other planets could ultimately benefit me in the looming war against the upper realms. But you may benefit my allies with knowledge."

"What could we tell that would be of use?"

Anton shook his head. "I think it's more what they could learn. You have only lived here, but you must realize how much of an exception this place is. At least from our perspectives. Each insight gained in the pursuit of knowledge could be key… or it could be unimportant. But we'll never know until we learn it. Either way, I have a team with me," Anton gestured. "And we would like permission to land… somewhere. They should be self-sufficient in terms of food, with only a marginal amount of natural energy used. Either way, I also translated some things for you."

He pulled out numerous volumes. They ranged from simple things like farming techniques- which had to be repurposed for the lack of heat- to cultivation insights and various more advanced technological options. Because while Aipra was lacking in most resources, it was still a planet that could make use of machines. They simply lacked the spare manpower to develop such things.

"Copy and distribute them as you please," Anton said. "As much or as little as you wish to make use of." He handed them over to Nalini before receiving a decision. Because while the information might make her more favorably inclined towards them, he didn't want to use it as direct bargaining leverage. If they were unwanted, it was better to leave. "I forgot to mention, it is possible for the team to stay on your moon as well. If you don't want them mingling with your populace."

"That would certainly be best until all of Aipra can get used to the idea."

Ultimately, it was decided that they would make attempts to see what would happen. Anton imagined he would be traveling back and forth between Aipra, In'istra, and Azun more than a few times in the coming years. And while it seemed like quite a long way from home, he thought that it was actually better to expand their knowledge about further areas. And perhaps they could learn how far the influence of the upper realms really spread.

Anton would stay for at least a few days to make certain communication was going smoothly. More than that, he wanted official calculations on the trajectory of Aipra from proper computers. Though he was a bit old fashioned, even he could pull out a device and let it direct him towards a point in space. Though usually such devices were intended for outside of subspace, the utility remained.

Chapter 731

For people who weren't Anton, approaching Azun was a bit of a tricky prospect. Its rapid spinning required it to be approached from the correct angle to avoid the beam of radiation it was spewing out. But that very power was what made it most interesting to research. Anton remained nearby while Matija and her crew approached, though for the moment they were just remaining towards the edge of the system.

"I'm amazed you can actually approach that," Matija said. "Even with it bound to you."

"Does a sun hurt itself?" Anton asked.

"Debatably," Matija grinned. "And the point still remains… cultivators can hurt themselves with their own energy if they're careless."

Anton nodded, "Well, the good news is that I have performed an unintentional experiment where I approached a star while lacking consciousness." He rapped his knuckles on his replaced ribs. "It doesn't affect me. Though it did destroy everything else. When I am conscious, I can protect anything on me."

"It would get pretty awkward otherwise," she said. "So you said you can actually approach Azun, right? And escape its gravity well?"

"It does not hold me. Or perhaps I use its energy to escape its grasp," Anton shrugged.

"We can always use more data on Assimilation cultivators, if you're willing to demonstrate."

"As long as it is helpful to you. But I think for most cultivators, you won't be able to provide a necessary amount of personal insight."

"Not for many, certainly," she admitted. "But for some. And for what we can learn from a more technological perspective."

"It is amazing what can be done without energy," Anton said.

"Not really…" Matija shrugged. "It doesn't use natural energy, sure, but it still requires power and to get anything close to the efficiency of powerful cultivators takes a long time of development."

"But the benefits can be distributed to many…" Anton nodded. "It's good. As long as our enemies don't learn to use it."

"It's simple. We just keep manuals on the shelves of every ship, and they'll never learn it."

Anton raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Because if it is unsealed and without fancy ornamentation, it can't be important."

Anton laughed. "A fair point. But I doubt that would last forever. Actually, the real issue is what happens in the upper realms. They have a wider spread of influence already, but not using technology would be giving up that possible advantage. I just hope it stays away from those who would invade us in the next cycle."

"It's so far away," Matija said. "But I suppose we can't afford to be careless. Now, that demonstration, if you could."

Anton nodded. "Very well. I can show you a few things. Make sure your recording devices are ready."

With that, he approached Azun. It was so extremely tiny for a star, but that only made it more intense. Anton truly admired how even a dead star wielded so much power. It was almost a form of reincarnation. He thought about that for a few moments. He had no desperate desire to continue living, but it would certainly be useful if he came back after he died. But perhaps he was already in such a state after having achieved Assimilation. He wasn't physically smaller, but his energy was certainly denser. Well, he could decide whether to pursue such a path in the future.

For the moment, he just stopped at about the distance a larger star would reach. The gravity would have been fairly manageable for him if he wasn't attuned. The flashes of power from the spinning pulsar and the powerful magnetic fields made him tingle as he approached to stand on its surface.

A neutron star was much different from others. The extreme density meant that even at monumental temperatures it was solid on the outside. Anton could have stood upon other stars he was bound to, but it wouldn't be the same.

He walked all around it. It was a fairly short walk, a normal human being able to walk the full circumference in two days if one ignored the gravity and other factors that would kill them. But the absolute distance was barely a factor. With power gained directly from the star, Anton took a leisurely stroll where he circumnavigated it within an hour.

And for the sake of his own practice and demonstration, he practiced some archery, shooting off vaguely in the direction of the upper realms. His energy would disperse before it even got close to a nearby system, and he lost control long before that. Even if he wasn't aiming for anything in particular, his absolute limit on control was not sufficient to exist on the scale of lightyears. Not yet, at least.

In'istra was just a short journey away. Anton had plans for meeting with various individuals, but Varghese was at the top of the list. He was the local sect head, after all. His power was starting to actually embody that dignity. His cultivation was comfortably resting in Life Transformation, and it would be some decades before he could even be expected to reach the peak even at the quickest rate. Anton himself had spent over seventy years in the stage, and that was considered quite rapid.

"Sect Head," Varghese greeted him as he approached.

Anton nodded. "Good to see you, Branch Head Varghese. I hope everything has been going well?"

"There were some issues, but nothing that would have required you. I didn't forget the communication device you left for me."

"That's good to hear," Anton nodded, "But you could have said hello."

"The same with you," Varghese replied.

Anton grinned, "Fair enough. The only news I have for you I thought best to deliver in person. I gave up my position as the head of the One Hundred Stars on Ceretos," Anton held up a hand. "But it is not a bad thing. Instead, it is an acknowledgement of your efforts, and hopefully those of others in the near future. I don't want one planet or system to be considered a controlling interest in sect affairs, when it comes time. I would prefer to promote unity without an unnecessary hierarchy." Anton held out another communicator. "This is a direct line to Sect Head Vincent. I told you of him, of course. And you can still speak to me, if you need advice of any kind. But he will have a different perspective for you to draw from."

Varghese nodded seriously, "So your position is now…?"

"Effectively the same, but now I am able to officially move about without causing so many wrinkles. I intend to guide the various branches of the sect, and found new ones."

"Good," Varghese said, then looked down at his hand. "Are there only two branches?"

"All of the Trifold Alliance is currently under the same authority, and mainly focused on Ceretos."

"But you have visited many other systems, haven't you? What of them?"

"You think I should have official branches everywhere?"

"Why not?" Varghese asked. "You are the best thing to have happened to Aspin, and likely In'istra as a whole. At least in living memory. We have been able to rebuild because of your instruction and guidance. But what I appreciate the most now is how you relied on me to shape the local sect."

"I wouldn't wish to ruin the local culture," Anton said. "There are some things that are required, and the rest is personal taste. Without the moral core, great cultivation could become worse than nothing. But I am not here to dictate bureaucracy." Anton grinned slightly, "Just how you grow your crops."

Varghese laughed, "Learning from those who have come before is the whole point. And I truly think you should establish branches wherever you can."

"Well, I can't say that my opinion on the matter hasn't shifted at all. I am open to the idea, though I intend to remain somewhat more conservative. If I go about things the wrong way, my presence and all of my teachings could be rejected to the point of people trying to do the opposite. I could not bear causing more harm than good."

"You have the experience," Varghese said. "But I can tell you how things have been from my perspective. It is rare to have someone who chooses to help without wanting to take more in return. And I know your feeble excuses about devotion and the like."

"I would just like to remind you I am not perfect. In fact, as one of the branch heads it is your job to keep me in line should I stray."

"In that case…" Varghese stroked his chin. "You will have to remain on the proper path for quite some time. I am not yet strong enough to keep you in check."

"Vincent can help," Anton grinned. "Now then, how have things been here? Any invader spies?"

"They appear to have been well and truly eradicated. The sea beasts are proving to be a constant source of struggles but even that…" Varghese shrugged. "Well, it is good for global unity. Especially without any specific individuals blocking communication between groups, we have regular hunts that are almost festivals."

"Good to hear. So no enemies…?"

"There will always be some who don't like any particular sect," Varghese shook his head. "We have plentiful allies and less official friends, however. I believe some of that is due to you? Quite a few originated in the Reef of Serenity."

"I was just trying to solve some problems," Anton said. "And the rest came about naturally. Now then… have you had any cultivation hiccups?"

"I do have some questions," Varghese nodded, "Especially about magnetism."

The planet of Poriza. They didn't truly have a star, relying instead on a closer orbit to the mediocre heat of a brown dwarf. They had managed to get by with little light and a modest amount of heat. Taking Varghese's thoughts into account, Anton was considering how and where he would found a branch of the One Hundred Stars. The real issue was not whether he thought he could improve anything at all, but whether it would eventually make them a target for the upper realms. And if it would be worth it given the troubles that would come of that.

But he couldn't make such a decision himself. He had to consult the people who lived there. Though the planet didn't have a huge population, it was more than Aipra. Choosing who he would make first contact with was a tricky question. Disguising his energy had been easy enough last time, but this time he might actually make prolonged contact with some of them.

Within one of the larger cities known as Krosburgh, Anton was drawn to a particular group. Refugees displaced by a war, trying to live and find work in a big city. He pitied them, but that was not the only reason he chose them. There was a specific trio among them he latched onto. A grandfather, mother, and daughter. Botros, Aykorkem, and Nasima in turn. The two women offered their labor as weavers and seamstresses, but were only able to secure temporary work. The grandfather reminded Anton somewhat of himself, too stubborn to admit he was too old for manual labor.

Botros would be the first Anton approached. He wouldn't know if the man would make a good sect head for some time, but Anton had to start teaching somewhere. But before that, he doubted most people would react as well as Varghese to a random man appearing from the sky and giving advice. And Varghese had tried to kill Anton. So Anton needed an excuse to be around. It was simple enough to secure a warehouse and some goods. Anton wasn't the sort of individual who liked trade so much that he would ever become a merchant, but he didn't need to make profit from whatever ventures he had. After quickly establishing himself, he put his plan into motion.

Chapter 732

It barely took any effort at all to set the old fellow Botros up with a series of ever more difficult to move crates. Anton watched as the man pushed himself to his limits, and frankly beyond them in unhealthy ways. It wasn't really fair to require this of him for the promised wages, but Anton didn't intend to leave him with just monetary payment.

"You see now why I needed assistance with this?" Anton asked as he approached the man. He was struggling with a crate absolutely not meant to hold iron bars in it, one with far too much volume for such dense goods. "I can't do all of this on my own." Anton made a show of struggling with another crate- and indeed it was a little bit difficult to move if he completely cut himself off from natural energy. "Maybe I should hire some of those bulky young fellow…" Anton mused.

"N-no," Botros groaned. "I can… do it." It was difficult for an older man such as him to even get consideration for any job, and he seemed to be unqualified for much other than manual labor.

Botros swapped to a different crate, before returning with Anton to look at the one that had stumped him. "If we move it together I think we can accomplish it…"

"With my back?" Anton asked. "I think it's better to not. But if you want to try, I did hear of a little trick. Might take a bit, though."

"What is it?" Botros asked. "I think my stance is fine…"

"If it wasn't, you'd have thrown out your back for certain," Anton agreed. "Let's see… what was it…" Anton frowned. "First, take your stance. Concentrate, not on what you intend to lift, but your own body." Anton was actually slightly conflicted. If Botros was a few decades younger, he might have tried to set him up with something like Western Steel Body. He actually seemed quite suited to it. However, beginning any sort of focused body tempering method like that would almost certainly lead to disaster at his age. Regular energy cultivation could still cripple the man- especially with the mediocre natural energy levels in the area- but Anton could help with that. "Feel the pulse of blood in your body, the twitching of your muscles. Breathe deeply, drawing in from all around you."

Botros had wasted no time, not waiting for Anton to finish. Anton was wondering how to make excuses for his knowledge and how to explain the last steps… but he seemed to get it. Anton did flood the area with extra natural energy, but when Botros absorbed some of it he naturally channeled it into his muscles. Anton would need to play around with his tasks so he would form a proper foundation instead of directly transitioning to muscle tempering, but Anton could also show him a proper cultivation manual when he asked about it.

For the moment, however, Botros managed to lift the crate that was just beyond the edge of his muscle and pure willpower. Some of the natural energy would be consumed for the task, while the rest would augment his muscles in the long term. Except it would also tire out the old man.

"It's about time for lunch," Anton announced. "Come on then."

"Don't need any," Botros said stubbornly. "I'll keep working here."

Anton shook his head, "You won't know where I want that stuff. You'll just have to move it again. Come on then." Anton knew the man had no lunch, as he led him into a side room that was barely an office, previously lit by a smoky torch before Anton came about. He spread out the food on the table between them as Botros sat down. "Ah, look at that. Packed too much food again. I guess it's stale bread for dinner again, can't just waste it…" Anton looked at Botros. "Or you can help me eat it. That way I don't feel guilty and can get something better for dinner."

"I did not think one of your stature would be concerned about waste…" Botros said slowly, clearly interested in the food.

"You don't grow wealth by wasting money," Anton said as he pushed some of it towards Botros. "Speaking of which, you'll work faster with some of this in you. I'm sure you'll work up enough of an appetite by evening to still eat with your family."

The man took Anton's offer, perhaps in anticipation of his stomach growling. Anton shared bread, meat, cheese, and vegetables with him. All with small traces of natural energy. Partly because Botros' body wouldn't be able to stand more, and partly because there really wasn't much better available.

He worked the old man's muscles in various ways for the rest of the afternoon, and sent him home early with the promised wages. For the first days- perhaps even months- Botros would be exhausted as his body got used to the changes happening. And if Anton let him continue to work, he would hurt himself.

He protested, of course, but Anton drove him up with something about having other business. But even if the day wasn't quite done, the man knew he needed the full wages and couldn't refuse that part no matter what his pride might have said.

Even in the afternoon, Krosburgh was dim. Part of that was the size of the buildings shading its streets, and part of it was their lack of a proper sun. Even from a close orbit, the brown dwarf didn't bring enough light to Poriza.

Anton kept his senses on Botros until he was certain the man went 'home', a communal flophouse where the other members of his family crowded together with others. He stopped to buy food on the way, and Anton was glad he purchased enough for three. Perhaps Botros also couldn't stand to let his family see him not eat.

Though Anton had other business around the area to take care of eventually, that evening he drew away to a further distance. He was still uncertain what he intended to do, but to have all of the options available he needed to gather data.

First, the brown dwarf was right on the edge of being a proper star. With just ten or twenty percent more mass, it should sustain fusion inside of itself and become a red dwarf. At that point, its luminosity would increase at least tenfold, and its temperature would nearly double. If that were to happen it would make Poriza uninhabitable, though there was no risk of it happening accidentally. The orbits of the planets were stable, with no large masses that could crash into the pseudo star.

But it didn't have to be an accident. The question remained whether it was a good idea, but Anton had the feeling he could do it. All he would have to do was crash one of the less interesting planets into the star. At the same time, to avoid unfortunate circumstances, he would have to push Poriza further away and slow its relative motion to settle it into a new orbit. The difficulty came with that, because he couldn't do it slowly. If he changed the planet's orbit too soon, many people would die. Too late, and everyone would die. And for what, a little natural energy? Or a lot of it. There was a fundamental difference in what the planet would receive from the star, even with it being further.

The fact that he was considering it at all was an extreme. It would be incredibly difficult, not least because Anton wouldn't be at full power. He could tell that binding to the brown dwarf as it was would not empower him, if it worked at all. So he would have to rely on energy coming in from his other stars. Azun was close enough for him to feel its power, but he would need more. And Anton had no idea if it was a good idea even if he did it perfectly. He was already hesitant about uplifting the planet through the addition of the One Hundred Stars. But having a strong faction that operated with morals would ultimately result in good things for them. And they could improve the natural energy of the world in small ways, even if Anton did nothing extreme.

"Are you sure you're alright to go back tomorrow, father?" Aykorkem asked Botros.

"Of course," the man said stubbornly. "I promised my son to take care of the two of you. For that, I need money, and to get money I need to work."

"But you can barely stand…" she said. "At least let us go with you."

"No, you need to keep looking for work suited for your strengths," Botros said. "Which is not lifting crates."

"I can help, though," Nasima said. The young woman leaned forward eagerly. "I'm stronger than a lot of the boys."

"Not strong enough," Botros said. "Besides, this fellow said the job is short term. I'll be done with it soon enough. I'll get my pay as we need." With that, the discussion was settled for the evening.

It was actually a surprise to Anton when the young woman snuck after her grandfather to show up at the warehouse. He'd picked this family because of their drive, of course, but it was still a show of great boldness.

She had excellent timing as well, keeping just the right distance behind her grandfather. He entered the warehouse and she slipped in the door behind him. "I'm here for the day's work, sir."

"Good," Anton said. "Start with the ones along that wall." Anton wondered if Botros would notice that he'd taken crates out of the core of one area. Not that most were so recognizable individually. After Botros went off, Anton was left there looking at the young Nasima peeking around the corner of some crates. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Um… I- I heard you needed some strong fellows to help you in your warehouse," she said, puffing herself up as large as possible and flexing. Her clothes were such that she could be mistaken for a young man by some.

Anton could feel she had some actual muscle but… "Too scrawny," he declared.

"I'm stronger than I look!" she protested. "Just let me try."

"Well… I suppose I can. This other fellow can show you the ropes. I doubt you can move much, but if you can manage to move these," Anton pat a mid sized and not too densely packed crate. "I can pay you half wages." He grinned. "Hey Botros!"

Nasima's eyes widened. "Umm, actually I-"

But it was too late for her. Botros was swift to answer Anton's call. "Yes, sir?" he said, making his way over. Then he saw Nasima. "You…"

Anton interrupted whatever was going to happen there. "This fellow wants to try the job. You know 'em?" Anton asked. "Kinda scrawny, but I was thinking maybe the young one could move the smaller crates." Nasima tried to look away. Botros frowned. "So, what do you think? You know each other?"

"We do," Botros said.

"What would your judgment be, strong enough?"

"..." Botros' hesitation was a good thing. He didn't immediately say no, at least. He didn't want to discourage his granddaughter, after all. "Might need some explanation of proper technique."

"Alright then," Anton said. "That's your job for today. Good luck with that."

"... What?" Botros asked.

"Just come find me when the young fellow can move a decent crate," Anton gestured. "I have some business to attend to."

Some of that involved sneakily adding lighter crates to the group Botros had been working on while they weren't near that side of the warehouse, and the other was increasing the size of his lunch once again. Meanwhile, he kept some of his senses on the pair. Not because he was worried they would do something or be lazy, but because he wanted to see how the interaction went.

"This isn't a light job," Botros said. "It's likely still best for you to find work elsewhere." Nasima didn't say anything, but also didn't seem ready to back down. "But I suppose you won't. So first thing to do is lift one of these." As she stomped up to the crate, he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "They're not as easy as you'd think," he said. "You have to use proper technique."

First he started with the basic, physical positioning that made it easier. But that wasn't quite enough. Anton didn't have a perfectly weighted crate just lying around, of course. He might have put his finger on the scales a little bit. Either way, Botros tried his best to explain the same meditative use of natural energy Anton had taught him- something he naturally did for the single crate he'd already moved. Nasima didn't quite get it, but Anton still let her lift the crate. He would have some practical advice for them later, but he hadn't expected a youngster to instantly pick up on the mental aspect of things. Though if he wasn't wrong, it shouldn't take more than a day or two to get started.

Chapter 733

There was only so long that Anton would be able to keep up the ruse. Botros would eventually realize that half of the crates in the warehouse remained the same ones, simply being moved around. And then there was the fact that he would be able to sense natural energy in others soon enough.

Most of the actual business Anton was engaged in involved purchasing food and selling it cheaply. If he purchased locally around Krosburgh then he would most likely only raise prices if he worked in large volume, simply moving money from himself to wily merchants. And while it might be worth it to bring food to the right people, that was not his preferred result.

It was simple enough for him to leave the city, staying out of sight and flying around the planet to somewhere with cheaper food. He was careful to only buy from places that had a true abundance, so as not to deprive some while helping others. Then he returned to Krosburgh, where he would sell to grocers who dealt with refugees.

A rather mundane method of making a change in the world, and he knew he could make larger changes with his power. But if he came at things from the wrong angle, his power wouldn't necessarily make things better. How many dictators had Anton heard of who thought they knew the right way? And even if Anton would be right about what was best for everyone in theory, forcing people to go along with him would be bad in practice. People didn't like being told what to do. Instead, he planned for more subtle changes.

Was he technically manipulating people? Certainly. But such went all interactions between people, from the complaining grandchild to the fussy grandparent. People were always trying to get what they wanted from others in ways both subtle and overt. But intentions and actual results made all the difference.

Anton watched as Botros and the young Nasima performed their work, slowly and unconsciously advancing through the first star and the beginning of Body Tempering. He anticipated a strong reaction when they found out he was a cultivator- but they were clearly eager to improve their own situation. Even if they rejected cultivation after the foundational first star, their prospects would be improved.

But Anton's experience told him that most distaste for cultivators came with jealousy, hinging on how they guarded their secrets. Most would be eager to learn if they got the chance. If Anton had misjudged this small family, he would find another. Either way, he intended to expand his influence through the various refugees throughout the city.

Nasima walked down the street, wary of cultivators. Usually she picked them out by their arrogant swaggers. Their manner of dress was also key, along with the fact that they openly carried weapons. She always made sure to stay out of their way. Now, it was even easier. But the same change that made it easier for her to pick them out seemed to draw attention to her. Instead of being ignored completely, eyes lingered on her for a moment. Most cultivators still turned away from her as if she was refuse, but the fact that they paid attention at all concerned her.

They must be able to feel her, the way she felt them. But they were right to dismiss her. Whatever her meager senses could tell her, all of them were clearly far beyond her. Though she found it difficult to compare many of them.

She wasn't sure what had happened to her. She didn't know anything about cultivation, except that it involved natural energy. And refining it, or something. She had heard some speak about luck of the heavens fueling their advancement. Maybe some of that had fallen upon her to spark her initial growth? Cultivators had to have developed their abilities from somewhere, at some point. Or nobody would have been able to write those secret manuals they held so dear. Even torn pages were prized possessions that would take her family years to save up for.

Or rather, years when they had been back home. When her father had still lived. Now she was moving boxes instead of helping her mother with her work as a seamstress… but it paid well. The more she could do, the more Anton paid. And his advice had helped her develop the technique and muscle.

The same with her grandpa… who also felt a little bit like a weak cultivator. Was it something about the warehouse? It seemed fairly normal, except for how many heavy crates it had. Perhaps that simple meditative technique? No, it shouldn't be that. Nasima would admit she knew nothing about cultivation, but from what she had heard it involved spending vast amounts of time sitting around among the clouds in a trance. Or years devoted to swinging weapons about. Cultivators didn't move crates.

She did though. For a good wage, too. Enough to pay for their family's survival, and even to save up for when the job ran dry as the warehouse master always warned. They'd probably have to accept lower paying jobs elsewhere soon enough.

Nasima looked at the crates arrayed in front of her. She recognized some of the markings. They would be heavier. She couldn't just pick them up as she pleased, but instead would have to take them seriously. She looked at one in particular. It was an old nemesis. She wasn't sure why they were moving about so many bricks or the like- and especially in such large crates- but she had no basis to complain. It was a job that paid for a reason.

She took a deep breath as she faced her nemesis. She could feel the fresh air in her lungs, the way it spread through her body. She made sure it went everywhere, especially the tips of her fingers and toes. She had to balance with the latter, and the former were directly used for picking things up.

Nasima hefted the crate, staggering slightly before righting it. Then it nearly fell out of her hands as it bounced back the other way. It took all she had to stop it and wrench it back so it didn't fall over- and then it flew back the other way. It was like it was full of liquid sloshing about. Maybe even wine, but Nasima was fairly certain no bottles could pack tightly enough for it to be so heavy.

She had no way to stop it from falling back the other way, as her hands were positioned all wrong. And yet, somehow she kept a grip on its. As it sloshed back and forth she managed to balance it as if she was wrapping the whole thing in her arms. But every step she took began the process once more, the crate trying to rip itself out of her arms. She couldn't afford to drop it though. Whatever was in this was probably worth more than all the money she'd ever held. Even if it was weirdly cheap wine, if she shattered the bottles then the family savings would be ruined.

She took another breath with every step. Her muscles strained as it forced her entire body to work in tandem just to walk. She breathed in and out, each breath in filling her up with something. It filled her muscles and her gut, but she put it out of her mind. She had to be imagining it, right? She breathed out, but while it lowered some of the pressure in her lungs, the rest of her body continued to strain.

Perhaps she should take a break. Set down the crate along the way. But… if her grandfather saw her doing that she didn't know what she would say. He was here working even harder than her. He was too old to be doing this kind of thing, but it was the kind of job he could find. That was why Nasima was here. If she didn't do her part, what was the point?

With each step, Nasima thought her body might suddenly explode. She was too busy thinking about that to consider that the crate she was carrying almost didn't feel heavy anymore, or that the sloshing liquid inside wasn't throwing off her balance as much.

It was only when she got to the far end that she let herself rest. She felt the aches of her muscles, and only then stopped to wonder why she never hurt in the morning.

Anton nodded slowly as he watched Nasima moving about. Botros had determination, but he was older. His body couldn't stand up to as much change. Most of his energy ended up going to making up for that gap rather than physical improvements in Body Tempering. What wasn't wasted, of course. Anton tried to provide subtle guidance, but he would need to go more in depth with them once they completed the foundational phase. Nasima was very close, and Botros would probably reach the first star after another month or two. Perhaps if they were more aware of what they were doing they would have learned faster, but Anton was unsure given various factors including the limited natural energy.

He did his best to make sure they weren't acting in a way that would injure themselves, of course. And if they only used natural energy instinctively, letting it naturally settle into their body for the most part, it would be better for them in the long run. He intended to push them, not nearly kill them like what he did when he began cultivating. But he hadn't actually intended to live. It was a large part luck that he actually had success.

The next concern Anton had was the mother Aykorkem. It was possible for her to not become involved in cultivation, but Anton still believed that everyone would benefit. That was why once he could speak openly with the family he would have them direct others to him. Anton had direct experience teaching the weaver Derya, and many others involved in the more traditionally feminine labors over the years. There was much that body tempering could do to increase the agility of hands and fingers for any craft.

Beyond that was how not to draw too much attention from local cultivators. Even if they only ever reached Body Tempering, the hundred or so refugees Anton had his eyes on would stand out to local sects. Perhaps he should distract them with something. He could sell them miraculous new techniques for growing herbs, perhaps. He'd already begun to teach average farmers, but there was only so much they could do without cultivation of their own.

There were many things Anton had to keep him busy from day to day. He needed to get some others officially on board so he could pass off some of the responsibility to them. But he could handle things as they were for a while more- and some of his plans would have to be kept to himself for a long time.

The upper realms were slow to act, as in general there were more cultivators at a higher level. Thus, they were older- and to some extent that meant being more cautious. Those who survived for a long time knew how to preserve their lives, either through strength or avoiding the wrong conflicts.

This was more true of the greater power structures. Sects and planetary governments were generally hesitant to act where things would affect them as a whole. This was not always the case, but spontaneous decisions more often than not resulted in very short term control.

Both the Exalted Quadrant and Trigold Cluster had lengthy histories spanning thousands of years. The accord struck between them after the last war had endured centuries, and even now there was debate internally on both sides about what would be done. The rise of the Harmonious Citadel had been a ploy partially orchestrated by the Exalted Quadrant, but now both sides had to determine how much they were willing to risk for one or two Augmentation cultivators. Or more relevantly, whether they were ready to make moves on the Scarlet Midfields.

Both sides could easily come up with excuses to take over more territory. The accord had simply been a convenience they put in place. A temporary peace agreement while they worked on other schemes. But they also had a long history of conflict, and not everyone was willing to ignore the recent events. But whether it took decades or centuries, it was clear that the fallout would come eventually.

Chapter 734

Since he had begun the training for the pair, Anton had always expected Botros to be the first to confront him. Nasima was confident enough to do so, but she had less worldly experience and might not understand the greater implications of what was happening with his cultivation training.

Yet somehow, people always managed to find ways to surprise him. Considering there were two options to pick from, one of them had to be correct, didn't it?

But of course, he'd completely neglected one factor. It was a failure in his judgment, to be sure, but such was the way of the world.

One evening, Anton nodded to himself with pleasure about the progress of his budding disciples. They were doing quite well, especially considering the place they were starting out.

It was impossible for Anton to be physically surprised by someone's presence. He could sense everyone in a wide distance around him without even trying. So when his disciples walked off and the door to his warehouse swung open, he wasn't surprised by the physical act. Just that someone had shown up.

Aykorkem Salim, daughter-in-law of Botros and mother of Nasima, strode into the building with confidence. Or at least an impressive facsimile of it. She made her way right up to Anton and demanded, "What did you do to my family?"

"You'll have to be more clear. I haven't done anything to anyone," Anton said. "And your family would be… Botros and Nasima, I presume? They are my main workers here. Your daughter looks quite like you."

"She's more like her father," Aykorkem replied. "But you will not distract me." She straightened her back. "It would be a dark day indeed when I was unable to recognize cultivators. What did you do to them?"

Anton had no intention to lie to her, especially not when the topic came up so directly. He simply wanted to choose his words carefully. "Everything that has happened to them is under their own efforts. You have a misplaced view of cultivation if you think it can simply be forced upon someone." At best, it would be a temporary boost that injured people afterwards. And Anton was quite certain his two disciples were healthier in all manners.

"So you admit it. How could you?" She glared at him, pressing her finger into his chest.

"I see you have some problems with cultivators," Anton said, gently brushing away her hand. "But perhaps it would be helpful if I knew why?"

A moment of hesitation. Secrecy lost out to anger. "Cultivators killed my husband," Aykorkem declared furiously.

"I am so sorry to hear that," Anton bowed his head. "Many of my children and grandchildren suffered the same fate."

"But you-"

Insight drove Anton to continue, "And I think you are not saying something." He went a bit softer than accusing her of hiding something or lying. "You recognize cultivators without being one yourself. Perhaps even before you family truly understood the signs in themselves. Why is that?"

Aykorkem took a deep breath as she folded her arms across her chest. "My husband… was a cultivator as well."

"Indeed," Anton said. "And he concealed it from you, perhaps?"

Her face softened in surprise. "How do you…?"

"Experience," Anton replied. "Cultivation does more than make someone into a mighty warrior."

"Yes. It attracts trouble."

"Do you truly believe that?" Anton asked. "In my experience, trouble comes no matter what. Cultivation is simply a means to grow to fight against that trouble."

"Fighting is where the trouble is," Aykorkem declared. "Violence breeds violence."

"That is true, to a great extent," Anton conceded. "But I imagine the only difference there would have been if your husband was not a cultivator is that you and your remaining family would not be here."

Aykorkem bit her lip. Hard. "What do you know?"

"I have only heard the stories of many refugees. And I know that I would have died to protect my family, if it would have helped. Without cultivation. But I chose to cultivate to gain the strength to protect whoever was left." Anton gestured around the building, "You can see that I have not been teaching combat here. They've merely been moving my goods around for me and developing their muscles."

"Why?"

This was where he had to be brutally honest. "Because potential disciples aren't much good if their bodies aren't healthy," Anton said. Then he transitioned directly into his pitch. "A strong body is important for more than just feeling good or hard labor. You have the look of a seamstress, perhaps? Fine details are easier to create when your hands obey your precise intent. And tempering your skin can protect against annoying needle pricks."

The mother narrowed her eyes at him. "You sound like you know much."

"I've met with many different people and trained them to develop themselves to suit their specific needs," Anton said.

"Then why not continue with them? Why come here, for us? What happened to the others?"

"Some of them moved away, and others are living quite happily. But I decided to expand my ventures, so I came here quite far from home." Anton had studied Poriza well enough to declare he came from a specific far away place, but he didn't want to directly lie if he didn't have to. "And I'd rather start with decent working folk who have something to gain."

Aykorkem tilted her head. "What is your goal?"

"To promote the growth of my sect. And that is best accomplished through the growth of its members."

"So you say," she replied, clearly not yet convinced.

"How well do you read?" Anton asked.

"Well enough," she said. "... Why?"

"I can show you what I have been teaching your family," Anton pulled out the Body Tempering portion of One Hundred Stars, written for the local language. "This will be more than sufficient to provide an overview."

Aykorkem reached out for it, then recoiled as her hand touched it. "... what is it? It's hot."

"You can feel that?" Anton asked. "It is infused with remnants of my natural energy to keep it in good condition. But it is not actually hot." The woman snatched it from his hands, opening it to a random page. "If you find words you have trouble understanding, there is a glossary at the back."

The book snapped close. She looked Anton straight in the eye. "You want to make warriors of us all."

"I want to make people the best they can be. Unfortunately, the way of the world requires that many learn how to fight to resist those who are already doing so." Anton shook his head. "Those who caused you this pain did not suddenly cease to exist just because they took so much from you."

Aykorkem looked down at the tome in her hands. "And what if they don't want to be your disciples?"

Anton shrugged, "If any of you don't want to, you are welcome to do as you please." He didn't think he needed to provide a warning about despicable behavior. That was part of his initial assessment. The woman turned around to walk out. Still carrying the tome, of course. Anton knew she would read through it even without following her with his senses. "Do be careful with that. It is quite valuable to those who know the worth." He didn't want to have to protect them from someone trying to rob it. He would, but it would make things more complicated.

Anton had purchased a few adjacent parcels of land, a few kilometers outside of Krosburgh. Not so far that there would be no interaction with the city, but not so close as to be immediately noticed when he started doing more than farming. His work with Varghese had indeed resulted in a powerful sect within merely half a century, but Poriza was going to need more work. The lower levels of natural energy meant that cultivation would be slower, until he could bring about some worldwide changes. Farming was how he knew best, but he needed to do more than just go around personally teaching people. He needed influence more than raw power. By this world's metrics, he probably had more raw power than the rest of everyone put together.

But things besides farming would come later. For now, the plots of land would be used to grow a variety of nourishing crops that he would bolster with his own natural energy. From there, he would turn around and sell them to those in need. He wanted to farm energy producing crops, but that would be too much of a jump for the local economy to handle and would also draw too much attention to him too early.

Working with his own hands was something Anton still enjoyed very much. Tilling the earth, planting seeds, watering them, and rooting out weeds. The last of those was a trickier proposition than it seemed at first. During the early stages of growth it was easy to pull up good plants with the weeds. It required careful work. Though with the benefit of energy senses, Anton could see which roots went where and disentangle things as needed. But from the perspective of a normal farmer, it was a difficult job.

The soil in the area Anton had purchased had only been passable, but it turned out that several system's worth of agricultural engineering knowledge had many ways to cheaply develop soil. Some of it required significant manual labor gathering and adding minerals in the right quantities, but that was exactly the sort of thing Anton liked. The soil would be about twice as productive in his hands as it was before- and he was only just getting started.

Nasima and Botros returned for work the next day, so it was clear that Aykorkem had done nothing so extreme as forbid them from showing up. They likely needed the money, after all. While he was paying them a decent amount, part of the extra money they made was spent on food. Anton was thinking about paying them more, but he didn't want to start too high for fear of scaring them off.

The granddaughter was still on the verge of completing the first star. Her success could come about at any moment, after which Anton would need to be more explicit about the training. Improving the whole body for the foundational stage came somewhat naturally, but there were choices to be made following that. No matter what cultivation method was used, it required more than casual continuance of the same patterns.

When Aykorkem returned two days later, Anton smiled slightly. He gave the family as much privacy as he could while watching out for their safety, but he'd still felt the tugs on natural energy. And he could feel the very beginnings of cultivation within the woman.

She came once again after her family had left, knowing well their timing. "Tell me what is wrong with me," she demanded as she approached Anton.

He raised an eyebrow, "I don't particularly see anything wrong with you." Even her somewhat inflated confidence was an endearing quality in some ways. "So, what are you referring to?"

"Botros and my daughter both became stronger very quickly," Aykorkem said. "I can't see such an improvement in myself."

Anton nodded, "That is likely because you failed to apply the association principles. In short, exercise along with the use of natural energy. And I don't mean casual exercise," Anton said. "Look, try one of these crates and you'll know what the two of them are probably complaining about."

"I have not heard any specific complaints," she admitted. Anton was surprised, because even if they didn't do it in front of their boss, a bit of casually complaining around family was normal. But perhaps they didn't wish to cause her any concern. "But I will see what you are talking about."

She was a fairly fit woman- anyone of low status would have to be to survive. Even a woman with her occupations had to do more than just sew all the time, and that was physically demanding in its own ways. She tried to move one of the lightest training boxes, and could do nothing but barely slide it around on the floor. Frowning, she tried another- only to realize it was even heavier.

"If you use the active strengthening techniques, you can likely lift it off the floor," Anton said. "But it's not as if you have any reason to."

That didn't stop her. Unsurprisingly, the drive that had attracted him to this family unit also included a bit of stubbornness. Aykorkem seemed determined to overcome the challenge. Anton felt her breathing in to capture natural energy. He wondered if a few hints would not go awry. No, she would probably have to ask first. She seemed like the type to fight against unsolicited advice, at least until she trusted someone.

Her stubbornness won out, and she eventually slipped her fingers under the crate and lifted. Anton was ready to support her body at any instant if her movements were liable to injure her, but her form was good. Unfortunately, her strength had its limits. The burst of natural energy she used to lift faded away and caused the crate to drop from her hands.

Anton slipped his foot out to catch it. "Not bad," he said. "Are you gunning for a promotion to primary disciple? Because with a bit of work, I think you might make it."

She just folded her arms in front of her- perhaps to soothe her strained muscles while hiding it. "Can you really do anything practical with cultivation?"

"My dear lady, if lifting heavy things isn't practical I don't know what is," Anton grinned. But at the same time he pulled out a needle and thread, along with some cloth. He spun the needle in his fingers. "But I've picked up some techniques over the years you might be interested in seeing."

Chapter 735

Not terribly long after he began properly training Aykorkem, Nasima completed her first star. At that point, the risks of guiding her without her knowing the full truth were too great. And since it seemed difficult to leave just one member of the family in the dark, Anton included the grandfather Botros in the conversation.

"The techniques I've been teaching you over the last months are not simple tricks or manners of exercise," Anton said. "Perhaps you might have already surmised, they are the beginnings of cultivation."

Nasima's response was rather interesting. "Yeah, I thought so," she shrugged.

"And you said nothing?" Botros asked.

"I had no reason to refuse. Besides, it was a good opportunity I didn't want to ruin."

"Hmmn," Botros grunted. "I would have preferred you to be forthcoming," he said to Anton.

Anton nodded, "I can understand that. But I don't know if it would have worked. Imagine yourself as you were. I find you, Botros, looking for work. Perhaps I say this- 'I want you to become a disciple of my sect'. What would you have thought?"

He took a moment to think. "I would have considered it impossible," he admitted. "More than just unlikely. Am I not… already too old? Why choose us?"

"Traditionally, younger disciples are preferred. For good reason," Anton said. "It is certainly easier to begin when you are younger. But I knew it was possible because of experience. I personally did not begin cultivating until I was a hundred years old."

"I see. I thought you were just a bit older than myself but…" Botros frowned. "I have the feeling that's not true."

Anton felt Nasima clumsily trying to feel his cultivation. "He would have to have grown stronger… very rapidly," Nasima said. "I'm not certain I've felt anyone stronger than him in Krosburgh," she said.

"I will teach you some proper techniques," Anton said. "And etiquette. Some cultivators will be offended at you brazenly observing them. You, Nasima, have officially reached the first star. The completion of the first stage of cultivation. Continuing through Body Tempering, you will need to choose between strengthen your meridians, torso, head, muscles-"

"Muscles!" Nasima declared. "I don't know what a meridian is, but I want to make my muscles stronger."

"Finishing the list, there are bones, tendons, skin, and marrow." Anton smiled, "Many people choose muscle, and it is not an incorrect choice."

"What are meridians?" Botros questioned.

"They are the channels through which natural energy flows," Anton said. "You should have some sense of them now."

"You mentioned them first. Are they more important?"

"They are critical to all energy cultivation," Anton said. "But they are also the most difficult. Most delay their cultivation until they have greater experience."

"Most, is it?" Botros asked.

"That is correct," Anton said. "The Order of One Hundred Stars- my sect- places special emphasis on prime temperings. The second and fifth stars, two refinements plus another three, are both part of Body Tempering. In general, I would recommend cultivating meridians for the fifth star."

Botros nodded. "When did you do it?"

"For my second tempering. But I was in a state of desperation. Rushed. I didn't care about the danger. In fact, I might have hoped it would kill me quickly."

"I think I will take your advice," Botros said. "What would you recommend?"

"For you… either muscle, or the organs of the torso," Anton said. "For Nasima, muscle is a reasonable choice. But you don't have to decide right now. And I should point out that you don't have to continue cultivation. But I think you will find it quite beneficial."

"Do we get to fight?" Nasima asked. Her grandfather frowned.

"It would be reasonable to teach you to defend yourselves. But I find it more practical to develop areas of ability in which you already excel. Or in which you wish to. Performing a craft or labor of any sort can be enhanced by cultivation, and smooth out your growth. I myself am a farmer."

"I thought you were a merchant," Botros said.

"I can be both. And I mostly deal in produce."

"So all those heavy crates…"

Anton left the incomplete question unanswered.

"I want to fight," Nasima said. "I mean, so I can protect people. Like dad."

"All of you will learn what you need to in terms of combat," Anton said.

Nasima looked around. "All of us? Wait, is it mom too? I thought I felt her snooping around."

Anton smiled. A decent amount of insight, and making use of her energy senses without real training. Her eagerness for battle might be a problem, but Anton knew he could smooth over any troubles in that area. Either she would naturally come to understand at some point… or become strong enough. And Anton wasn't going to claim that fighting wasn't the ultimate solution for cultivators a majority of the time. He just thought other options should at least be considered first.

The timing was right for Anton to leave for a few weeks- enough to visit nearby systems. And one mysterious rogue planet. He still thought about Aipra regularly, even if he couldn't do much to directly aid them. It had already been confirmed that the teams there could communicate to the outside world- though it took more energy from subspace, and some changes to their equipment.

Other than that, he visited uninhabited stars. Much of his efforts were focused on this region, and he knew they would be for some time. Increasing his number of bound stars in the area would benefit him in terms of travel speed even if he didn't need the combat prowess. He had five available bindings, and planned to fill at least four of them over the next few years. He picked out a nice yellow-white star between Poriza and In'istra for his first in the near region besides Azun.

Years began to flow by as they often did even before he was a cultivator. He slowly recruited other disciples from Krosburgh, doing his best to promote the prosperity of the city even as more refugees came and went. He continued to plant seeds of growth- mostly metaphorically- among the people of Poriza though his focus was on the local branch of the Order. Soon enough all of the Salim family had reached Spirit Building, with Botros the slowest among them. But that should only be expected, as situations like Antons were the exception. That of great natural talent- whatever that was- a furious drive to grow, and enough luck to survive.

During that time, Anton also bound a nearby binary star system that was of some interest. And he kept in contact with Catarina about his potential plans, because of the people he knew she was the most likely to support something so crazy. He also needed practical advice on formations, because he could only know so much. He didn't have the right affinity or time devoted to even compare to lower realms formation masters in the Life Transformation stage.

Aipra. A true anomaly as far as Anton was aware. Now that he was looking, Anton had come across more than a handful of standard rogue planets outside of subspace. But a place like Aipra not only existing in terms of simply having matter to form a planet, but even sustaining life… that was a unique situation. It was unlikely it would ever be known how it truly ended up there, though all of the most likely possibilities involved cultivators. Most likely more than the current populace, or at least higher in power.

It was clear to Anton that Nalini enjoyed his visits. It seemed that cultivators in her position spent much of their time resting for attacks by distortion beasts, or alternating between them. Anton didn't know exactly how many there were, but he'd only seen a handful. There might be a few more he didn't know of at all.

For a planet in such dire straits, it was amazing to produce even a single individual that could reach beyond Life Transformation. The planet made very efficient use of everything they had. It was simply required. They had a cooperative nature because if they hadn't, they would have long been dead.

Even with Anton admitting that many cultivators outside their planet were not devoted to humanity as they knew it, they still accepted him and the teams. The years that had gone by brought with them little visible change. Looking at the metrics, it seemed that specialized farming techniques were producing a few percent more in terms of crops year after year. It could almost be random noise, except that because they kept large emergency supplies they knew very well what was being produced at all times.

Any improvement in overall natural energy would take more than just a handful of years to be seen. It would be very difficult to actually have a net increase, since in other places that power ultimately came from a local sun. Natural energy was ultimately reusable, or the planet would have long crumbled, but growth was limited to two factors only.

First was whatever pockets of natural energy they came across in subspace and that got drawn into their gravitational pull. The general background levels of natural energy were small but consistent. Then there was the biggest threat they faced- while also being their main source of anything new. Distortion beasts. Each one brought with it additional natural energy- and unfortunately, death and destruction. It was a cycle that was tenuously stable, but had managed to continue for a long while.

Though Anton's initial desire was to help Aipra, aside from contributing in two battles and helping with distributing necessary supplies he had done little. Actually, from their perspective those might have been significant… but he couldn't create a fundamental change in their system. The world just didn't fit the methods he knew.

But he didn't just visit them out of pity. They had things he wanted to learn. The same as the Scarlet Alliance group visiting them. Among other things, the cultivation of Nailni and the others could teach Anton a lot. It was a different path, but still valuable for them to exchange cultivation pointers. And Poriza knew more about devotion and communal cultivation than anyone else, by a great measure. Anton didn't think he wanted to replicate that, nor did he have interest in recreating their social system. Because while it was functional, it was also restrictive. Everyone had to fulfill a role in society, though there was some leeway on which role.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of those roles were practical ones, with little room for arts or expression of any kind. It was not to say there was none. Even in the worst of circumstances, or perhaps especially in the worst of circumstances, humans would find a way to make art or music. But they had little time for it. Each day came with regularity, the world allowing little change for individuals from day to day.

They didn't even have growing seasons. In a way, it was a boon- the lack of seasons meant they continuously produced fresh food, such as it was given the circumstances. Some of the plants that grew the best were inedible by humans, and fed to rare cattle or other livestock.

Anton brought up the idea of possibly leaving. Nalini's reply was quite practical. "We spoke to your Scarlet Alliance about the prospect. It would be quite impossible. Should we lose a portion of our population, the rest would likely die. And while your people spoke of transport ships, it would be difficult to move more than several thousands of individuals at once. How many years would it take, even if it caused no disruptions?" She shook her head. "It remains nearly impossible."

"I assumed so," Anton admitted. "And letting a few individuals leave would simply cause discontent. The only true possibility would be if the world was prosperous… and then you wouldn't need to leave."

"Perhaps some day," Nalini said, surprised at her own words. "Your formation knowledge and this technology are both quite helpful. Though it is slow for our people to dig deep for conductive metals, making use of what we already produced and cast off as unnecessary is an intriguing prospect. But what people seem to appreciate most are the improvements in insulation. A tiny bit of warmth is the most desirable thing we have here."

Anton nodded. It was strange. Every time he thought of this place, it seemed like it should have been a symbol of despair. But instead, he was always uplifted. Stubborn endurance was not pitiable, but noble. Though prosperity was better still. Some day, perhaps. If Aipra could accept the changes. Anton was recently inspired to make big moves. Though he didn't want to try too many all at once.

Chapter 736

A dozen individuals of varying ages, from Botros himself to those as young as his granddaughter Nasima, were arrayed in front of Anton as he walked through the fields of the sect grounds. "So you see," he concluded his short speech. "If you take care of the crops, the energy you provide to them will be returned to you even greater."

The local branch of the sect was far too young to have positions such as senior disciples and elders. It had only been a few short seasons, not even enough time for the speedist cultivator among them to reach Spirit Building. Even so, he still made sure they showed deference for those who came before them. Though it helped that the family of three had a head start on cultivation, and worked hard to keep their lead. Aykorkem was now behind only Nasima, both because of the former's speed and the latter's age. Even so, Anton knew that many sects would have been glad to have someone growing as fast as Botros. While it was true that part of that was due to Anton's personal attention, he thought everyone deserved such guidance. So all of the members of the small branch sect would be receiving his personal attention for the foreseeable future.

Aykorkem, the mother, was clearly interested in having status within the sect. Anton was willing to accommodate that, as long as he could see she was performing her duties well and not taking more benefits than she was due. The sect had a modest budget for cultivation aids of various sorts, and Anton didn't supplement the supplies with anything of his own. For one thing, it would be dangerous for people of lower cultivation to use most of the pills he had- and he didn't have an infinite supply of anything. His personal wealth was not limitless, and it was best to use it efficiently. Finally, the sect had to be able to manage itself.

When he had gone away from the fields, Aykorkem came to him. "Sect Head Anton," she caught his attention. "I have some matters that require your attention."

"Yes?" he asked. "I do believe you should be able to handle most everything."

"Almost," she admitted. "But it does concern you even still. It is the matter of your name. And your presence in general," she said. "Negotiations become easier if you have the proper backer. I'm sure you know this."

"You want permission to use my name?" Anton asked. He nodded slowly. "You may, but I think it should be constrained to external consideration only. By which I mean… it would be better for you to manage things as if I am not here."

"What do you mean? Are you going away?"

"You know I travel frequently," he said. "But I have no intent to leave for good. But consider what would happen when I was away, if you relied on having me."

"I see," she nodded. "I will be cautious, then."

"As you should be," Anton said. "But… perhaps there are some exceptions. How should I say this… don't make enemies without reason. But sometimes, things must be done no matter the danger. There are things which are simply unacceptable. If I hear you stood by while innocents were killed…"

"It would be better for us to die in battle than do so," Aykorkem surmised.

"I believe so, but do not take that as a threat. Because if such a case arrives, most likely I will do nothing. But… unless you could justify yourselves to me, that would be the end of our relationship." Anton shook his head. "I would understand if your lives were more important than doing what is right. And I would truly hope you don't ever have to choose."

"I understand. And you know I would prefer not to make enemies. It is just… growing to understand more about cultivation, it seems inevitable. At minimum, we are implicitly at war Stauso and their sects."

Stauso was one of the bordering nations, responsible for the vast majority of the refugees that Anton was focused on recruiting. It was natural that they would be enemies, even if politics hadn't required it. The role of sects within a nation was to join together with others in times of war. There were certain qualifications that had to be met, but eventually the One Hundred Stars would have a duty to fight as well. Anton had founded the branch of the sect knowing that, having weighed the various options.

While this was a war where nobody was truly in the right, there were more than a few sects in Stauso that were too eager to destroy people's homes. If Anton wanted a perfect country, he would have to found one of his own… and then leave it.

"Vochaye will likely be calling upon us soon," Anton said.

Aykorkem nodded. "The same would be the case even if we had not joined you. Except instead of fighting as cultivators, we would be cannon fodder given no value."

"I wish I could change the status quo in just a year… but I have not the political standing. Nor would I wish to attempt the same by direct force. As with everything, it will take time. First, we cultivate ourselves. The One Hundred Stars will grow in power and integrity. The intent is to spread throughout Vochaye over the decades. From there, we will reassess and determine where the future might lead."

Catarina looked down, feeling how the formations of Xankeshan descended into the earth. She was glad she had prepared specific anti-Everheart measures, woven into the fundamentals of the formation. Because despite their temporary alliance, and even her grandfather's understanding of the man, Catarina knew Everheart was fickle. He was not to be trusted, and he was dangerous.

She had no doubt he could have broken through the formation despite what she had done. It would have simply taken him longer. Long enough, perhaps, for Tauno and Zazil and the fleets to move in on him. Catarina wondered what would have happened if he found the formations lacking. He had to still be bitter about taking over the planet he'd once called his own. Not even Anton's most charitable interpretation of the man could put him above such pettiness.

Having grown up on Ceretos, she was aware of how truly unlikable the man was. In fact, he cultivated that image intentionally. Anton had postulated and Catarina was convinced that the man cultivated spite as a form of devotion. Even so, she could not help but be impressed by his achievements in the area of formations. A majority of her style was based on his work, and most of her cultivation was based on the study of formations.

"You're thinking about something," Timothy drew her away. "Something you should probably speak about."

"Just about advancing to Augmentation," Catarina said, looking around the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for spying formations."

"You built all of these formations," Timothy said. "You should know if there are any. If anything, I'd be more concerned about technological things."

"No, he shouldn't know how to do that yet," Catarina shook her head.

"And who is 'he'?" Timothy asked.

"Everheart."

"What does he have to do with Augmentation?" Timothy questioned sincerely. Because he hadn't felt any sort of deflection in his wife's voice throughout the conversation.

"Everything," Catarina admitted. "I can learn the most from him. From his work, I mean. I have no interest in speaking to him personally. I might have gotten some of his projections to reveal secrets to me, but that would just make him even more cautious about sharing his knowledge. I'd rather not fall for something convincing and incorrect."

"Alright," Timothy said. "So it's about formations. Are you coming up with one to help you advance to Augmentation?"

"No," Catarina said. "Yes. Not really." She paced around the room. "To complete the formation I require, I would likely need to be in Augmentation. And I don't think this advancement should come about in that manner. In other words, I need to develop my understanding even further so that I can naturally advance, then I can do what I plan."

"And how is that different from normal?" Timothy asked. "You are always studying and improving in the field of formations. That is your essence, after all."

"It isn't, really," she admitted. "I just want to make sure I don't waste time."

"Why?" Timothy asked. "What do you need this formation for?"

"Xankeshan," Catarina said. "To completely cut off Everheart. His formation style has bled into the wider area of the Scarlet Midfields, so countering him counters pretty much everyone else. Though I'd like to get some more samples from the Exalted Quadrant and Trigold Cluster."

"Okay," Timothy said. "Let me know if I can do anything. Otherwise, I will be doing my own training. I don't want to fall behind."

"Sorry dear," Kseniya shook her head when Alva came to her. "I have no insights to share with you. I'm still hovering around the midpoint of Integration."

Alva sighed, "I wish grandpa were here."

"Doesn't everyone? He's the one who pushed me to this point. Otherwise I would have just remained an old woman in Life Transformation."

"It's just not the same to get something written down, instead of seeing him," Alva said.

"Can you imagine if it were me instead?" Kseniya grinned.

"I don't think I'd understand anything," Alva admitted. "You saw the bow saint, right? How was she?"

"Mediocre," Kseniya said. "I don't know how they all reached Augmentation. No, I do. But stuffing yourself with devotion isn't a good method, I think we can agree."

"True." Alva scratched her head. "I'd ask Fuzz but I don't even know if he's trying to reach that stage. And you know, the whole wolf thing."

"Couldn't hurt," Kseniya shrugged. "Now then, while I can't do anything for you specifically, perhaps we could both gain something from a little shooting competition?"

Hoyt faced off against Prospero as they often did. Their styles of combat were still quite different, but the divergent factors of Hoyt's usage of Falling Stars was natural instead of an intentional pushback.

Great meteors of energy orbited around Prospero, while Hoyt preferred to manage only a small few projectiles around himself, and perhaps charge in on his own.

The two of them were perfectly serious, but even in such a battle they could carry on conversation. "Everyone is itching to reach Augmentation," Hoyt commented.

"I would not be in a rush," Prospero said. "After all," he twisted the orbit of his energy, so inner and outer layers crossed perpendicular to each other and blocked Hoyt's approach, "I spend longer than this in Life Transformation."

"Only because you didn't want to leave the Order without you," Hoyt pointed out as he used his axe to cleave apart half a dozen meteors, intersecting them at oblique angles where he didn't have to wrestle with the majority of their momentum. "None of us are going anywhere this time. But everyone is worried about what the future might bring."

"So it is," Prospero acknowledged. He fired a series of attacks in sequence, curving them around as Hoyt dodged away from them. "But I think the truth will be revealed to us when we reach the peak of Integration. No sense in making too much of a fuss before then. We barely have any information on advancing to Augmentation. A few testimonies from our alliance, and the nearly useless captured knowledge of the Harmonious Citadel. Don't be in a rush."

"Oh please," Hoyt grinned. "You're not fooling anyone. You're quite eager to be young again and see how far you can get."

"I'd say the additional centuries I have prove quite well that I am not rushing, thank you very much," Prospero smiled in return. "And I don't mind being the one to pave the way for others."

"You think you can be first?"

"Depends on whether we're counting that Chikere lady," Prospero admitted. "Seems like she's assumed to be advancing at any moment."

"Within the next few decades, or perhaps she's dead already," Hoyt shrugged. "We've long since passed the point where we can afford to worry about how she handles her cultivation. So we just kind of have to assume it will work for her another time."

"Maybe that same confidence in herself is how she is successful," Prospero said. "In which case, I know quite a few confident individuals who I should expect the same from."

Chapter 737

When the time came that the country of Vochaye called upon the Order of One Hundred Stars to help defend themselves, Anton couldn't pretend to not exist. As the sect head, he owed it to his disciples to ease their burdens. He would fight for the country as required. But he lied. He lied so very much.

He'd even lied to his own sect, technically. He gave them the same explanations that he was currently giving to the young fellow in command. "Horizon Shot is named that because it lets you shoot as far as the horizon," Anton said. That was a total fabrication, of course. Even from the very conception of the technique, Kseniya had intended for it to shoot beyond the horizon. But the most powerful cultivators in the local branch were still in Spirit Building at the one decade mark, so it was easy enough for them to believe that the horizon was the limit instead of the starting point.

"Interesting," said the young general Elling. "Can you demonstrate?"

"Of course, sir," Anton said with actual respect. Elling might have been from a powerful local sect and definitely seemed too young to be in charge, but he at least treated even the smaller sects with respect. Thus, he was entitled to have it in return. "Where would you like me to shoot?"

"How about that tree on top of the hill?" Elling suggested.

"Certainly," Anton said. He made a proper demonstration out of it. He pulled out his bow- a much less valuable backup weapon- and slowly formed the Spirit Arrow. It was glacial by his current metrics, at least. For early Essence Collection which was his stated cultivation, it was quite fast. He pulled back the string to his ear as the Spirit Arrow formed, took a moment to 'aim', and released. He rode with his arrow, not for need of guiding it for accuracy, but nearly the opposite. He made certain that he did not hit exactly the center of the tree as was his instinct, nor did he allow his energy to penetrate all the way through the sturdy tree. "You will be able to see if you approach."

"It did look like it hit from here," Elling said. "But I should be able to see it with some concentration."

The young man shifted his stance, and with it came the jangling sound of chains. Dangling from each wrist was a chain with a heavy ball at the end. Though heavy was relative to cultivation, of course. Elling's cultivation was only a bit further along than Anton's stated cultivation of early Essence Collection, though the Austere Chain Palace had elders in late Essence Collection. And one Life Transformation cultivator nobody was supposed to know about. It hadn't taken Anton much effort to accidentally find the man, however.

Elling's legs were bound similarly. The heavy chains were a method of training, weapons, and a reminder of the sect's creed. The weight of responsibility weighed down upon all. It was a bit too literal of a metaphor for Anton's personal taste, but that was about the worst he could say about the sect. Which was to say, he liked them. Which was why he tolerated them taking charge.

The young man finally nodded. "I see it. Punched a finger width hole half a meter deep!" He nodded seriously. "We're glad to have you on our side."

They should be. Though Anton had no intention to say that. He was keeping a lower profile now, with the intention to make big moves later. But he wanted to build up some trust first.

"I will be on the same battlefield as my disciples, won't I?" Anton asked.

"Of course," Elling nodded. "We're not so crazy as to break apart the teamwork of the sects. Nor do we want to mess around with the chain of command." Elling looked over at a portion of their army with a frown.

"What is it?" Anton asked, knowing perfectly well the man's concerns.

"I wish we didn't have to recruit non-cultivators. But Stauso has drafted many of their citizens. We have to make up for the numbers this way but," he shook his head, "I pity them."

"There is an easy solution for that, you know?" Anton said.

"And what is that?" Elling asked.

"Have them become cultivators. Even a month or two of training and a single step into cultivation will drastically improve their success."

"Could they even learn anything?"

"You'd be surprised," Anton said.

"Well, the Austere Chain Palace isn't likely to take them on as disciples. Nor would any of the others." He looked to Anton, "Unless you are volunteering the Order?"

"I don't know if that would go over well with anyone," Anton said. "And I do have certain standards I must verify before they could join. However…" Anton grinned, "I do have a basic technique I am willing to share. It does cover all of Body Tempering. And I hear it is easier to transition to other cultivation methods compared to some." Which is to say, it had been developed specifically for that purpose.

"And what is it called?"

"It is the Ten Step Body," Anton said. "I wouldn't mind instructing that company."

"Hmm," Elling frowned. "It is certainly tempting, but they also need to learn how to handle a weapon. I'm not certain if they have time for both."

"That is the beauty of the method," Anton said. "It smoothly integrates with other training." Personally, Anton thought that any method that strictly required individuals to sit in meditation doing nothing else for a long period was likely flawed, with few exceptions.

"Well, I don't mind you trying," Elling admitted. "As long as you can manage your sect's integration into the greater army as well."

"Aykorkem can manage our squads just fine, and I will be within shouting range regardless. If you could introduce me?"

Anton planned to poach at least a few of these individuals for the Order, assuming they were interested. Offers would be made without regard for talent, but after just a few days he could determine much about this group. Watching them train with spears, a standard battlefield weapon, he learned about their temperament and attitude. Though some other sects would doubtless be interested in some who had decent talent- it was easy to miss people who simply never had a chance to prove themselves, and a few hundred individuals was nothing to sneeze at.

Battle came, as was inevitable. Anton found it interesting how he had fought wars on a much grander scale with fewer participants on particular battlefields. But with Poriza's lower natural energy things were all scaled down towards a level where those without cultivation could still contribute. Or in the case of their particular army, those with little cultivation. Anton made certain that everyone had a chance to achieve at least basic success, strengthening their body and having some amount of natural energy, even if they could only use it to deflect a blow or two or augment a single attack. Time was the limiting factor there, as well as the planet itself.

The battle began, and Anton had difficult decisions to make. Many, many difficult decisions. It was unfair for him to have to make the choices, but it was also unfair for him to have the power he did compared to anyone else. But ultimately, Anton had significant control over everyone who lived and died on the battlefield.

He wasn't going to let any disciples of the Order die. They would get injured, yes. That was part of battle, and coddling them by keeping them completely safe would only increase the danger they were in later. Some might even nearly die. As for others, Anton intended to leave the proper sects to fend for themselves except as he was directed to aid them. It would be complicated for him to interfere with them regardless. No matter how subtle he made his energy, out of hundreds of people something would eventually be connected to him.

That left the drafted members on their side… and also those of Stauso. None of them chose to be here. He had come to know their own side, and while it was only a shallow relationship he still wanted them to live. Even the worst of them. Anton could easily assume that the enemy would be the same. So he would do his best to keep them from dying unnecessarily, but not at the expense of their own side.

As for the enemy sects… it was absolutely within Anton's purview to be targeting their leadership, and he didn't mind that at all. This war was completely unnecessary. There was enough space for everyone, and enough land for producing food. But people always wanted more than they absolutely needed. Even Anton was like that, but he preferred to just find ways to improve productivity.

Elling fought well. Each limb's shackles were also weapons, spinning flails attacking his enemy with every spin and twirl. An entirely impractical fighting style if one did not have natural energy, as the rebound of a chained weapon would inevitably strike the wielder eventually. The spinning as well, because half the time he had his back to the enemy. But instead of being impractical, with the aid of natural energy and cultivation senses it became quite an effective fighting style. Though Anton could see some flaws, that was exactly what Elling would be training to improve. Nobody would be perfect immediately, even with a perfect technique to study.

One of the primary opponents in this particular battle were the Wandering Tiger Cult. They used claw weapons, unnecessarily vicious and prone to tearing rather than slicing properly. They emulated none of the ability of beasts, but only their savagery. Anton did his best to limit their chances to make use of it, within reason. A few visible shots at a time and however many more were necessary came from hidden energy bows at a great distance, making use of light to attack instantaneously.

Anton made certain to get a couple obvious shots in around the more skeptical local sect members who thought it was inappropriate for him to be all the way in the back. But he was an archer, and frankly it was quite valuable to have him not only able to freely shoot but also made the enemy hasty to break through their lines once they realized the threat Anton was. Which in turn got a good few people taken out in their own rush.

Of course, Anton paid the most attention to the disciples of the Order, including Nasima. She had taken well to combat, which was not unexpected given the passion she had shown. How she would react after her blood cooled down at the end of the battle would be another matter. It was often a traumatic experience to kill someone for the first time, even if it was necessary.

Nasima twirled her spear, thrusting forward with great force. Her opponent leapt backwards, but that was not good enough to save him. A shaft of light energy extended beyond the head of her spear, stabbing into the man. She was not much for archery, but ever since she had seen Spirit Arrows she was interested in more pure forms of energy rather than weapons. But it was still easier for her to focus such an ability from a weapon she was carrying, such as the spear. They were always valuable for their reach, and in her hands it extended another meter or two at opportune moments.

Anton was actually a little bit disappointed that none of the Salim family became archers, though it was ultimately better for them to choose something that suited them rather than trying to simply emulate him. But at some point, he wanted to find some good candidates to continue the legacy of his archery style locally. He was a fine teacher for a wide variety of cultivation techniques, but he was still an archer at his core. He had so many valuable things to teach.

Like picking out targets and taking them down before they could kill your friends and allies. Any combatant would do that, but fewer could do it from basically any range.

Chapter 738

It didn't take long for General Elling to realize that any battles involving Anton always went well for them. Anton wasn't particularly trying to hide it, and even if he kept his output to something viable within Essence Collection, he couldn't possibly tire himself out. And he refused to let people who didn't deserve it die just because he wanted to keep information about himself safe. But enough people were injured that the common cultivators didn't feel invincible. That was a good enough balance.

Elling never said anything to Anton about it. Perhaps he didn't even know what to say. But their particular army was responsible for much of the push back against Stauso's sects. Either they had to flee as soon as they saw the army on the horizon, or fight their way towards Anton's hail of arrows.

But unlike some cultivator wars, neither side was motivated to attempt an extermination. Stauso wanted to raid and take what resources they could while weakening their rivals, but they didn't want to fight to the death. Anton let people run. It was an effective way of managing how they would react, and ultimately it made his life easier. If some of their stronger members went all out to try to survive, Anton would have to reveal more than he intended. But as long as they were truly running away, his job was done.

Several years passed and they had officially taken back most of the border towns, where many of the refugees in Krosburgh were from. However, people didn't feel safe moving back immediately. More than that, the particular group that Anton had set his eyes on had mostly joined up with the Order.

The low levels of natural energy on Poriza had greater effects on those attempting to reach higher cultivations. Most of the Order's disciples grew fairly steadily, if slowly, for the first ten stars of Body Tempering. Over ninety percent of them were delayed at the peak of Body Tempering, some for multiple years. While the results were actually quite good by local standards, Anton knew the One Hundred Stars was better than that. It was a top tier method which had produced hundreds of Life Transformation cultivators over the past centuries. Even with mediocre talent, Anton expected at least half of all disciples to reach Spirit Building within a decade.

Even when he had first joined things had been better… but the levels of natural energy were much higher everywhere on Ceretos, even at such a time. A decade of effort from one sect to improve the planet's natural energy levels was a drop in a bucket in terms of causing real change. Though Anton was proselytizing to other sects and seeing some results over the wider area of Vochaye.

As for his top prospects, the Salim family, each was lagging at the peak of Spirit Building. He expected them to reach Essence Collection eventually, but there were clear limits imposed by the state of the world.

Aykorkem was the first to pick up on Anton's disappointment. Even if he didn't say it, perhaps it was somewhat obvious. Though the angle she approached from he found quite interesting. "... Are there problems with your own cultivation, sect head?"

"Now why would you think that?" Anton asked, genuinely curious.

"Because you wish to see us enter Essence Collection… but you are not much stronger than that yourself. I know it is difficult to reach mid Essence Collection, but I thought a single star in fifteen years…"

Ah, how sloppy. Anton had not positioned himself as a talentless old man, but a wandering eccentric. "It is a prime tempering," Anton said. "They can take some time."

"Is it so much more difficult to advance within Essence Collection compared to the initial step?" She frowned. "No, perhaps it is more dangerous instead. That is why you wish to see us advance to Essence Collection before you make the attempt, is it not? So that you can see the sect secure."

That was the thing about those who were smart. You didn't have to lie to them, you could just let them come up with reasons on their own and they would be satisfied. But… "I don't want to lie to you," Anton said. "I came from a place with greater resources. So it is merely that my expectations are mismatched to the current state of things. It is not an issue with your talent or efforts. And about my own advancement… actually, I surpassed early Essence Collection some time ago. I simply wished to keep it concealed."

"Others will notice," Aykorkem said.

Anton nodded. He should probably reveal his forty-first star, at least, to show he had passed that point. Because while he wanted to take the time to build up the world, some of his ideas also involved worldwide cooperation… and a full display of his power. Or perhaps he should settle for the slow and consistent growth his knowledge could provide. Though ultimately, it would be up to the citizens of the planet. He would give them the option, once things were in a state where they could believe he was actually capable of following through on a crazy promise.

"I can ease up a bit, I suppose," Anton said.

"Is there a reason you are hiding?" Aykorkem asked. "Enemies we should know about?"

A logical conclusion for why he would have left a position of wealth. "It's not quite that. I do have enemies, but I am not here running from them. They certainly won't be looking for me. I simply think that taking things one step at a time is better, and thus not appearing too strong. Don't want people to believe I'm here to disrupt their positions of power."

"But you are," Aykorkem said.

"I intend to have all of Vochaye grow stronger," Anton said.

"That will still upset some," the woman said. "Cultivators at the top are used to the status quo, from what I understand."

"Well then, I should hope they are wise enough to act reasonably," Anton said. For their own sake. And because he would really prefer not to have to deal with things by force.

Drafts were only temporary. They couldn't keep sects away from their business forever, not unless there was a desperate war taking place. But this wasn't such a thing, just one of the unfortunate wars that was part of the 'normal' course of business. Anton didn't have to like it, but he did accept it as part of the world… until it could be eradicated. But that was the sort of thing that took centuries, great unifying events, or both.

Anton pondered about pulling an Everheart. But while he could make something equivalent to some of his lesser tombs, it would take a great amount of time and effort. Better to spend all of that effort improving the world in direct ways. He didn't just train the drafted soldiers in Vochaye, but also freely spread basic cultivation in nearby friendly- or at least neutral- nations. He was certain that the Ten Step Body manuals would be stolen by Stauso or somewhere else, but that was just one part of the equation.

Everything had to work together. Farmers in their fields, empowering their crops which bolstered them in turn. Workers and craftsmen performing everyday tasks to a higher standard. And while it was possible to force some individuals to cultivate and provide their energy for crops, it was inefficient if the farmers themselves didn't grow stronger. Unless the sects wanted to have all of their highest ranking cultivators performing menial labor, they had to let the lowest among them grow stronger. Though either option was a win, to some extent. The world could really use more sect heads who knew how to get their hands dirty in a field.

Anton did his best to maintain an attachment to the lower level workings of people, both his sect and the world in general. If he did not, time could simply pass him by with a thought. Because while another decade or two was very little to him, time spent cultivating was growing to be a majority of Nasima's lifetime. For the others, it was not an insignificant portion. Anton monitored everyone's development as the Order grew in size to nearly a thousand, the vast majority in Body Tempering. By pure numbers, it was not far from the Order's size when he had first joined on Ceretos. At least, it had only been a few times more.

As for its relative strength, it wasn't too far off. The Order had influence throughout the country, but ignoring Anton himself they were still below the strongest sects within Vochaye. The Austere Chain Palace still held the top position, of course. But the Order had grown from nothing at all to become notable in just a single generation. Obviously there would be questions, so when Elling arrived Anton was not surprised at all.

"The Order of One Hundred Stars has grown magnificently," Elling said. "Producing multiple Essence Collection cultivators beyond yourself in such a short time… the creators of your method should be proud."

"I'm certain they would be," Anton said. "It took many generations of refinement to reach this point."

"I have the feeling you made some of those improvements yourself," Elling said. "And others believe the same. Which is why the Sect Head of the Austere Chain Palace wishes to speak with you."

Which one of them, Anton wondered. But he supposed he would find out soon enough. "Certainly. Name a date and time, and I will be happy to accommodate the request." Anton liked Elling. But he wanted to make sure the young man and especially his sect knew that he was not beholden to them.

The answer was the real one. Anton had kind of expected to have a formal meeting with the nominal sect head first, but instead he was led to see their only Life Transformation cultivator, tucked away behind layers of formations for concealment and empowerment. The great underground hall she had made her own could be described as empty. It was occupied only by herself, the pillars supporting it… and a great many chains snaking over the ground in large piles, all of which connected back to the woman herself.

Elling himself didn't even step foot into the room, simply gesturing for Anton to enter ahead of him. Anton stepped into the room and approached the dais upon which the woman was seated, seemingly in meditation.

"Anton Krantz," the dark skinned woman said as he drew closer, her eyes opening. "You are very difficult to find information on."

He shrugged, "I came from far away. That would easily explain why you have not heard much. But I have heard little about you in return. Not even your name."

"I am Nyarai," she replied. "Where are you from?"

"I spent some time in Kothon before coming here," Anton said. It was not strictly a lie, but it was still a deception. It could be spotted, especially as Anton didn't focus his efforts on learning how to improve his deception. Most likely, she could at least tell he spoke a technical truth.

The woman nodded, chains rattling with even that slight movement. "Indeed. My informants told me of your presence there. Though you did not seem to have much of a history before you were seen there. And… you are not surprised to see me."

"I had some knowledge of your presence," Anton admitted. "So, why am I here?"

"Because I can get a better measure of you in person," Nyarai said. The whole time, her energy senses had been unabashedly focused on Anton. "The Order of One Hundred Stars. How many have you achieved yourself?"

"Not one hundred," Anton said.

"What happens at one hundred, if I may ask?"

"Of course, it is ascension. That is the goal of most cultivators," Anton said.

"A bold name," she said. "It implies a guaranteed path to the peak of cultivation."

"Only as far as the lower realms are concerned," Anton said.

"Is it?"

"Nothing is guaranteed," Anton said.

"Indeed. But has anyone ever reached ascension with that cultivation method?"

"We were called the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars for the majority of our existence," Anton admitted. "Until such a time as someone finally ascended."

"An extreme rarity. A momentous occurrence, yet I hear of so few ascensions. Yet which sects and clans produce an ascension cultivator is logged carefully." The woman frowned, "You are not an Essence Collection cultivator. Or your sect would be on our record. Of the seven presumed successful ascensions in as many centuries, none were from the Order. Thus, you could not have survived from such a time until now without greater cultivation."

"Your speculation has merit," Anton admitted.

"And yet I still find it flawed. I cannot properly determine your age, but that is not the only thing that confuses me."

"What else is there?" Anton asked.

"Your accent. It's like nothing I've ever heard."

"It's a mix of regional accents from all over Poriza," Anton replied truthfully.

There was silence between them for some time. "What do you want?" Nyarai finally asked.

"I want my sect to grow stronger, but for that to happen I need to improve the abysmal levels of natural energy here," Anton said. "It would benefit you as well, you know?"

"I am aware of how that would be beneficial," Nyarai admitted. "But not how it would be accomplished. Or where you came from that you would be used to better. Unless…" she looked up. There was merely ceiling above them, but Anton still followed her eyes to the theoretical sky beyond. "Some of those feel like you, a little bit."

"Some of what?" Anton asked.

"The stars. And they didn't feel like that before," she said.

"The natural energy brighter stars produce is much greater elsewhere," Anton said. Perhaps he should just come out and admit it? "My power is based on that."

She narrowed her eyes. Truthfully, Anton hadn't explained why the feel of the stars would change. But Nyarai let it go."Tell me how the natural energy of the area can be improved," she said.

"I would start with farming," Anton said. "Everything else flows from there."

Chapter 739

Jump starting a star was not a simple issue. Ignoring for the moment the long path required to get Poriza to accept such a risky sounding proposition, Anton needed to know that he even could do it. In theory, it was quite simple. Once the mass of the star reached a certain threshold, nuclear fusion would naturally occur, morphing the star's category from that of a brown dwarf to a red dwarf. And while Anton believed in the combined knowledge of the scientists involved, it was simply the truth that nobody had seen the entire process.

It would normally take a very long time as such a star pulled in mass from its surroundings, and it had to be at a rate higher than it ejected its own mass. This wasn't just a long time at the scale of human lives, but long scale even by the perspective of cultivators. Unless they happened to glimpse a particularly large mass combining with a brown dwarf teetering on the edge, Anton would expect the process to take tens of thousands to millions of years. Though if there was not enough mass to collection, in those same early millions of years they might cool off and shrink.

In short, however, nobody had directly observed the process, and thus it was not clear what might go wrong with the process. The only way to know was to see it, and if it wasn't happening within an observable distance then the only real option was to make it happen experimentally.

Needless to say, Anton had some reservations about that. Cultivators were already known to destroy planets- not often, but Anton suspected it was also not as infrequent as he might hope. He hadn't heard about anyone destroying a star, both because they did not have the reason nor the means.

Anton took his bow in hand and observed it carefully. Worldheart formed the body of the weapon, a material taken from the core of a planet when it was destroyed. But not just any planet, one with sufficient density and quantity of natural energy was required for such a thing to take place. And Everheart had given him this bow, presumably stolen from someone else. Not that Anton thought Everheart was above doing such a thing himself, he just got the feeling this particular weapon had been formed by others. The man had been very busy in his handful of centuries in the upper realm. Anton tried not to think about what he might have been up to in the last century and a half that he'd had family and friend there, because it would just worry him.

Surely there must be some equivalent. A solar heart, though not the same as the conduit that Otakar had formed but some vastly rare and presumably valuable material. But Anton had no intention for circumstances to end up with him being able to confirm the existence of such a material. He simply considered that it might happen by accident.

There was nowhere within the area Anton could travel with quite the same situation as Poriza. As it turned out, there weren't bountiful numbers of brown dwarfs with planets orbiting close up in their habitable zone, let alone ones actually occupied by people. Nor was Anton able to attempt star formation with a nebula, as most of them were far larger than he was able to reasonably affect. They were often wider than a star system from end to end- and those were the smaller ones. That was a vast quantity of space to sweep out, and he could spend the entirety of whatever remind of his lifespan and perhaps never complete such a project.

So he sought out something equivalent. A brown dwarf with enough local mass to add to it, concentrated in a way that Anton could reasonably affect it. Some were simply too small, unlike Poriza which hovered right on the upper end. And while there were hundreds of systems 'nearby', Anton still didn't have many options.

He finally found one that didn't stand out much. It was a simple binary system, with two brown dwarfs of sufficient mass that combining them should surpass the threshold. So all Anton had to do was go give them a little nudge.

As if it was so easy. Even if he was in a system where he had bound a star taking the energy from its fusion, it wouldn't be such a simple task. Despite brown dwarfs being 'small', they were still around one to eight percent of the mass of Ceretos' star. He needed to combine masses equivalent to eighty of his home system's largest gas giants. He was lucky that the smaller of the two in the particular system he found was closer to a quarter of that from his estimations- which were becoming quite accurate, given his insights into stars and gravity.

But even considering he could do something, he didn't know if he should. It would be a permanent reshaping of the world on a larger scale than he'd ever done before, and with no direct benefit. On the other hand… if he actually managed such a thing, he could improve not just planets but other systems. He just had to do it safely. And consult with others he knew to see if it was completely insane.

"Is that okay?" Matija asked. "I don't know if that's okay."

"This is what I'm asking you for," Anton said.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, but I'm not the wise elder between the two of us."

"You're certainly not young by traditional standards anymore, even if your cultivation keeps your body that way. And you've seen me make enough mistakes to have learned a few things. So…"

"It does sound crazy," Matija said. "Even compared to what you already spoke about. I kind of assumed that your talk of increasing the mass of Poriza's star was theoretical. Even if you said it was serious."

"I don't want to risk so many lives," Anton continued. "But I can't help but think about how much positive benefit there would be to the change."

"I hope you aren't planning to only consult me," Matija said.

"Of course not. I have to talk with everyone in the Trifold Alliance." And he had already been speaking with Catarina. She didn't have a strong opinion of nonliving things having inherent value. She could appreciate natural beauty, but she also liked things to be useful. So far, she had been the most supportive of his wild idea. "It is going to take me some years to secure the spare time to meet everyone in person, of course."

Matija nodded. "From a practical perspective… I am intrigued. But if it was anyone else coming to me with this idea, I would likely immediately assume they were some sort of villain."

"That is something for me to consider," Anton said. "Because I don't want people to think that whatever I do is right. Rather, it should be the other way around. Whatever is right, I should do. This isn't the sort of thing that can just be brushed off with 'it was just one time'."

"Sounds like you are hesitant."

"The problem is that I'm not, really," Anton said. "I still think it is acceptable, but I know how minds can loop around themselves to justify anything. I haven't stopped planning how to do it for a moment."

"If you do it… we absolutely have to record it," Matija commented. "It would be a huge loss to the entire intellectual community if it wasn't, regardless of the results."

"Hopefully, it will be a beautiful star," Anton said. His thoughts settled somewhat. Though what he did came with risks, he wasn't acting with the intention to cause harm but to make things better. And while he might solicit the opinions of others, ultimately as the one with power he had the responsibility to make the choice himself. And it had to be the right one. He'd destroyed plenty of things in his day, but nothing on the scale of the destruction he might cause. And loss of life wasn't the only negative consequence to people's actions. He might cause entirely unanticipated problems.

While Aykorkem had naturally taken the role of management of the local One Hundred Stars, Botros was the one who was responsible for the practical duties. With Anton's guidance Aykorkem engaged in diplomacy, recruited disciples, and aimed the sect's vision. Botros dealt with stocking the armory and medicine hall, as well as managing the fields for food and herbs. The sect was currently expanding its territory in the plains west of Krosburgh, an area that had little to recommend it for cultivators except decent soil. But that was exactly why Anton had chosen it- less competition, and to show how much his methods could change things.

Nasima did her part as well, leading groups expeditions to hunt beasts in nearby wilds. Just because humans nominally claimed the surface of the planet as their country didn't mean the cultivators were fully in control of it. Defeating powerful beasts protected people from them while increasing the strength of the cultivators through training, making it an important duty.

Anton was quite satisfied with the development of the sect, and how people reached Essence Collection even in such a harsh environment. But he wasn't just working in a single place. No, he traveled the world to seek out other like minded individuals. While he might gain greater sway more quickly if he planted more branches of the Order, it could also backfire. He could lose the trust of various groups, not least of which would be his own sect if he didn't keep them informed.

Instead he just focused on finding the sorts of groups that had developed into allies. Even if they were imperfect to begin with, the Glorious Flame Palace had still stood for certain ideals. Over time, they had actually managed to reach them. Some clans like the Temitope had also caught Anton's eye in the past. Anton didn't care if it was sect, clan, or a particular city that barely even had cultivators. He had ways to build them all up, starting with custom-tailored cultivation training.

Anton would never claim that he could perfect every cultivation method under the heavens, because there was only so much he could do when he didn't practice a path himself. But he had vast quantities of information in his hands, including many 'complete' techniques that had actually taken people to ascension. Translating them was within his power, and he had the experience to provide generalized advice as well. And of course, if sects were willing to wait a few decades to see results, he had methods for farming and crafts and all sorts of things to have them develop harmoniously in all areas.

It was difficult to balance supporting righteous sects with the greed of others and the threat they would feel. But that was one of the stronger parts of Anton's plans, in a way. The greed could draw people away from how they acted to make them accidentally symbiotic with others. That was the basis of Anton's learning, after all. Things didn't work as well for those who didn't go along with them.

Though there were pitfalls to be had- no plan was perfect. Leaving natural energy open to the world meant that selfish sects could draw in whatever natural energy came over to them, stealing from the hard work of others with no effort of their own. And that would benefit them in the short term, which was sometimes sufficient to encourage those with ambition to seek out more power. But that was where alliances and the threats of alliances came in. Because ultimately, Anton knew that his plans would come to fruition in the long term. A handful of decades, a century… it was hard to say how long it might be. But causing hesitation in those who would do harm would always make a difference.

Anton would do his best to not show his hand too much and start taking people out. The stronger he got, the less acceptable it was to purge his enemies solely based on his own discretion since he could handle them without killing them. On the other hand, when people were committing injustices right in front of him… Anton was still going to act. The people of Stauso and Vochaye were well aware of that, and his official influence would no doubt continue expanding.

Chapter 740

The growth of trade within the Scarlet Alliance took off quickly once there was no longer the shadow of war hanging over them. The conflict with the Harmonious Citadel had been a timeless one for many of the members, with the Dark Ring specifically infiltrating the Harmonious Citadel's systems. Victory would very much change how they operated, though they might keep some of the asteroid bases.

As for Xankeshan itself, it was more than just a planet that was difficult to assault. It had become a hub for the alliance, and none of the alliance members wanted to withdraw from it. The Order of One Hundred Stars did not mind, as despite their growth from new ascensions and recruitment in the upper realms they wouldn't be large enough to maintain a whole planet for some centuries still. Nor did they have all of the necessary industries to train up powerful cultivators on planet.

They would need the services of others to maintain the Ruteran Technology that Engineer Uzun and others had developed and assembled. As times of war had come, it was simply better for them to focus on shipbuilding and weaponry as quickly as possible. Now, they could begin work, spreading out to cover all the other areas of life. Machines for medicine, farming, production, and everything imaginable. Most of them were based on mechanical uses of upper energy, with only a small number of devices being purely technological.

There was no reason to ignore the vast power source surrounding them, except for matters where they wished to confound their enemies with being unable to use captured devices. Or the occasional tool that needed to work on its own without interference from cultivators who might not be fully trained in its use.

The council continued to meet together when necessary, though less frequently since there were rarely emergencies. The Scarlet Alliance understood that remaining as a single whole would benefit them all in the long run. While there weren't any sects that were an immediate threat in their surroundings, there were always the looming giants far to the east and west. They were the very reason that few groups had grown to a point they could rival the Harmonious Citadel.

The concern that either the Exalted Quadrant or the Trigold Cluster might turn their gaze to the Scarlet Midfields once more was always present. There was little they could do but prepare, and hope that they were more busy managing their internal affairs- or perhaps unknown rivals on the far side of them. Such news, if it existed, would not pass through their entire territory easily.

There was little hope in winning a direct conflict, but they did have one potential advantage. Coordinating with the lower realms, and not simply in a manner that took from them like the Trigold Cluster. Nor in an unequal relationship, like the Exalted Quadrant's forces on Ceretos. With the war over, those ideas could actually be advanced… and if people were willing, they might actually improve the contact between various places in the lower realms.

Anton was uncertain whether it was slow or quick to receive permission to attempt fusing binary brown dwarfs after just a few decades. Perhaps it was just the right amount of time. It had to be carefully considered, both in methodology as well as other factors. Among those was how public the information would be. It was not the sort of thing that anyone- including Anton who had first come up with it- wanted to encourage to happen thoughtlessly. On the other hand, keeping information from people had to be carefully considered.

There were things that shouldn't be shared, of course. Though Everheart didn't believe in the legitimacy of any sort of forbidden technique, he was a chaotic individual that followed no rules, except sometimes the ones he made up for himself. Anton understood perfectly well the reasons to restrict access to techniques that could harm the individual using it, or which required inflicting harm upon others to develop. The latter category was rather difficult to judge fairly with a clear line, but on one side of it were techniques that stole life force from others, and on the other were pure combat techniques that obviously were required to harm people in their execution. Some techniques were so foul that after counters were developed the initial version was destroyed, but ultimately everything that remained had some means to access it.

Hiding the fact that Anton attempted to fuse and possibly destroyed two pseudo-stars just sounded like he was ashamed of it. And if that was the case, he had better not do it at all.

Ultimately, they decided to make it known. A once in centuries experiment to promote the development of science and cultivation knowledge. Anton would be officially involved as a necessary factor rather than the instigator. If anyone had complaints, they would have to be Assimilation cultivators. Perhaps they might take it up directly with Anton, except that the project had already required their approval. Everyone wanted to test the limits of what was feasible and realistic, and ultimately no matter how it sounded… they were just two especially large balls of matter Anton was going to hit together. They weren't even interesting for special phenomenon. And though there were a vast amount of stars in the galaxy, it was still awkward to destroy something that could be seen by people in many different systems.

Not that the intent was to destroy them. But realistically Anton knew that things could easily go wrong. And that ultimately whatever happened, they would be a different thing when he was done. It wasn't the same as forging metal into a weapon, but a grand scale transformation.

The logistics of the matter took years longer still, ultimately involving dozens of manned ships staying at safe distances, along with many more unmanned scanners that would be relaying the information they picked up at distances that were certainly unsafe. The stars were somewhere around five Ruteran habitable units apart, which was to say about five times the distance from Rutera's star to their home planet. Some scanning devices were in between the pseudo-stars, while others were orbiting around them individually or as a pair.

The entire process could last a significant amount of time. Weeks, potentially- and that was already quite fast for acting on such a scale. But Anton had reached the one hundred and twenty-fourth star, and was growing ever more certain of his assumption that at least for him he would have a significant advancement at one hundred and twenty-nine. He wasn't quite certain what the next prime advancement would entail for him, but cultivation paths all grew more unique with each stage starting in Essence Collection.

Matija pulled her team away from studying the neutron star Azun, a project that they seemed to be learning so much from that they would spend at least half a century on it. In the scale of the region, this system was nearby. Only a dozen or so lightyears, instead of four hundred like the trip back to the alliance's territory.

She was the one Anton knew the best among those present, and the only one who felt comfortable talking to him. That was another reason Anton liked Poriza, where most people weren't as intimidated.

"So it's really happening, huh?" she asked.

"We are here, and I have no intention to change my mind. The precautions are in place?"

"Of course," Matija said. "We are ready to jump away if necessary, and we have scans out for distortion beasts."

Those were one issue Anton had not considered, but a massive gravitational event like fusing two pseudo-stars might draw their attention. Not that much was known about them, even to this day. Aipra was plagued by them somewhat regularly, but they hadn't had the free resources to study them. Just chop them up and use what they got or at least somewhat safely dispose of it if they couldn't. Though Anton understood that there was an extremely gradual change happening there as they made use of various techniques to secure enough time for more growth, ultimately.

"It will soon be time to begin," Anton said. "Just a few hours. I will be meditating to reach my peak state."

Of course, if he was meditating he wanted to be at the best possible place, which meant between the 'stars'. Despite their relative proximity considering their size as starlike objects, Anton was bathed with much less power than simply perching just outside Ceretos' atmosphere. That was before considering that he couldn't make much use of it since he was not bound to them. Anton imagined he could force the matter, but he was certain to gain little benefit from it even if he wasn't intending to fuse them together which could cause serious issues. Better to observe instead of risking his cultivation.

The main power he drew upon were other nearby stars he had bound. He couldn't access what he considered his 'full' power from another system, but he still had a constant replenishment of his natural energy.

When he felt he was at his best possible state, he confirmed readiness with the watchers surrounding, and then began the process. Anton used the maximum amount of power he could sustain- a little bit more, actually- and began to form a link between the two celestial bodies.

Just that step was difficult, given the distances involved. And despite them being extremely low power on the scale of a star, his own natural energy control burned away as he reached for them. He wasn't sure how many hours of attempts it took, but eventually he had a small channel connecting them. He then worked on expanding it, while applying the effects he wanted. Attracting magnetic poles, gravity, and as much of a direct tug with his energy that Anton could manage.

After a few days he reached an equilibrium point where his connection was fading as quickly as he repaired it. If he were to casually determine the distance between the two brown dwarfs, he could easily say it was exactly the same. But a careful inspection told him he'd done a little bit more than nothing. He had pulled them ever so slightly closer while minimally slowing the orbital speed of the smaller of the two. He doubted it was enough to truly destabilize their orbit, especially considering it was on the order of decades to begin with. For the most part the two bodies moved through space together with little relative change from the standard perspectives.

Anton continued his efforts, actively drawing natural energy into himself from his bound stars. He wasn't willing to go far enough to injure himself for this, but he could drain himself far beyond comfortable levels. His tie between the two slipped slightly as he split his focus, but Anton got his second wind a few days later. From there he increased his output, rebuilding the tie between the two and multiplying his efforts.

His understanding of true stars allowed him to augment their features to draw them closer to each other, even as he constantly pulled on them himself. He was uncertain which was more effective, and resolved to continue with both.

Several more days passed, and Anton was nearing exhaustion… but he felt a real change in the distance. No doubt the various scientists around were going mad with excitement over tiny changes. And he couldn't blame them, because he was as well.

Then Anton stopped. Not because he could no longer go on, but because his bond between the brown dwarfs was self-sustaining. He just watched, monitoring the connection. Half a day passed, and it stayed strong.

As they drew ever so slowly closer together, Anton realized their estimation might be off. Not that it was going to take longer, but rather it would be faster. Perhaps his initial efforts had been more effective than anticipated, or it could be any number of other factors. But now he was watching them pull towards each other- at an ever accelerating rate, because their gravitational impacts on each other increased the closer they got. Just a slight difference built and built, and now it was cascading.

Over the course of the next several days, they careened towards each other. Though not directly, as they still had some orbital momentum. They drew ever closer, and the larger of the pair began to rip stands of matter from the smaller. And then, they connected. It was almost frighteningly swift for their size- even as small 'stars', they were astoundingly massive and large.

Two masses combined into one, the distortions of gravity combining into one. Briefly, at least. Their great momentum brought them through each other, sending matter flying in all directions. Much of it was captured in their gravitational pull, but Anton knew quite well that any nearby planets could have been obliterated. The massed undulated back and forth before finally resolving into a single ball.

And then it happened, like a wave washing over Anton. A moment of elation, as nuclear fusion ramped up and began to sustain itself with heavier elements. Anton watched, enraptured, as the luminosity of the star multiplied tenfold.

And then it was done. Or at least, from a certain perspective. It would likely be unstable for a while, meriting continuous observation. But for Anton, the key point had already passed. He saw it, though only in retrospect. The moment of fusion igniting would also be the perfect point to bond with the star.

He would still do so, in a few months or years when it was properly deemed to be stable. The connection within his heart would make it more effective than just bonding to any old star. Just like Ceretos, his home, was always going to be better for Anton. But he missed a special opportunity. He wondered if he could do it again.

And he wondered what he had to do so that the admittedly smaller changes Poriza's star would have to go through wouldn't result in such destructive collisions. Perhaps he should settle for a slower gathering of free matter… but he felt that a sudden application of higher amounts of mass would be more effective. And anything he moved would only be a handful of percent of the mass of those brown dwarfs, so it might settle itself. Not that he would count on that. He would do his due diligence. Assuming they would even want to undergo such changes, of course.

Chapter 741

After it settled down, Anton felt that the new star with proper fusion still had absolutely nothing to recommend it. A star with fusion was like looking for a bow and someone advertising that it had a string. It was certainly important, but not exactly something special. But regardless, he returned to the little star and found it flickering happily. Its raw power was as small as a true star could get, but he still bound it to himself because of the connection they shared. It wasn't deep, despite Anton's hand in the fusing of the brown dwarfs, but it was more than the surface level of Anton finding a star that was somewhere he needed to fight or in an interesting system.

The brown dwarfs had been given a designation before Anton even approached them, with the new name simply dropping the 'a' and 'b' they'd had attached to their shared name. But Anton came up with his own name for the little star that he found appropriate. Joy. Perhaps it was inappropriate to ascribe emotions to an unliving celestial body, but that was how humans did things.

Joy was a sign that he could affect things on the scale of stars- even if it was literally the least impactful end of that scale. Not physically smallest like neutron stars, but least massive and outputting the least energy. The results made him hopeful for what he could do in the future, should he have reason to make another attempt. Like he intended to do with Poriza, armed with the knowledge and experience he had now. But he would need their full cooperation and buy-in first. It should improve their cultivation, but would draw attention which they might not want.

Nasima didn't know exactly how strong her father had been, since he didn't talk about cultivation in front of them. She didn't have a real chance to see him in action until the end, when the rest of them were occupied with fleeing as he held off enemies. But no matter how strong he had been, Nasima was quite certain that she was stronger at her current moment.

She didn't fool herself into believing that she was invincible. Essence Collection wasn't the peak of cultivation. If there even was a true peak, it came somewhere after ascension. She wasn't even in Life Transformation yet.

Yet. What a crazy thought, as if she found the idea inevitable. Sure, she currently possessed a manual that purported to guide her through Essence Collection and to break through to Life Transformation, but it couldn't be real, could it?

Of course it could. With Anton involved, she found it easier to believe. She'd never gotten a serious spar with him, but she was quite certain he wasn't in Essence Collection like he indicated. Among other things, she'd seen him on the battlefield.

While she could admit that a lifetime of experience and an Essence Collection cultivation might be able to strike down foes like that man did, that only accounted for a fraction of the power she'd seen. She hadn't noticed in the first battle, or in the tenth. But gradually she began to get hints of something odd happening.

No member of the Order had died in battle where he was involved. And they should have. Not that Nasima wanted any of them to die, but the situations dictated that was what would happen. And Nasima knew it, because she had been one of them.

After the conclusion of the war between Stauso and Vochaye, the Order had been hunting in neutral territory, tempering the sect by battling beasts. Bitterblack Swamp bordered both nations without properly being between them, vaguely claimed by both or perhaps neither. Either way, it was a good tempering ground specifically because of how horrid it was.

Nasima considered herself a warrior, so she wasn't squeamish around bugs or snakes. But there was a certain size that anyone with sense would be rightfully cautious of them. Bloodsucking flies the size of an apple were the least of it. The leeches could drain an unprepared individual in less than a minute, or simply tear out a chunk of your leg. Snakes mixed in among dangling vines, pretending to be something they were not.

She had to watch out for the others along with them, because they were her responsibility. Nasima had an official position and everything, beneath only the sect head in the same position as other elders. It was strange to share such a title with family far older than her, but that was how things went.

A snake leaped at one of the new apprentices. Nasima flashed a burst of light into its eyes, throwing it off just enough for the apprentice to cut it down with his sword. A sneaky leech nearly got its horrible teeth on one of the others, but Nasima yanked the disciple away.

"Keep your senses active," she said. "They are part of the swamp, but not quite perfect in their concealment. Those little details matter." It was strange to hear herself more or less repeating words from Anton while he was watching nearby, but everything she knew about cultivation stemmed from him in one way or another. Even most of the techniques she'd studied about other cultivation methods were obtained by him- and ultimately he was the one who established the Order and made the rest possible.

Everything had been going well even after they caught the tracks of a large beast, claws digging into the muck. No doubt it would be a challenge for some, but its hide and claws would make good material for equipment.

One of the disciples spotted it first. Or rather, she was first to announce it. Anton undoubtedly had spotted it already. Nasima knew that much, at least. Either way, it hadn't managed to ambush them. They faced a lizardlike creature half poking out of the water. Not quite a crocodile, because while it had spiky ridges on its back and long jaws, the legs were somewhat longer.

It also had some sort of weird spikes inside its mouth, something Nasima discovered as the creature spat them at the approaching group. She punched forward, a ray of light blasting them away, and the battle truly started. The most confident disciples moved forward to engage with the creature. It should only be the equivalent of late Spirit Building, so with good coordination it could be beaten with numbers.

That wasn't where the trouble came from. Instead, the danger came from the interruption while they were fighting.

She only felt a vague sense of their presence before she heard the booming voice. "The Wandering Tiger Cult is here!" a voice announced. "Leave our prey behind and you shall be allowed to go unharmed."

Nasima naturally expected Anton to tell them to screw off, but it was instead her mother who performed that role. "What prey of yours is it that has no scars of battle?" Aykorkem responded.

"We have been tracking it," said a large man, who appeared rather young to be the strongest among them. Not simply compared them, but just strong in general.

"That gives you no more claim than us," Aykorkem declared as the disciples continued to clash with the beast. Nasima kept half an eye on both threats. "And we have arrived first, so it is ours to slay."

"Perhaps you don't know who I am," the man displayed his cultivation with great intention. "I am Cord, the head of the Wandering Tiger Cult. And when I say something is our prey, it is."

Nasima thought she saw her mother briefly glance at Anton, but she couldn't feel anything on the man's face. His reaction was unclear to her, at least. "It is not. And our disciples have already wounded the beast. Perhaps a compromise? We can fight it together and split the materials."

A compromise? With the Wandering Tiger Cult? Nasima held back her protests. It was better to show unity. But still, she didn't like the idea of having any sort of peaceful interactions with enemies.

"No," Cord declared. "It is ours, so we shall take all of it. This is your last chance to walk away."

"And this is yours," Aykorkem declared. "Do not think we are mere babes to be ordered around as you please. Leave now or face the consequences."

Of course, he didn't. Instead, he charged right towards her. Not that Nasima would let that happen. With a burst of speed powered by mimicry of light, Nasima arrived in between them. Training in light was difficult, though Anton was able to show her impressive applications of the power. She stabbed with her spear a beam of light emanating from it, but an image of a tiger appeared around Cord. Its jaws snapped down on her attack, the man's defensive energy blocking her attack.

Then they were engaged in a frantic melee, with the Order at a clear disadvantage. Many of their disciples were already locked in battle with the lizard, after all. She couldn't stop thinking about the danger they might be in. The chaotic energy of the battle overwhelmed her senses, but she thought she felt flickers of light aside from herself.

Nasima thought she should be proud that Anton focused on some of the elders of the Cult instead of aiding her. It indicated some trust in her abilities, though she found herself hard pressed to deal with the flurry of the attacks from the man. He slashed at her with long claws weapons attached to his forearms and guided by his hands. She dodged and parried as she could, trying to blind the man or break through his defenses.

She thought she saw an opening, and she took it. Her spear thrust forward… but even as she committed to her attack, she knew she'd made a mistake. Cord was ducking backwards while slipping towards her, his claws prepared to cut under her guard and rake across her chest. And that was what happened… though he only made it as deep as her ribs. Not that such an attack was shallow, cutting through her defensive energy, armor, and muscle, but it didn't cut entirely through her so she was at least still able to rectify her mistake as they circled back around to face each other.

As they faced off Nasima couldn't help but notice a small mark on the man's wrist, one she was certain hadn't been there a moment before. That stuck in her mind to the conclusion of the battle which she managed to draw out enough for Anton to slowly injure the other Essence Collection cultivators among them. The Wandering Tiger Cult began to flee.

The fleeing cultivators began to fall one by one. "You did promise that it was their last chance to walk away," Anton shrugged by way of explanation to Aykorkem. "And running doesn't change that."

They fell one by one, until only Cord was left, having slipped out of sight beyond the horizon. And then… Anton took one final shot. Nasima felt the clashing energy, and could picture the result in her head. Most likely, the shot went right through his heart. "I thought you said that Horizon Shot only reached the Horizon?"

"Am I not allowed to improve things?" Anton raised an eyebrow. But Nasima felt like he was avoiding the question.

She looked at the bodies of the enemies around them. Distinctive marks of Anton's shots were easily visible on some of them, but there were others that were better hidden. Pinpoint wounds that perhaps even the cultivators themselves didn't realized had happened. And Nasima thought of tiny flashes of light. That was when she began to understand that there was something happening beyond her comprehension. She wondered how long it had been happening.

Over the following years, she had begun to focus on that feeling, and she indeed found that arrows came from mysterious angles. And if she watched closely, she could make out thin bands of energy stretching away from Anton and into the sky. There was no way that was a practical limitation of a technique. Instead, it was a way of concealing something Nasima couldn't even properly comprehend. But while their disciples ended up injured, none died or even suffered incurable injuries.

Some took a long time to recover, but Nasima came to understand that Anton had complete control over the battlefields he was on. And she also understood why he didn't tell her. He didn't want to inflate people's perception of their ability, such that they would die without him. They still felt the true fear of battle, and the understanding that they could have died, even if they didn't. In fact, Nasima was willing to bet that those who became arrogant would find their battles slightly more difficult.

She was quite glad he was on their side. But given what she knew of him, it would be strange if he was not. This was just Anton, doing his best to make sure the rest of them grew strong. She wondered if he ever really needed them at all. Certainly not for the work he'd lured them in with, and maybe not for anything she'd experienced yet. But if there was some enemy he couldn't handle alone, Nasima wouldn't mind being there to aid him if he asked.

Chapter 742

Sitting next to a peaceful brook on what was likely the second most trapped planet in the universe, Luksa frowned. Over the past few decades she had to come to terms with the fact that the sect she'd devoted her entire life to was gone, and that at the end she had given up their plans with barely an afterthought to save herself. And now, her concern wasn't for any of the disciples but for how her own cultivation had stagnated without devotion.

And the craziest part was that she'd joined Everheart. For multiple reasons. First was that he should have been dead. Second was that they were absolutely enemies. Third was that he was an asshole. And fourth was that he famously only worked alone.

Though the figure across the river ran counter to that as well. There was sort of a pattern to Everheart's projections, key among which was not displaying his age. Meanwhile, Rahayu didn't seem to care about wrinkles and gray hair one whit. Or literally anything but swinging his sword about. How did he think he was going to achieve Augmentation, without devotion?

Seeming to sense her gaze, the man turned towards her. To avoid the continuation of an awkward moment, she came up with something to say. "Have you learned much from Everheart?"

"No," Rahayu said. "His sword skills are average at best."

Somehow Luksa felt that Rahayu's metrics were skewed there. Because she'd seen the man use every sort of weapon with great ability. And she still thought he was hiding power from her. "So you don't think I could learn anything from him?"

"You might," Rahayu shrugged. "You are not me. Our paths are different, so I could not say."

"Maybe I should ask him." Luksa frowned, "Though somehow I feel like he's already overheard this conversation."

"It took you long enough," Everheart said when she finally found him. "I told you that you would grow strong under my lead."

"I thought you meant equipment and cultivation pills and the like…" Luksa said. "I heard you were unfathomably rich."

"It takes a lot to set up a system-wide grand formation," Everheart said. "So I'm a bit light on funds right now. But I do plan to do a little bit of scavenging soon."

"How can you become wealthy through scavenging?" Luksa frowned.

"It's simple. You wouldn't believe how much stuff the Trigold Cluster and the Exalted Quadrant just leave lying about."

"... is this stuff in vaults?"

"I'd hardly called them vaults with how they're secured. It's like keeping a sack of coins under your pillow and hoping it isn't found."

"I'll take your word for it. So…?" Luksa drew the word out.

"If I find a new morningstar, you'll be the first to know," Everheart said.

"About the learning something…?"

"Oh yes," Everheart nodded. "It's about time. You should be free from the shackles of devotion by now."

"If you mean feeling like I'm standing upon the sandy bottom of a dry ocean instead of overflowing with power, then yes. I'm free."

"Great, then you can properly begin cultivating malice. Or spite, or fear."

"Are those all different…?" Luksa asked.

Everheart shrugged. "It's the same general idea. Cause people to have the strongest possible feelings about you. Negatives ones are easier to manage. The Harmonious Citadel honestly wasn't far from cultivating that, you just didn't know how to properly absorb it."

"I see. So what am I supposed to do?"

"It's simple," Everheart said. "Spend a few decades or however long it takes meditating on certain principles, then go make a public appearance. Or maybe you don't have to spend that long, as long as you achieve a basic proficiency first. Otherwise it will all be wasted, and probably even fade away. I think you have an advantage here, though."

"Why?" Luksa asked.

"It's simple. Millions of people adored you, feeling like they had a personal connection with you. Meanwhile I'm just the boogeyman, far too impersonal for most to bother with. You can cultivate the spite of the masses with a snap of your fingers, based on the connection you have."

"... As long as it works," Luksa said.

"See, this is why I let you live. You're practical. It's much better than being self-righteous like the rest of your former compatriots." Everheart got a far off look in his eyes. "And much less terrifying than those who are simply… righteous. It's impossible to predict what they'll do or why."

Back on In'istra, Anton was listening to Varghese's personal report. "Everything is growing so rapidly. For the moment everything is peaceful but… I have the feeling that the pressure will build up sooner or later."

"Then perhaps you should work on developing the ability to spread out first. Modest space flight is not so difficult to achieve."

"I'm hesitant to see that as the solution," Varghese admitted. "I know we can never have perfect factions, but our unity will only go so far. To wait five more centuries for another event to bring us together… that's a bit much. Though perhaps I exaggerated our growth as well. We might have another century before the planet's truly full."

"If you want to reorganize people, it's better to start now rather than later. Rutera did quite well for themselves with a smaller proportion of military."

"We need strong cultivators on our ships, if nothing else. We may have fended off the uprising of the sea beasts, but no doubt things like that will repeat in cycles."

Anton nodded slowly. "Such is the way of the world. Cycles of life and death, and ultimately violence seems inescapable."

"Or perhaps we convince ourselves that it is the only way," Varghese commented.

"A philosophical position we must consider," Anton admitted. "For the moment, the more power I get the less I am comfortable using in battle. At least, I must consider if it could have been avoided. Or if it could end… vaguely amicably." Anton's eyes flashed, "But as soon as anyone from the Trigold Cluster crosses the border, they're dead."

Varghese nodded. He had experienced their invasion, though he was too young to remember much but the aftermath. "How much power is required to have peace?"

"Perhaps all of it," Anton said. "And I think that personally, I will not be able to bind some hundreds of billions of stars myself. So I will always require others."

"That would certainly be… an impressive feat," Varghese commented.

"Personally I'd be astounded to reach one hundred and ninety-seven."

"... Three more primes?" Varghese asked.

"I think that might be the equivalent of Domination. Though I'd have to reach the next stage to be certain. Perhaps this upcoming stage will only be the halfway point."

"If it is…" Varghese pondered, "Then you will likely become terribly strong. I haven't met any other Assimilation cultivators but… you said you faced off against Augmentation cultivators."

"They were weaker here," Anton said. "But you're right. I'm still close to a significant stage regardless of how it is categorized."

"And we don't even know if Domination cultivators exist," Varghese pointed out.

"I would provide one correction there. We don't know who or how many Domination cultivators there are. They certainly exist. Though I imagine their schedules are quite busy dealing with the great region's affairs. Even if they could have better administrators in place."

"You know, I appreciate your advice in that regard. It's much easier to just have people I can trust in place managing things they're good at."

"Exactly," Anton said. "And all you have to do is check up on them occasionally. For their own good, among other things."

"I'm glad people seem to trust me. It's much easier to resolve things when people come to us with hostage threats to begin with instead of trying to secretly comply with demands…" Varghese shook his head.

"It never works out well for anyone," Anton agreed.

As soon as Chidi walked into the room, he was hit with the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be there. Chills went down his spine, and through his body as the partial formation within him reacted. It wouldn't do anything unless his mother had set up something to specifically entrap him, but it was still uncomfortable.

He had to wonder why the room was open to him. This seemed like the sort of place that should have been sealed off to everyone. But since he was here, he couldn't help but slowly pick out the various formation markings. If he could see, he might be able to take it in on a larger scale. As it was, he had to go by the flow of energy, or the ways that it didn't flow.

While the discomfort didn't fade, Chidi ultimately got the feeling that this wasn't so much one grand formation as a testing ground. A combination of esoteric methods leading towards some sort of goal, and that goal wasn't too difficult to discern. Even if he didn't know how any of it would help, Augmentation had clearly been on his parents minds more and more in the past decades.

Just like Integration was something close to the forefront of his own mind. Based on the common sense of the world he expected to advance before them, but the particular confidence of them and the other cultivators born in the lower realms kept him guessing. It was crazy to think of going from Integration to Augmentation in just two centuries, but he supposed it was just as reasonable as going from no cultivation at all to Integration in just one. It was just that the upper realms had a severe lack of Augmentation cultivators. Even outside of the Scarlet Midfields, the big groups prized every Augmentation individual.

Chidi held his fingers above a formation that seemed to have no purpose at all. He spent a good half hour studying it only to ultimately come to the conclusion that that was the whole point. It wasn't a bewildering formation in terms of taking control of his mind in any way, but simply by its existence that looked like it should do something, but didn't.

He could learn so much from this room, but he didn't want to move about carelessly. His mother wasn't a reckless woman, but just because she seemed to have allowed him into the room didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. Instead, it was a sign she thought he could handle the danger if it arose.

"Ah, there you are," came a familiar voice from the doorway. "I suppose we were both looking for each other at the same time."

Chidi nodded. Now that he was able to take care of himself, his mother had stopped following him around with her energy. Nor did she use the method of tracking his surroundings that had fooled him for so long. Though a cultivator on her level could expand her senses to a great distance, usually they didn't fill every nook and cranny of the area around them. And there was a lot of space on Xankeshan to look for each other. The Garden wasn't exactly close to the capital city or Catarina's labs. And Engineer Uzun's area was a good distance away as well.

"Your grandfather would have found you, you know," Catarina said.

"So I've heard. He's still in the lower realms, though, so I only have stories to go off of."

"Maybe you can meet him," Catarina said. "You know, with the next change in the Tides."

"I… that's a bit far away to make plans," Chidi admitted. "I also thought that the plan was to have people in the upper realms disrupting the various operations."

Catarina shrugged, "Hopefully by that point we'll have some extra people. Enough to spare a few for personal tasks. But of course, you don't have to go meet him if you don't want to."

"I don't really know," Chidi said honestly. "I've heard so many amazing things, I can't help but think I'll be disappointed somehow when he doesn't live up to them."

"You'd think that," Catarina admitted. "But I haven't run into that yet. Listen to this," she held up a device she was going to read from. "Fusion of two brown dwarfs into a single red dwarf, and how that impacts stellar formation as a whole."

"An interesting study title…" Chidi began.

"He caused it to happen," Catarina said. "I haven't even fused any planets yet, and he made a star!"

"... Were you planning to fuse planets?"

"I want to know what happens!" Catarina held up her arms. "Is that so wrong?"

"Maybe?" Chidi tilted his head. "So what kind of formation fuses things like that, anyway?"

"In theory? Have a bunch of working ideas I've been consulting with him on. In practice, he just… yanked them together. Over the course of a few weeks, mind you. But no formations involved."

Chidi understood how difficult that would be. He didn't think he could ever do that. But he wondered if he could split one star into two someday…? He'd have to have some reason for it, though. Though Grandmaster Chikere would probably say that the idea was reason enough on its own. Which was exactly why he shouldn't mention it to her.

Chapter 743

Getting involved with conflicts on the right side was one way to improve the world bit by bit, but that was only when there was a right side. Most conflicts came from limited resources- whether tangible or intangible. It wasn't always clear that one side had a clear and legitimate claim to something. For cultivators, there were many such things in the wilderness between claimed territories. They were often claimed on the basis of whoever arrived first… though it could also devolve into whoever had the greater strength forcing others to give up whatever they had otherwise rightfully earned for themselves. Sometimes there would be a battle, other times there would be a threat. Always there would be negative feelings for those who remained.

Though he could not deal with everything throughout a whole planet, Anton still did his best to fend off any trouble he could anticipate. And one such instance of trouble was brewing in the desert to the south of Vochaye. It was called the Bladed Dust Bowl, a harsh desert full of many particularly prickly varieties of cactus. And of course, some of them were useful for cultivation in various ways. There were many properties in the fruits and flesh of cacti to be exploited.

More than a few people were aware of a particular phenomenon taking place involving a century pillar cactus. As the name implied, they grew very slowly, maturing only over the course of a hundred years. They stood tall and strong, but more importantly the water contained within them was of the highest quality. Some might say purity, but Anton knew that pure water was relatively uninteresting to most. This had condensed natural energy infused into it along with various chemical compounds that made it useful for medicines of various types.

There were strict requirements for such a thing to grow, and before its time of maturity it was relatively worthless. Thus, the various sects surrounding the desert had been carefully watching, unable to stake a permanent claim to the area as it was mostly inhospitable. At least by most standards. Even if they had staked a claim, it was likely other sects would have come along to remove the beleaguered disciples stationed as guards at a regular pace.

So now, there were a half dozen smaller sects and two larger ones approaching, as the transformation would take place within the next few days, turning the liquid within from bitter and poisonous to useful.

Anton knew of the two larger sects. The Fog Zephyr Cult and the Glamorous River Palace both cultivated the secrets of water, so having such a unique source of valuable water was desirable to both. At the same time, living in the desert was impossible for them, at least if they wished to cultivate. The smaller sects would likely combine forces, intent on getting whatever they could.

It wasn't possible for the sects to send many of their core members far from their sect, not without risking danger from others, so each group had a few dozen individuals between elders and disciples. Not a poor showing, especially for a world like Poriza where natural energy was sparse.

Though he wasn't the first to depart, Anton was the first to arrive. His timing was aided by the simple fact that all parties involved were close enough together for him to sense their movements, just a few hundreds of kilometers. That was nothing, even if it was all directly through the atmosphere.

An old man and woman respectively lead the two sects, and their steps paused as they arrived with near simultaneity, taking in each other and Anton.

"Of course we would find you here," the old man said to the woman.

"Much the same, I suppose we should have anticipated seeing some of your kind," the woman retorted.

Silence reigned for a few moments, then the man spoke to Anton. "Friend, are you here for the pillar cactus as well?" The answer was obvious, as it was the only feature for quite some distance. Though what a feature it was. Almost closer to a great tree than a cactus, it was ten stories tall and wider around than a man's arms could encircle- not that anyone would try it, with the sharp blades that stuck out from it. They had a similar property to the western creeper back on Ceretos that allowed them to puncture natural energy defenses.

"You are Anton of the Order of One Hundred Stars, are you not?" the woman asked. "If you help us secure it, we can split it between us." Looks were exchanged between the rival elders, intense gazes clashing.

"We have some time to discuss the options," Anton said. "But not all of the interested parties are here as of yet. We should wait a short time."

The two didn't seem particularly happy to accept that, but it was not as if they could divide the thing between them yet anyway. The desired properties wouldn't come about for another few days, and damaging the plant before then would ruin it.

As Anton was fully aware, the smaller sects were not far off. Their leader was a younger woman, at least compared to the others. Before she could make any demands, Anton took direction of the situation. "We are all here now," he declared. "Now then, there are several ways we can handle this matter. I should say that it appears impossible for any of our groups to come out the sole victor in a conflict. Thus as the first option, we can simply divide it into quarters. There would be no losses for any of us, even if the gains are somewhat less than hoped." Anton surveyed the situation. People weren't happy about that idea, though the lesser sects wouldn't exactly be disappointed even with the thought they would be sharing a quarter.

"The other option is simple. I can make use of this right now. Within fifty years, I can provide each party with the equivalent of a full century pillar cactus." Only out of respect for him did the others stay quiet. It was quite an unpalatable option for Anton to walk away with everything for a promise in the future. Even if it was ultimately supposed to pay out four times as much, the benefit in the near future might outweigh that in their estimation. Fifty years was not insignificant, even for cultivators. They might need the benefits sooner.

"What else?" the man asked. "You said there were several options."

"Well, yes," Anton nodded. "But the final one involves a few secrets…" Anton looked around at everyone. "But perhaps it is necessary to divulge. Actually, there is a special method to grow such a thing from its seeds. In the right conditions it might reach its peak in two decades… or even a single decade. But it is a difficult path to achieve. Actually, this is what I planned to do. It is only that it requires great care. Out of dozens of seeds, perhaps only a few would grow properly." That was mostly a lie. At least from Anton's perspective, he could perfectly manage its growth every time. And it wouldn't even be that difficult for those unfamiliar with the techniques involved.

"So why is this in question?" the woman said. "We split the plant and the seeds, then grow what we can for ourselves."

"Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that," Anton shook his head. This part was important. "The transformation we are all waiting for is only the first step in the process for it to reproduce. All of the energy and vitality of the specimen will be infused into the seeds shortly thereafter… leaving us with little but slightly sweet water and tough cactus flesh if we wait to harvest the seeds. But before then, they have no potency."

"Still…" said the younger woman. "You said they can grow again in just a decade?"

"Only in the hands of a master. It could easily perish without the knowledge to properly take care of it. Which is why it would be best left in my hands."

"I understand," the man said. "You do not wish to give away your information so easily. What is your price?"

"Indeed," the older woman from the Glamorous River Palace pressed him. "Clearly you are angling for something, or you would not have mentioned it at all."

"Alright, you got me," Anton shrugged. "I could teach you what I know, and we all split the seeds. But what I would require from all of you would be every second growth."

"Half of our efforts?" the Fog Zephyr Cult representative frowned.

"Not quite," Anton said. "Every second plant. So if you only manage to successfully grow one…" Anton shrugged. "Then you are up three quarters of a century cactus. And if you grow two, that one goes to me. But if you have the skill to grow three… two of them are yours, though you would have to surpass even my own estimations for production." Anton didn't feel bad about lying when it was for people's own direct benefit. And the terms were accurate. "But if you fail to even grow one, it will be no fault of my own. After all, I offered to produce each of you one. Though for your share of the seeds, I could instead grow a specimen for each party involved."

"How many seeds will there be?" the woman representing the lesser sects asked.

"More than a handful for each group. Likely only a single seed for several of your sects… but perhaps you might get lucky and produce something equivalent to this," Anton gestured to the large bladed cactus, "In the next few decades."

"How strict are the growth requirements?" the man asked. "And what of formations? Because if the expenses outweigh what we might gain…"

"No, no formations," Anton shook his head. "It simply requires a sealed area, carefully monitored. Akin to a greenhouse, the glass growing structures you may have heard about." Producing clear glass was actually relatively easy with the right techniques, and Anton had shared such information. "But any mistakes could delay or even terminate the growth of a pillar cactus." He emphasized that point because while he knew they could grow to full size in a decade instead of a century, the conditions had to be just right. Otherwise a cycle might pass and it would require another decade due to the particular biology of the plants. He knew of similar things from other planets, and had gathered all the locally available information to confirm his theories.

"So, we can either split it as it is, or grow them…" the old man nodded. "I am not comfortable relying fully on you, but even if we must wait a full century for a few seeds to develop I think our sect might benefit. I do not think we can afford to simply harvest it."

"Though we had plans for how we were to use this, the Glamorous River Palace thinks the same."

"We cannot oppose the majority," said the younger woman. "And I think we would like to grow them ourselves, with your instruction."

Anton smiled. "Then we should draft up the contracts. I would of course take your word, but it would not bind your whole sects. I share every secret I know about their growth, and you provide me with every second plant produced."

There was some negotiation between the lesser sects. Could the grow independently, or did it have to be communal? Could they afford for it to not be communal? The risk of getting nothing at all seemed high if they each had only a single seed. Ultimately, they worked out the terms as if they were one individual. If two of their sects produced one, the others would split the first and Anton would gain the second.

Though of course he didn't necessarily intend to hold people to the latter part. Not perpetually, anyway. He could gain more goodwill by simply forgiving the debt, preferably after a single round of growth. Because he could make use of the actual plants for the sect or outside of it.

As for growing the cactus, it didn't actually need to be in a desert. It just needed the right balance of humidity and temperature. And of course, enough natural energy. It simply happened that this particular desert was perfect, so the plant grew naturally- but its long life cycle and value to cultivators meant it was slowly going extinct. But if they could grow it on their own in a more convenient space, then it would naturally be able to fill its habitat in the wild once more. Everyone would be a winner. And nobody had to get hurt. Hopefully, everyone involved here would have some fond memories of each other in the future.

Chapter 744

The planet wide announcement came as a surprise to most citizens of Xankeshan, though everyone higher ranking and especially military officers were already in the know, so they could be certain they were prepared.

A mechanical recorded voice made the announcement, flowing through the planet's formations to spread the sound everywhere. "We apologize for the inconvenience, but the use of formation based amenities will be unavailable for a short time due to maintenance and upgrades. All traffic will be diverted directly to landing."

As people began to wonder what was happening, they also expected the flow of energy through the formations to slow or cease. But instead, the rate of energy usage ramped up even as the barrier fell, the upper energy of the planet being diverted for different uses.

It ultimately flowed to one place, Catarina's position at a temporary nexus of the formation. Timothy was there, of course, to see whether she was able to accomplish her impossible task. He was a bit disappointed he hadn't beaten her to Augmentation, but he knew he had some decades left to go himself. As for her chances of success, Timothy had nothing but confidence. He simply wouldn't allow himself to feel anything else. He trusted that all of the work she put in wasn't for naught.

Chidi was present as well. The flow of upper energy made him tingle, though he had a particular position to stand so as to not disrupt things with his internal partial formations. But there was something about the mass of power that called to him. He hesitated to reach out, not wanting to disrupt anything, but it sat at the back of his mind.

The process was not a short one. Chidi felt energy flowing into his mother, but it was being absorbed greedily. Not all of it went directly into her, of course. Most of it was reserved for various safety measures- for her own sake, and for the sake of those watching. But even so, the flow of energy directly entering Catarina was greater than that an Augmentation cultivator normally dealt with, based on Chidi's observation of Tauno.

It was more than a few hours of energy continuously pouring into her before Chidi felt her reaching her limits. Power coursed through her, formation markings inside of her but not quite so flagrant and wild as Chidi's that were cut into his body. All of the energy was directed with intention, either by the formations or by Catarina's own will.

Then all at once, the influx of energy stopped. The dense energy inside Catarina felt like it would explode outward, but instead she kept it tightly controlled. But it had to go somewhere, and that somewhere was back into the formations, reversing the flow. Not all of it, but a significant quantity.

When everything ended, Chidi didn't think Catarina felt much stronger. Then he realized that part of that was because he'd lost his focus for a moment, subconsciously reaching out for that flow and simultaneously improving himself. He had thought he might reach Integration in a battle, but instead it happened extremely naturally as he finally came into perfect sync with upper energy. Or as perfect as could be expected for that level, anyway. True perfection was always the goal- though nobody could agree what perfection was.

"Well," Timothy said. "I honestly didn't expect two breakthroughs today. Congratulations."

Catarina moved over to her son, whose senses were quite clearly locked onto her. "Well?" she asked. "Something you wish to say?"

"You don't feel all that much stronger," he admitted. "Did everything go alright?"

"It went exactly as intended," Catarina said. "Do not worry. I am stronger. But I'm also not really… a combatant. Likely there won't be as much improvement in my direct battle prowess, as it was focused on other areas."

Chidi nodded. "That makes sense. Can you tell me what, exactly?"

"It's difficult to say," Catarina admitted. "Because I am still comprehending the changes I set up. But ultimately, I should perform better in the expected areas. The ability to gather and channel energy, especially for formations. And hopefully… my rate of gain of understanding. I achieved some insights. Time will tell if they were wrong."

News of his granddaughter's Augmentation quickly reached Anton's ears, though of course he was part of the loop to begin with. He had known when she was going to make the attempt, and had been waiting impatiently for messages from the upper realms to reach him since that point. The message had been a simple and straightforward acknowledgement of success, which to Anton assured him that nothing had gone wrong. It was quite like her.

He had the feeling that the upper realms would remember this as the start of a great time of change. He hoped so, at least, because the alternative was things remaining as they had been- and that was exactly the situation they wanted to avoid.

In the lower realms, Anton didn't know of anyone closer to reaching the next stage than himself. That did not mean there weren't any, but they would have to be among the Sylanis Cluster. If it was any of the others, they would have to be working very hard to make it a surprise.

Lev would probably achieve something in time, but the fellow wasn't in a rush. Nthanda… was no longer on a path similar to any they had on record, so it would be difficult to say. Annelie would have once been high on Anton's list, but her cultivation speed had slowed after Anish's death. Devon was a bit further behind. He could expect anything to be separated by periods of decades, instead of the several times more frequent Ascensions and Assimilations among their population. Not quite yearly, even among their many billions. Though of course, a diminishing rate was always to be expected between cultivation stages.

Anton was at the peak himself, one star short of his next prime tempering. He wasn't quite certain if he would immediately reach the next stage upon completing that star or not, but he did know it had to be something more than usual. And he already had plans in place. Should they fall through, he would simply have to spend time solidifying some of his other opportunities.

But for the moment, his plans lay with Poriza. He'd begun his influence mainly on one side of the planet, but he'd been slowly spreading. He couldn't say he'd achieved world peace, even with all his power. However, he'd come to know people from every region of the planet. Just like others, they were all capable of living lives in peaceful community. It was simply a long tradition of violence among cultivators that perpetuated- a few decades wasn't enough to erase that. But he saw the opportunity was there, if they kept working at it.

Anton put together a worldwide conference of cultivators, pulling representatives from all over. It took several years to organize, and another to come to fruition afterwards because of travel times. But ultimately, thousands of individuals representing every part of the planet- even smaller sects who worked up the confidence to send their own representatives. And that was exactly what Anton wanted.

"I'm sure you all wonder why I gathered you here," Anton said. "As you have been told, it is something of great importance to the whole world. All of you know the Order of One Hundred Stars," Anton could say that without reservation, as he'd personally met with everyone for at least a few moments. "Needless to say, I am a disciple of the celestial bodies," Anton gestured towards the sky. "There is great power in the stars. However, the local sun… has missed a great opportunity. One for a greater conflux of power that it could share with the inhabitants of its planets. But perhaps this very feature has cast a shadow of safety over you."

Anton saw people had questions, so he pointed out one of the many who he knew would ask the same question in slightly different ways. "What do you mean? Safety from what?"

"A good question," Anton said. "The answer is… some particular bad actors in the upper realms. Unfortunately, as far as my information goes these bad actors dominate several of the nearby regions. Regardless, the Trigold Cluster is the most immediate threat. They are known to ravage planets on a regular basis, letting them develop for some time then stealing their resources."

Another question on everyone's mind. "How do you know this?"

He had to answer that question eventually. "I come from another lower realm planet that was able to withstand their attacks." Some murmurs of surprise and a bit of discontent, but also more than a few individuals simply confirming the detail in their heads. Many already knew something was different about Anton.

"What do you want with us?" someone called out without being acknowledged first.

"I have been quite straightforward about that from the beginning," Anton said. "I want exactly the results I have been working towards. The growth of your people. But there are risks. I do not believe if you continue as you are that you will ever be discovered, however the greater improvement I have in mind is certainly a risk. Your star can be transformed. It would bring with it a several fold increase in natural energy and the rate of growth. More light. And a bit more warmth. But ultimately, it is a difficult undertaking. One with both inherent and external risk factors to consider."

There were many questions for Anton to field over the next coming days. Ultimately, he hadn't gathered people for them to make a choice in one single event. Perhaps it was a bit manipulative on his part, but he knew people. And he knew that these particular people wouldn't give up on an elevation of their planet just because of theoretical risks. Even if Anton had told him that there was a powerful faction one system over ready to attack them, he thought they would have been strongly inclined to want to grow. And he knew that attitude held among most of the people- as he had brought representatives even of the common folk, those involved primarily in industry that involved no combat. Those who produced food and clothing and buildings and everything that allowed humans to live their lives. They had all seen that they could have more, and they would not want to give it up. And importantly- to Anton at least- it wasn't simply personal greed. Wanting more was a good thing, within reason. And he believed these people could see the difference.

Before he tried to advance to the next stage of Assimilation, whatever he might call it, Anton knew he should balance his internal and external cultivation. Which was to say, he didn't want to leave any potential unfulfilled, any stars unbound. He picked out a few more good specimens around the area and along the path between the Alliance and the eastern region. He only had one more, in reserve for In'istra.

While Anton hadn't been a public figure on In'istra for as much of his presence, he had about half a century longer that he was in frequent interaction with them. He still intended to ask for their permission to bind to their star, simultaneous with but not codependent with their introduction to the larger galactic community. They were far enough from all of the other systems Anton knew had humans that they would still be effectively alone, but there was still much they could gain from open interaction. Or they could make the choice to be isolated. Not that Anton expected that result.

Most of those who had fought in the invasion had died, but many people still had memories of it or the aftermath. And the idea of others who had gone through the same and would fight together would certainly be appealing to them. Along with Anton's personal influence, he didn't expect them to reject either option. And there were still five centuries until the next shift in the tides of the world for everyone to prepare. Anton was quite pleased, even if Poriza was likely to be somewhat behind, should they choose the route that increased their risk.

Anton had some reason to believe that binding to a star wouldn't make it exclusive to him, but he hadn't had the opportunity to willingly share with anyone. Ultimately, he hoped that he could- because he knew that if a local wanted to draw upon the star and they couldn't both do so safely that he would unbind it, ultimately dropping in cultivation. Because while he would have wasted some of his own time, he also didn't want to stifle other's potential. Getting permission might not change that dynamic, but it only seemed fair to ask.

Chapter 745

Not terribly far from Poriza was the planet Aipra, though from certain perspectives they were separated by insurmountable distance. No matter how far one traveled, if one could not bridge the gap from space to subspace or do the same in return, it was impossible to get from one to the other.

Both planets were similar in certain ways, with some key differences. Both were low in natural energy, but Poriza simply lived with it. The light and heat from their pseudo-star were sufficient to sustain them, if little more. Meanwhile, Aipra had no star at all. Any light they had was produced by their own selves, and all the more precious for it. What heat they had was mainly a result of the life they had. It was unclear how they had arrived at their situation, but they must have been formed of cultivators with some significant knowledge. Otherwise they wouldn't have had time to change their style of cultivation to survive.

If Anton were to compare individuals from the two planets, even though Aipra should have been weaker they actually survived and even thrived- given their circumstances. They had post-Life Transformation cultivators, and a worldwide system of cultivation that effectively used devotion to improve everyone. But as with all such things, the power was focused on those at the top. Yet in their circumstances, Anton couldn't reject the practice. They needed the most powerful cultivators they could get.

Of the two, Aipra had probably changed the least after Anton's arrival, at least in how they functioned overall. Even with the help of the greatest minds of several worlds, it was only possible to provide slight increases to the efficiency of the planet, minimally increasing their food output and their efficiency in providing heat and other necessary components for life. The biggest difference was the rise of simple industrial machines, functioning without the use of natural energy and instead relying on physical materials they had available.

Meanwhile, Anton had established a full branch of the Order on Poriza. He had influenced their development starting from one country, and changed not only the quantity and quality of cultivators but the whole political landscape. Ideas of both cultivation and how it interfaced with developing technology like Rutera's were rapidly influencing the populace.

Yet Anton was more proud of the work done for Aipra, mostly by others. Their entire existence had been hanging by a thread, and now it seemed as if they could actually withstand a disaster of some sort. Though Anton didn't want to ever find out.

Other powerful cultivators on Aipra besides Nalini had enough trust for Anton to speak to him now, but he saw no reason he should trouble anyone else. He'd rather visit a friend than receive a report from strangers.

Anton explained his thoughts, then asked for hers. "What do you think about the changes? Hopefully they are all good."

"It doesn't take so long to recover after a battle," she said. "And others are growing to the limits of cultivation. Some have taken an interest in ascension."

"I see," Anton said. It was a somewhat touchy subject, given that people leaving behind Aipra, especially powerful cultivators, might spell their doom.

"I think… that it is a good thing. That it can be considered at all, I mean. We were the ones who chose to introduce the idea ourselves. And we may eventually be able to offer an escape for those of lesser fortitude. A way to shift out of this space into the other. Though personally, I would never choose that result."

"Of course not," Anton said. "If you were inclined to do so, you could have already done it. You have sufficient power." Anton understood the concept of home, even one as desolate as this place. And he was quite pleased that they were able to reach a place where they could do more than simply survive.

Attacks by distortion beasts continued and likely would until the end of existence, but they were able to handle them. And Anton didn't think that making things a little bit easier on the future generations would be a bad thing. The right amount of pressure helped people develop, but too much and they would crack. Aipra had always been just on that edge, and it could have slipped past it at any moment.

"You mentioned some sort of wild plan…?" Nalini prompted.

Anton was pleased to answer, as she seldom took interest in outside affairs. Understandable, since there was little that could be done to influence each other in either case. Even the small number of ships that had come to visit this place did so at a high cost.

"The formation of a star," Anton said. "Specifically, the point where it begins to properly sustain fusion into heavier elements. Before that… well, it's difficult to say it is not a real star. Just not one with excess power of any sort."

"I'd like to see a star at some point," Nalini mused.

"I'm a great distance away from being able to bring one here," Anton said, "And I don't think you would be able to relax on a vacation. But I can still show you what they look like." Anton drew on his connection to a distant star. His first star was close to the far end of his bound stars, though Rutera and then the Sylanis Cluster were further west still. But after a few hundred lightyears, the distances blurred together.

Drawing upon the power it channeled into him, Anton didn't just use it to make fire… but tried his best to form a proper replica. A miniature version of the star that fit in his hand, complete with fusion. It would be rather unhealthy for those of lower cultivation to be directly in front of such a thing due to the radiation, but Nalini would be fine.

"... It's bright," she said. "They're all that bright?"

"It's barely a replica," Anton said. "They're so many times brighter that it is impossible to see around many of them. Though some are much less." Anton displayed a facsimile of Joy, the first star he had fused. It was just a red dwarf, and he showed a comparison between his hands.

The old woman watched with fascination as Anton went through various stars that he had bound. While he couldn't be certain he was making a perfect visual replica, he knew it at least captured their spirit.

"And then my favorite. Don't tell my home system, okay?" Anton grinned. "This is Azun."

"It's… very small," Nalini admitted.

"A normal person could walk across one side in a day- if they could walk. But while it is small, it is heavier than the majority of the others I have shown you. It is a nearly impossible density. And…" Nearby metallic objects began to tremble. "It has powerful magnetic fields. It spins rapidly, spewing beams of radiation. All this after what would be considered the death of another star. But instead it refused to give up, and in my opinion became something more."

"Impressive. But also a bit frightening. It could destroy this planet, could it not?"

"It could mostly likely absorb anything I've ever interacted with," Anton admitted. "Absorbing another star or two would hardly affect its mass."

"I think I will remain here without stars," Nalini said. "Or at least, where we only have to interact with them like that," she gestured to the sky generally, where stars could only be barely made out even by Anton, as if covered by a thick veil.

"Well, that is why you harness the cold power of the void," Anton said. "I wouldn't expect you to wish to change."

"I do vaguely get why you like them, though," Nalini said. "Perhaps if I grew used to them, they might not seem so harsh."

After spending some more time in idle conversation and a longer time exchanging cultivation pointers, Anton made certain there was nothing he could immediately provide that they needed- like a little bit of help fending off a distortion beast, perhaps. And while he was quite happy to return to his world of stars, he didn't mind the strange view from the other side once in a while.

Somehow, Anton's proposal had gotten the approval of Poriza. Obviously it was a massive undertaking, and before they could even begin they had to engage in greater contact with the outside world. Anton himself wasn't a true formation master, and the local formation masters were both insufficient in number and lacking in certain knowledge that might be required to accomplish such a massive task.

The purpose of the formations was not for the formation of the star specifically, but rather for the protection of the planet during the process. And while Anton might be able to push apart the planet and their star, might wasn't good enough for the lives of people. Anton wouldn't bet a single life on a half a chance, or even a ninety percent chance. Not unless he had no other option. He certainly wouldn't do the same with a planet.

While he didn't intend to drop two similarly sized masses into each other and thus was less likely to get the rather dangerous wobble of Joy's formation, the wrong amount of material impacting at the wrong angle could still spew a beam of radiation that could effectively destroy the planet, or at least kill most of those on it. Furthermore, it needed to move to a position further from the star to maintain a proper orbit, changing velocity as well. But Anton couldn't move it before they began. If Poriza was any further from their star, the already tenuous amounts of light and heat would drop to dangerously low levels.

There was a great amount of coordination necessary worldwide for other reasons. He planned to perform the jumpstart of mass and fusion between growing seasons- since each hemisphere had a different one- but no matter what happened it would be a major disruption. Thus, they needed to organize to store up food and seeds, both kept safe. But not immediately, or everything would spoil for no reason. The idea was only being entertained at all because food production had increased so much recently that the world could take the shock.

But the danger should be worth the rewards. The populace had a desire to improve. Overall, Anton judged it to be among the more positive ways that could come about. There was the desire to improve for one's own self, or to support a particular group. That was much preferred to a jealous desire to overcome another- in most cases such people didn't care if their foes grew weaker or they grew stronger as long as they were able to surpass them. And while Poriza was overall at peace, that didn't mean nobody had people they didn't like. Whether true enemies, competition, or simple rivals there would always be different reasons to have the ambition to grow.

It was ultimately better that the entire process was slow. Poriza would be putting in as much of the work as they could sustain themselves for reasons of practical logistics, because Anton had limited resources and not an infinite amount of favors to call upon, and so that the final result would be more meaningful for them. Because while Anton might be doing the heavy lifting, moving tens of times the mass of their planet into the brown dwarf they orbited around, they would still have to take care of the formations.

These formations would require active worldwide participation by cultivators injecting their energy. In shifts, of course, as there was no telling exactly how long such a thing would take. Only as they tired would reserve energy be called upon. Hopefully they didn't have to use any stored energy, but Anton knew they couldn't count on things to go perfectly. As for the formations, they were actually developed with some of the insights from Aipra. Instead of the flow of energy moving between people, it would go to move their planet according to a very careful set of calculations that had been done and were being verified over and over.

Anton was quite happy. The people of Poriza could have been content to simply live, but just like Aipra they wanted more and simply couldn't attain it on their own. But he wanted to give them the opportunity to thrive. The fact that it might personally benefit him wasn't lost to his thoughts, but that didn't undermine his motives. He just had to make sure he always kept on top of his reasons for doing things to make sure they weren't tainted. Personally, he quite liked his current trajectory.

Chapter 746

The older generation of cultivators on Ekict had been wiped out in the war, but instead of discontent those who remained had been mostly positive about the outcome, or neutral at worst. Everyone except weaker sects who had made a position for themselves working as the lackeys of more powerful groups had a direct improvement in quality of life, and those not so tightly entangled in the affairs of the greater sects were not worse off.

Anishka had been with them since the end of the war, in part to act as a bridge between Ekict and the alliance. Her greater motivation was to remain with her friends. They were the first individuals she felt were her friends entirely on her own merit, not because she was the daughter of Annelie or because of the Fire and Ice Palace. While her previous friends hadn't necessarily been false, the fact that she didn't think about anyone on Ceretos outside of family said something.

So Anishka spent time with Patka, as well as Celina and the disciples of the Enkindled Sun Sect. She also had the Sergeant with her, a lesser friend only in stature. She had an official purpose, of course, but she could manage that alongside other affairs, like cultivation. Patka's official position was something like her disciple. Meanwhile the Fire and Ice Palace had many cultivation tips to offer to the Enkindled Sun Sect. But in return, there were a few things Anishka could learn from them and pass back to her sect. No path was perfect, or if it was possible it certainly hadn't been completed yet. There were always things to learn, even from those weaker.

Enough time had passed that there were some important choices to make. Ones that were very important to the future of how they would interact.

"What are your plans?" Anishka asked when she was together with both Patka and Celina.

Celina answered quickly. "I will be searching for a suitable Assimilation goal, of course, and staying here as a guardian."

"The same with me… eventually," Patka said. Her cultivation was a bit slower than Celina, who was also a step or two behind Anishka.

Anishka nodded at their responses. "You're not even considering Ascension?"

"Why would we?" Celina shook her head. "This is our home. We fought for it, and while some of the leadership made terrible choices… we still live here. The affairs of the upper realms don't matter. If they come here, we will be ready."

Anishka didn't know what else she should have expected. The people of Ekict had a particular way they did things, and while the older generation that used 'Transferral' were gone now, the reasons had all come from the same place.

"I would like to help out others, if possible," Patka said. "Depending on if we can take care of ourselves first. How long the invasions take… and all of that."

Anishka nodded. That was still an issue, as it could take months simply to travel between Ekict and the Alliance. But that was considering standard troop carriers. If only a small number of powerful cultivators were involved, they might be able to take a faster vessel, potentially cutting the time in half or more. The only question was whether particular Assimilation cultivators would be effective outside of their home world. "I think just taking care of yourselves is enough. And working together with everyone to improve ourselves, of course. If we could get one Augmentation equivalent in each system…"

Patka laughed, "As if that's so easy. Doesn't it take like… a millennium?"

"It can be half that," Anishka said. "... or less." Her aunt had managed it in three hundred years, after all. And her grandfather might do it soon, though that was potentially a secret. "With improved natural energy levels, everything is faster."

Anishka felt her other companion try to draw her attention. As it turned out, the Sergeant could apply a significant squeezing force when she wanted to. That was preferable to nipping Anishka with her mandibles even if she'd never broken skin when she didn't intend to.

The Sergeant, seeing she had attention, signed her own part of the conversation. "I will be staying with you."

"I know," Anishka said. "I'm not planning to ascend, either. Though I don't know what sort of Assimilation I'll ultimately end up with, and how mobile I'll be."

"Good. I like it here," the void ant declared.

The only question remaining for Anishka was if she had an Assimilation that was lacking in mobility whether it should be on Ekict or Ceretos. Trust was once more building up between Ekict and the rest of the lower realm community so it wouldn't be so difficult to move between the two as it once was. There was still the matter of travel time, but as the decades went by Anishka found that to be less of a factor in her mind.

The preparations were finally finished. Understandably, Anton was nervous about the whole process. He was confident in the safety of Poriza, or he wouldn't have even suggested the option. They had gone to great expense to make certain that the planet would withdraw from the sun at the correct rate and distance. The thing Anton was most concerned about was it not paying off as promised.

There would be improvements, but there was some chance it wouldn't be as much as anticipated. There were so many variables to consider, it was simply impossible to know. It might have been better to pour all of the resources allocated to this project into another method of growth, though Anton believed that there was a maximum level they could reach without the constant input of natural energy from a more powerful star. Ultimately, there was a limit to how much cultivators could augment the natural ambient energy based on how much was coming in.

Even so, Anton had made promises that he wanted to be fulfilled. Even if in two or three centuries this paid off, if it took that long many people could lose out on opportunities before then. Not just small opportunities either- if the timing was wrong for them, it was very easy for people to die of old age when their cultivation didn't advance quickly enough. That was inevitable, of course, but Anton still wanted to avoid it being his fault, when shorter term benefits might have resulted in a better growth curve.

It was too late to change things, of course. Anton simply had to acknowledge his doubts. They were part of him, and he had to move past them. Hopefully by achieving sufficient results, but Anton was prepared to deal with failure if it came down to it. And in a way, the thought motivated him to do better to avoid it.

The final days passed slowly, as details were checked and re-checked. Anton was already beginning the process, but not in a way that was irreversible. While it was only going to make a small difference in overall mass, he was gathering free dust throughout the system and guiding it towards the star. There was no chance of it increasing the mass of the star enough for it to trigger sustained fusion, and likewise it wouldn't significantly change gravity or any other factors. Still, it was not an insignificant amount of mass and it wouldn't ever be used for anything else, unlike the stray asteroids that might be mined for various metals in the future.

It was a meditative thing, drifting through the void of space and guiding everything around him towards the small star. It allowed him to clear his mind for the real thing.

The system didn't have another brown dwarf, though that was by no means necessary for what they intended to accomplish. The star was just below the threshold, it only needed a few percent increase in mass to surpass the threshold. It would take almost a thousand planets the size of Poriza to make up that difference, but the system had several gaseous giants that would serve the necessary purpose. For the purposes of harvesting them for various elements, it was unnecessary to have more- and there was no guarantee of achieving the intended results every other way.

Combining every speck of dust and every stray asteroid could potentially be sufficient. But doing so would mean a steady increased in the star's mass instead of a short burst, and while that sounded safer on the surface there was a significant issue. At the point where the star began to properly sustain fusion of heavier elements, it would do so rapidly, the temperature jumping sharply in a short time. The planet already needed to be moving, or at least it was safer if it was as the formations would be affected by the change in energy to some extent.

When it came down to the last moments, Anton listened to the official announcement taking place on the planet below as he made his way back. There was a large gathering of sects, and sound transmitting formations would relay it in close to real time around the planet. Among those gathered were the leadership of the Order on planet.

Nyarai was one of the most powerful local cultivators, and she had been chosen for the honor of making the official statements. "Today we begin a process that will reshape our world forever. It is not one undertaken lightly, but one carefully considered. All of you know of the work that has been done over the last decades. And now, we will finally make use of it. With the help of our friend Anton… and the cooperation between all of us."

At the mention of his name, Anton descended so that he could be seen. He didn't want the personal glory, but he did want people to be comfortable with him, a real person and not just an idea.

The speech continued for a while longer. It was a big event, after all. Rarer than once in a lifetime. As far as Anton was aware, it was unique in the galaxy. Though perhaps he was being too limiting. Either way, he could say it was true of the thousands of systems they had surveyed in the lower realms. Joy was half an exception, but there was little practical benefit besides the knowledge. A lone red dwarf didn't have any significant difference from a binary pair of brown dwarfs.

The timing for everything was quite intentional. The path Anton would be guiding the sacrificial planet on would not pass through that of any other planets. Anton began to create the necessary connection, coaxing it along the path while drawing upon his power to reduce its orbital speed. It was a slow process, during which the people of Poriza were already beginning their shifts empowering the formations.

Nearly everything had stopped on the planet, except the most necessary things such as emergency services. Food was not prepared individually, but communally for all of those lending their power to the efforts. Only a small number of ships performing necessary functions traveled the seas.

Anton almost felt the urge to rush, but he knew they had prepared for a certain variability in time. It felt slow now, but he knew it would speed up. He paid attention to Poriza, as it created an inverse magnetic field to its star, slowly pushing away. The planet wouldn't be changing its orbit terribly much in the grand scheme of things, but remaining perfectly still would have many negative consequences.

A great mass spiraled through space, the gas planet drawing ever closer to the even larger mass of the star. Because no matter how small the brown dwarf was as a star, it was still on a different scale in terms of mass from anything but the most extreme of planets. Though the difference of size wasn't nearly so extreme. The star wasn't even half again as large as the gas giant in any particular dimension, which became readily apparent as it drew closer and closer.

Instead of allowing them to continue accelerating closer, once the natural draw of gravity became a dominant factor Anton focused on guiding the planet properly. His intention was to have it spiral around the star, letting mass be pulled off in layers rather than crashing directly into it. That required just the right angle and momentum. He felt the power within him burning swiftly, the surrounding stars bolstering him. It would have been impossible to accomplish the task without them.

The gas giant made contact, bits of it pulling off. Anton carefully monitored the reaction of the star, along with many others. They had avoided the worst case scenario already- a direct impact that might cause a burst of energy that could damage Poriza. Now they just had to follow through.

Then Anton felt it. It was almost as if a switch was flipped, a greater power growing inside the star. He wouldn't miss the opportunity a second time. He was already prepared to bind the star to him as it crossed the threshold.

With all of Anton's experience, it happened easily. He formed the connection, and the flame of a new star lit within him. The power of the new star pulsed… and for the first time he felt something outside their predictions. It was more powerful than initially anticipated. As it devoured the last of the gas giant, the rapid growth in energy threw Anton off guard. It seemed the process wasn't going to be so straightforward as initially planned.

Chapter 747

The mass dumped into Poriza's star seemed to have sparked something more than simply the fusion within it. Or perhaps it had something to do with Anton binding the star at the same time. But he didn't have time to think about that now.

The star was awakened, and it was hungry. That was the feeling Anton got from it. Power surged from it, and Anton felt a great pull from it. He immediately counterbalanced the force upon himself while he took stock of the situation. He could feel the effects of the new star on a handful of rocky planets even closer than Poriza. The change in mass shouldn't have affected gravity enough to significantly affect them, but they were suddenly being drawn closer. To a lesser extent, that was also true of Poriza.

The first thing Anton did was fly between the star and the planet. He then set about altering the magnetic flow of the star which had slightly changed in direction, counterbalancing it against the formations set around the planet. But his power wasn't enough all on its own, and his control of the new star wasn't at full capacity the instant he bound it. The process up to the current point had been draining, and now Anton pulled the maximum amount he could from his conduits. In addition to that, he drew upon the ascension energy he had access to, creating a burst of change.

Anton called upon the power of Azun and his familiarity with its power, stupendous magnetic fields. It wasn't possible for this star to sustain the same, or even achieve similar levels for an instant. Yet he still needed to amplify them higher than anything else he'd encountered. Magnetic poles pushed against each other, any sweat Anton might have had evaporating instantly from the heat pouring out of him. Poriza slowly inched away from the star, though that was a blessing since it was hotter and brighter than anticipated.

The rocky inner planets were devoured by the star, but those were of little consequence. A swirl of energy expanded through the system, but Anton suppressed it slightly. Not through force, but gentle guidance. He was not powerful enough to wrestle with even the smallest of stars and win. It responded to his attempt, the power that was pulling on the surroundings easing up. Anton could tell that over the next few years every bit of surrounding space dust would be drawn into the star… but things began to settle down. The rest of the planets seemed to be safe, at least.

Anton's exhausted form was suddenly bolstered with the new warmth inside of him as he relaxed. He was uncertain what had caused the phenomenon. His instinctual description was close to it wanting something, but now that disaster wasn't looming so directly he couldn't feel the same intentionality he'd ascribed to it. Perhaps it was simply an unknown physical phenomenon. Specific circumstances often resulted in wildly different results than expected, and that was just Anton thinking of growing two seeds from the same plant in neighboring rows, one growing into a towering behemoth and the other barely breaking out of the ground. They were usually more consistent, but even small factors such as a bit of shade or water changed things.

And when considering the scale of a star, perhaps it was the exact size and type of mass he dropped into it. Or something to do with him binding it, disrupting the flow of its energy. Anton waited ten minutes, an hour, half a day to make certain there would be no further unanticipated roadblocks. The loss of the inner planets was not expected, but also not entirely unaccounted for. It had long been known that something might happen to them.

He slowly drifted towards the planet, feeling the intensity of the star, light and heat and natural energy. It was even more than expected, especially for being on the small end of being a red dwarf. It was still more than a step short of the power of Ceretos' star, though the proximity of the planet made up for some of that. It was a success. Better than he'd hoped.

And the new power welling inside of Anton reminded him that the results were greater in more than just a single way. He felt something growing, first from Poriza's stars and then those in the surroundings. Then those even further, along the route to the Alliance and finally the area around his home system. The conduits were growing, and the distance he felt suddenly didn't seem quite as far.

"And here he is!" Nyarai said as Anton returned. "From down here, it looks like a great success," she squinted. "Is it always going to be so bright, though?"

Anton grinned. "You'll get used to it. A small price to pay for the bounty it will provide. And indeed, it was even more glorious than anticipated. You should all be proud of your work." Anton had a feeling he could extend his voice further than before. He repeated the last sentence, reaching the furthest corners of the planet. "Your tireless work maintaining the formations over the last days was the only thing that made this possible. I would say everyone should take a rest, but I'm fairly certain there is one more thing you must do." Anton looked at Nyarai, who was confused. "I believe this calls for a celebration. A festival of unity!"

Also, someone had to do something with all that food they'd stored up. With things as they were, they only needed enough for one season compared to the worst projections of several years. Though Anton would need to make sure that people were factoring in the greater sunlight with their tending of the fields. It was an anticipated factor, but humans were creatures of habit.

As for Anton himself, he planned to do the same as everyone else, facilitating the festivals and then taking a well deserved break. And while he felt the utility of all the devotion pouring into him, he didn't want things to focus on him too much. Then again, unless it was paired with a harmful cultivation method like the Holy Harmony Technique it didn't hurt anyone's cultivation, as it was merely another form of energy they wouldn't have been using.

After everything inside of him stabilized, Anton took a good look at his cultivation. He understood why it was called Augmentation for a similar level of power in the upper realms, and perhaps he would have been quite happy stealing that name. On the other hand, having properly experienced it he had the feeling that there were more appropriate names. Creation was… too ostentatious. And it might not be the case that all Assimilation cultivators needed the same sort of event to advance.

Accretion? Perhaps an appropriate name for those who dealt with stars in particular, but not as a general name. And it was unnecessary to have more stage names beginning with the same letter. Finally, he settled on a name. Enrichment. A similar meaning to Augmentation, but he felt it came with more positive connotations.

As for the practical matters, Anton was just beginning to place them. Within a system, he could draw upon a larger quantity of a star's power. But it wasn't just that. He almost felt like he was within the influence of every star he had bound to all at once. Perhaps just on the very edge- he wasn't suddenly thirty times as powerful. However, he had previously been able to display strength above Life Transformation outside of systems he was bound to but not quite able to compare it to the strength of Assimilation. Now, he could say for certain that outside of his systems he was able to display at least as much power as when he'd first reached Assimilation in Ceretos. Probably more, as it was difficult to measure.

He wasn't sure if that would be true at any distance, but so far he had not found himself anywhere more 'distant' feeling than any other. The minimum threshold of power he received had greatly improved. It was all quite gratifying, but Anton found that the new improvements to his power were best displayed in one particular field.

His travel speed. It had improved significantly, as he could always maintain a high level of power output between systems with no need for breaks to replenish himself. He hadn't quite tested it yet, but still found he was capable of traveling between Poriza and In'istra in a single day. If he could keep that up, he would be able to travel all four hundred lightyears back to Ceretos in less than a month. Which was gratifying not just for matters of convenience, but also if he had to deal with any future disasters.

Thinking of how much more he could do, Anton almost completely forgot to test his combat power. But he did remember, and performed a small demonstration for himself. He was quite pleased, finding that if he focused on individual arrows they could pass from one system to the next, though not in such a short time that he could react to something and prevent it. It required intense focus to maintain the speed and form, and it was entirely impractical at the moment. But even still, his range was improving.

He just needed to make sure he didn't look for excuses to have to use it, as it would only be useful for targets with predictable paths like planets. And he really didn't need to personally cause the destruction of any more of those. Certainly not without good reason.

Varghese shuddered when Anton displayed his new power to him. "Just when I thought I might be catching up…" he shook his head.

"Oh, don't worry about it too much," Anton grinned. "You'll be in Assimilation before you know it. Or Integration, but I don't see you preparing anyone to take over."

"No, I didn't have any ambitions to ascend even before you arrived. I think the best thing I can do is stand up to the upper realms if they dare to come back," Varghese held himself high.

Anton nodded, "Good. Though we could certainly use more Integration cultivators in the upper realms as well. On an only vaguely related topic, how do you feel about meeting with the cultivators from Poriza?"

"Nervous," Varghese admitted. "I mean, you started preparing me for this sort of thing not long after we met. But actually being introduced into a wider galactic community is still…" he shook his head.

Anton nodded, "Oh, I felt that way when I saw Matija and her ship as well. Though it was more of us running into each other, I suppose. They weren't even certain about other planets being inhabited, unlike us who knew there were many cultivators throughout the lower realms. And many more to come, I think," Anton said. "It is a vast place, but while we know over a dozen populated realms I feel like there should be many more." And hopefully, they would find them still populated instead of ravaged by the Trigold Cluster.

Unlike the initial contact with Ekict which Anton admitted had been rather hasty, Anton was very familiar with In'istra and now Poriza. Only the two systems were close enough to physically interact and In'istra was only just beginning to develop ships that could move around their system, let alone between systems. While that process would be accelerated with the help of others, it would be a long time before anyone but the two would physically interact on a regular basis. Except for the occasional ship stopping by on the way to study Azun.

Anton looked wistfully into the sky, thinking of the thin line that was his route between his most familiar clusters. He would like to expand their knowledge of that corridor and the surrounding area, finding people and if they were open to it establishing proper communication. Though he also enjoyed leaving written notes that might only be exchanged over the course of years and decades like the desert planet Xicil. Hopefully they would still recognize him next time he went by, as he didn't want them to panic about someone who seemed dangerous.

Chapter 748

Even as he barely began his journey back to Ceretos, Anton's increased speed had him thinking about just one thing. What the lower realms needed most was this. Not power. There were enough cultivators growing stronger that they would be able to handle anything the upper realms was willing to send. But having them in the right places at the right time? That required something more. And matters of logistics didn't just apply to war. Different systems had resources the others might want or need, and the wide span of the explored area would take a long time to traverse.

Speed was the key. It made unity possible, and that was their best weapon against the upper realms. And while Anton didn't think he could help with developing formations or technology, he could still support in other ways. He wasn't quite sure how, but perhaps something to do with energy. Ships had to stop in systems along the way to refuel, and while Anton didn't know if he could help with that process there had to be something. Perhaps just exploring more systems, helping to find the best routes. While it was mostly empty space, the need for fuel meant ships couldn't simply take a straight line between systems. And while they seemed to stay in the same relative positions to each other, that was only over shorter timescales. Systems were drifting about- mostly in the same general direction- but longer journeys required adjustments due to passing by the gravity wells of systems no matter how much calculation effort was put into the journey ahead of time.

Anton tore through space with vigor, though he would be cautious around inhabited systems. He didn't want to draw out distortion beasts, after all. Regardless of whether or not he could destroy them, he was worried about the potential side effects. Even Aipra didn't understand much about them, except that they simply existed, and since they were always in subspace they didn't even have the experience with them being drawn out. They were always around.

His estimation about how long it would take if he traveled with all haste was quite accurate. Anton thought he could reach Ceretos in something like a month. An absurd time- both in how short it was and how much time was still spent doing nearly nothing. Though time among the void between stars was not entirely wasted for Anton, as even simply traveling was somewhat effective as cultivation.

The actual time it would take Anton to arrive was of course longer. He wasn't going to just bypass all of his favorite systems. He didn't feel any particular reaction to his appearance on Xicil. He still wanted to properly speak with them at some point, and it was unlikely they could stay completely out of galactic affairs forever- isolation would only work so long if they actually developed a grand interstellar trade route. Though that was something far away, if it was even possible. Perhaps there would be stricter limits on how fast anything but an individual cultivator could go.

The Twin Planets were also on Anton's list. Tenoun'a and Shrenn were some of his favorites not just because they had a nice star- a blue supergiant- but also because of how they had turned out. Almost completely wiped out by the upper realms, the two planets had struggled to survive. While that ultimately resulted in conflict between two planets that should have worked together, he had helped them overcome that struggle and dispose of the few individuals who benefited from it.

The people of the system had actually spread throughout the system quite rapidly. Their own planets were, in essence, ruined. Very little water, even deep underground. They were able to import some water from ice planets, but the people were used to harsh conditions. Over the past decades- almost a century now- they had happily spread to other places. The moons of Shrenn had always been better than the planet itself, despite having little atmosphere. They were building those up, but also happily settling other rocky planets and moons around gas giants.

They were able to live in so many places because once they had basic nutritional requirements met, the system itself was brimming with natural energy that would allow them to develop as cultivators. The nature of their star had actually been too much for them when they were in a dilapidated state, but now they were growing quite nicely. All it had taken was a change in their circumstances, a jump start by Anton and the alliance to introduce a variety of crops and animals they could raise in the various environments. Overall the whole system likely still had a population less than In'istra, but that might not hold true for long as In'istra was quite content on their single planet for the moment.

He also stopped by Ekict. Despite all of the negative feelings he had towards the system, none of the people currently living there were in any way responsible for them. And making an official visit was probably a good idea. Then of course there was his granddaughter-with-several-greats, Anishka. That said, being around the system too often might make them nervous, which was part of the reason he had avoided it immediately after the war.

Anton flew up to the border of the system, where he found an orbiting station waiting. Even before the war Ekict had had full control of their system, so it wasn't odd for them to have several of these around the plane. Obviously they couldn't actually stop anyone from entering with just a handful of stations, but they were the official checkpoints.

Anton was happy to go through official procedures. He extended his natural energy to an official next to the docking bays who didn't seem to be occupied. "Good day. I am visiting to see my grandaughter."

The woman's head whipped up at his speech. But she quickly recognized the situation and spoke in response, the sound transmitting to Anton through his extended energy. "Oh, uh. We normally get ships here. But if you could land, uh…"

"There's an empty dock on the far side. Should I go through there?"

"Yes, please. If you were in a ship I would have just sent you a landing route because it's easier than explaining…"

For the sake of not alarming anyone, Anton took his time circling around. Not that he lingered, either. The woman he'd first contacted hadn't arrived yet, though he sensed her scurrying her way over and trying to explain to others along the way.

The process was relatively painless for Anton. Was it possible that it was because of who he was and not the efficiency of the local bureaucracy? Absolutely. But he also didn't have a hold full of trade goods or passengers to inspect. He was just one person with a not particularly full storage bag. Making special note of his presence was likely important to some, but that was also a reason to let him through quickly.

Landing on their main planet was simple enough. Though they had restored some level of planetary barrier, it wasn't constantly powered- it was a waste of energy when there were no threats. Anton did his best to be polite with his sweeping senses as he tried to find Anishka.

He found her in the icy north, in the area once claimed by the Northern Glacier Sect. He politely landed outside their front gates and walked from there. Anishka sensed him coming and steadily made her way towards him.

"Grandfather," she inclined her head. "I didn't receive advance notice of your visit."

"No need to be so formal," Anton said. "Or mature. I'd honestly prefer if you had come running. Dignity is for those who aren't fully confident," Anton grinned. "As for why you didn't hear from me, the message wouldn't have arrived significantly before myself so I didn't bother." It would have still been somewhat ahead of even his current speed, but he liked surprising people too.

"I see," Anishka nodded her head, then stepped forward to hug Anton tightly. "You don't visit often enough."

"Unfortunately, I can only be in a single place at a time and have no current intentions to try to change that."

When Anishka stepped back, she carefully displayed her hand to reveal The Sergeant. "Greetings, sir Anton!" the ant signed.

"Greetings to you as well, Sergeant. How have things been here for the two of you?"

"Slow," Anishka said. "But peaceful. I travel between here and fire attuned regions for my training. Speaking of which, while you are here I have some questions about the techniques of the fallen Enkindled Sun Sect. The Palace of Fire and Ice focuses on different aspects of fire, and this is specifically star related."

"Of course, what do you mean to ask?"

"It is about the connection to stars." Anishka saw the sparkle in Anton's eyes and shook her head. "It is partially for my own curiosity, and I have no intent to give up half my cultivation to focus on them. Though I do have some friends who might be interested. Many people are speaking of binding our local star by the same methods you do, though I doubt most of them understand it and fewer still are knowledgeable enough and likely to surpass Life Transformation in the near future."

"On an interesting topic, I have met an archer who focuses on nearly the opposite of myself. The cold void between stars," Anton smiled.

"I am more interested in terrestrial heat and cold," Anishka shrugged. "But I could likely learn a lot. Gudrun would likely be interested to hear about this archer."

Anton nodded. Gudrun was one of Anishka's older sisters, the third child of Annelie and Anish. As one of his lovely grandchildren he was quite fond of her, obviously. Now that he considered it, it seemed past time for many of them to ascend or reach Assimilation. It had been a good pair of centuries, after all. He understood that a single century to go from no cultivation to that level was exceptional and never to be expected, but with access to proper resources and training they should be getting close. Anishka wasn't too far off herself, at a much younger age. But Anton also had the feeling that such advancements tended to come in waves.

Anton stayed for a few days, providing guidance for Anishka and some friends and allies. And a few random farmers he passed by who had managed the form of a properly run farm but were missing a little bit of the spirit to get the most out of things. Before he left, Anton also asked the Sergeant if she had anything to say to the Great Queen. Fascinatingly enough, instead of a long report he got a single sentence.

"Things are going well here, thanks for the opportunity."

Well, he preferred a heartfelt message compared to a long report anyway.

The Great Queen was not one to beat around the bush. Nor did she care much for many of the restrictions of human social interaction. Thus, when Anton came to find her she was quick to make a rather alarming announcement.

"We need to prepare to attack the upper realms."

Anton sighed. "Who, how, why, and when?"

"You know of the ways we have discussed for the ant-us to get there," the Great Queen signed. "The void ants and you cultivators both need to move proactively against the Trigold Cluster. And perhaps the Exalted Quadrant as well. They already caused trouble for our colony in the upper realms. As for when… either before or after the next change in the tides of the world. It is still far off, and yet fast approaching in its own way. But we have had many years of idleness in much of the region, and while peace and growth are wonderful…" the Great Queen spread her antennae and forelimbs in the void ant's version of a shrug, "It will not last forever. Your granddaughter and the others went to the upper realms to bring the fight to the enemy. I would suggest it is time. Or it will be."

"You're not used to waiting," Anton nodded.

"It is in my nature to be industrious," the Great Queen said. "Speaking of which, will we be able to establish colonies in the eastern expanse?"

"Not yet," Anton said. "It may not be surprising to learn that humans are still hesitant about your people, especially without having met them."

"We sound dangerous," the Great Queen agreed. "And we are. Which makes us the best allies."

Anton had to admit that they had been among his best allies for a long time. "You know that everything I do is ultimately preparing to fight the upper realms," Anton said.

"True. You do not sit idly either. But we need specific plans. And I know it seems quite early, but we cannot coordinate nearly so well for something we do not know ahead of time."

"Within the upper realms specifically, there is a power disadvantage."

"Only for the moment. But the vast rear ends of the great powers seem loath to pick themselves up off their rear ends. I understand the danger of annihilation, but sitting and waiting will likely be insufficient. And with the number of Augmentation cultivators in the Scarlet Midfields increasing, soon they will likely be considered a threat regardless of whether they are known to have done anything against the powers."

"It sounds like you mean to have people move in secret."

"If at all possible, it is best to slip under a door and steal crumbs without being noticed," the Great Queen said by way of agreement. "Help me express my intentions to others, because they will not be inclined to listen to me. And your wisdom can make up for my mistakes. I will admit that the void ants have an empathic hole considering the loss of lives in war."

Anton nodded. He would hear her out, and help to get people moving as necessary. They might have almost five centuries, but not too long ago there had been another half century he was counting on. It would be easy for time to slip by, and while it wouldn't be terrible for them to simply focus on growth that whole time, an active plan would still be better.

Chapter 749

Various things that the lower realms might want to do at the end of the cycle were dependent on a wide variety of factors out of their control or only ascertainable at a later time. They couldn't be entirely certain that the upper realms would make any further attempts to assault the alliance, given the previous victories. But then again, assuming they would just give up was a risky gamble.

Any counteroffensive, even if it was possible, would hinge on the circumstances after the assaults, if they even had sufficient forces in fighting shape. Perhaps they were already being too hasty, assuming they would win.

One thing that did come up was attempting to predict the invasion routes. From the side of the upper realms, they had launched attacks on the border planets. But predicting the flow of the tides on a scale beyond local hadn't really been done. But now, the people of the lower realms- Anton especially- could range more widely. And though it was still far off, Anton still had a bit of a stronger feeling than everyone else.

But while nothing concrete was settled, nor could it be for some time, the ball was set rolling for the future. Thoughts remained on the events that would inevitably come about once more.

The great tree in front of Anton must have been centuries old when Anton first saw it. Perhaps more, as that was closer to a normal lifespan for a tree. The Grandfather Willow might have stood tall through multiple cycles, or perhaps it was young and insignificant for the one prior to Anton's experience. It was difficult to say for certain, though most likely the Trigold Cluster would have chopped it down if they knew of it.

Another two centuries shouldn't have been that much for such a thing, but Anton could see significant changes. Its size was creeping up into the sky to the point Anton wondered if the top layers had trouble getting sufficient oxygen.

"That's quite a transformation, Lev," Anton said.

He shrugged, "I barely did anything. This old guy was encouraged to grow all on his own. A bit more natural energy seems to have done him good."

"Oh?" Anton nodded. "I had the feeling it was more related to a certain threshold."

"Who can say?" Lev shook his head. "I don't plan to do anything so wild and fusing a star."

"Your path is not too different from my own, though," Anton pointed out. "I'm thinking about calling the stage Enrichment. Or perhaps this is another branch. The difference between us is small given that you have access to the majority of the energy here, while I only use a miniscule fraction of the energy of a star." Anton leaned back against the tree, looking up to the great canopy above. "Soon enough this thing will provide shade for all of northern Graotan."

"Not everyone's thrilled about that," Lev said. "Though it doesn't attack people on instinct anymore. Not since it first came under my control. It still eats beasts in the wider forests, as its starting bowl is almost entirely occupied by disciples of the Grasping Willow now."

"More sects should relax under large trees," Anton said. "Get in tune with nature that way. I think the world would be a better place."

"Isn't that what you've been doing for the past few centuries?" Lev asked. "Getting people to do that?"

"Not all of them have grown big trees yet," Anton said. "And perhaps it's my fault, but all the effort to get people to improve at doing things sometimes results in them failing to improve at… not doing things. Even though rest is an important part of the cycle."

Silence reigned between them for a while. A few minutes, maybe an hour. Anton didn't really care, as he could spend all day and night there. "So," Lev began, "How are the branch sects doing?"

"Quite well, I think," Anton said. "I think the one on In'istra could have been a bit more developed if I had searched for more leadership. But then again, the structure doesn't have to be exactly the same everywhere. I did happen to find just the right group of people on Poriza."

"You told me about them before," Lev said. "You might just be partial to old fellows."

"It's never too late to cultivate, if you're determined," Anton said. "And maybe a bit lucky, and given the right guidance."

"The only thing you got was basic instructions," Lev pointed out. "Vincent didn't even think you were going to survive, did he?"

"No, but he still gave me the technique. I do know it doesn't always work out the same way," Anton shrugged. "But I prefer people to be able to make the choice. Take the power into their own hands."

A longer time of quiet, once again broken by Lev. "I miss Fuzz."

"Me too," Anton admitted. "I heard he's had a bunch of adorable little ones in the upper realms. And a few mischievous ones."

Anton could have literally stayed there for weeks, but he settled for three days. Then he moved on to reconnect with others.

Anton visited all around Aicenith and Brogora, and then the former Exalted Archipelago. The Worthy Shore Society and a few others were an important reminder. From the Exalted Quadrant had come a few good people. Maybe not as many as Anton would have liked, but enough. The same was probably possible with the Trigold Cluster. Obviously they had only seen the worst of them. But if they weren't able to prevent the invasions- or didn't care to- then there was still a clear issue that had to be dealt with.

But that was for other people to deal with. Anton had to go talk to a turtle. Not that the turtle ever said anything.

"How are you doing, Paradise?" Anton said, patting the turtle on his nose. "Big as always, I see."

Erin had come upon sensing Anton, of course. And a bunch of curious disciples watching from a distance. "Not as well as I'd hope."

"Is there some problem?" Anton asked.

"Not that I think you can do anything about. He hasn't been eating lately. Which is a significant change because he used to eat… well, anything. Perhaps not often, but more than now."

Anton looked the turtle in one eye. "He wants something," Anton said.

"Really? I… hadn't noticed," Erin frowned.

"I don't mean in general. I think from me specifically," Anton looked at the turtle. "If only you were motivated to speak."

Paradise said nothing. Instead, he just turned his gaze to the sky. Anton tried to follow his line of sight, but he couldn't find anything interesting there. "I'm not sure what he wants."

"Maybe to look at some stars?" Erin asked. "We could wait until nightfall."

"Then wait we shall," Anton said. "Until then, I'll be with your archery students. You need strong defenders here to keep the riff raff off of Paradise's shell."

Nighttime didn't bring any particular insight to them, except that Paradise wasn't looking at a specific spot in the sky. Anton couldn't pick out a particular star- or any other sort of celestial body- and there was no chance that the turtle's vision was better than his.

"Any ideas?" Anton asked. "You're the one who lives on the turtle."

"If I had them, I would have tried them long ago." Erin sat down on the turtle's head. "What do you want, huh?" At that, Paradise began to dive under the water. "Oh, are you finally going to eat something?"

The formations on Paradise's back kept the Island Tenders and everything else from being swept away as he dove. But as he went deeper into the sea, Anton didn't get the sense he was going for any of the nearby sea life. Instead, he just continued downward at an angle, then suddenly swerved back up. Paradise wasn't known for swimming quickly- though he maintained a consistent if ponderous pace most of the time. Only in time of battle or when hunting for food did he have any significant speed relative to his size.

Anton couldn't figure out what he wanted, swimming back towards the surface. Until they breached the surface, dangling in the air for a few moments. Before then splashing back into the water, creating massive waves. Anton looked at Erin, who looked back at him.

Erin frowned. "I think I know what he wants. Maybe. Though it's a bit silly."

"Go on," Anton said. "It might not be that odd."

"He wants to experience flight," Erin said.

Anton looked at the turtle's eye. "Is that so? You want to fly?" No response. He wasn't particularly communicative at the best of times. "Well, there's an easy way to try that out."

"Is there?" Erin tilted her head as Anton jumped into the water.

Underneath Paradise, Anton moved towards the center of his shell. It was easier to balance his energy from a central point, and Paradise wasn't some lightweight thing he could just forcefully carry from one side. If he hadn't advanced his cultivation, Anton would have been uncertain about the prospect. Even as it was, if Paradise had any sort of objection he would easily be able to stop Anton.

But Paradise seemed quite willing to let Anton's natural energy spread out below him as Anton drew upon Ceretos' star, as well as the others clustered nearby. He was careful to not use too much power all at once, as he didn't want to cause any damage. Then he began to lift, both himself and the rather large island. Anton had the feeling Paradise was a little bigger than when they'd first met.

When they rose out of the water, Paradise continued to wave his flippers like he was swimming. Anton didn't feel like it was any sort of struggle, however, but instead a wistful response.

Where the actual struggle took place was in his arms. He wasn't using his muscles to lift the turtle, obviously. But somehow he felt just as massive as the planets Anton had shifted around. To be fair, they weren't held back by gravity pulling them down and he wasn't really pushing them but encouraging them to drift closer. Even so, Anton wondered if Paradise wasn't eating because he was on a diet. Not that turtles could probably get fat.

Anton's view of the flight was rather less inspiring than for others, he imagined. He could see the ocean below, but half of his vision was blocked by a turtle shell. Even so he pressed onward, reaching into the sky. Paradise still expressed no discomfort, and that was something he always made very clear, even if it was without words.

As they broke through the clouds, Anton saw a renewed enthusiasm. The turtle seemed to quite enjoy swirling around the clouds with his giant flippers. Anton dipped up and down into them a few times. Then, slowly, he brought the turtle back to the sea. It was difficult to maintain such a high output continuously, and Anton wasn't specialized in the area of carrying things. Not since he'd been a young man, despite his later stubbornness.

When they settled down, instead of going back to drifting Paradise swam in circles… excitedly? That was what Anton interpreted it as, at least. He returned to Erin. "He seemed to enjoy that."

"Indeed," she agreed. "And I have the feeling this wasn't a simple whim. I can't help but feel there is some goal. Though I'm still worried about his lack of eating."

"Is he getting weaker?" Anton asked. Overall Paradise felt stronger, but that didn't mean anything when he was comparing decades of growth to a recent patch of time.

"I… don't think so," Erin admitted. "He just doesn't eat."

"Perhaps he's maintaining himself with natural energy," Anton postulated. "For a very large creature that would be much harder than a human, except he is also a turtle without a particularly rapid metabolism."

Erin frowned. "Even if that is true, I can't help but wonder why. He seemed to really enjoy eating."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Anton said. "If you figure out something that you need help with, you know how to contact me. And I won't find it so difficult to come visit, either. Though it would be preferable if it was resolved before I left. That should be a good year or so still," Anton shrugged.

"I suppose I should have tried to be more in tune with his desires before," Erin said. "Obviously we do our best to support his natural energy, but he never really seemed to ask for anything except not being jerks. Like that turtle clan that found themselves sunk."

Anton nodded. Did Paradise just see Anton flying and want to do that too? If so, Anton really couldn't blame him. Flying was great. Though he much preferred doing it without having to carry an island with him.

Chapter 750

Some people worried about large armies coming from the great powers on either side of the Scarlet Midfields, and it was good that they did. But Velvet had a different category of thing to worry about. Her concern was with individual people. Assassins were possible, and throughout the entirety of either of the large regions there should be a few of great talent. Though she hoped that the Scarlet Alliance didn't seem so important that they would bother. But less than assassins were the troubles that could be caused by simple spies.

There were certain things that simply couldn't be hidden from the general populace. Large movements of people, sweeping changes to the planet's defenses, the more mundane drives of expansion, or the rising functionality of technology wholly or partially disconnected from upper energy. These would all have meanings in their own way, and would influence how they appeared as a threat. Seeming like a threat was what they least wanted, regardless of their ultimate ambitions to actually be one.

They had already faced an almost casual assault by the Exalted Quadrant. There were no official channels of communication through which they could demand a reason, or repayment. They came to support their plant within the Harmonious Citadel, and then left. Ironically enough, the generally worse group from the perspective of the lower realms- the Trigold Cluster- had caused the least amount of trouble during that time.

But both were inevitable enemies, given their effects on both the lower realms and the state the Scarlet Midfields had come to. The only question was who they had spying, and how. Obviously there would be some. There was no way the whole planet of Xankeshan was perfect, full of individuals who were loyal above all else. Velvet had already begun to extend her spy network into the powerhouses, so they must have done the same in reverse. Though if there was one thing that held them back, it was actually their size. Both might officially be a single group, but with so many different sects within them and their populations that might be as high as trillions of individuals they weren't truly all of one mind. But any small part of either could still likely ruin the Scarlet Alliance.

There was no perfect way to pick out spies. If they came from well known styles it was one thing, but local citizens simply paid to report news was entirely different. A higher ranking cultivator with a good insight might pick out a spy if they had a reason to interact with them, but that wasn't frequently going to be the case if the spies just kept their heads down. They might not get deep cultivation secrets, but the surface level could tell much.

For example, if the Scarlet Alliance could find out what was beyond either region, whether there were friends or foes of the powerhouses or just more disorganized territory, they could plan whatever they were doing about other things occupying their attention. They could get away with more if the looming threats were in another war.

Velvet shook her head. Things were so much easier when she only had to manage herself. Just go on an infiltration mission and do her best to get out with information while not being caught. But of course, that was only sustainable until the one time she was caught. And against opponents of a certain caliber, that was an inevitability. Though if she was able to reach Augmentation at some point, it would certainly shift the odds.

The Great Queen had many opinions about what should be done in the future, and of course all of them involved void ants. Not that Anton disagreed with her, despite the clear bias involved with her personally. It was undeniable that void ants would be an influential factor on future conflicts.

"We will produce offspring until one is suitable to go to the upper realms," the Great Queen declared.

"That sounds like a problem in any number of ways," Anton said. "What makes them suitable?"

"I will determine their personalities and loyalty," the Great Queen said. "They must get along with allied humans, of course. If they are uncooperative it will simply lead to systemic annihilation."

"Repeated attempts to breed a perfect individual are frowned upon, you know," Anton said.

"How? Why? If that is the case, why even breed at all?"

"Well, because of love and the desire to go on."

The Great Queen waved her antennae dismissively. "I know enough of humans to say that much of what they do is not for the stated reasons. You wish for numbers for security of various sorts. Your particular societal structures simply don't allow you to dispose of them when they don't fit your desires. Or at least, lifespans do not."

"... Do you dispose of your offspring?" Anton asked.

"Do not be concerned. If they are uncooperative and violent towards fellow ants or humans, they will be dealt with long before they have individual consciousness. Unlike humans, we are not born with such qualities."

"That doesn't make me feel much better," Anton admitted.

"This is why we do not speak of it often," the Great Queen said. "But it is why all colonies work together with each other and allied humans."

"So if you end up with this queen… what then?" Anton asked.

"We use Ruteran technology to begin expansion into the border of the upper realms. It is best that any void ants remain disassociated with the humans there, given the presumed extermination of my kind."

Anton nodded, "There are some problems with that, though. Would it be possible for your people to maintain unity when physically distanced from each other? Without human formations or technology."

"It will be much more difficult," the Great Queen admitted. "However, we are not incapable of constructing our own devices. Even those who do not have the spark to know what they are doing can be taught to perform exact tasks. We will require help developing processes by which we can self-construct, however. And we must develop to a certain point to reliably deconstruct rock and metal, required for most formations and technology."

"This sounds quite difficult," Anton admitted.

"Impossible, without centuries on both sides," the Great Queen said. "Even with decades of planning, we have little to show for it. And no queen to fulfill the role."

Anton sighed, "So you've already been attempting this?"

"Of course. This one's daughters are at minimum able to found new colonies here in the lower realms. You will need more of us should the time of invasions come. And I cannot go to the upper realms myself because you are here."

"You don't have to do everything yourself, you know," Anton pointed out.

"Some things I must. My daughters are weaker than me, so their offspring will not develop with the required degree of speed. And I must be responsible for considering how my people will act without me. And unlike humans, I am actually meant to operate this way. I don't need to relax."

Anton grinned. "That sounds exactly like the sort of thing that someone who needs to take a moment to relax would say."

"I anticipated you would say that and have been unable to come up with any counterpoints with a high probability of convincing you. So I will just reiterate it is not required."

"But you will also admit there is a great amount of time left. If you would spend a short year not concerning yourself with these matters, or anything that doesn't require you, perhaps you can gain some perspective. In fact, it might be useful to see if your colonies can function independently. You can always make yourself available should a true emergency arise."

"What would I even do?" the Great Queen asked.

"I don't know. Go hang out with Paradise and the phoenixes for a while. Come with me to visit my favorite stars. See the worlds I've been working with. Except Aipra."

"Aipra sounds inhospitable to my kind regardless. Distortion beasts are also not so easy to bite."

Engineer Uzun might be crazy for wanting to build Ascension-class battleships in the upper realms. It was too early and, if he was honest, they were too weak. The sheer number of Integration level individuals was difficult to count. Hundreds or thousands just within the Scarlet Alliance. Making a single ship that was at best slightly better than an average individual would be a waste of resources, though certain resources were also less valued so the project would be cheaper- except for the fact that the development of a technological base was still taking place in the upper realms.

He really had to wait. And due to the differences between upper and lower energy, not all of the blueprints would exactly translate. There was a vast amount of work required to refit every circuit diagram to account for that difference, as even if standardization meant they used the least different number of parts there were still thousands of individual pieces just to make the bridge or the crew quarters or a single engine. And if they were already working at that scale, why not try to do better. He heard rumors swirling of designs underway to make an Augmentation-class ship in the lower realms. The project was probably still a century off at earliest, but that amount of time had been less than a single lifespan since before Uzun had been born. It wasn't infeasible to consider such long term things.

And he would have help on the formation side of things. Ascension-class battleships weren't made with pure technology, but rather its combination with cultivation energy. Perhaps it was possible to do otherwise, but it didn't matter at the moment. The point was that Catarina existed. Engineer Uzun had to understand formations to do his job, and though he couldn't say he always kept up with the woman, he always at least understood her explanations. Until she reached Augmentation herself.

Around that time, he had lost his grasp on some of the most 'basic' concepts behind her formations. But if he could advance to Augmentation himself…? He was perhaps a century behind himself, but he might actually have success from that angle. Or perhaps when he was in the late Integration stage he would find that the project itself was the means to his own advancement. That was how their type seemed to work.

Anton returned to the eastern sector, glad to know they were capable of standing on their own for at least a few years without him. Not that he expected any different- that was the whole point of his attempts to empower them. But it was possible that he would have accidentally had too many things reliant on his presence, people who only got along because of Anton's intimidation factor. And while there were some tensions that happened around In'istra and Poriza, Anton didn't consider any of them out of the ordinary for anything involving people reaching the scale of billions of individuals.

His current plant was to widen the scope of their exploration starting from that point, headed in the direction of Ceretos and the others. Whether they joined up with others in any official sense, Anton wanted to try to make contact with as many as possible. And while he'd been fortunate with In'istra and Poriza, he would prefer to do so without infiltration. It was just that one was shortly post-invasion and unstable for that reason, and the other unstable in part due to lack of resources including basic natural energy. Cultivators who could not grow naturally were prone to competition for what little resources were available.

He brought the Great Queen along, one way. "What do you think your chances of advancing to another level are?" Anton asked. "To travel across the region alone and with speed."

"It is possible," she admitted. "But I doubt my speed would increase significantly. As you are able to propel yourself directly, while I cannot. Of great value to myself would be a great increase in the density of natural energy between systems. But for it to reach a level that would affect me significantly would require vast growth in populated systems along the whole route.I am content with the smaller ships."

It was true that one ship, the size of a single fighter or perhaps slightly longer to be viable on long distance trips, could easily afford to add the Great Queen on board. And likewise, the value gained from having her own personal transportation was worth the expense. It was only because Anton was slightly faster that he had brought her along himself, and because he wanted to show her things on the way without the route restrictions a proper ship required.

So far he was uncertain if she was getting anything from her 'vacation', but Anton had the feeling she had grown closer to the functionality of humans than she would like to admit. And if she really did not need to take a break, he would still enjoy the little tour.

Chapter 751

Light streamed into a palace solely constructed of translucent crystal. In theory it was a beautiful sight. In practice, few were able to see it and those who regularly basked in the light grew numb to it. It was a place of luxury, yet one where each luxury attained was deemed insufficient.

Inside such a place was a wrinkled old man, complete with a perpetual furrowed brow and the merest hint of a smile that never reached his eyes. He looked down upon a young woman kneeling at the foot of the dais. "You were told that such matters were to disturb me no longer. Yet you come here again."

"Forgive me, Exalted One Zaur. But this is not merely about the matter related to… him. The Scarlet Midfields have a new Augmentation cultivator."

"So? What does it matter? They are nothing."

"Of course, Exalted One," the woman kept her head down. "But there is a connection to another matter that concerns yourself and the other Exalted Ones. There is a connection between the revived planet of Xankeshan and a world in the lower realms. One that rejected the proper dominion of the Exalted Quadrant. A previously insignificant planet by the name of Ceretos."

The man's brow furrowed another layer more. "I forget nothing. I know of the place you speak. But it is a matter that will be dealt with in time. Don't tell me you are unable to manage such a thing on your own?"

"There is one more connection. A long trail filled with uncertainty and darkness. I dare not even speak of it directly. It involves him. The pillager of the vaults of Erazun. The tormentor of the south. Grandmaster of formations. And until recently… entombed upon Xankeshan."

"And what of him? You imply his origins are this nothing in the lower realms?"

"That is the conclusion I have arrived at. Yet that is perhaps not the entire truth."

"Go on."

"His knowledge was too great for one of them," the woman said. "It would take far more than a few miracles for him to achieve what he did from such a starting point. So perhaps there is some connection to those who had been dwelling there."

"Dangerous words…" the old man called Zaur said. "Is there any proof?"

"Not that would be sufficient to guarantee a result. Not yet, at least."

"Then perhaps we should make sure it stays that way."

The light of the palace dispelled all shadows, except of course those that were most important. The shadows inside of the hearts of those who dwelled within the Citadel of Exalted Light.

The first thing blocking her way were overlapping layers of criss-crossing webs of energy. In short, simply stepping foot in the system took a lot more work than it had previously. Vari had to fight her way past that towards a planet, though of course actually finding a planet and not stumbling into an illusion took several tries. She was used to such difficulties, however, and eventually managed to find Everheart.

"Hey you big idiot! Why aren't you responding to the communications device you specifically gave me?" Vari yelled at her sort-of-uncle, in the guise of a well-groomed young man sipping tea and drawing calligraphy in a pagoda in the middle of a lake. Probably surrounded by traps, if she knew anything.

The figure looked up at her. "My apologies. Your request for diplomacy and/or declaration of war cannot be responded to at this time. Please return later or go die."

"I know you're able to respond in a normal way!" Vari said, dashing forward and kicking her way through one of the pillars supporting the pagoda- rather than concerning herself about what might happen if she passed in between them. She grabbed the projection by the hem of his robe, holding him up. "Now tell me where he is and how to contact him."

The projection smiled nervously. "I'm afraid that's impossible. You'll just have to wait."

"Why? Just tell him I'm here!"

"I can't."

"Because he's gone?" Vari raised an eyebrow. "He's supposed to return to check on you bungling clones every once in a while, isn't he?"

The projection looked away. "He has done so frequently ever since the incidents. Then we are all reincorporated into him with little divergence from his original personality."

"Then what's wrong with you?" Vari asked. "That almost sounds like an actual answer."

The projection just looked at her and shrugged. She punched it in the face, causing it to explode into a shower of energy that would no doubt be recaptured by the local formations.

Vari grumbled. "What is he up to? There's no way he's dead. And if he's in trouble he'd better get himself out of it soon." Vari shouted at the surrounding pagoda. "You hear me?! I have official business to talk about!"

Everheart was indeed not dead. In fact, he couldn't remember ever being dead. There had been some close calls that might have counted as dying for a little bit along the way, but he certainly didn't remember it. And then there were a lot of attempts.

It had been decades since anyone had given it a good go, though, and Everheart was running out of both resources and deathtraps to set up in his system. So he was off for a little excursion away from home. Without his communicators or anything that could potentially be used to track him, of course. He didn't want to risk someone selling him out. Those goody-two-shoes from Ceretos might think they were incorruptible, but that was just because they hadn't seen how high the bounties on him got outside of the Scarlet Midfields. Especially if one was able to collect the overlapping ones related to some temporary identities.

The Trigold Cluster had an interesting arrangement to keep secrecy in their golden empire, or whatever they called it. The outer handful of systems were tightly controlled and watched. But beyond that… well, it was still dominated by local authorities, but nobody was looking as hard. It was like they didn't even expect anyone to just jump fifty or a hundred lightyears past their outer shell.

That was a serious weakness, because Everheart knew that it wasn't just him that could do it. Those kids from that lower realms planet were making some good ships which should be able to do the same, if not now then soon enough. And not just lone ships like his, which was almost excusable to let by. Almost, because while he was doing his best to conceal himself he was still a late Augmentation cultivator.

That was another reason he had to travel out here. He needed to keep collecting energy, and that wasn't as easily accomplished if people simply forgot about him. So here he was, planning a few things here and there. The important part was making the events seem to happen out of order, so nobody could predict where he was heading. It would be a shame if he ended up entering a system only to find fleets waiting for him. He only had so many lifesaving treasures stored up, and they were just so expensive. Nothing was worth more than his own life, obviously. But they were a close second, since they could save it and he preferred not to waste them.

There was something about the Limitless Edge Sect that drew Chikere to them. Aside from the swords, of course. That had merely been the first thing. When she'd requested to spar with their members they had attempted to kill her. That was merely standard, of course, so she didn't hold a grudge. She simply killed all of those who wanted to do the same to her. A few at a time, at the loss of several of her own weapons.

It should have been fine, because each and every blade the Limitless Edge Sect held was fantastic. She knew they could easily replace anything from number four on. She hadn't had a good opportunity outside of battle to inspect them, but they might rise even higher. And she would have been elated to get her hands on those blades, if only it were possible.

But as the members of the Limitless Edge Sect fell, so did their blades. When they died, the weapons disappeared. If they were disarmed, the blades would return to their hands. It was almost as if they weren't real.

Yet every time her blade clashed with them, Chikere knew that they were real. The bite of metal into metal, their sharpness. Whether she fought one or a dozen, she could feel that same perfection of metal. Each blade indistinguishable from the last. She wanted them.

But that wasn't all. Because as she fought the members of the sect and slew them, she found them lacking. Lacking in skill, training, techniques. And yet… for some reason, she couldn't help but get the feeling that it was all intentional. As if they were meant to fight and die.

She had a strange suspicion as she looked at the bisected body in front of her. A young man that must have begun cultivating in his prime like so many others. Most of the disciples were the same, though that was not unusual. Chikere poked at his viscera with her sword, and found it to defy her expectations. This was, indeed, a real corpse. All of the others had been of flesh and bone that cut just as she had expected, though she hadn't been fully willing to trust her memories. But unlike the blade she desired, this body remained. All that was left was the fading energy of the sect, instantly recognizable by both its sharpness and unity.

There was something about the disciples that bothered her. The second time she had encountered them, the battle had begun as soon as they crossed eyes. That could have been a coincidence, as her fighting spirit had been raised immediately. But the third and fourth times, there was no opportunity for them to have heard about her conflict with them. Yet somehow they knew. Could they smell the blood of their companions on her? Did they leave behind a stain of their cultivation method?

Chikere didn't know, and she couldn't know. All she was truly aware of was that the closer she got to their main planet, the stronger the caliber of disciples became. Should she follow the path to its end, she might find those who were her equal, or perhaps those who surpassed her. Not just in cultivation or energy, but true ability. It was mere speculation, of course. Even if they had Augmentation cultivators among their leadership, she had the potential to defeat them. And not every cultivator after the last was stronger. There were ups and downs among their skill. The only thing that truly remained consistent was their blade.

That was what bothered her. She wanted it. Was it a projection of their cultivation? Not something based on an individual cultivator, but something greater? Perhaps that part of their technique was simply perfect. Flawless and easily understandable, such that anyone could produce such a blade effortlessly?

Chikere shook her head. It made no sense. And none of them carried manuals of their cultivation method on them. Individual techniques, yes. Styles not their own. Treasures and wealth they had gathered, along with armor and other equipment. But all of that was meaningless compared to the weapon she had to be able to get her hands on.

And along with that, the thought of stronger opponents. She had encountered them with the intent to spar, but she couldn't simply back down from the confrontation now that the killing had begun. No, if she did then she had the feeling she would stunt her growth. There was no guarantee she would survive continuing along this path, of course, but she had to try.

Though Chikere noticed that she wasn't the only one seeking out their disciples. Other individuals, most likely natives of the Exalted Quadrant, likewise had conflict with the Limitless Edge Sect. So she occasionally got in scraps with them. And while their weapons were inferior, at least she was able to take them.

Chapter 752

The warm glow of Poriza's star filled Anton's heart with joy. Though it was still a small star, it was much more than it used to be. Its former glow was almost nothing in comparison, even with the planet further away to compensate to some extent.

Seeing the changes the empowered star had wrought for the system over just the past few years made Anton more than content with the way events resolved- and obviously his advancement to Enrichment was worthwhile as well. But he wouldn't want to have others work on his behalf for no benefit to themselves. Mutual benefit was best.

Anton currently found himself at the local branch of the Order, discussing the future with Aykorkem. "What do you think people need next?" He already had his own ideas, of course, but there was always something to learn from what conclusions people arrived at given specific circumstances.

"There's so much that happened…" Aykorkem shook her head. "Perhaps what we need most is… nothing. No more introductions to a wider galactic community or changes in our star."

Anton nodded. "A reasonable plan. A long period of steady growth might be the best for everyone now."

"Plus everyone is still getting used to how bright the days are. There's also been a large increase in disciples interested in light and fire so we need to manage that as well." That wasn't surprising, considering all of the previous inspiration had been so much less potent.

"I can help with that for a while," Anton said. "Before I move on for a while."

Aykorkem sighed, "I wish we could have you here at all times, but that wouldn't really be fair to others. And we don't want to always rely on you."

Anton agreed. "You've been doing well operating independently," Anton said. "But not calling upon friends and allies when they can help isn't necessarily a strength. It's possible to go too far the other way."

While Anton had a solid understanding of fire, he rarely made use of it with his archery. An arrow made of flame was only good circumstantially, just the same as if he were using light. They would lose out on direct impact for the advantage of secondary effects.

Sometimes the speed of light arrows had a great impact, slipping past defenses, but if not they were weaker. Light also had its uses for more indirect methods of attack such as blinding foes- even causing them to blink for an instant could provide an opening.

Likewise, flame arrows required either a flammable target or something that would have trouble from heat building up. At closer range, however, fire was useful for defense. Anton could create a perilous field of flames around himself with the power of his stars. And if he was extremely close to one of his stars he could directly attack with its flames, though that wasn't likely to come up frequently. Especially not if anyone was anticipating facing him in particular.

Nasima practiced techniques involving light, though she tended to fight at much closer range than Anton. Travel time of attacks was less relevant, but bursts of light to blind foes were still effective. And greater quantities of natural energy could be added to a held melee weapon compared to what Anton could manage through creating a single arrow. Combined with the thrusts of Nasima's spears, and they might not be able to see any of the attacks coming. Even if they were using their energy senses, a burst of power could disorient them for a moment. That seemed to be one of Nasima's best techniques.

"I feel like I could learn even more, if I had an even brighter source of light," Nasima said.

"You could go visit another system soon enough," Anton replied. "Or simply get closer to this star."

She sighed, "Nobody will fly close enough to matter."

"In that case, I can at least help you out once or twice. It won't help for the sake of long-term training, but you might get some immediate insights."

"Despite how often I see you fly, I often forget you can just do it anywhere," Nasima admitted.

"I'm not actually very efficient," Anton admitted. "At least within the atmosphere, I'm only a mediocre flier using more energy than I should. Outside, there isn't much to hinder me so I'm able to do much better there." Especially after adding some principles of gravity into Star Steps. "You'd probably be able to fly in space, if you could regulate your air and temperature."

"About that… it will be a little bit difficult to focus on anything but not dying…"

"I suppose I could bring some air along with us. Enough for a short trip, at least." Normally the power of a star would rip away loose air a cultivator brought along, but Anton could suppress those effects for a time. "Though it would be a bit unfair to only bring you." He could probably bring all of the light element cultivators from the local Order in a few groups. But the fire element cultivators would also benefit. And then there would be all of those who could gain a sudden appreciation for such things if they only had the opportunity.

Perhaps he should set aside more time for that than he initially considered. Without access to the same ships as back home, more manual work was required. Not that Anton minded spending more time with disciples, there were just always more things he could be doing.

The freedom to move about was important to Devon, because while only a small portion of his current life span had been spent in captivity, such a thing had a strong influence on his growth. As far as Assimilation cultivators went he was far from the strongest, but he was not restricted by his own location. He liked to be secure in his own safety, so that was an important requirement for exploration. Not that he was much of an explorer himself, instead going where the alliance had knowledge of something particular.

In this case, he was heading to Udre to improve relations and the overall flow of communications with them. On the galactic scale they were not far to the southwest, and they were both closer and easier to interact with than the others that had been encountered to the north.

The system was comprised of several small stars, and no doubt Anton would have liked to see it. But ultimately he had not visited due to several factors. Among other things he didn't want to disturb people with his cultivation, and he also wanted to leave more of the local diplomacy to others- like Devon, ultimately.

Two inner stars- one orange and one red- orbited each other, with another red star orbiting both at a distance far outside of the three planets. The closest to the center was the inhabited planet of Udre and its two moons, leaving only a small icy planet and an even tinier rocky one.

They had managed to maintain stalemates during the last two invasions from the upper realms mostly due to worldwide cooperation, and they'd managed to hold onto that unity. While martial sects were always influential where cultivators were concerned, they had a worldwide government that managed the various interrelations between them. That was a great benefit for those who had first made contact with them, as there were actually people able to speak for them as a whole.

Devon knew his arrival had been anticipated. He arrived along with the necessary crew to fly and maintain the ship and a number of aides to keep him on track. He had expected someone to be waiting, but not their empress. And though it was an elected position, it was still important.

Aerona was young, truly young given that she was not terribly impressive in matters of cultivation. She was in her late thirties at the oldest, and her cultivation was merely in late Spirit Building. Not that Devon would look down on her for that, and the much stronger bodyguards would dissuade anyone from doing something stupid.

"It is a pleasure to meet another member of your alliance," she bowed her head an amount exactly calculated for optimal politeness and formality. "I am Empress Aerona."

"I have seen your likeness," Devon replied. "I am honored to have you grace me with your presence."

"The same is true in turn," she said. "For we have no cultivators who have surpassed LIfe Transformation here. It is a unique opportunity to meet one such as you."

Devon didn't feel particularly special, but that was most likely true of everyone with a balanced ego. Just because he was around all sorts of others of great power, however, didn't mean he couldn't admit that he was still among a rather exclusive group. "I have heard impressive feats about how you fended off the invaders from the upper realms," Devon said. "Stages of cultivation aren't everything."

It was almost impossible to have cultivators meet and not size each other up to some extent. So at the appropriate time, Devon wasn't surprised to feel the guard's senses scanning him and his companions. In turn, he used a technique of his own. It was habit to check for members of the Twin Soul Sect, regardless of how long it had been since he last encountered them.

Interestingly enough, he recognized something familiar. Not with the technique. He wasn't the first to meet people from Udre, so if its upper ranks had been tainted by the Twin Soul Sect they would either have been spotted already- or better at hiding themselves. No, it was something familiar about that very same act. Maybe not for quite the same purpose, but something similar.

"I am told that you practice a unique cultivation method," Aerona said.

"It was a matter of circumstance," he admitted. "And maybe being a bit too stubborn to change to another option when I got the chance. But it seems to have worked out well for me."

She nodded, then waved him along. "Come, we shouldn't stand here at the edge of an open field. Let's get inside."

Udre had been rather occupied with their survival to end up developing flying ships of any sort. But an open field was good enough for specialty ships like the one that brought Devon to land. It also didn't require specific fuels, but was designed to be powered by nearly anything available. They were often used for exploration or scouting, so they were hardly luxury vehicles.

Devon was brought to a lavish room, with sufficient comfortable seating and refreshments for all involved. "This may be rather impatient of me, but might I ask what the reason of your visit is?"

A straightforward question, though she should already know the answer. Perhaps she just wanted to test Devon to see if there was something more. He didn't mind responding honestly in either case. "Lately, we've been trying to welcome more members into the galactic community of the lower realms. Establishing communication, mutually beneficial trade, and the like. Isolated systems are the easiest for them to pick apart," he explained.

"So you wish for us to join you. In what manner?"

"As neighbors, if nothing else. We might become allies at some point," Devon said. "But that would depend on the circumstances. You seem to have been quite capable of defending yourselves. There's no trouble if you wish to keep to yourselves."

"That might change if our borders collide," she commented.

Devon shrugged. "The galaxy is a large place. For us in the lower realms, at least there are plenty of resources for all of us. And most of us are still busy filling up our own systems."

She began to ask questions about the alliance. Devon knew what he was authorized to speak on, and what he was not. The existence of groups outside their alliance could be admitted to, but the details and especially locations would be kept secret until a longer time had passed. Nobody wanted a repeat of what happened with Ekict, after all. It was unlikely, but there was no harm in a bit of caution.

It was clear to Devon that the questions were partly honest curiosity and partially social maneuvering. Udre knew very little about what was outside their own system- beyond purely visual information about stars. All sorts of things could be shared with them eventually, but for the moment they were still managing the opening moves. One step at a time was best.

Chapter 753

A year of travel and Anton had widened the band that had been searched along the corridor they regularly traveled. If space was two dimensional it would have only taken a couple of months, but as it turned out systems didn't quite lie in a flat plane around the greater galactic form. And those 'small' deviations led to many lightyears of distance on either side. Some estimates put the number close to a thousand, with Ceretos and its neighbors about three hundred lightyears from the somewhat arbitrary 'top'. The path towards In'istra slanted 'down' slightly, but it was less than fifty lightyears of drop compared to four hundred lightyears of total distance.

But ultimately, the point was that studying a cylinder around the area grew large very quickly, so even just going a few systems over from the central line and vaguely passing by as many things as possible along the way took a long time to reveal not that much distance. Anton passed hundreds of systems, but during that time found nothing more occupied. It was too early to say whether there was any meaning to the cluster of systems that formed the Trifold Alliance.

The Sylanis Cluster's origins were obvious, as they knew they settled from one system to another. And they might be looking to do it again- which was much preferred to the raiding and conquering thing they had attempted and been partially successful with.

While Anton was somewhat disappointed at the lack of more settled systems, he was also glad to know that there weren't any immediate encroaching threats. Unless they were capable of jumping several systems at once, which was unfortunately quite possible. But worrying about every possibility of danger was pointless when there was one they were certain about.

Anton wanted to explore more, but it was a bit uncomfortable going away from his stars. More relevantly, he had to slow down so it would become less efficient the further he went. He wasn't terribly concerned about danger- he was stronger now than he had been during prior explorations- but time was something he couldn't just get back. And while perfect efficiency wasn't important, he also didn't need to do things that others could manage. There were many qualified individuals who would happily dedicate years of their time to searching and cataloging new systems. That was their passion, and Anton was glad to have them. But aside from the stars, Anton spent very little time viewing any celestial bodies outside of the practical necessity to search for life.

While they might still find some occupied systems not terribly far away from that route, Anton would most likely not be the one to discover them. Instead, he had the intention to head towards the border with the upper realms. He wanted to know the status of the closer systems. Would it be any different, with the tides of the world allowing the upper realms access to most everywhere? Would their proximity mean they were more ravaged, or never settled… or even permanently occupied by the upper realms? All these questions Anton had to answer.

It had been known for a long time that Ascension was a process that was unique. When it happened, it took only a few weeks for cultivators to arrive in the upper realms- some as far as or even beyond Xankeshan, over a thousand lightyears away from Ceretos. A few had gone even further, though it was unclear if they would have naturally. Gnadus was even further from Xankeshan, but the frozen planet had had a few extremely hardworking individuals clamber their way to ascension. But the formations on Xankeshan had been attuned to bring them in specifically, so that they didn't have stray cultivators ending up in random parts of the Scarlet Midfields- or worse, somewhere in the territory of either of the greater powers.

Even at the equivalent of Augmentation, Anton couldn't imagine matching the speed of ascending cultivators. If he had a string of bound stars the whole way he might manage to only be a few times slower than them, but that was a vast difference considering it was something that happened naturally to those with the ability to trigger the process, and before they were even truly in the Integration stage.

The reason Anton was thinking about this was because he was heading 'north', towards the center of the galaxy and the border between upper and lower realms. And he didn't have any bound stars in that direction. He didn't even have any potential stars, as he hadn't yet reached his next level since reaching Enrichment. He estimated each star would take eight to ten years, though it could be even slower than that. If it was ten years and he only needed exactly one more prime to reach the Domination equivalent… it would only be three hundred and ten years.

Anton had the feeling that was only the halfway point of the stage, however. He would likely need to go from one hundred and twenty-nine to one hundred and sixty to one hundred and ninety-seven. A full sixty eight more stars in steps of thirty-one and thirty-seven. He might even manage that before six more centuries were up, if he was lucky. But even if that was on the shorter end, it shouldn't happen until after the next cycle.

If it was even possible at all. Anton knew that every cultivator had a limit, either due to talent or drive or resources. He was quite fortunate to not have hit his limit yet. He was at a stage only the tiniest fraction of people could even dream of reaching.

So he couldn't yet bind any more stars after Poriza's star, and that meant the journey would be longer and slower as he would have to conserve energy. But he could still pick out his favorites for later.

Not every star had to be like Azun, an extreme rarity among great powers. Nor did Anton think it was a good idea to go around creating new stars as he pleased, though it might be beneficial to his cultivation. Sometimes, he just liked it. There was one star that had a pinkish hue to it that he found endearing. Another had a trio of gas giants in a triangular formation orbiting in the same ring as each other. And there were a few giants, comparable to the size of the twin planet's blue star. Power was always attractive, though if that was always the key factor Anton wouldn't have bound Poriza's star that was barely large enough to be counted as a red dwarf.

Anton intentionally avoided approaching Nidec and Vrelt, since they didn't need to have a powerful cultivator approaching and spying on them right now. And that is what it would be, regardless of his ultimate intentions. Whether his intentions would be to their benefit depended on who was involved. But Anton didn't have plans to be involved there at the moment. There were plenty of other qualified individuals.

A few systems beyond what had already been explored, he found an interesting star system. Binary systems weren't terribly rare, but this one hadn't been thought to be a binary system. It had a yellow-white star… along with a tiny neutron star. And while measurements might have revealed the smaller star, it wasn't oriented in the correct direction to pick up the easiest signs.

The system had a number of rocky and hot planets, exactly one of which had signs of life. The flow of natural energy, and now that he was closer Anton surmised there were cultivators. But while he was initially eager to approach, he also didn't want to cause too much of a ruckus simply by showing up. And he didn't have time to carefully blend into their society.

Thus, he had to make notes about it for later, while at the same time sending the relevant information back to the alliance. It was far enough that any interactions with them might come much later, but they could afford to wait a few decades.

His trail path brought him further north, closer to the border. At around two hundred lightyears, he stumbled upon another system of note.

The system had two red stars of little note for their particular qualities, and no planets that appeared to be in the habitable zone. In fact, Anton planned to pass it by without another look after refreshing himself in the glow of the stars. But his path happened to take him near the innermost planet, one that was frozen over because of its distance from the stars.

A casual sweep of his energy turned up more than he thought. It wasn't just a rocky and icy planet. No, it was much more than that. Anton didn't quite believe what he felt at first, so he descended through the planet's thin atmosphere to confirm what he'd seen. But the more of the planet he felt, the clearer the picture became.

Atop a frozen hilltop, an icy fort. Not one constructed of ice, but one of stone that should have stood in lower temperatures. Parts of it were weathered away despite the covering of ice, but it was only one structure out of many. Others were clearly ravaged by time, but some… were clearly destroyed.

Anton found a city and walked the streets, slowly. The picture there was even more grim. Bodies. Not sufficient to populate the city, but the mass graves outside told their own tale. As did what Anton determined to be a few workers for those same graves, frozen on the ground next to them.

But not all deaths were from violence, and Anton thought the freezing wasn't necessarily the direct cause of others. There were more than a few dead in their homes. Some lying in their own beds, some sitting around tables with the lingering stench of poison coming from them.

The freeze didn't seem to have come all at once, but it wasn't slow either. The states of decay that everything had stopped at varied widely, but one thing became clear to Anton. Most of the death and destruction had come before the cold.

He could only speculate on what might have caused the planet's current state, but speculate he did. He could find a name for the city, but it took longer to find the name of the planet. His energy senses pored over every bit of text he could find until the name Jinrisa finally came up. The fact that he could read it meant that this place had been involved with the greater galactic community within the last handful of cycles at the longest. Language could drift faster or slower, but it was familiar enough.

His speculations were fairly simple. Someone had attacked to wipe them out. The destruction around the city- and every city- was not constrained to just one or two places. It was widespread and intentional. But after nearly everyone was killed, something else had happened.

Anton could still feel a distortion in the energy left over from a great event in the past. Someone had intentionally changed the planet's motion to bring it far beyond the habitable zone, where even some of its atmosphere would begin to freeze. He might not have recognized the signs before, but having now put in the effort to move things on a large scale he picked up on some signs. They hadn't used formations, but likely the combined energy of many cultivators. One particular side of the planet had strange markings that he attributed to the task.

The whole planet was frozen over, but it filled Anton with fire and fury. He was no stranger to death. Sometimes, it had to be enacted upon people. But following up with freezing their planet and the few survivors was clearly unnecessary. Anton had the feeling that whoever caused it wanted it to be slow, so those who lived would recognize their own deaths coming. Anton admired the dedication of the fallen gravediggers, though he also understood those who had died in their own beds and the others who most likely poisoned themselves.

Anton also had a vague idea of who would have done this. And even if he ended up unfairly adding this to the list of the upper realms, it would be but a drop in the bucket of their total crimes. But still one that must be tallied.

Chapter 754

The dead planet caused Anton to make many assumptions, but he was glad to be wrong about one of them, given the circumstances. From what he understood the Trigold Cluster tended to be quite thorough with destroying records to reduce the ability of the raided systems to fight back during the next cycle. That was the case with everywhere they had encountered- plus the twin planets where they had gone a step further to attempt total annihilation.

Here, it seemed they had considered the destruction of life combined with shunting the planet out of the habitable zone to be sufficient. Anton didn't see any cultivation techniques or anything that seemed to have value left behind, but they didn't bother destroying everything. In a way, it made sense. If everyone was going to be dead, why be meticulous? They wouldn't be able to fight back next time, because they would be dead. And the Trigold Cluster wouldn't be returning regardless.

But that left records. Including a few Anton found frozen to the desks in front of several scholars who seemed to have been furiously writing until the last moments. He very carefully sliced away the ice freezing one of them to the wood and carried it outside. A simple application of fire would be enough to melt the ice, but he needed to not destroy the paper at the same time. It wasn't anything Anton had specifically done before, but if he couldn't manage something like that in the Enrichment stage perhaps he needed to study the basics of energy again.

It didn't take long before he had the text in his hands and had read through it. His speculation had not been far off. Jinrisa had managed to fight back the cycle before their demise, but unfortunately had been weakened enough that when the retaliatory attacks came in greater force they weren't able to resist. The power described was much greater than anything Anton had experienced, involving dozens of Augmentation cultivators. The same hadn't happened to them, but there had been an abnormally short cycle. Perhaps that had made them unable to bring their full power to bear, or perhaps there had been special circumstances for Jinrisa specifically.

He began to scour the planet. Every scrap of paper, every book or carved stone was read by him. He pierced his energy many kilometers into the planet searching for hidden locations, and indeed stumbled upon a few- though they were not as well hidden as they might once have been with active formations.

It took him over a year, but he was able to piece together the reason. Such as the reason was. It seemed to come down to a certain member of the Tilki clan who had come to Jinrisa for 'training'. The lass had been killed, obviously. But it seemed that she was either extremely important or the clan was extremely petty, and the Tilki clan influential enough to cause the planet's extermination.

Anton hadn't heard of such a clan, though he would admit to not having had long chats with anyone from the upper realms. It was unclear if this particular clan only dealt with planets closer to the border, or in a certain region or… perhaps these events had happened so long ago that they had died out. Though Anton was a bit iffy on that possibility. It wasn't possible for him to precisely judge how long it had been, given how everything was frozen, but even in such a state things slowly decayed. Very slowly, perhaps, without bacteria or much in the way of weather- but the thinner atmosphere also allowed more radiation in.

Anton judged it had been a handful of cycles at most. Though that could still be as much as three millennia, he knew that many organizations in the upper realms had longer histories than that. Specifically within the great powers, because in the Scarlet Midfields there had been only a few that survived the destruction of the war between the Exalted Quadrant and the Trigold Cluster, and they only survived in name. The Harmonious Citadel might have been over a millennium old, but not much beyond that.

Looking at the state of the planet, Anton didn't quite know what he could learn. If it was that standing up for yourself and trying not to die might still lead to death regardless… he could accept that as true with the caveat of might. But he wouldn't lie down and take it. Especially since he found little point in living as if he was already dead and then dying. The survival of future generations was certainly something to consider, but at this point the Alliance couldn't change its response even if they wanted to.

The fact that greater retribution might yet come wasn't anything new, either. It just spelled out specific possibilities. And if it was only a few dozen Augmentation cultivators, limited by their presence in the lower realms… Anton thought that they could kill them as many times as they came. Furthermore, some of the formation experts had been working long distance with Catarina to actually enhance the drain from the swap between ascension energy and natural energy.

Ultimately it wasn't them in the lower realms that Anton was worried about. The problem would be the upper realms. He had heard great things about the security of Xankeshan, but ultimately one planet alone wouldn't be sufficient to stand against the forces of the great powers.

There was a reason Everheart wore different faces by default. It wasn't because he didn't like his own face. That would be preposterous. He was perfect, after all. All sorts of people looked fine when they were old. Like that Anton fellow. And obviously Everheart looked just as good as that. No, it was because literally everyone wanted to kill him. It was simply a question of whether they knew it or not.

And Everheart liked them to not know it until just after it was too late to actually achieve that goal. Currently he had made his way into the Trigold Cluster's territory, to one of the main planets of the Slithering Serpent Sect.

Why them? Why not them. They had come to the Scarlet Midfields and completely ignored his system. Sure, he hadn't specifically taunted them, but they'd come all the way out to whisk away one guy and hadn't even considered dropping by.

Also, they were quite conveniently located a mere couple dozen lightyears past the border. And they had a nice storehouse full of poison that he needed to make one of his planets more toxic.

Everheart checked his belt. Extra capacity storage bags. Formation flags. Bribe money in case he got spotted. And of course various other utility things like weapons. Then of course there were the pre-written notes telling them where all their stuff had gone. He couldn't carry everything they had no matter how big he made his storage bags so he really would prefer they bring some of it to him.

Then he walked through their front gates, feeling just like one of their disciples for all their senses could tell. And unlike some places, that was good enough. Honestly, Xankeshan kept actual track of everyone who was supposed to be there. And they could pull up the information instantly using their fancy 'technology' stuff. How was he supposed to steal all of that if he couldn't regularly get down to their planet? He would have to wait until it proliferated more widely to keep ahead of these scoundrels out here.

But he was getting distracted. He had to reach his goal. First, past the snake pits. He took a good look, as there were some fine snakes in there. Maybe he could snatch a few, set up his own farm. Probably that big one… it looked quite nice.

Better to do that on the way out, though. He passed the slave pens, next to the snakes for testing purposes most likely, and continued on towards the storehouse, where he produced a letter that someone had kindly put together for him in exchange for his life. "I'm here to retrieve a few things, sir," he said to the elder in charge.

The woman frowned at him, but he just smiled back. On the inside he was recoiling at being polite, but on the outside he was just a disciple getting supplies. "Rows 15, 23, and 6," she said. "Go on."

"You aren't going to escort me?" Everheart said, legitimately surprised. "I don't really know my way around-"

"No. I don't have time for people like you. Now get moving. And you know better than to touch things you shouldn't."

Well. That made the specific things on the list much less important. He wouldn't have to stumble, have them all crash together, and create a deadly gas that would incapacitate his escort silently. When the doors closed behind him, he felt her senses fade away. Probably counting on the formations to take care of everything.

Just in case there were hidden layers he wasn't expecting, he did walk around to the aforementioned shelves- while internally criticizing their layout. Some of this was a disaster waiting to happen! Sure, he had been intentionally planning one of those disasters, but they really didn't need him if someone was a little clumsy. Then again, average disciples shouldn't be walking into this place unsupervised.

He made his way around and determined that he understood the formations well enough. He had scratched a few markings along the way, and pulled out a couple formation flags and planted them. Then he reached out to start swiping things off the shelves before the formations raised the alarm for not having theft. A simple reversal of the logic in the systems. Easily exploitable. Which is why the elder was supposed to escort people in the warehouse.

Disaster almost struck when an actual disciple came around a corner, so weak that Everheart hadn't even sensed their energy. Of course, that same weakness that allowed for surprise also meant that when Everheart's fist reflexively hit them in the face they were knocked out. Without any energy involved, even. Everheart paused for a moment. He understood why someone with his cover could be here. He had a letter from someone important. Why this chump?

"Ooh, that's a lot of stuff in your pockets for a crappy disciple," Everheart said. Then he went back to sweeping everything off the shelves. After that, he walked out. There was only one moment where the elder's senses flashed into the room that she could have sensed the unconscious disciple or cleared shelves, but she just glared at Everheart on his way out.

Lovely woman, really.

The locks on the cages were extremely easy to open. Amateurish, really. Sure, the formations were solid but the locks themselves were pickable by babies. Though not enough cultivators learned to pick locks for some reason.

Either way, once he got the first one it only took one second for each of the following ones, so by the time the first cage swung open and someone poked their head out, Everheart was nearly gone.

"... Are you helping us escape?" the man asked.

"Am I? No, quite the contrary," Everheart shook his head. "But the opportunity will be there if you can seize it. No, you're helping me escape," Everheart said.

The warehouse was bound to have someone go in soon. Frankly it was surprising there weren't a dozen people in there. Why even have it if it wasn't in constant use?

So around the time the alarms would be raised there, the slaves would be escaping. And of course… Everheart looked into the snake pen. Yes, he'd take exactly those two. He jumped in, grabbing the large serpents behind the neck and shoving them into a bag, specially made for living things. It didn't come with more air, oh no. It slowed the metabolism of everything inside so they wouldn't do anything during the wait. And enough air to survive. Everheart did grab a bit of food as he scurried out the pen doors followed by dozens of serpents. Hundreds and thousands of more would be released in a few moments.

Everheart came to a screeching halt. He almost forgot to leave the note. He carefully pulled one out and tossed it into a prominent location. Then he changed his look as he walked around the corner and yelled. "What's going on? Why are there so many alarms?"

With that, he became part of the confused mob until he managed to work his way out of the secure locations to his concealed ship. He might hit up another couple places since he was in the area, but for now he should get out of this particular one.

Chapter 755

Leaving the destroyed and frozen over world of Jinrisa behind, Anton hoped it was an exception. Sadly, he knew that there were likely far too many other examples. Exactly how many he couldn't estimate.

He might even encounter others on the way to the border. Or perhaps he had already missed some, the lack of signs of life making them less obvious. That was a thought which he chose not to dwell on. Cultivating anger would only make him more liable to act recklessly. He'd done enough of that already throughout his life, and anger wasn't pleasant to begin with.

So he continued on his journey, heading towards the border between upper and lower realms. Nothing else delayed his journey to the same degree, though he still took time to survey interesting planets and stars. He didn't encounter any other cultivators, though he wasn't focusing on anything but adjacent systems.

But eventually, he arrived at his destination. The star Akrys, chosen both for its position on the border, and for its size. It was the largest star Anton had visited, a red supergiant larger than the blue supergiant the twin planets shared by almost a full order of magnitude. This was large enough that if Ceretos was in the same system, it would be inside of the star. But despite the radius being hundreds of times as much, the actual mass of the star was hardly more than ten times as much.

It was significantly brighter than most stars Anton had witnessed, but relatively cool. That was not an aberration from its type, but theoretically typical. At least, with what measurements that could be managed from a great distance when spying others of the same type.

There were only a few planets, but as Anton began to survey them he was surprised to find that one of them had life on it. No signs of human cultivators, but it was teeming with plants and animals. He hadn't been able to sense anything special about it from a distance due to the dominating presence of the star itself.

He landed in an area of plains, intending to look for signs of humans in the more open area. When he did so, he accidentally spooked a colony of largish rodents. Some sort of ground squirrels without bushy tails, perhaps? Either way, they scurried into their burrows. Anton would have thought nothing more of it, if he didn't sense some of the other members of the colony making their way to the surface. In particular, a group with natural energy.

There was nothing impressive about their cultivation, if he looked at things on a grand scale. One of them had the approximate energy equivalent of mid Body Tempering. Nor were there dozens of the creatures with that same power. Even so, Anton stayed to see how they reacted. He didn't have any need to fight random creatures protecting their homes, so if they were aggressive he would just fly away.

The group came out of the tunnel in sequence, and then began to fan out around him. And then, one of them extended a tendril of energy towards him as it began to chitter. That wasn't particularly strange, but then it stopped. As if… waiting for a response. Moreover, the tendril of energy came with a wave of emotions. Mostly fear- and bravery.

Anton did his best to process what was happening. Animals using group tactics was nothing new. Beasts with cultivation were not uncommon anywhere with high natural energy. It was the sounds that stuck out. Anton didn't have the feeling that they were trying to scare him off. At least, not directly.

"Are they… talking…?" Anton wondered. He tried to project a feeling of serenity. "I'm sorry I don't speak your language." If they weren't speaking, nobody would be around to make the situation embarrassing. And obviously he didn't expect them to understand his words any more than he understood them, but perhaps they might understand the patterns of speech in turn.

The fuzzy creatures stood upright on their hind legs, but only came up to Anton's knees at best. They chittered among each other, shifting slightly as they did so. Did Anton sense curiosity, or was that simply his own desire?

He listened carefully to their sounds- and did a little bit of prying into the colony below where the rest waited. Just as he was beginning to pick out a pattern to the sounds, they were interrupted.

An eagle dove, extending its talons. Anton glared at it, attempting to suppress it with his aura. Either it was very brave or had extremely dull energy senses, because while he didn't burden it with his full might he displayed at least the power of a Life Transformation cultivator. Anton's hands moved quickly, drawing an arrow in his bow and taking a shot just in front of the eagle. It swerved away quickly when it saw the attack, circling back into the sky and away.

Anton wasn't normally one to interrupt the cycle of nature, but this was a special case. First, he at most interrupted a single meal. Wild beasts might live in an unstable way that meant missing a meal could be dangerous, but the eagle had some cultivation of its own and could easily catch something even if exhausted. And second, if he was right and these upright standing rodents had some level of sapience and it was very much worth protecting that.

Looking back at them after he fired the shot from his bow, the creatures prostrated themselves. The one Anton thought was the leader continued to chitter. The feeling that was projected was not quite one of submission but instead more like pleading. Anton didn't quite understand, but he was beginning to put together a picture.

For the moment he would continue to go with the idea that these fellows had a level of sapience and speech. He understood multiple languages. First was the main language spoken by human cultivators that had proliferated with them, but Anton had picked up other languages from forgotten and disassociated planets he'd visited. Then there was the sign language of the void ants. It had been created for the express purpose of interacting with humans, but it was still a different variety. Finally and most relevantly, Anton had experience with Fuzz, though the wolf's communication skills hadn't been a full language until after he ascended.

Still, Anton was confident he could figure this out. Was it an unnecessary distraction? Perhaps. Was he going to try because the rodents were cute? Not just because of that. But he was going to try.

And even though his words wouldn't mean anything to them yet, he wanted to confirm that they communicated verbally so he continued to speak, while also attempting gestures. "Is all of this territory yours?" he waved his arm around the area. Perhaps he started with something awkward to parse, but it was the first thing he thought of.

The leader of the beasts raised his head. It also gestured with its forelimbs. Pointing and chittering. One thing in one direction, slightly different sounds pointing in another. And some more fearful sounds pointing to the sky- and the distant eagle.

Anton did his best to communicate with them, but he couldn't really communicate much more than directions. Though the fact that they seemed to understand that was sufficient evidence to support his theory. Ultimately, he didn't want to stay around disrupting the colony's activities forever so he pointed to a nearby hill. "I am going to go over there now." He gave a half bow. Pointing seemed to be understood in the grand sense, but other gestures weren't shared.

He kept an eye on the creatures as he left. They didn't follow after him, and the majority of the guardians returned to the underground as he left. The other members of the colony returned to the surface where some seemed to be keeping watch and some searched the nearby grasses for insects and other tasty morsels. Anton continued to listen to their sounds to try to pick up the language they had, at whatever level it existed. He saw some of them conversing with each other in hushed tones, gesturing towards the hill, and likely him. He also thought he picked out others telling the story of the eagle, or at least they gestured to the sky.

As time passed, Anton searched his thoughts for what he should compare the creatures to. They had at first appeared to be in the broad category of rodents, but watching them more that didn't quite fit. He was trying to remember a particular creature he'd seen before that resembled them. They were certainly mammals, but the fact that they stood upright was an oddity. Their tails weren't particularly long nor short, neither bushy nor hairless. Ah, there it was. He thought the word was meerkats. They might not be the same thing- the same with the eagle from before- but that was the closest he could get. And it was entirely possible they had ancestors transplanted from the same place.

All of the meerkats went inside when night came. Anton dozed off, not really needing to sleep but just wanting to relax. He took the time to organize his thoughts from the journey, about the planet Jinrisa, and just what he might accomplish here on the border. Besides binding this star, of course. Though if these creatures were sapient, could he forsake his personal rules and bind their star without permission? Ah, it didn't matter. He would bind some star on the border, it didn't have to be this one even though it was nice. It would be years before he had the option anyway.

When morning came, Anton watched the sun rise. He trained his cultivation, absorbing some of the power of the star that rained down upon him while also drawing on the internal power- and the devotion that made its way towards him even though he didn't ask for it.

His neighbors woke up with the sun as well, warming themselves in the early morning light. But in addition to that, some of them poked and prodded each other while looking at him. And then one of them- one of the guards with a lesser cultivation- began to skitter its way towards him, climbing the hill while his head swiveled back and forth. He didn't forget to watch the sky as he approached Anton.

When he got perhaps a hundred feet away, he stopped. Anton smiled at the little fellow. "I know we can't really talk, but you can come sit with me," Anton gestured to the ground next to himself. The meerkat seemed hesitant, so Anton returned to his cultivation, though he kept the beast in his senses.

The meerkat slowly approached closer, standing next to Anton and looking at the sun. Then it began to circulate its energy. It was clumsy and unpracticed, though Anton couldn't really expect much else from a group seeming to not only lack formal techniques but most likely getting all of their natural energy from what they ate.

Soon enough Anton realized the little guy was trying to copy him, though the arrangement of meridians inside of a meerkat was obviously going to be different based on their wildly varied body shapes and sizes. Still, Anton hadn't been teaching new students for centuries to back down from a challenge. The meerkat seemed to be doing just fine as it made a connection to the sun's energy, but Anton had to slow down significantly to make sure the little guy didn't hurt himself. He wanted to point out the path directly, but he didn't want to spook off the little guy with any sudden movements. So he continued to slowly cultivate, doing his best to make his process as clear as possible. He would normally include bodily exercises, but he really had no idea what such a beast needed to develop.

Sometime around midday, a small flock of eagles came by. That was a bit unusual, as such birds tended to be more solitary. Either way, Anton took note- especially because he recognized the one from the day before.

Anton's companion noticed them as well, and started to run back towards the colony. But when the eagles began to dive towards scurrying meerkats, Anton took a shot. This time he clipped one of the returning eagle's feathers. Perhaps he wouldn't get the message until injured. He also shot several other arrows to deter the rest, bursts of visible energy causing them to recoil. They all flew off, but Anton had the feeling they kept looking at him as they did so.

Anton's little companion ran back up the hill when he saw things were safe, then tentatively approached Anton. Anton watched as he carefully pointed at Anton's bow, then to the sky. Did he want Anton to kill the eagles? Well, he might if they kept causing trouble. But that didn't seem to be it.

The meerkat waved one arm to the side, while the other pressed against its chest. It chittered, and Anton got the vague feeling that… it wanted him to teach it how to shoot a bow.

Well, why not? Sure its arms weren't made to wield a bow, and at its size it couldn't expect to get that much power from one, but wasn't that what cultivation was for? Making people able to do things they couldn't naturally?

Anton wondered if he had any string that would be a low enough draw weight. Other materials too. Or should he jump straight to energy bows? So many choices.

Chapter 756

Was it righteous to teach random beasts to cultivate? Should he even spend time on it? Were the meerkats in the right just because they were cute?

The answers to all of those questions were not straightforward, but ultimately Anton had no regrets for what he had done. Yet he wasn't going to guarantee that the small animals being attacked by predators were in the right. There was a reason he hadn't slain the eagles, after all. He was new to this planet, but finding one or possibly two groups of awakened beasts… was it a massive coincidence? Fate? Or perhaps there was another possibility, one Anton was currently exploring with his senses, spreading out throughout the plains and over a greater distance, picking out various places and creatures that he would more thoroughly inspect.

Because if it wasn't a coincidence that he had ended up near multiple awakened beasts that had at least burgeoning sapience and language, then he had to consider that there might be more than just one or two kinds.

In addition to the eagles, Anton took note of a few sorts of insects. Picking out what patterns were normal and not for insects wasn't necessarily something he was an expert at, but anything that spoke of greater organization was of interest. The ants… looked normal. There were some worms that were hooked together in strange patterns. Further away, he found a praying mantis that seemed to react to even the tiny amount of energy from his senses touching it.

But while he did that, he still was happy to demonstrate cultivation to his newest and tiniest disciple. From what he could tell the meerkats had names, and his disciple was three chittering noises. Or more formally, Three Squeaks. Anton could manage to replicate the noises to some extent, but he didn't know if it translated to any sort of word. But when he made the noises his little disciple turned his head.

Anton had the feeling more of the meerkats would be interested in learning from him, but they were simply cautious of a new and presumably strange looking individual. And powerful, at that. Just because he seemed to be on their side didn't mean he wouldn't cause them harm. He could imagine they had some level of caution, at least. Though he had to say he was also assuming from how humans thoughts, and perhaps these creatures were less developed- or like the void ants just different.

Still, creatures without some amount of caution didn't tend to survive. It would require great power, something these meerkats did not possess. Because even with the best of them having a cultivation equivalent to mid Body Tempering, their actual bodies were weak at a base. That wouldn't matter much if they reached Essence Collection or later, but before that point the amount of amplification of a physical body was a significant factor in battle strength provided by natural energy.

Three Squeaks came over every morning and evening to train with Anton. Meanwhile, Anton was doing his best to pick apart the meerkat's language. He might have a basis to begin speaking in a month or two, but that was only if he was embarrassed of failure. He could begin at any point. What were they going to do, make fun of him for chittering at them? Well, they might. But Anton wasn't so emotionally weak that he couldn't stand up to a little ribbing.

One evening Three Squeaks came up to Anton, catching his eyes with some noise. Then Three Squeaks pat his thigh and hip region, making the sounds of his own name. His arm waved towards Anton, and his head tilted in a way Anton knew was curiosity.

He was fairly certain he understood what the intent was. "I am Anton," he said, pointing to his own chest. When Three Squeaks didn't seem to get it, Anton repeated the gesture where he slapped his own thigh, approximately. "Anton."

Anton was able to make the meerkat sounds with a combination of his voice box and a little flexing of natural energy, but the meerkat obviously wasn't able to replicate human speech in return. Three Squeaks gave it a valiant try, going through a dozen iterations of attempting to make functional human speech. Finally he settled on a sound with a sort of buzzing hum or purr in it, vaguely reminiscent of the o in Anton. Vaguely.

Anton gave him a nod of approval. Though body language wasn't fully shared between them, he could also project some his approval as an emotion, which did well enough.

Anton reached down, spreading apart his fingers. Three Squeaks watched carefully as Anton formed a string of energy between his thumb and forefinger, then the shaft of a bow attached to it. He had been thinking about how a creature without opposable thumbs or any actual fingers might fire a bow. His ultimate solution was to have an inset grip in the shaft that claws could stick through, instead of gripping. And if using Spirit Arrows, using claws to pull back the string would work just fine.

The little bow was dropped into the hands of Three Squeaks, who was very excited. Anton helped position his tiny paws. Three Squeaks pulled back the string, then stared with consternation as no arrow formed.

Anton made a little arrow of energy and placed it on his bow as he drew it back. The arrow went… wildly off course, hitting the ground just in front of Three Squeaks. But he still made excited and presumably happy noises. Then he looked at Anton.

Anton stood up, forming his own bow. And his own arrow. It took a little bit, but he finally communicated that Three Squeaks was supposed to try to make his own.

Even with Anton forming the bow and holding its integrity, the little Meerkat struggled to make an arrow. His natural energy lost form almost instantly when he tried to make it into anything. A couple times he got half an arrow shape, or something that would at least fling off of the string. But it took several more mornings and evenings before he managed to create a single good arrow.

And his aim was atrocious. Anton knew that was partially a lack of clear instruction and partially the differences in body. He was going to have to adapt many things for the little guy.

The first thing to approach was a single eagle, flying high in the sky. But Anton knew that wasn't all. He hadn't been watching them over the last week for nothing. He knew where they nested. Where they hunted- specifically animals Anton was fairly certain weren't sapient- and what they had been doing.

He had seen them journeying to a nearby watering hole, and negotiating with the creatures therein. So when three warthogs began to stomp through the plains, he wasn't surprised.

He was, however, annoyed. Perhaps he had been too merciful to the eagles. They were hardly even participating in their own revenge, with another small group flying off in the distance, approaching behind the warthogs.

The meerkats soon noticed the approach of the warthogs, and everyone scurried inside. Instead of standing outside, the meerkat guards kept just inside their burrow, but they were obviously prepared to fight.

The lead warthog pushed his snout into the dirt, tossing up a large clod of dirt. He grunted and squealed. The meerkats responded. Apparently, not to the creature's liking. Or perhaps there had never been any sort of actual discussion happening to begin with. Either way, the lead warthog began the charge, the others not far behind.

Three Squeaks popped his head out of the hole. His head turned, his eyes catching Anton's directly, even all the way on top of the hill. Anton thought he heard him say Anton's name in a pleading manner.

Well, obviously he wasn't going to just leave them to begin with, but now he really couldn't. He didn't want to just solve everything for them either though. They would grow soft and weak, and get devoured when he left.

An arrow impacted the dirt in front of each warthog. One swerved to the side, the other trailing individual circling around and dashing off the other way at the sudden bolt of energy in front of it. But the one in the lead continued on without fear, with only a glance towards Anton's hill.

So Anton shot off one of his tusks. And then when the warthog seemed unwilling to even consider slowing down on his own pierced through one of his legs, damaging the tendons and causing it to topple forward.

As the warthog began to crash to the ground, the leader of the meerkat guards was already leaping out of the burrow. The sudden change in momentum required him to perform an awkward hop to reach the warthog as it skid to a halt, swiping down his claw on the warthog's nose.

The eagles were already swooping down, and Anton was tired of them. So he pierced the heart of the one who had come around first, and that had already been warned by some feathers being shot off. But that was where he ended his contributions to the battle, the predatory bird crashing to the ground.

The lead warthog was too heavy to prop itself up on three legs, and the combined assault by the meerkat guards quickly covered it with wounds. The secondary trailing individual charged towards them to try to stop them, but Three Squeaks bravely leapt onto its head. And then, he formed an arrow. It fell out of the air with nothing to support it, but held its form well enough for him to clasp it between his two paws and stab it repeatedly into the creature's skull.

Halfway through causing any real damage he had to make a new one, but his assault caused the creature to swerve into its larger brethren.

The remaining eagles were met with angry claws as the meerkats worked in teams to attack them as they swooped down. The sharp claws of the eagles wounded several of them, but they tore away feather and flesh, forcing the creatures to retreat.

Seeing them flying away, Three Squeaks tried to make a bow. He got about ninety percent of the way there on his own, but his string didn't attach nor had he replicated any of the necessary material qualities, like the amount of bend and snap that went into things. He did manage to toss the thing and clip a couple tail feathers, though.

The leader of the warthogs seemed quite tough, and managed to stagger to his feet. The meerkats hissed and chittered, and the beast staggered away along with the other with its cracked skull. Anton wasn't quite sure if they understood each other or not. Or rather, whether there was one shared beast language that each species replicated or more than one which they ultimately learned.

The only actual death was the eagle that was the catalyst of everything. At the conclusion of the battle, Anton watched as the meerkats slapped mud on the talon wounds. It was sort of attempt at medicine, at least, and Anton didn't sense anything harmful in it, so he didn't try to provide alternate options. They could probably use some stitches, but the claylike mud should stop the bleeding at least.

Then Three Squeaks dragged the body of the eagle towards Anton up the hill, using his claws and teeth to latch onto what he could. Birds were rather lightweight for their size, but it still wasn't a simple task.

Three Squeaks presented it to Anton.

What was he supposed to do with it? Eat it?

Anton decided to accept it, and he would dispose of it later. He wasn't willing to eat things with even burgeoning levels of higher functioning intelligence. It was a bad precedent to set. Though he was at least glad that the meerkats didn't eat it either- though that might have been because it was out of their usual diet.

Anton wondered when he would get back to exploring the border regions. The presence of more than a couple awakened animals indicated this place was special and worth investigating, but he also had other duties to fulfill. Ultimately, he would work out the details as the days went on. He'd hardly been on Akrys for a week.

Chapter 757

There was a limit to how much special techniques and enhanced mental processing could allow a person to pick up entirely new information. Anton was able to pick up human languages that branched off relatively quickly, but even on Gnadus it had taken him months. To fully grasp the meerkat's language he thought it might take him a year. But given his progress after a week, perhaps he might be able to converse about simple basics after a full month. He was already far too late to pretend to be a native speaker, and he might be a bit too tall to fool any of them.

But Anton couldn't spend all his time with them. So while Three Squeaks was busy during the day, Anton was now exploring the surrounding area. As long as he didn't get more than a thousand kilometers away, his ability to respond to trouble wouldn't be diminished in the slightest. And against anything at the level the meerkats were dealing with, he could honestly go nearly anywhere on the entire planet, though his senses would have to loop around outside the atmosphere at a certain point.

Having confirmed meerkats, warthogs, and eagles having some level of greater intelligence- including communication with each other- Anton suspected it was more than just those. He began picking out all sorts of behaviors in the surrounding area, and he was beginning to identify that a significant fraction of the beasts seemed to have proper sapience. Significant as such things went, at least. Having previously only seen Paradise, void ants, Fuzz, and to some extent the phoenixes of the Sylanis cluster, three more was already a lot.

Even the others of Paradise's species didn't have an ascended intelligence, at most being clever beasts driven by instincts. But there were some important differences.

Fuzz was the first of his kind, but Anton heard that with his mate in the upper realms they produced true offspring that could think much like a human. Paradise had no offspring, but Anton doubted there would be a guarantee of that if the other partner was not the same. The phoenixes had been on the lower end of sapience, though some of that was likely suppression by the Phoenix Sect so that they would not grow difficult to command. Their lifespans were long and they were slow to develop, so Anton hadn't seen much else from them.

The void ants seemed to be the oddity. All of them were intelligent as far as insects were concerned, but the vast majority of them didn't have individuality or consciousness. Not until they grew powerful enough. On the other end were the meerkats, where all of the members of the colony seemed capable of understanding, even if they had no discernible natural energy.

All of this together brought Anton to the point he was staring at a twig. On that twig were leaves, and on both twig and leaves were a marching group of ants. Largish ants that seemed like their fangs had some sort of venom, but just ants. They found food, brought it to the colony, and fulfilled their roles in a boring manner.

It was the twig and leaves that Anton was interested in. Not because he was expecting plants to gain an ascended intelligence on this planet as well- even the Grandfather Willow wasn't at that level to Anton's understanding. No, it was simply because… neither twig nor leaf was as it seemed.

The line of ants brought them to a beetle, and then back along their same route through the low bush. It was a small beetle such that a small number of them could carry it together, as well as various other bits of food they found along the way. And when the last of them stepped down to the ground, the bush followed. Or at least, a half dozen parts of it. One stick bug, and a handful of leaf bugs.

Such creatures were normally herbivorous to Anton's understanding, but that didn't stop them from following the ants back to their mound and then beginning to pick them off. Anton wondered at first if it was because the ants were competition for the others' favorite leaves, but then he saw that they ate some of the ants and the beetle as well. To break through the beetle's shell with small mouths, they used a bit of natural energy. And thus the very small amounts of natural energy inside the smaller insects made its way into the stick and leaf brethren.

Anton stepped closer, but any time they got a whiff of his natural energy they froze and tried to appear dead. And not just dead, but completely devoid of natural energy. Unappetizing to anything that could actually damage them, Anton figured.

This time he'd had enough of simply observing, and decided to actually approach them. He picked up the leaf insects and the larger stick bug, laying them on his flat palm. "I don't suppose you happen to speak?" he muttered quietly, not wanting to disturb them with too much sound pressure. Of course he knew that if they did have language, it was probably related to their body movement or very low level sounds.

Anton watched the insects carefully turn, looking each other in the eyes. Or something like that, at least, since they were one of the sorts with compound eyes. Perhaps they couldn't make him out as one distinct thing. But they could certainly sense his natural energy, restrained as it was.

The creatures did a very good job of sitting still. Ultimately, with no response Anton just put them back down, grabbing a few leaves from further away to pay them back for their time and stress.

He shook his head. This variety would take longer to communicate with. Time to go see what the meerkats were up to.

Three Squeaks spun around with joy as he not only created a spirit bow and fired a spirit arrow, but actually hit his target. The target did happen to be several times his size, and not all that far away, but he was actually making progress. "Success!" That was at least close to the meaning of the sounds he was making.

"Good," Anton hoped he was replicating relevant sounds. He was still uncertain how much overlap in understanding there was with the eagles and warthogs, so he had to limit himself to synthesized chittering and the like. Warthog sounds would be easier, though.

"Fire training!" Three Squeaks demanded.

Anton nodded. "Okay. Remember caution."

He picked up Three Squeaks, carrying him down next to the nearest river- an inconvenient walk for a creature so small, but a short trip for Anton even if he didn't make use of his true speed. They had begun training with fire and its relation to the sun, as Three Squeaks had shown great interest after he saw Anton cooking something. It had taken Anton some effort to convey the danger inherent before he would start teaching, but his little disciple had shown proper respect for all things dangerous- be they arrows or flame.

Three Squeaks barely even showed off for his friends. He also seemed to be trying to convince others to learn from Anton, but they were still hesitant. Anton didn't mind letting them make their own decisions on that.

Down by the river, Anton had Three Squeaks create a simple ball of fire, with the water being convenient in case he failed to properly insulate himself. Fire cultivators would always get used to it eventually, but Three Squeaks was still a novice in intentional cultivation. But he'd managed to complete the first full body tempering- which mostly involved retreading the same path the meerkats cultivated naturally- and Anton was now trying to figure out how to explain the choice involved with the second star to him. Ultimately he settled for a slightly gruesome but practical demonstration, separating out the parts of a dead rat. One that Anton had been quite sure that lacked sapience, of course. The main part that Anton couldn't physically show were meridians, which were only half physical. And he didn't think he got across the message about how tempering the head and brain would help with thinking.

Or maybe he did, because Three Squeaks had chosen that first. That had forced Anton to come up with a way to demonstrate to Three Squeaks, and come up with ways to exercise his mind to speed the process. It wasn't just about flooding the head with natural energy. The traditional things were reading and puzzles, but reading was not possible. He didn't know if the meerkats could read, but he certainly hadn't seen any writing of theirs even in their dens. So it was either so obscured he couldn't recognize it or they didn't have any. As for puzzles, most of them were meant for humans who already understood certain concepts.

Ultimately, Three Squeaks got baby toys. And rather than having difficulty understanding that he had to fit square pegs in square holes and 'star' shaped ones in the same hole, he had greater difficulty moving the carved chunks of wood with his paws. Which did give him good practice using his natural energy to help lift and maneuver, so that was an indirect win. They moved back and forth between that, archery, sun observation, and fire practice.

Three Squeaks looked at the ball of fire in front of him, and dunked it into the water. He watched steam rise, and his power fade. Then he did it again. And then he jumped into the water and tried to create fire inside the water. Three Squeaks probably thought he just wasted his energy for his last attempt, which was basically true, but ultimately he did heat the flowing water a little bit as it passed by. Just barely enough to notice.

Then it was time for him to go home, and Anton carried Three Squeaks to just outside meerkat territory. He didn't want to barge into their space.

Since the attack by the eagles and warthogs, there hadn't been any further incidents. Not with those, at least. There had been a few mundane snakes, but the guards were prepared for them and swiftly defeated them.

Anton wondered if he had a problem. Then he rationalized that what he was doing was a solution. And ultimately, it didn't matter what his mind was doing when his body automatically went through the motions of planting.

His small field was on the far side of the hill, surrounded by a little fence to keep out stompy warthogs and the like. Planted there were a number of plants that grew well with natural energy. He wasn't quite certain if they would grow with the red sun above, though its intensity should be within tolerance given the distance. It was a good star, even if its ego was a bit inflated and it was puffed up.

The plants were to feed himself, Anton said. He had to work on himself, after all. But of course inevitably some of it would go to his newest disciple, and he'd want to teach the meerkats to manage fields themselves. They could manage the important parts just fine, and the local area rained sufficiently that they could get by with natural water.

And Anton was already committing to improving this planet long term. Even though he'd been there for a month. And even though he wasn't completely certain that it would be a good idea to interfere with a planet of beasts developing sapience by teaching them to cultivate intentionally.

On the other hand, it was better to do that than have their best method of growth to be eating others with cultivation. The only problem was that doing both was probably even faster than individually, so if they were willing to meditate on insights and consume others things would be quite different.

In other words, Anton was going to have to teach beasts why it was immortal to eat thinking creatures, and he couldn't use his traditional fallback of transmitted diseases. Or at least it wasn't quite as relevant between different species, though there were likely some shared diseases or parasites. But before he could truly do any of that, he needed to be able to talk.

He wondered what people would say- or might have already said- in response to his messages about a variety of thinking beasts. He would find out soon, as the messages returned to him.

Chapter 758

At a glance, Anton's activities upon Akrys didn't seem important. And indeed, Anton thought that the argument could be made that he was wasting his time- but not because he was aiding meerkats. Rather, it was because they had a relatively small population. Any thinking creatures should be valued as humans, and Anton was simply defending and empowering a village. Its inhabitants just happened to be smaller and furrier than most of the villages Anton knew about.

And he didn't intend to limit himself to one village. He was beginning to pick up the rhythms and flow of the language, shared at least locally between beasts. He listened to the meerkats, the eagles, the warthogs, and some gazelles. Obviously their ability to vocalize was quite different between each, but there was a similar pattern of sounds that could be picked out with time.

The current state of things on the planet was far too chaotic for Anton's tastes. Unthinking beasts could live in the wilds and kill each other, as that was their baseline state of being. But when sapience came into the picture, slaughtering and being slaughtered no longer fit. If every species had heightened intelligence, there might be problems- carnivores had to eat, after all- but there were plenty of non-sapient individuals for them to consume. And while Anton was currently biased against the warthogs and eagles, he still hoped for them to have their own growth and prosperity. Just so long as it didn't involve eating the wrong things. Though he also understood how much more attractive thinking creatures were as food, as they were more likely to have a greater cultivation.

Anton began to roam a larger area, making his presence known to the inhabitants of the local area. Anton found that while he always planned to leave people to their own devices, once he saw issues he thought he could fix he would always act. And beyond uplifting the lifestyles of the creatures dwelling on the planet, he was surveying to figure out the mysteries of how it came about. Life did not spontaneously arise- at least not life that shared familiar creatures. Humans must have some involvement with the planet, but he could find no trace of them.

The meandering path Anton found himself on took him close to the leader of the warthogs. Anton had the thought to avoid that individual, but ultimately decided there was no point. He understood he was in the warthog's territory now, so if it felt like attacking him he would leave it unharmed. That might teach him something, or it might not. But Anton hoped there might be something more.

The warthog was stubbornly standing on its injured leg, the tendons still in the process of recovery. Though that was far better than would be expected of an unintelligent beast. Either consciously or subconsciously, the warthog must have used his natural energy to encourage the healing process.

The large hog took a few steps away from the edge of the pool where it had been resting as Anton approached. It squeaked and squealed, but Anton managed to pick out a modicum of understanding. At least, he thought so. "Kill." No, despite the aggressive stance, the sound seemed more questioning. The warthog repeated the noises. "Here… kill?"

Anton shook his head. The gesture might not mean much, but he did his best to replicate some sounds. He hoped it sounded like some equivalent of 'not necessary'. Then he demonstrated, shooting an arrow off into the distance where he let it fade away.

The warthog snorted. "Strange shape. Strange energy."

Whether it was him or the bow that was a strange shape, Anton agreed. While the meerkats stood upright, their form was quite different from a human. And Anton hadn't seen monkeys or apes around which might be somewhat similar to humans. "I am human," Anton answered, though since they didn't have a word for 'human' he said that as he normally would. They also didn't have the word for cultivator so… "One of energy." The beasts seemed to have a word for that, at least. He had the most practice replicating meerkat speech, so he wasn't certain if he was getting everything across.

"Strange voice."

"Normally I sound like this," Anton said in his normal voice. Then he swapped back to his facsimile of the language, "But this speech is new."

The creature tottered forward. "Speak with eagles bad." He probably meant that the deal was a bad one. Anton presumed the beast's grammar was better than he was understanding, but that was the limit of what he could comprehend.

"Eagles too… hungry," Anton agreed. He didn't know a word for greedy, so that would have to do.

"Fight not worthwhile. No more fighting."

"Good. I am happy," Anton said. He thought the guy looked a little hungry, so he pulled out a bundle of carrots. "Eat and recover." He set them down on the ground and let the warthog approach them.

He sniffed, then bit into them. "Much energy. Good."

Anton would have loved to tell him about growing crops, but he simply didn't have the words. "Special food," Anton said.

There weren't any other words for them to exchange, so Anton continued on his way.

At some point he intended to speak with the remaining eagles, but he needed a more developed vocabulary to get the answers he wanted. They were staying far away from the meerkats, but just because they weren't immediately doing anything Anton disapproved of didn't mean they'd actually learned any sort of lesson. Besides don't go against him in particular, which was not Anton's ultimate goal.

Among the various responses Anton got to his discovery the most relevant was from the Great Queen. "I need to see it. Paradise had no input and likely couldn't come anyway. Expect my arrival in several months."

Anton couldn't exactly tell her not to come. For one, she was likely already on her way by the time the response arrived. And he trusted her enough to not cause too much trouble. Besides, they could have a discussion in person about whether or not the void ants should make a colony here, though Anton's initial reaction was that they shouldn't. The void ants could easily be disruptive, and their ability to communicate was limited simply due to their size. They couldn't control natural energy, so they couldn't replicate sounds either.

The void ants might be able to cultivate a balance, but the planet already seemed to be in a state of equilibrium. It had likely been in the same state for centuries at minimum. Probably much longer, for life to have spread to every corner. Unless whoever brought the life carried vast quantities with them to begin with, which Anton found somewhat unlikely.

The balance of animals was just one factor in Anton's understanding of the planet. The other important factor was all of the herbs he spotted- a wide variety of them all used by cultivators. They were known to grow naturally so it could have been a coincidence, but Anton kept circling back to things. Either all of the familiar life was brought to this place, or had come from this place. The latter seemed quite unlikely, however, given the lack of humans and the obvious remnants of humans.

More likely was that someone had seeded this place with life, intending to settle here. And then they simply… hadn't. If they had been waiting for the tides of the world, Akrys should have been at least one or three centuries settled. It would have been in a similar state any time within the last few centuries, that Anton was certain of given the ages of certain trees.

But ultimately, Anton didn't think he could know for certain why this place was as it was. The only thing he might be able to ascertain was why there were more awakened beasts than he would expect. Any amount was already rare, and while Anton could think of one crazy individual who had more than once filled out ecosystems nothing spoke of Everheart's work like the complete lack of any and all formations. Or deathtraps of any kind. Or particularly exotic creatures.

Anton also had the feeling that the awakenings were more recent. He didn't have the capability to ask about the long past yet, but the beasts were intelligent enough he would have expected them to develop their cultivation abilities more if they had been around for a large number of generations. Though there was something to be said for the assumption that cultivation only grew from devouring others with natural energy.

Then again, Anton had found stronger beasts elsewhere, the feeling of their cultivations more intentional than simply being gorged on natural energy. Yet even if some actively cultivated, that continued to support his theory that it was a recent development- or one group would have likely grown to dominate the area. But of course, recent could be a few centuries. It wasn't known when humans had first begun to grasp the concepts of cultivation, but based on the cycles in the lower realms going from a basic practice with techniques destroyed could result in Life Transformation cultivators or beyond within six hundred years.

There was a significant difference between having cultivation methods stolen and destroyed and losing the very knowledge of cultivation. Which ultimately led Anton back to the idea that this was a new beginning, though it could have been taking shape since before he was born.

If Anton had to pick a likely culprit for strange happenings on a planet, he would choose either the terrain and planet type in general… or their star. And while he knew he was biased towards stars, he still found that a viable candidate for study.

Three Squeaks was upset when Anton told him he wouldn't be around for a while, but it was an important step in the process. He wanted to explore more of Akrys… and he wanted to see if the meerkat colony would be safe without him showing himself. It was likely that the meerkats could handle an eagle attack, but they would likely lose some of their members without his aid. Anton would prefer there wasn't an attack though.

He wasn't planning to just go to different parts of Akrys either. Soon enough he had to at least explore the nearest systems, as he wanted to eventually patrol the border. There wasn't a set timeframe for that, but he didn't want to let years slip by either. A couple months, though, he could spare quite easily.

"If you leave it is dangerous," Three Squeaks said.

Anton leaned down and gave his disciple a pat on his tiny head. "Danger before, danger after. You are a guard for a reason. But I have something for you."

Part of his days Anton had spent looking for just the right materials, combining with what he had in his bags already. Eventually he'd found materials just good enough to produce a tiny bow. The draw weight was barely a couple kilograms- but that was more than the full weight of a meerkat. It was about the heaviest Three Squeaks could manage at the moment, at least without involving his natural energy to empower himself further. Which was the whole point of giving him a physical bow, letting him focus on just the arrows.

Anton dangled the bow from Three Squeaks outstretched paws. Another reason it had taken him some time was he needed to modify the design for non-human use. He also needed a string that could remain in tension pretty much indefinitely, as at the current moment unstringing the bow would be impractical. The string also had a protector in the middle, given that the meerkat's surprisingly sharp claws would be pulling on it. There was also the special grip for the shaft so he could push against the bow with his other paw rather than gripping. It still would have been difficult to draw and string an arrow, but that was where Spirit Arrows shone.

Three Squeaks just stared at the weapon for a few moments, his eyes sparkling. Then he slung it over his shoulder, using a small bit of natural energy to make up for not being able to grip. "I can use it on the target?"

"Of course," Anton said. "You must be safe while alone."

Three Squeaks was clearly excited, but he took the time to acknowledge Anton. "Safe practice first. I will learn much."

Anton almost wanted to see what happened if the eagles tried to return. But Anton knew there were better ways for Three Squeaks to demonstrate his proficiency. Anton saw him shoot down a thumb sized beetle once. Not impressive in size, but it was a pretty complex task for a beginning cultivator to form bow and arrow and aim.

Anton trusted Three Squeaks and the other guards to do their best. But just in case… he would only be going out of sight for an extended period, not actually away from where he could aid them.

Chapter 759

Paradise had deviated from his patterns for the first time in as long as Erin could remember. While he didn't have a set route for his migrations between Aicenith and Brogora, he had generally moved back and forth across the sea continuously.

Now he was circling around a small area in the middle of the sea. He had previously stopped eating, and that hadn't changed… but he seemed healthy enough at least. The other behavior was perhaps a bit more worrying, though Erin was beginning to understand his desires.

He would dive down to the deepest part of the sea, then build up momentum as he swam towards the surface, breaching and launching himself into the air. Erin got the feeling that he began to linger in the air for just a few moments longer every time.

Obviously it caused quite a bit of commotion among the sect and other residents. Visitors no doubt would have been concerned as well, except the number of individuals that came to Paradise had fallen over the years. While there had been many who stopped by out of necessity in the middle of a sailing voyage, such times were gone. And the inconsistent location of Paradise didn't make him any good for planned tourism. Since he'd gone away from his normal habits, it was mostly just the permanent residents that remained with him.

Phoenixes flew around him, encouraging his attempts even if he didn't clearly communicate what he actually wished. Those phoenixes that survived beyond the destruction of the Sylanis Cluster's Ultimate Phoenix Sect had first taken up shelter with Paradise, but they had long since expanded around Ceretos and to other planets. But the original handful refused to leave him behind, and their lifespans were most likely longer than cultivators in general.

Erin knew that Paradise wanted to fly, but he didn't seem to want help. Anton had given him his initial experience, but any time Erin tried to assist Paradise gently rejected her control of the shared energy. It seemed he was learning a new application- different from his main one of bombarding targets with vast amounts of water. Erin had the feeling that he would somehow succeed one day, but she was uncertain if he wanted to stop there. But she planned to continue supporting him in whatever he intended.

Every day, Chikere drew closer to the core of the Limitless Edge Sect. Every day was more challenging, with more foes of a greater caliber coming to face her. Worse yet, she was running out of blades. She only had her fifty strongest left, and that was being generous as some of those in the middle of that pack had been destroyed with others moved up in rank.

The logical thing to do was stop her crusade. But it wasn't Chikere's job to be the logical one, and she knew that if she did something inside of her would break. The swords carried by the Limitless Blade Sect were as perfect as she had ever seen, and she had to have them. The fact that they disappeared upon the death of their disciples didn't matter. She would find some way, if only she kept searching.

Their tactics continued to confuse her. The disciples seemed almost incompetent in their individual ways, making obvious mistakes. And yet, she was barely able to exploit those mistakes- and she found herself struggling more the further she went.

Which was exactly why she had to continue on her path. It was only when she was challenged that she would grow.

When she arrived on their core planet, she was surprised to find there was no barrier to break through. Not around the planet, nor around the core buildings of the sect. And even as she walked through their gates, there was no one to stop her. Not there, at least. But she could sense up ahead was her target. Both a person, and the true blade. If there was any way to take it from their grasp, this would be the place.

Chikere couldn't help but tremble as she approached. Some small amount of it was fatigue, built up after constant battle on her journeys. But the rest of it was excitement and anticipation. And perhaps another part of it… fear. The closer she got, the more she could feel the full power of her foe.

Her blades danced around her as she approached. Chikere couldn't quite tell if her opponent was at the peak of Augmentation or a single step into Domination, and she didn't care. She stepped forward into the great hall of a grand castle. Or at least what would have been a grand castle if it was not bare of all adornments. It was even missing ornamental swords on the wall.

In front of Chikere, surprisingly, stood a woman. Obviously she herself knew that women were just as capable in the arena of cultivation and combat as others, but the sorts drawn to the blade tended to be different. Furthermore, she had expected her opponent to look like… more. Instead, she was very plain. Neither young nor old, neither terribly scarred nor beautiful. Her skin was dark, darker than Chikere's. In most other respects she fell into the middle of the pack.

But of course, it was more strange to expect something different. Because one dedicated to the sword wouldn't bother with such vanities as changing how they looked.

"Why are you here?" the woman asked.

"I'm here to take your sword," Chikere declared.

"Is that all?" the woman asked.

"What else would there be?"

"A reasonable answer," the woman said, lifting the arm that had been dangling at her side, the perfect blade pointed towards Chikere. "Better than those who seek a bounty on my head, at least."

The first move was one that Chikere had seen a thousand times, no, tens of thousands. A simple thrust that was just as simply countered with a straightforward parry. Or at least it should have been, but the three blades Chikere dedicated to the task found themselves insufficient. Two crossed each other and the third pressed its side against them from behind, supporting their power. Chikere's mental hands twisted them to wrench the attack off course.

She was only successful in the barest sense of the word. Despite the sharp edges of her enemy's blade being angled away from her own weapons, they were still cut through upon impact. A hole appeared in the pillar behind Chikere to her left as the thrust was directed just off target.

The following exchanges continued in the same manner, whether Chikere was on offense or defense. Two dozen blades swarmed her opponent, but their paths were all intercepted, the woman moving with perfect and practiced grace yet at the same time in impossible and incorrect patterns. Chikere knew that it wasn't possible for the woman to step back and twist her body to avoid the attacks, and yet it happened. She blocked every angle of movement, but the woman always countered with the one thing nobody should ever try. Ninety-nine times out of one hundred, such movements should have gotten her killed. No, perhaps more than that. How could she get practical experience with such a thing?

Or with any of her moves, really. Every stab, slash, sweep, and strike was something Chikere knew was flawed and easy to counter… or it should have been, if she could have anticipated it. Instead, each exchange lost her a blade. The one from Everheart's moon tomb that had grown on a tree was not really capable of battling on the level of Augmentation cultivators, but it had still been a good one, around the twenty-fifth rank. It was sliced in two, from point to hilt.

Even Sadiq's blades were unworthy. He had forged Chikere many blades made from the materials of a cultivator's blade along with their essence, most lesser than the tournament prize masterpiece he'd made but still of the highest quality. Yet one of those was cut apart like paper.

Locks of Chikere's hair fell to the ground as rivulets of blood dripped down her head, her arms, and generally all over her body. She was going to die. Her weapons weren't good enough.

Or perhaps it was herself that was insufficient. Blaming the blades seemed hardly fair.

There was only one way to win. She would have to transcend her own limits. That was what she was here for, after all. So she continued to clash weapons, looking for an opening even as her tournament sword had a slice taken off of its edge.

When the time came, Chikere's hand flashed up. Her right hand, the whole arm a replacement for the one she lost in the same event that had connected her to Sadiq. Her fingers closed around the sides of the sword, suppressing her opponent's energy. She twisted, striking the woman's wrist with her left hand and disarming the blade.

Chikere knew this one was real. No, all of the Limitless Blade Sect's weapons had been just as real, as they were this sword. But with it in her hands, it could not disappear from her grasp. She cut across the throat of her enemy… then looked into her empty hands.

There was one exception, of course. Her opponent had to have a greater will, dominant instinct for fighting with a blade, or greater technique. In this case, Chikere had the feeling it was all of them as she was unable to hold onto the weapon even for a single attack.

Her remaining blades crossed in front of her as the woman swept the Limitless Blade down upon her. A dozen crossed swords fought together… and lost. All they were able to buy Chikere was just a bit of momentum as she caught the blade in her palm, the impossibly complex machinery nearly severed in half.

And then… the battle was over. Both combatants knew it. Because without a single sword to her name, she couldn't be a swordsman of any kind, let alone a swordmaster or grandmaster.

She looked at the cut in her hand, the mechanisms sending artificial pain responded to her body. Then she wandered away in a daze.

The last time she had been defeated so thoroughly, it had been by Swordmaster Rahayu. It had happened in an instant instead of over the course of a few minutes, but here the results were more devastating in a certain manner. She would have much preferred to have her heart pierced than to be without her swords.

She looked back at the shards of her blades as she reached the threshold of the grand hall, pieces of rubble and stone littering the area along with them. She reached out, intending to call them to her. But of course, they would not come. Because they were no longer swords, and she was no longer a person who deserved to control swords.

With nowhere to go, she simply walked down the main path of the sect, no destination in mind. But just because the grandmaster had let her go did not mean that she was truly free. If it had been disciples of the Limitless Blade Sect she might have been able to defeat them. Or perhaps she might have fallen to the weakest member, as she was. It was difficult to say. Instead, she found a number of different individuals descending on her. Mere Integration cultivators, the sort of odds she would have scoffed at a day before, when she was able to defeat even a single opponent in battle instead of losing. When she could fight with swords, or at all.

"Grandmaster Chikere of Xankeshan and the Scarlet Alliance," said one of them. "That is who you are, isn't it?"

"... Everything is true but that first part," she said. She'd certainly come from Xankeshan. She had friends in the Scarlet Alliance. But Grandmaster? Not anymore. Nor was she sure if she was even Chikere, now.

"You're coming with us to answer some questions."

She didn't resist. In fact, she didn't do anything at all. She didn't think about the shackles placed upon her as she was carried away, because they didn't matter. Shackles were meant to keep people from acting as they pleased, and Chikere didn't have anything she either wanted to do or could do. So they didn't mean anything.

Chapter 760

The powerful one who watched the sun had a strange name from the perspective of his newest disciple, but he nearly pronounced Three Squeaks like a native. In turn, Three Squeaks found it difficult to say Anton. There were a lot of weird things going on to make that sound that didn't make any sense. Fortunately, the powerful one didn't mind. He was understanding and patient.

But Three Squeaks didn't know if he was nearly as patient. It had been two paws worth of sunrises and sunsets that he had not seen Anton, and he was beginning to wonder if he would ever return. The 'human' showed up out of nowhere, and perhaps he had returned to wherever he was from.

That would be unfortunate, as Three Squeaks hadn't been able to learn much from him. Not compared to what it seemed he knew. Looking at Anton was a lot like looking at the sun, and it was difficult to compare himself to the power within Anton. But it was much more than the eagles and warthogs and perhaps everything Three Squeaks had ever seen or would ever see.

Knowing that the teacher would be displeased if he slacked off on his training, Three Squeaks spend every dawn and dusk training, though during the middle of the day he had to watch over the colony. He would patrol around the area, watching for eagles and snakes and anything else that would want to eat them.

The bow in his paws was a pleasant weight, drawing it back and creating an arrow from almost nothing. He had spotted a snake, a deadly striker… yet one that strangely didn't cause him fear any longer. Not if he could spot them from afar. His arrow flew forward, into the surprised creature. Though it sprang its coiled body to try to dodge, it was too slow to avoid having its body pierced. A deep puncture rapidly caused it to bleed to death, and it was too afraid to approach Three Squeaks regardless. If it had been the kind that had natural energy it would have been a bit tougher, but Three Squeaks was confident in facing them alone without risking the others.

He continued on his way, enjoying the midday sun. The heat bore down on him and the world around, radiating from the dirt and stones and even the plants. But some things felt different, providing their own heat. Including a figure tucked behind some grass. Three Squeaks pulled back the grass to spot an older female, lying on her side unconscious. She bore no wounds, but he could see the signs of sun fatigue. A terrible consequence of too much exposure to the most glorious sun.

Three Squeaks slung his bow over his shoulder like Anton did- though he had to make sure it pinched the fur just right, as unlike whatever Anton was his shoulders didn't stretch far to the side. He lifted the other meerkat with his paws, standing unsteadily on just his rear feet. Ever since he awoke his natural energy he had gained the strength to lift one of his own, but moving around with them and keeping balance was harder. Meerkats were meant to move on all fours. But he did have to admit that having his front paws free to do things was quite useful.

It was an arduous trek down to the river, carrying someone and having to watch for danger at the same time. Three Squeaks had much smaller stride than the master as well. But he made it, and dunked the female into the water to cool her off. He splashed water on her head, though he kept that on shore so she could breathe.

It didn't seem like quite enough, so he used his energy to form a few droplets of water into a single mass, floating them carefully into the female's mouth. She swallowed reflexively.

A few minutes later, she came to consciousness. "Where am I?" she turned, startled.

"Shadysands Burrow," Three Squeaks replied. "Or close to it. You fell to sun exposure."

"Shadysands Burrow? Good. I am from Lowcliff Burrow. We need your help."

"We have been friends," Three Squeaks said. "I can bring you to the burrow to get the others. But first take another drink." As she did so, he introduced himself. "I am Three Squeaks. Who are you?"

"I am called Sustained Chittering."

"That's a long thing to be called," Three Squeaks said. He had little else to offer, and soon enough Sustained Chittering felt well enough to move. She was slow, but faster than Three Squeaks carrying her.

As they approached the guards, Three Squeaks passed on the message. "Lowcliff Burrow is in danger. We must meet with the chief and captain of the guard."

The message was passed along ahead of them, so by the time they were in the tunnels and making their way to the larger meeting chamber, people were there waiting.

The chief was older, but had a history of wisdom. He spoke as they entered. "Tell us of the danger with Lowcliff Burrow."

"One of the jackal clans has learned of our location, and they come to attack us at night. They have burrowers, and can dig their way into our tunnels and snatch some of us for food. We need help fighting them, as we don't have many with natural energy."

"How many are there? How strong?" the captain of the guard asked.

"One of advanced energy like yourself. Four others with energy, and several more that guard our exits. We can't deal with them all at once. If you come with us and three- no, even two of your warriors…" Sustained Chittering pleaded.

"We cannot help you," the captain of the guard said. "It is too many to spare, and we have our own dangers as well."

"Your burrow can join us," the chief added. "We have room for more and would be stronger together."

"But we can't make the journey. It is too far with our young, and would require spending a night outside and vulnerable."

"I am sorry. But we can't spare the people," the captain of the guard said.

"We have to help!" Three Squeaks said. "What is the point of being stronger if we just stay in our burrows?"

"If we survive, that is all that matters," the chief said.

Three Squeaks shook his head. He'd always had feelings that it wasn't enough, but it was only recently that those feelings grew stronger- and there was actually a possibility of doing more. "I will go alone," Three Squeaks declared. He kept his gaze on the captain of the guard, who stared back.

Eventually, the captain responded. "Do as you will. I hope you return in safety."

Three Squeaks and Sustained Chittering wasted no time, as it was already afternoon. There would likely be another attack on Lowcliff Burrow within a night or two, so they had no time to lose- and the journey wouldn't be quick.

The two of them picked out tasty bugs and roots along the way to sustain themselves. They moved quickly, but still had a few moments to converse along the way. Chittering was rather curious about one thing.

"Why do you carry a stick thing wrapped around you?" she asked.

"It is a weapon," Three Squeaks explained.

"It doesn't look sharp like claws or teeth. Is it really any good?"

"You will see. When we find the jackals."

With more time to recover, Sustained Chittering moved faster than before. She had a small amount of internal natural energy, though it didn't seem she knew how to use it much. Then again, Three Squeaks had barely known a few weeks ago.

Something brought Three Squeaks' attention to the sky. Then he saw it. "An eagle! Take cover!"

As he said that, he stood up on his hind legs, unslinging his bow. This was not one of the more dangerous eagles, but rather one without natural energy. Perhaps lacking intelligence altogether, though Three Squeaks wasn't inclined to ask as it dove towards them. Instead, he drew back his bow, nocking a Spirit Arrow. Then he released, the Spirit Arrow zipping forward like a buzzing fly.

It went deep into the unprotected chest of the bird, sending it tumbling to the ground far from the two of them.

Sustained Chittering poked her head out of a nearby scrub bush. "That is a strange weapon. It didn't touch the eagle, but instead threw… something?"

"It was my natural energy," Three Squeaks said.

"But that goes in or around the body. It can't… do that."

"It can," he said. "If you learn."

"Teach me."

"Well, I…" Three Squeaks had spoken confidently, but did he really know enough to teach Sustained Chittering? "I learned from someone else. He would be better."

"Is he here?" she looked around.

"No."

"Then you are the best one."

"I can try to teach you," Three Squeaks said. "But you have to learn other things first."

They found a nice rocky overhang around sundown, during which time Three Squeaks did his best to instruct her on proper sun viewing, and how to get power from it. Then they dug a temporary burrow to provide some semblance of shelter in addition to the overhang. Three Squeaks hoped they were moving fast enough.

Sustained Chittering was eager to return home, but Three Squeaks had to remind her that she also had to take breaks. Resting in the shade and consuming food and water were critical for dealing with the harshness of the sun.

"We don't want you to have the same thing happen as when you came to us," Three Squeaks pointed out. "I can't carry you far and don't know where there are rivers."

Chittering only begrudgingly accepted slowing down, even though it was clear she was fatiguing quickly. But Three Squeaks did have a logic to his words.

It was shortly before sundown that they arrived at the Lowcliff Burrow.

"You returned!" one of the lookouts said. "Did you bring warriors from the Shadysands Burrow?" He looked at Three Squeaks as he said that.

"Just me, unfortunately," Three Squeaks said. "We have had many dangers ourselves."

The lookout hung his head dejectedly. "We are glad to have you, at least. You feel… strong?"

Three Squeaks was indeed a little bit stronger than he had been before, but his ability to use that strength was what had most changed about him. He looked at the burrow- or rather the area around it. As the origin of its name, it was below a cliff. This protected from many flying predators, and most others except snakes that could slither into the den. Most larger burrowers wouldn't put in the effort to dig into the dens. There must be some motivation for these particular jackals.

"Were there more attacks?" Chittering asked.

"Not yet, but… we have seen some of them lingering around."

"I'm going up there," Three Squeaks pointed to the top of the cliff.

"To look for enemies?" the lookout asked.

"And to fight them."

"But they won't be climbing the cliffs…" the lookout said vaguely as Three Squeaks searched for a good route up.

There were decent slopes on the far side, so he used that as his method to top the cliff. It was a small cliff, only several times the height of Anton, but that was many times the height of a meerkat. Three Squeaks found himself filled with vertigo as he looked down. But he could see for a far distance in many directions. And he spotted some of the jackals.

He needed a plan. Obviously, he wasn't enough to fight them all. But he didn't have to defeat all of them. Just make things bad enough that it wasn't worth the effort for them to stay. To that end, he couldn't attack the strongest one. No, he had to take out the weaker ones.

The only problem with his plan… he would be isolated from the others. If they took him as a target after he started attacking them, he might be in danger. But he would be safer here than directly outside the den. And he couldn't shoot his bow from inside.

Night fell, and the jackals began to approach. They were large targets, at least. Accuracy was difficult for things that weren't charging directly towards Three Squeaks, but he thought he could hit these things. All that practice with Anton had to be worth it, right?

Chapter 761

From atop the modest cliff, Three Squeaks didn't think the jackals looked all that big. Certainly not three times his own length. But as they got closer to Lowcliff Burrow, he began to be able to compare them to the others.

Too slow. He'd waited too long, and had to take a shot. The leader of the pack was too much for him to handle, but one of the small ones? They were perfect targets.

He condensed his natural energy, trying to match the density of power that Anton had. It was impossible, of course. Even on the tiny bow he had, Three Squeaks doubted he could make something with that much power fit his bow. But that was still the state he aimed for with his first shot.

Three Squeaks had been aiming for the spine, just behind the skull. He considered himself quite lucky to hit the ribcage halfway down his target's back, because his hands were trembling and he wasn't all that good of a shot to begin with. But at least the power was there, poking a hole two claws deep. The jackal cried out, stumbling to the side.

There was no time to rest. He took a deep breath, aiming for the next one. The burrow was in danger, every jackal that reached them likely to eat at least one of the inhabitants once they dug them out. His second arrow barely scratched the shoulder of a second target, but his third got that same one in the eye, flying deep into the brain. By the fifth arrow, Three Squeaks realized that the jackals were no longer charging towards the burrows, but instead running around the side of the cliff. Looking for a way to him.

Mission accomplished, he supposed. But he couldn't exactly fight all of the remaining enemies. What could he do? He wasn't much of a climber, and it was a long drop. Furthermore, if they just ran back down after him…

Three Squeaks looked at the dim light around, and realized he did have one more thing. He wasn't all that good at it yet, but it should be effective. If it worked.

He called upon the power of fire, his remembrance of the sun. Heat filled his paws, forming into an arrow. He could sense the leader of the jackals halfway up the rise, about to come into view. The power grew hotter and more powerful, until he released it.

Three Squeaks honestly couldn't tell if he hit. The bright fire clashed with the early darkness, and it quickly lost its shape, exploding across the cliff top. He wanted to turn and run, but he knew there was nowhere to go behind him. Fortunately, all of the jackals had the same idea, and they were more able to run. And tumble down the slopes, in some cases.

It took a while to rub the light out of his eyes, but Three Squeaks didn't sense any more jackals nearby. He was barely able to catch sight of them scurrying off into the night. He looked down at his paws, feeling suddenly returning to them. They… hurt. Scorch marks went halfway up to his body, and a little bit of his fur was still on fire. He didn't have enough control yet. But it was worth it. He just hoped the jackals wouldn't come back again later in the night.

Anton lowered his bow. It seemed he wouldn't need to interfere. He was glad for that, at least. His disciple seemed to be holding up well, and Anton would be able to leave for a short time without worrying about him- and the rest of those with him.

He was especially pleased at Three Squeaks choosing to help another burrow, even if he had to do it alone. It was the right thing to do, even if the positions of the chief and captain of the guard had some logic. Anton didn't find that acting from a place of fear was usually the right response, but it was understandable at least.

Anton didn't plan to be gone for long. He had to return before the Great Queen, at least. While he wasn't concerned about her, he was concerned about anything that might try to eat her. And Anton would prefer to shape her initial impressions of the planet and its populace.

Some systems along the border simply existed, no different for their positions than others. Anton could feel the emptiness beyond, where natural energy ended and ascension energy began beyond. It wasn't a straight line, but there was a clear path along which some systems were in the upper realms and others were not. And yet, Anton had the feeling that some were poised to drift between the two over the course of vast periods of time. Far more than a few centuries or even thousands of years, however. Nothing relevant to them at the current time.

After surveying a few systems, Anton came upon another of interest. It was a binary star system with two red dwarfs and a few planets. One of them had life… though if one was looking for more than lichens, mosses, and algae then they would be sorely disappointed.

But Anton picked out more than just what was currently living. While the vast majority of bodies had decayed to nothing, he picked out some skeletons in preserving environments as well as clear signs of human made structures. Another planet destroyed by the upper realms, or had something else happened? Unfortunately, unlike Jinrisa which was meant to be forgotten, the writings of this planet were not well preserved. A few old formations still barely held together, indicating that the destruction of all but the people had not been completely thorough. Anton couldn't pick out any signs of still-living humans no matter where he looked, so unless they lived deep underground without any access to the surface he would have to say they were dead.

Among the few preserved writings he found a name for the planet. So'gill. And he also found if not a reason for their destruction at least some explanation of how it happened. The Exalted Quadrant, this time. It was a shame, really, as some of their disciples had lived peacefully on Ceretos until they saw an opportunity for greater gain. That proved that the Exalted Quadrant at least should have the capacity to live peacefully in actuality, and chose not to. The Trigold Cluster's methods never really allowed that as a possibility, but Anton wasn't really certain if they were worse.

He intended to come back to further survey So'gill, but first he wanted a better picture of the immediate neighborhood. He generally spent just a day passing through each system, picking out planets and other features that couldn't be seen from afar.

Along his route Anton was a triple star system that he found somewhat interesting, three similarly sized red dwarfs with two circling around a center one on opposite ends. Before he could see the situation of the planets, however, he came across something at the edge of the system.

He almost missed it, because the system wasn't contained within some sort of barrier formation. Instead, it was just a hunk of metal with a barely detectable energy signature. For the first two centuries of his life Anton would have been completely baffled by what it might be, but he knew things like this very well by now. Even if he didn't understand all of the parts that made him work, he still understood satellites and technological parts. And just a bit of natural energy, more like what Rutere was involved with before they had come in contact with Ceretos and had sufficient natural energy to advance their cultivation as well.

After finding a single satellite, Anton found more orbiting at the 'edge' of the system. Such things were generally ill defined, but he figured whatever the people of a system chose for themselves had to count.

The satellites should have some sort of sensors, or there was no point in having all of them out so far. Anton did his best to pick one out and place himself 'in front' of it. He doubted it would have sound sensors, but he waved and did his best to transmit his voice. "Hello. I don't know if you can understand me, but I would like to talk to you."

Then Anton waited. And waited. While he did so, he swept his senses into the system trying to find their planets. That was about as much as he would be able to pick out at such a vast range, as well as the general existence of planetwide barriers or the like.

It took him some time, but he finally picked out a single planet within the habitable zone. It had a decent size, though Anton couldn't pick out much more from the edge of the system.

He waited some more. And then longer. "Listen. It's been several days now, and it should have only taken a few hours to reach you. And with technology like this, you have to be able to fly out here faster than this, right? In other words, I'm planning to come closer."

If they responded in an unfriendly manner, Anton would leave. But he had an odd feeling. And over the course of the next several hours as he drew closer to the planet, he finally began to understand. There was no response because something was wrong with the planet. Once he got close enough to feel any details at all, it was obvious.

Anton had thought the planet had no moon, but he was wrong. In fact, it had about one third of a moon. This was not to say that it had a moon about a third as large as he would have expected, but rather that there was only a sort of bowl shape remaining of what should have once been a sphere.

The rest of the moon was strangely splayed out on one side of the planet. With his recent experience smashing large celestial bodies together, Anton was certain that it made no sense. The other two thirds of the moon were basically a pile of rubble on the surface of the planet, clearly deforming the original shape, but the moon was large enough that it should have completely torn apart the planet if they crashed together. Instead things were as they were, with a large lump on one side of things, though gravity had squashed the two disparate masses together to be more or less vaguely spherical once more.

The closer he got to the planet, the more certain he was that nobody was receiving anything from the satellites. There were no other planets in the system, and he didn't notice any satellites orbiting the planet itself instead of the system as a whole. That was extremely difficult to believe. There should have been at least some. But perhaps that was related to the more obvious issue in some way.

When he finally arrived on the planet, he found life. Not as much as he would hope for, but some. Mostly on the side that seemed to contain most of the mass of the original planet. There were even people… though the cities that they inhabited were far too large for their small populations to have built. And the encroaching wilderness painted a picture of what could have happened.

Anton knew he would be spending much of his next few years both here and back on Akrys. Unless he was lucky and these people spoke a similar enough language, but Anton had some doubts. Given what he saw of their technology that incorporated little natural energy, they were likely more like Rutera. At least, before whatever disaster had befallen them. Either way, they were likely disconnected from the larger interactions of cultivators as a whole that seemed to drive language to remain in a similar state. So he would need to spend some time learning it… and of course, others would be interested in coming to this place as well.

Chapter 762

Most people did not have the power and influence to set off on a several hundred lightyear journey at a whim, but most were not the Great Queen of the void ants. That same power allowed her more leeway to act as she pleased, though she did have to rope others into her plans. Though she was capable of flight within a system, she needed a ship to travel between them, especially at a larger scale.

Anton also knew that while she had acted quickly, most of her decisions were backed by reason. So while it was inconvenient that she would be showing up on Akrys without consulting him, she had to have a reason. Though any proper discussion would have to wait until after she arrived, since there was little that could be said properly in small snippets mid transit.

Within a couple dozen lightyears there were three planets of note. Akrys with completely unanticipated life and a variety of thinking individuals, So'gill with another story of destruction by the upper realms, and a third planet of technology for which a name had not yet been established. The border planets were of great interest, but most journeys would come after some months or years of planning.

Anton wanted to explore more, but he needed to get back to Akrys. And not just because the Great Queen was on her way. Three Squeaks and the meerkats should be in a somewhat stable position, but his disciple was still ultimately near the beginning of his training. He might have completed the second star by now, and could use further guidance given that Anton couldn't leave written instructions. He didn't know if the meerkats could write, but if they did he hadn't comprehended it as writing and had certainly not learned the language well enough to translate.

Anton found Three Squeaks atop the hill at sunset, and gently settled down next to his meditating disciple. Surveying the changes in the area, Anton saw no signs of larger scale combat. The biggest difference was the members of the Lowcliff Burrow moving in with the Shadysands Burrow. He had been around for the beginning of that process, with Three Squeaks escorting the first group. That had been sufficient for Anton to be confident leaving things behind for a short time.

Three Squeaks eventually finished his meditation, and quickly noticed Anton. "Master Anton! You're back!"

"Of course. I said I would be," Anton smiled. "How has your training been?"

"I am almost at the second star!" Three Squeaks declared proudly. "It feels like it's getting… easier? Should it become easier?"

Anton pondered for a moment. "Sometimes, that is the way it is. Increased proficiency with cultivation is one contributing factor. And another… if you are having success, then your cognition should improve." Anton wasn't sure if all of that got across, because he wasn't confident about every word. But he believed Three Squeaks could discern the important parts of his meaning.

Three Squeaks nodded slowly. "My mind feels strangely clean. And I know why you planned for seasons after the next, now."

"Surviving until the next season is important," Anton said. "But it will only get you so far."

Three Squeaks had a few specific cultivation questions, including about controlling fire. He didn't know Anton had been watching his somewhat fortunate explosion at the Lowhill Burrow, but Anton already had answers for how he could improve. Not that it would have taken more than a moment regardless. A few centuries of cultivation experience proved enough to answer pretty much anything a cultivator of a few months could possibly ask about. Except, of course, those things that were unknowable even at his current level.

The Great Queen's arrival came soon after Anton's return, though not by coincidence on his part. He sensed her ship in the skies above Aipra, almost certainly intended to catch his attention. He revealed his location to her, and she departed the small ship- leaving the pilot in orbit to occupy herself for however long the Great Queen might stay. It must cost a significant amount to hire a pilot for what was likely to be a year or more, but then again such employment was well within the means of the Great Queen. She had no care for money except as it could advance the void ant's prosperity, which ultimately meant she made certain that there were various income streams available. Though likely much less than a human cultivator of her prominence would achieve, it would be a vast amount from the perspective of any common person, despite how their own relative stature had grown.

"You departed quickly. Afraid I would tell you not to come?" Anton asked.

"I knew you or someone else would say that," the Great Queen signed as she looked down upon the planet from midair. "This is a nice place. I should set up a colony here."

"I think this is exactly what people wouldn't want you to do," Anton replied.

"Come now," the Great Queen's forelimbs gestured seriously. "Is it so different from your own interference? We are not planning to devour the inhabitants of this world. We will teach them the power of cooperation just as much as you wish to."

"If you can communicate with them, you mean," Anton pointed out. "While they have developed vocal languages here, many of them won't be expecting a sign language… from an ant."

"That's not that weird," the Great Queen huffed.

"Isn't it?" Anton asked. "Did you even have language at all when we first met?"

"Of course. The best and most straightforward kind."

"You could communicate with your colony, I am sure," Anton agreed. "But would you be able to have complex discussions? Like about why the workers were supposed to do certain things?"

"Only the leadership needed to know," the Great Queen protested. "But I do understand that there is value of greater developments in such an area on a larger scale. I think that you should all try to develop better pheromone detection, though."

Anton shrugged. "For me, it will always be like reading a blurry book. It just won't be the same. And I can't replicate the effects upon you because…" Anton brushed her back with some natural energy, watching it soak into her. "See?"

"Someone on Rutera made a machine that badly synthesized the pheromones," the Great Queen said. "Very badly. I suppose it is preferable to communicate like this," she wiggled her antennae. "And you with your air vibrations."

"I can sign too, if you like," Anton replicated the visuals of an ant's antennae and forelimbs. Since he was manipulating light, the effect could still reach a void ant. "But it seems kind of… weird."

"Stick to your words," the Great Queen agreed. She looked down at the world below. "So, which is your favorite disciple?"

"I didn't say anything about having disciples," Anton replied.

The Great Queen looked at him. "I've known you for a long time. And I can smell your trail of energy. So if you won't tell me, I can just find them myself."

Rather than waiting for Anton's response, the Great Queen flew off- propelling herself in a manner that most wouldn't consider. She mainly propelled herself by devouring the energy in an area and letting that propel her, though there was some more advanced manipulation of the surrounding energy required for it to actually be quick, despite her size. She was only a bit larger than a finger, but that was actually quite hefty for an ant.

Rather than try to argue with her, Anton just watched her fly along his trail, ultimately arcing towards the Shadysands Burrow. She landed on the hill, and pointed directly towards Three Squeaks. "It has to be that one. But I'm surprised you haven't won over them all. Only a few others have developed any of the Hundred Stars."

Anton shrugged. "It is fair for them to be cautious of learning cultivation from a strange individual like myself. I'm both large and likely terrifying in terms of energy." The Great Queen began to wander around the edge of their territory. "Careful," Anton said. "They eat bugs. And while ants are normally not on that list, something of your size might be of interest. And no, it's not you I'm worried about."

"Fear not. I won't hurt your new friends. Even if they are foolish enough to attack me."

"You don't feel like anything," Anton pointed out. "So they wouldn't be crazy to assume you're just an odd bug."

Ultimately, she was fast enough that it didn't matter. And she didn't enter their territory. "It is well marked," she said. "They even use scent, like proper individuals. The boundaries are clear enough."

Anton shrugged. "I suppose that's good to hear. So, what are your real plans?" She might actually want to start a colony, but with the limited information she'd been given when she set out that shouldn't have been the reason she showed up.

"I will start a colony. Temporary or not, we will require more than just you observing things here. My people can rapidly replicate and provide wide scale information. We will need to see more than just squirrel-cats to find our best allies."

"... There are some bugs nearby. Sapient ones, I think. If you want to try your luck with them, you might be better for the task."

"Because I'm also an insect?" the Great Queen asked.

"Because you are much closer to the same scale," Anton said. "They're stick bugs. And leaf bugs. I don't think they are particularly communal normally, but I have seen them moving in groups. Oh, and watch out for eagles." Anton paused, "There's been some trouble with a group of them, but I'd rather not wipe them out…"

"We will of course ascertain the threat level and sapience of whatever we come across," the Great Queen said. "And we need not eat anything that can think. Though with the oddity of this place, an additional option comes to mind."

"What is it?" Anton asked.

"You recognize many sapient beasts here, yes? What about other things?"

"Well, there aren't any humans," Anton said. "I haven't had time to search the seas, but I could imagine there are some of them as well."

"What about plants?" the Great Queen asked.

"What like the Grandfather Willow? I think it would be highly unlikely to run into that… then again, Ceretos didn't naturally have any sapient creatures except Paradise. Or at least, not that survived the invasions. The question is, how would you tell?"

"Simple. One would have cultivation. The other would simply store natural energy in itself."

"What about… body tempering plants?" Anton frowned. "They could forgo real 'cultivation'" So far he'd only picked apart herbs and the like that he recognized. But here in such a place, without yet knowing what it was that caused multiple types of animals to gain sapience, it was truly difficult to rule anything out.

"Let us assume we should be able to discern them by making reasonable efforts," the Great Queen declared. "Besides, you are not known for damaging plants unnecessarily. Fruits and the like are meant to be eaten, after all. And we shall observe things at a smaller detail."

"... How many offspring do you plan to have here?" Anton asked.

"We shall go unnoticed," the Great Queen said. Which didn't really answer Anton's question. But he at least trusted the Great Queen and by extension any offspring raised by her to not cause ecological devastation. Even the least intelligent of them were capable of recognizing that destroying what they wanted to eat was bad for the colony.

Anton also knew he could use the help. Both in being a constant presence, and being wide scale. Though covering a whole planet- even just a few ants per square kilometer should probably take a long time. Hopefully the plan was to manage that in the longer term, because Anton really didn't want to know the maximum rate void ants could reproduce. He much preferred them when they had time to develop to greater intelligence, though while he found them concerning in a vague sense, the number of people he might consider innocent that had been slain by void ants was extremely miniscule when compared to humans. And from all accounts they had it coming. They just weren't well known enemies like the Twin Soul Sect.

Chapter 763

Progress with Udre wasn't particularly slow, at least from Devon's perspective. The people there might have thought the opposite, but Devon was happy to spend more than a few years or even a few decades to be certain that they wouldn't repeat the troubles of Ekict. It was unfortunate that one bad incident had to forevermore make their alliance suspicious, but perhaps they had been too optimistic to begin with.

Some moderate amount of caution was what was reasonable, and if things progressed a little bit sluggish because of that it was a worthwhile cost.

Devon had full confidence that the system would be able to join their alliance- or at least be a peaceful acquaintance. The more he saw of the people, the more he was certain of that.

It began with their empress. She was young but capable, and unlike many who shared a similar title it wasn't guaranteed that she would hold such a position. It was merely a title to show respect, and in fact Aerona had been elected by the people. No doubt they hadn't expected a foreign system to show up out of nowhere when she was chosen, but she handled it well. Her relatively low cultivation wasn't an impediment so much as it was a sign of promise, given her youth.

The important thing to Devon was not how he came to trust Aerona, but that he was trusted to interact with the people of Udre on a broader scale. It took time, of course, but that was only reasonable. The people of Udre weren't hiding anything- or they were extremely good at it. But Devon was allowed to observe their cultivation practices, and was pleased to find little divide between the more prominent sects and the more common ones. That is to say, general cultivation knowledge was share enough that all could grow. It made sense, of course. It would have been difficult for them to hold off the upper realms if they only had a few strong groups and a large number of mediocre cultivators.

They weren't to the same level of communal strength as Aipra, but from what Devon had heard about the place that particular planet was an exception among exceptions. Overall, Udre was more unified than the world Devon remembered from his early life, and they could become worthwhile allies in given time.

From what Devon was hearing of Nidec and Vrelt, however, the process of becoming familiar with each other was much slower in the other systems. Nidec was overall friendly, but too secretive to grow trust. Vrelt seemed to prefer their isolation, and refused attempts at diplomacy. Both were fine as long as they kept to themselves, but eventually the lower realms would have to stand united for the sake of all of their systems. Each piece they were missing would weaken their potential.

Outside of herself, Chikere understood there were things happening. She knew, for instance, that her arm had been taken away rather violently. Fortunately, it was able to be disconnected without causing further harm to her own body. Not that it mattered, because she wasn't going to use it anyway.

There were people around. Her eyes and ears picked them out as they asked questions. But Chikere had no reason to answer them. They seemed to think that pain would motivate her, but ultimately she found the physical harm a nice distraction from her inner thoughts.

What was she? A swordmaster without a sword. One who lost, not just because she fought a superior opponent but because she overestimated herself. Chikere had considered her own path of the sword perfection, or at least something that was working towards perfection. But could that really be true, when she had been defeated by sword skills she thought were flawed?

"Tell us about Xankeshan, and we can let you go. Or perhaps… we can offer you a position among us instead," said the woman interrogating Chikere.

Chikere grimaced at her. The woman's face was too bright. "Why don't you have a weapon?"

"I do believe bringing one into a cell with a restrained prisoner would be unnecessary, don't you agree?" The woman turned Chikere's head towards her too bright eyes. "I have sufficient power here."

"No," Chikere said. "That's not it."

"You think I'm not enough?" the woman asked, her energy flaring. Chikere wasn't paying close attention, but she thought one of her ribs might have snapped.

Talking was pointless. The woman had wanted Chikere to talk, but then immediately ruined the moment with her lies. She didn't have a weapon because she didn't use one. She didn't smell of any of them. Just the light.

Looking towards her hand, Chikere realized that she didn't smell like weapons anymore either. Not her own blades, or those of others. Not even the stink of halberds, axes, or hammers. Just blood and despair.

"Clearly we won't get anywhere," the woman said, grabbing Chikere's jaw and forcing her mouth open. "Next time you'll be more responsive." She forced Chikere to swallow some sort of pill. Probably healing, maybe mixed with something else.

She felt it flow through her. They wanted her to stay alive. Why hurt her, then? How indecisive. If they couldn't learn the answers they sought through combat, what was the point?

What was the point of anything, really? Chikere didn't know if she could even use a sword again, should someone give one to her. If there was a blade in her hand right now, could she cut her way out?

She shook her head. It wasn't worth it.

Her last battle played itself over and over again in her head. The sword. A particular blade that was the epitome of perfection. She had lost her battle with that sword and its wielder. Her mistakes… they repeated over and over with the shattering of each blade.

Yet none of those were the largest of her failures. Chikere had suffered loss before, though rarely. However, she came upon complete and utter defeat and failed to properly die. That was supposed to have been the end of her road, if she couldn't make it.

Maybe she should die here, though she doubted these people would let her. And it was an awful lot of work, anyway. She coughed, spitting up some blood. It smelled of iron. She normally liked that smell, but all it did was remind her of swords. Brightly flickering in the light, whistling in the darkness. Cold, even when they were warmer than the room around them. Their smell and taste. Their weight. Chikere knew all of them for every sword she had. Or had once had.

Ah, that was it. Maybe there had been a reason she hadn't died. Along with her lacking talent, she also lacked the bravery to die for victory. Or maybe that had been a matter of insufficient ability as well.

The only thing she couldn't blame were her weapons. Facing against perfection, what were they to do in imperfect hands? If she chose to wield subpar blades and they were destroyed for it, it was not their own fault. They were made as they were with no choice in things.

Chikere's thoughts circled around and around, but along with the weird churning in her guts and the way her rib snapped painfully back into place she experienced another sensation. One she hadn't been aware enough of her body to notice until that point. If the interrogating woman had been around to ask questions now, Chikere would have gladly been willing to give up any and all secrets to make it stop.

She stuck out her tongue, but she had no control of her own energy to extend anything. Her arm was useless, chained in place. Her neck was likewise attached to chains around her, preventing her from leaning in any direction. So her nose remained unscratched. Normally it would be simply to just pull her arm up and… it would be over.

Chikere frowned, looking at her arm. It hadn't moved, but it sure felt like it did. She had no access to upper energy here, so it didn't make any sense. Perhaps she was just going crazy.

She tried to move her fingers, but nothing happened. Then she moved her other fingers. She could feel it. The cold hard stone they touched as they coiled. She bent her arm to touch her shoulder. There it was, the fake material that replicated skin far beyond the level she cared about. Her arm was only meant to hold a sword.

Or it had been. Now, she wasn't so certain.

It was strange, that she could feel it now. She looked down at her shoulder. Only some dull metal bits were visible. She felt where her shoulder would fit into that, how it would line up and attach. But it didn't have to, did it? The technology that went into it didn't require a physical connection. It was supposed to make use of energy, but only in part. After all, it had been made in the lower realms where lower energy was the prominent version. It mainly relied on… wires and stuff.

Chikere now had a goal. It wasn't much of one… but she needed to find out where her arm was. And how to get it to her. Because her nose itched, and she couldn't scratch it. And maybe she would strangle herself as well, since her arm would be around. She would have preferred to stab herself with a sword, but she couldn't do that anymore.

Her arm wiggled back and forth. She tried to slap it on something, listening for the sound. No, that was no good. It was too far. Probably behind some locked doors, or a million corridors away.

She shuffled it around, making use only of her ability to bend her fingers, wrist, and elbow. At least she could feel which way was down and keep some orientation.

Her arm fell. It wasn't far, certainly not enough to damage anything. It had likely been a shelf of some equivalent. More stone under it now. She groped around and felt wood.

A door? No, a chest. Perhaps a crate. Her fingers groped around to find an opening. It was a chest, and not locked as she learned when its lid opened up. She reached inside and found some sort of rock. She squeezed it, and it cracked. Nothing exciting. She also found some round metal things. Coins. She squeezed one of them too. Gold, maybe, or one of the other useless soft metals.

She stumbled her arm around the storeroom, until she felt something familiar. The edge of a blade. A sword, she was certain. She flinched away. Not out of fear of being cut… but that she might not cut anything even with a sharpened blade.

There were other weapons on racks, or at least that had been on racks before she knocked them off. Eventually her arm found her way to the door. Her fingers just fit under it, but she couldn't grasp the door itself. And she felt a barrier on the outside, preventing her from escaping. No, it was probably meant to keep people out. Otherwise it might have stopped her from what she had been doing.

She wandered over to the weapon pile, awkwardly dragging a halberd towards the door. The door was clearly well reinforced, because the halberd broke after a couple swings. The same with a hammer she found. Ultimately, Chikere had to grab a sword. Her fingers curled around the blade as she maneuvered the hilt to strike where she presumed the handle of the door to be.

Then the door slammed into her arm, making her lose orientation. Chikere frowned. Why had that happened? It had been pretty still. But she could just make out a new sharpness in the room. The edge of a weapon. Oh, that was probably a guard. She played dead.

Various weapons and the like moved around. Her arm was picked up… and placed on the shelf. Probably. She imagined the door closing with a click, but she couldn't actually hear through her arm nor see anything. At best, she had the lack of air currents to tip her off.

Damn. Her nose still itched.