Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed above. The battle had caused dark spinning clouds to form, obscuring the originally clear blue sky that precipitated their conflict.
Cory fell onto one knee, panting, blood spurting out of his left shoulder. The Xunian's left arm had been dissected from his body, and now lay limp on the scorched earth. Lightning aurae continued to arc over the surface of his body-- he had acquired this skill through harmonizing his body with the lightning energies that protects the Xunian's hidden realm. A sliver of its unique power.
Around him was a completely leveled forest, trunks blackened to crisp, sprayed outward in a fallen formation around Cory's position, extending for many kilofeet in all directions.
The baby-faced clone dispatched by the Allfather floated above Cory. Half of the baby-faced clone's body had been burnt to crisp as well. However, the baby-faced clone displayed no sign of pain or struggle. It was soon apparent as to why.
A sort of magical film wrapped around the baby-faced clone's blackened half, and strangely, this magical film flickered and the baby-face clone of the Allfather regained full vigour and health in a flash! The skin of the 'reformed' body appeared as healthy as can be!
Cory's fox ears twitched. For a whole week, he had battled this baby-faced existence day and night. No matter how he injured the baby-faced clone of the Allfather, it always only took a single instant for the baby-faced clone to recover.
Cory, on the other hand, gradually weakened until one of the baby-faced nine martial weapons severed his left arm from his body.
He felt no anguish, nor bitterness despite his dire straits. For he had accomplished his task. Their battle had shaken the firmament, razed hills, uprooted a zone of thousands of kilofeet. Their battle sent the aurae over the entire area into a chaotic frenzy. The remnant trace of that passageway into the Xunian's hidden realm? Under such conditions, it was surely untraceable!
Still, Cory continued to battle to his last breath. He feared the Allfather's methods. The tricks that existed up the Allfather's sleeves.
Cory knew that in truth, he was no opponent to the Allfather. The Allfather is the most powerful entity in existence. All knew this to be so.
Luckily, the Fusion Realm is a middle realm, and the aurae within this realm is simply too sparse. That sparseness of aurae made it impossible for those above the telekinetic realm to employ their abilities-- if anything, those existences would feel suffocated in the Fusion Realm.
As Cory is a peak telekinetic advancer, he was able to stand toe-to-toe against the Allfather's suppressed baby-faced clone for some time. Clearly, he had reached his limits. His eyes temporarily glazed over as he very nearly lost consciousness.
The baby-faced clone sighed, gazing down at the fox-eared Xunian impassively. The Allfather understood Cory's goal early on. It mattered little to him that the fox-eared Xunian was hellbent on sacrificing his own life simply to extend the battle and send the surrounding aurae into a chaotic storm.
The baby-faced clone suddenly looked upwards and his nine gold and silver weapons circled around his body. His aura rose as he gathered his strength into the nine weapons orbiting his body.
The nine weapons rotated in an increasing pace and rose above the baby-faced clone's head, and shockingling combined into a singular weapon. Its appearance flickered between the nine different forms, but was as one when the baby-faced clone grasped the weapon in hand.
The combined ethereal form of the weapon suddenly enlarged by thousands of times, its tip breaking through the swirling dark clouds that had gathered due to Cory's abilities.
The baby-faced clone flicked his wrist, and the slight movement of the colossal ethereal weapon in his hand dispersed the dark clouds in a single breath, reexposing the clear sky.
The baby-faced clone then tilted his head specifically in one direction, and spoke at thin air.
"My children. When I stood in the background, you warred against one another, driven by your infantile urges and bottomless greed. Here I am, yet you all stand together behind a veil."
"None of you chose to act," the baby-faced clone snorted. "For you fear losing ground against those that stand next to you. If I had not returned, you would still be at each other's throats. If I were to vanish, you would return to being at each other's throats. Go home. You are all unworthy."
He then angled the colossal weapon and stabbed forth into empty space. A high-pitched cracking noise echoed through the region as the sky shattered like glass!
________________________________________________
Far to the south in a long chain of islands off the coast, its form the shape of a gargantuan dragon's back, stood the Fusion Sect.
On the highest peak of one of the dragonback mountainous tops stood a pavilion that welcomed many guests today.
The pavilion was decorated with carvings of five figures on its pillars and walls. These figures are, of course, the five ancestors that created the Fusion Sect, combining their mastery of their individual element.
Within the pavilion sat representatives from the lesser heavens of humanity, their seats spread apart but all surrounding a mirror in the center of the hall. All present figures gazed intently into this magical item.
"....are all unworthy." After these words sounded through, a crack appeared on the mirror. That crack quickly spread and the mirror shattered into a thousand pieces.
The faces of all present figures darkened at the Allfather's clone's words. It was obvious to all that the baby-faced existence was a clone sent forth to this realm, an extension of the Allfather.
"Hmph," a man with sharp eyes, round nose, high cheeks and square beard growled. "There are so many bloodlines that have existed since the ancient gods. To call us his children…"
"Now now…" a man wearing a metallic mask of an intimidating demonic face inlaid with rubies stepped in. "Thousand Fist of hmmm… whatever. Last I heard, your ancestor fell for one of the Allfather's daughters. So you are indeed a child of his." His voice was snide and scornful.
"And last I checked," the Thousand Fists of Heavens scoffed, "Your ancestor was raped by one of the Allfather's sons, and back in those days, her father was instead overjoyed by the incident. Say… is my fist's imprint still upon your face beneath that metal mask?"
The demonic face on the metal mask lit up in fury accompanied by an explosive aura filled with bloodthirst.
Those who advance to become influential existences usually abandon their name and adopt certain titles. These titles represent an advancer's prestige, and their capabilities.
Before their 'little' meeting descended into chaos due to these two, a soothing melody of a zither sounded through the pavilion.
"Calm yourselves, fools," a soft and gentle voice eased the souls of all present, temporarily dispelling all negative emotions. "The Allfather is not wrong. Your two heavens would certainly be most interested in destroying one another if the opportunity presented itself."
All heads turned to gaze at a veiled beauty whose every movement was filled with grace, a slender body that seemed to float and dance in motion. The lady's glossy dark brown hair was elegantly arranged atop of her head in a wondrous nest. The Songstress of the Moon, so most called her.
"And you," the metallic masked man spat as his will overcame the effect of the zither. "Moon turtle. Your spineless ancestor simply ran off like a dog with its tail between its legs, secluding herself in some far-flung realm to sing in emptiness…"
At this point, the metallic masked man noticed quite a number of eyes belonging to some men glaring at his outburst.
"Hmph. The lot of you only think with your cock. Pathetic," he spat as he sat back down on his seat.
An old man sighed as he stood up. Though he appeared ancient, his back was still straight and strong. His long white hair was tied into a bob, secured with an ornamental crown. His robes consisted of five colors-- fire, metal, water, wood and earth.
This is the Fusion Sect ancestor. He obviously was not at the level of these representatives from humanity's lesser heavens. Out of the thirty-six heavens in existence, sixteen of them belong to humanity in this day and age. The remaining twenty are split between the demon beasts, the spectres, plant demons, insect demons, and the 'God race'--supposed questionable descendents of the fallen gods.
The Fusion Sect ancestor's thoughts lingered briefly on the existence of the 'God race'. Though they call themselves descendents of the fallen gods, they clearly lacked power. If they truly carried the strength of the fallen gods, there would not have been an Age of Demons after the fall of the ancient gods.
"Forgive this lowly one for his words, but as host of this humble place, I must bid you all take your negotiations elsewhere," the Fusion Sect ancestor bowed deep after saying these words to the fifteen lesser heavens' representatives. The so-called sixteenth human-controlled heaven is, of course, the Allfather's greater heaven.
"For the Allfather to make an appearance, a storm must be brewing," the Fusion Sect ancestor continued, cold sweat running down his temples and back. "My Fusion Sect naturally serves the Grand Uni Heavens. Nonetheless, my pitiful survival will rely on our combined cooperation in the coming storm."
The Fusion Sect ancestor knew that it was not his place to speak in this gathering of sorts, but he could sense the tension rising. Even with the limitation imposed by the Fusion Realm's lack of aurae density, these figures would flatten the Fusion Sect in a heartbeat if a conflict broke out amongst them.
As such, the Fusion Sect ancestor even considered employing the Fusion Realm Heart that had long fallen into the Fusion Sect's hands. The Fusion Realm Heart carries the semi-sentient will of the realm. It is by no means conscious, but the so-called Realm Hearts have limited but unique qualities.
One such ability? It would automatically react to block the potential entry of threatening elements, such as devilish beings from the twelve hells.
If these representatives of the fifteen lesser heavens fail to restrain themselves, the Realm Heart should at least be able to expel them before any large-scale damage was delivered to the lands. The Fusion Sect ancestor's heart clenched as he considered communing with the realm heart to communicate this potential danger.
There was an awkward silence for a few breaths, as dagger eyes stabbed into the Fusion Sect ancestor's body. Luckily, the representative from the Grand Uni Heaven chose to interfere and back his words.
"Little Pitsh speaks true."
All heads turned to look at a gorgeous woman with an almost exaggerated voluptuous body. Her straight black hair was secured in a swirl behind her head with a long needle. She wore a robe of glossy black with white and crimson seams. She brought a pipe to her luscious red lips, her bright eyes wrapped by thick curled lashes confidently meeting the eyes of every single man and woman in the Pavilion.
'Little Pitsh' inwardly groaned. He might have the appearance of a wizened old man, but that was due to his failed attempts to rise above the telekinetic realm. He is, in fact, much younger than this woman, who he had called Madam Dancing Dust as a child. As for the nickname? When he was a child, he had a bad habit of eating pistachios no matter where he went. Eventually, he became fully known as Pitsh.
Madam Dancing Dust exhaled through her smoking pipe, sending mostly translucent multi-colored particle clouds swirling into the air.
"It is a waste of time for us to attempt any form of negotiation here. Some of us have lifetime grudges." She pursed her lips as she paused to pointedly glance at the man known as the Thousand Fists of Heaven and the metallic masked man. "Hmm. How about each of us individually come to an agreement with those that we get along with? As long as a loose chain of cooperation is formed, that may be enough."
Silence filled the pavilion as the representatives of the lesser heavens glanced at one another. Eventually, each of them hooked their two hands and bowed. They each cracked a totem that created a protective dark aurae cloud around their body, before vanishing with a body flicker.
As they left one by one, Pitsh breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Madam Dancing Dust," he said as he bowed.
"Am I not your grand aunt?"
"I… yes, grand aunt." Pitsh recalled that this 'grand aunt' of his always enjoyed tormenting him, creating situations where he would feel a combination of awkwardness, distress and embarrassment.
"Well, 'Little Pitsh'," Madam Dancing Dust stood as she, too, intended to leave this suffocating realm. "Be careful. You still have a chance with those few hundred years left to you. Your predecessor failed to prevent the Halls from overtaking the Zoh Empire. You have already allowed the Halls to form a branch in the Minhr Nation. It was only through luck that the Great Sects of the Evergreen Mountains now operate mostly under our control. Do not allow the Halls or the other lesser heavens to establish or further increase their influence here."
"Remember. Overuse of force and interference will breed resentment. That resentment can be taken advantage of by other heavens. Your hand has, however, been too loose. Tighten your grip, little nephew. And if you can contribute a few good seeds in this era, you will be rewarded."
Her swaying voluptuous body was wrapped in a dark aurae cloud before her form flickered as she, too, vanished.
_______________________________________________________
With the observing mirror shattered, the Allfather's baby-faced clone turned his eyes back down towards Cory, who had keeled over onto his side, face pale . The fox-eared Xunian was completely spent, his aurae drained. He was at death's door.
As a telekinetic advancer, Cory could, of course, attempt to repossess another body. Yet to him, that was pointless. Even if he somehow successfully slips through the baby-faced clone's hands, any new body he possesses will be much weaker. And the Allfather was certain to track him down in no time.
He made peace with himself as a glint shone in his eyes. He quickly suppressed the determination in his eyes back into the depths of his soul.
"Do you truly believe the chaos of your limited skills enough to destroy all traces? Laughable!" The baby-faced clone sneered. He crossed his legs midair and brought his palms together. His nine weapons positioned themselves behind him in a fan, as a third eye opened on his forehead.
The third eye poured a golden light into his surroundings, gathering to form a thick ring behind his back. The golden ring was originally slowly spinning clockwise. The baby-faced clone smacked his two palms together, and the golden ring's rotation slowed to a stop, before accelerating in the anti-clockwise direction.
"All aurae traces are a result of cause and effect. If there is an action, then it can be traced in reverse."
Cory's eyes widened in dismay as the world around him was filled with a shadowy ghostly aurae effect. This effect encompassed many kilofeet around. His battle against the baby-faced clone was repeated in reverse. This past form of his was displayed by a man-shaped clumped collection of aurae, and when 'he' collided with a tree-shaped aurae clump, there was a light shower and transference of aurae.
This reverse image played out before Cory's eyes. Cory was naturally filled with fear. How far back can the baby-faced Allfather clone see by connecting cause and effect, following the transference of aurae?
Their battle that lasted seven days and seven nights was rapidly played in reverse. Cory soon noticed that the density of aurae waned overtime, and the image gradually decreased in clarity. Yet that fall in clarity was slow, and Cory knew that the Allfather would soon see the location of the spatial tunnel, and the procession that received Suey and Rein.
A corner of the baby-faced clone's lips curled up. He could see that Cory's nervousness had risen to a peak.
Yet before his moment of triumph, a new unexpected clump of man-shaped aurae formed before his eyes. Its appearance was a semi-translucent man in greenish robes.
"And all races of the thousand realms have consciousness. If an action arose from a mind, then that action can be shattered by cognition."
This figure pressed his palms together and the clump of aurae that formed his shadowy form transformed into a whirling torrent that swarmed towards the baby-faced clone's head!
"Blasphemer Yirn!" The baby-faced clone was enraged as his body exuded a gold and silvery aurae cloud in defense. His eyes became crazed as the torrent of aurae struck forehead. His physical defenses were completely ineffective against the attack.
The baby-faced clone grunted as blood leaked from his nose, ears and lips. The golden ring behind his back shattered, and the surrounding environment returned to normal, the shadowy reversing image of the past dispelled. All that remained was the originally blackened ground and destroyed forest.
He then screamed as the torrent of aurae that attacked him transformed into many symbols and formed a seal that sunk into his forehead.
Despite his mind having suffered an injury, and his third eye sealed, the baby-faced clone was not discouraged. Instead, a deranged expression appeared on his visage. With blood pouring from his orifices, the baby-faced clone flew to the slumped Cory, and he raised two fingers and stabbed it into the Xunian's forehead!
Vexation filled the Allfather's clone's mind as he attacked Cory's mind-- if his true body could come here, he would not have suffered so!
Cory's eyes filled with despair as a foreign will surged into his mind, searching for answers.
To the baby-faced clone's perception, Cory's mind was like a maze. Every single thought was a tunnel that led to a revelation. Blood began to flow from Cory's eyes as he struggled despite being near-death. He focused his thoughts in a bid to force the baby-faced clone onto a wrong path.
The baby-faced clone gathered all of his strength as he began to shatter the walls of the mind maze. An increasing volume of blood now flowed from Cory's orifices as a soul-burning pain filled his head.
Finally, the baby-faced clone found an incredibly robust door in Cory's mind, and he grinned as he gathered the might of his soul to will it open.
Cory was simply too weak to resist, and that robust door creaked then swung open.
The baby-faced clone's initial smile was wiped off his face as his eyes widened. It was Cory's turn to adopt the deranged expression of a madman.
"A gift for your 'divine' self, Allfather."
Cory's head exploded as many black lightning bolts that seemed to swallow the very brightness in the world shot into the baby-faced clone's orifices. The process occurred in a blink of an eye, and the baby-faced clone simply had no time to avoid the attack, close as he was.
"GENT!" A hateful scream echoed in the vast wilderness as the baby-faced clone's whole body was burnt to crisp. A magical film wrapped around the body, and repeatedly flickered against the endless arcing black lightning.
The baby-faced clone would regain some semblance of a man before being cauterized again. The process repeated itself a thousand times in a few breaths. Finally, the baby-faced clone crumbled into dust that was casted into the Western Wilderness by the breeze.
_______________________________________________________
The mining base overtaken by the Halls shook again as another booming force from the outside, above, struck down once again. Some loose soil fell upon Rein's head, but the reinforcing pillars and arches rapidly constructed stood strong, their inscriptions a soothing silver glow in the dimly-lit zone.
"Twelves hells!" A trembling Chirh suddenly exclaimed in fear. "I forgot my defensive robes!"
Rein spun his head to look next to him. Indeed, Chirh was not wearing the Halls' robes! Rein's attention had been drawn by the rapid flow of events, and as such, he did not notice that Chirh had foolishly succumbed to nerves and forgotten such an important survival item. At least, that was Rein's understanding of Chirh. He could only inwardly groan.
Wilo simply shook her head a few times in disbelief as the mining base quaked and more loose soil fell from above.
"How are you still alive…?" Dahk only said these words to Chirh as he gripped his spear, eyes locked at the trembling ceiling.
"Ahhh! We're getting buried!" Supreme Huhrz hollered in a somewhat bored voice, a deadpan expression on his face. "Help. Someone save us."
Many of the Halls' members were initially open-mouthed at a supposed Supreme delivering such a line at such a moment, while some felt bemused. However, a few with brains understood the task.
"Please, Shizr! Hang in there! We'll save you! Don't give up yet!" So exclaimed an unknown man on the other side of their circular defensive formation.
"Sister! Help me!" A lady squealed theatrically as the mining base shuddered once again, a thunderous bang reverberating down from above.
Soon, the rest of the Halls' members understood the task and felt like idiots for not being the earliest to respond. They all began to scream and squeal as if suffering the wrath of the heavens.
But, of course, the mining base was nowhere close to collapse. The erected supporting pillars and arches maintained a healthy inscribed glow despite the efforts of those outside to bury them.
Meanwhile, outside stood a group of advancers dressed in the robes of the Uni Sect. The Uni Sect's sigil is a depiction of a whirlpool, with many lines spinning into a singular point. It illustrates their belief that all came from one, and one can become all.
As for the man leading these advancers? It was none other than Bienze. His shoulder length hair that was a mix of every single shade from blonde to dark brown fluttered in the wind as he hovered in the sky, eyes narrowed downwards.
He observed as a man under his command, with a gigantic hammer, swung repeatedly at the ground. Booming noise echoed against the tall mountain ranges repeatedly.
"Elder! I can hear their screams!" that muscular man joyously hollered.
"Continue."
As such, the enlarged shining brass-hued hammer with carved beastly forms continued to smite down against the ground, every strike sending soil and dust into the air. As for the vegetation-- those had long been cleared by the initial phase of their mining of the underground jade at this location many years ago.
The hammering of the land continued for many breaths, many heartbeats, yet faint yells and screams could still be heard. Bienze frowned, feeling something to be off.
He extended his divine sense into the soil in an attempt to surveil the situation. However, his divine sense soon met a barrier that seemed to devour wisps of his soul, and as such, he immediately withdrew his divine sense. The divine sense is effectively using the soul to telekinetically detect, spy and communicate. There are specific dangers related to its use.
Bienze was sullen, and couldn't help but wonder why the Halls had employed such a powerful formation-- formations that can confuse the divine sense are usually considered to be of deity level, extremely costly to use in a middling realm such as the Fusion Realm. He could only rely on his other senses to assess the situation.
Overtime, the faint yells began to decrease until no more noise returned despite the continued hammering.
"Elder. They must be buried!" the muscular man grinned as the gleaming hammer in his hand returned to its natural size. He stumbled slightly, his body glistening with sweat.
"Silence, Smuhz." Bienze channeled his aurae into his ears. His mind attuned to the sound of nature, seeking any 'unnatural' beats.
He heard nothing for a few heartbeats. Then a faint roaring sound rose. Bienze sighed-- he knew of the source of this roaring sound. He gazed into the distance, and his eyes tracked an airship speeding towards him.
Frankly, Bienze was filled with gloom. It was almost guaranteed that he would rise beyond the telekinetic realm given his mastery of the transformative abilities of gods. As such, he was given access to much more knowledge and history. A deeper understanding of the Hall of Heroes and the Allfather, for example.
If there was one thing Bienze knew, it was that the Halls rarely made mistakes. Bienze wondered why he even bothered relying on his senses to scout out the situation. His gut knew that It was certain that the Halls would not be simply buried.
His eyes tracked the new arriving airships. The Pill Ignition Sect loves creating pills with explosive uses. Normally, alchemy is meant to enhance the body for a limited time, provide assistance in raising one's advancer powers, healing and poison. The Pill Ignition Sect, instead, was one that pursued a niche path-- to use pills as direct weapons.
Well, Bienze could not deny their achievements-- out of all the Great Sects of the Evergreen Mountains, the Pill Ignition Sect was the second fastest to arrive, likely having burned an uncountable number of pills to accelerate here.
"They've come?" A short and bald wrinkled old man with a round belly asked from atop the slowing airship. Beside him were many disciples with alchemical cauldrons and furnaces, furiously crafting the necessities for their craft.
"Grand Alchemist Meehr," Bienze politely greeted the man. Talented alchemists always command respect. The Uni Sect may be seen as the leader, but that did not mean the Pill Ignition Sect could be ignored. The Pill Ignition Sect does continue to create 'normal' alchemical products. It was their immediate combat might that was lacking. Given time, their ignition-classed pills can be prepared to a devastating conclusion.
"They've holed themselves in the first mining base," Bienze gestured down at the flatten ground. "We've attempted to bury the lot but… the Halls cannot be underestimated."
"Have you…" Meehr asked hesitantly.
"Go ahead and try," Bienze glared at the short and bald man, somewhat dissatisfied to be asked such a question.
"Hah! I apologize." Meehr smacked his lips as he closed his eyes. Similar to Bienze, he came upon that barrier which absorbed slight traces of his divine sense.
"Hmm…" Meehr racked his brains. "Let's flush them out." He, too, doubted the Halls could have been simply buried.
He opened a pouch at his waist, and many sickly-yellow pills flew out. Bienze's underlings scurried out of the way in fear as Meehr clapped his hands, causing the many pills to shatter into powder before raining down into the soil.
Underground, Rein himself began to feel lightheaded despite his strong constitution relative to his advancer realm. A man suddenly collapsed, bile spilling out of his mouth. Seeing this, Supreme Yirmane withdrew dozens of glass bottles from her spatial ring rapidly. Each bottle was filled with some unique liquid and contraption, and Supreme Yirmane seemed to be observing each one closely.
Eventually, she picked one and waved her arm. The sleeves of her robes sent a breeze within the mining base. The breeze had a faint and odd taste, but it was also soothing to the body. Rein felt his focus returned, and the man who was first to collapse struggled back to his feet, panting.
"Guihnes. Take command," Huhrz said. He brought his palms together as a hundred dense aurae javelins began to form right below the ceiling of the base. A moon lit up in one eye, and the sun in the other. Huhrz swung his arm, and a black cape wrapped around his body. His form then faded into nothingness, but his aurae javelins remained, pointed upwards in preparation.
"Heh." Supreme Guihnes grinned. His heart palpitated, excited for a show. Those heart palpitations were once of fear. He felt glad that they now stood on the same side.
"Ladies. No screams please." Guihnes said in mock politeness as he held a formation disc in his hand. The two female Supremes, Yirmane and one that Rein did not recognize, snorted in derision at Guihnes words.
Guihnes manipulated the formation disc, and wind aurae began to gather. The air began to spin in motion, lifting the robes of the many Halls' members' robes. Most women pressed down their robes to protect their decency, though there were some that cared not, eyes fully focused upwards.
Some men were distracted by the 'sights'. Rein himself simply shrugged. Seeing undergarments meant little to him. Funnily enough, some women took the opportunity to peek under some of the mens' advancer robes.
The rotating wind aurae created a weak suction force that drove a persistent air flow upwards. Though soil existed in the way, the poison that had leaked downwards was slowly carried upwards by the air formation!
Back above, Bienze was growing frustrated. Finally, another Great Sect arrived-- One Formation Sect. Bienze was overjoyed by this development.
There was no need for any communication as the One Formation got to work, setting up many inscribed stakes, pillars, gems and unique treasures in a circle over the whole zone.
"Back!" Bienze suddenly hollered. A member of One Formation Sect that had attempted to set up a pillar close to the flattened area suddenly keeled over as bile spilled from his mouth.
The Great Sects' members present immediately took a few steps back as a yellow mist rose from the ground.
Bienze sighed. A weakness of the Pill Ignition Sect exposed. Airborne poisons can often be 'returned'.
Grand Alchemist Meehr was red-faced as he withdrew a gourd that sucked in the sickly yellow poison. He withdrew a few vials, within which were liquid poisons. However, Meehr hesitated, unsure if the Halls might have also prepared a counter for this.
"Don't bother," Bienze shook his head. "Unless you have a newly created unknown poison, the Halls will have long prepared for it. Save it for the chaos of battle."
Grand Alchemist Meehr could only nod. Poison attacks are generally ineffective if the opponent is well prepared. Usually, it is effective against those unprepared, or against those already wounded and thus has weakened resistance against poisons.
Next to arrive was the White Lily Sect, a Sect entirely composed of women. They arrived on a gargantuan spinning White Lily, dressed in their pure white robes.
The remaining four Great Sects, the Convergence Sect, Sun Sword Sect, Harmony Sect and Demon Taming Sect were the last to arrive.
This was of no surprise to Bienze. The Harmony Sect and Demon Taming Sect was the farthest, at the northern tip of the Evergreen Mountains. As for Convergence Sect and Sun Sword Sect? Those two were hungry for revenge against the Halls-- initially, they intended to cause trouble for the Halls during the invasion of the demon beast wave through the Xuere Gap. None expected the current events.
The leading figures of the Great Sects gathered together as the members of One Formation Sect finished preparing the surrounding battlefield.
They knew that flushing out the Halls would not be possible. Based on Bienze's assessment, the Halls had little interest in direct combat, and seemed to be biding their time.
Thus, a plan was quickly arranged-- they simply needed to remove the soil over the mining base! Under such a condition, the Halls would be essentially trapped in a cylindrical hole, easily pelted with no small amount of advancer arts and firepower! Already, the Pill Ignition Sect's airships hovered in the air, cannons at the ready.
The command was handed down, and a number of outer realm advancers from each sect stepped forth with indignation upon their faces. To form aurae hands with their outer powers simply to dig and excavate soil… how humiliating was this? Yet it was the quickest way to uncover their enemies. And so, they dug, with hatred and humiliation in their hearts!
Each sect had hundreds of disciples ready for combat, surrounding the flattened area with weapons drawn. These shell advancers kept their heads down, thanking the fallen gods that the current desperate situation led to the higher ups ordering the outer advancers to complete such a distasteful task.
As for the power distribution, most are shell advancers, while each sect had one to three outer advancers. Each sect had also sent one telekinetic advancer.
By these numbers, one might assume that the Halls would not hold out for long. Bienze knew this to be untrue. The Halls' silver guards were capable of unique cooperative powers that none had ever successfully replicated.
Underground, Supreme Guihnes gazed upwards with his hand ready to manipulate the formation disc.
"You fools better stay within the defensive formation. Else you will fall into the Great Sects' formations and become mincemeat. The incompetent will be discarded," Supreme Guihnes informed the Halls' members.
Rein was filled with nervousness. It certainly did not feel good to be trapped in this… constrictive space. If he was honest with himself, he very much preferred open ground, such that he could escape in any direction at any time.
A stream of sunlight leaked into the mining base, and all knew that the true battle was at hand!