"Report, the area has been secured, all targets confirmed as neutralized. We found a small pouch on the leader and several strips of paper on the bodies of the others. Possible talismans," reported a member of the Vesper after ensuring the area was clear of threats.
"Understood. We'll send it to Omega Zero later. In the meantime, fortify the area. Dig trenches and reinforce surveillance. We need to secure the mine and await further orders," commanded Jian Hao in a firm voice.
The mine was a critical asset for Astralis' development and equipment. They had to ensure that no mistakes occurred. Every move counted.
What they didn't know, however, was that tens of kilometers away, in Black Rock City, the Xuan family was far from calm...
In the main hall, the atmosphere was heavy, laden with the contained fury that only a humiliating defeat could generate. Seated at the prominent positions, Xuan Fei, the patriarch of the Xuan family, kept his face impassive, while beside him, Xuan Jinhai, the true pillar of the family and the strongest person, watched with a cold and penetrating gaze. Both were imposing figures, the weight of the family resting on their shoulders.
Below them, in an orderly but no less tense formation, were the Elders of the Xuan family, Secretary Xuan Lian, and Xuan Tao, the leader of the guard, the most powerful force of the family. All of them, with stern faces and rigid bodies.
The tension was palpable, like a rope stretched to its limit, about to snap. No one dared to speak; the silence was almost unbearable.
"Dammit!" The Second Elder couldn't hold back any longer and slammed his fist onto the chair, the echo of his fury reverberating off the walls. "We've lost 24 members! 24!"
His voice rose, resonating through the room with a force that made it clear the situation was intolerable. "That's more than a third of our mid-level power!" His face, red with rage, barely contained his fury.
The air seemed thick. The other elders, though silent, shared the same contained fury. The Xuan family, for centuries the stronghold of this territory, had been struck to its core. There was a silent, yet burning rage in each of them. This blow could not be ignored.
"Report. How many cultivators do we have?" The patriarch Xuan Fei's voice cut through the air, grave and authoritative.
Xuan Liang stepped forward without hesitation, knowing that the patriarch's gaze was like a sharp blade that tolerated no hesitation. With a bow, he took a document and began reading, his tone firm despite the gravity of the situation.
"Patriarch, we currently have 7 high-level Qi cultivators, 32 mid-level, and 112 low-level," his voice resonated in the room like a sentence, each number a painful reminder of what had been lost.
Families like the Xuan, with hundreds of years of history, had always maintained a significant number of members. However, most of them were mortals without spiritual roots, without power. Only a few were considered part of the central family, those who possessed spiritual roots.
The information provided to Ethan by the prisoner Xuan Jin proved to be correct, although incomplete. He hadn't mentioned the exact number of low-level members, But the total number of cultivators in the Xuan family before the casualties was around 200.
The light in the hall seemed to dim a little more, as if the family members themselves were feeling the weight of defeat. Everyone knew this would not be left as is. There was a mounting fury.
"Great Elder, what do you think?" asked Xuan Fei, stroking his chin as his eyes slowly scanned the room. He was the head of the family, and though fury boiled inside him, he couldn't afford to act impulsively. The losses suffered, close members of his family, had caused him a silent rage, but the situation was too critical to let hatred take over. Something about all of this smelled like disaster.
Xuan Jinhai, the most powerful person in the family and with years of experience, leaned slightly forward. His face, always impassive, reflected the weight of his experience. After a moment of analysis, he spoke in a low but firm voice, making it clear his words should not be taken lightly.
"Mmm..." he began, his calculating eyes scanning each person present. "The times are chaotic. The main sects and the imperial family have begun to move their pieces eastward for the war. We don't know exactly who we are facing, but we know they are mortals, but they could also be cultivators using breathing techniques to hide their true cultivation level."
The mention of breathing techniques made everyone present pay closer attention. That type of technique allowed an individual to mask their true power, deceiving others about their true level of skill.
"What really worries me is that this attack could be the work of other families," continued Xuan Jinhai, his gaze fixed and calculating. "The Lian or Fu families. The tensions between our families have never been lower, and it wouldn't be surprising if they had planned an attack. Maybe this isn't a simple ambush, but a larger conspiracy."
The hall was filled with a heavy silence. The Lian and Fu families were old rivals of the Xuan family, and though disputes between them rarely escalated to the battlefield, the losses suffered could not be ignored. Every word from Xuan Jinhai painted an even darker scenario.
Xuan Fei, though impassive, clenched his jaw. He knew the pieces of the game were moving fast, and any hasty action could ruin the family's position. "And what is your recommendation?" he asked finally, his voice grave, laden with the responsibility resting on his shoulders.
Xuan Jinhai raised his hand, directing his piercing gaze at Xuan Tao, as if trying to unravel every thought in his mind. The atmosphere in the room became even heavier with the silence that followed. With a somber tone, reflecting the gravity of the situation, he ordered,
"Recount what happened that day. Don't omit even the smallest detail."
Xuan Tao nodded, his face marked by nervousness. He remembered every second of that battle as if it had been a nightmare that still haunted his thoughts. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the inner turmoil, and began:
"After we met..." his voice faltered at first, but then became firmer, as if the words weighed with the memory. "After that, there was no trace of qi, no techniques. Nothing. Just those... sticks of wood and iron. They rose before us, and then, thunder struck. The roar was so loud that I thought the very sky had opened above us."
He paused, fear reflected in his eyes as he tried to make sense of what he had witnessed.
"And after that roar... fire. It wasn't like the fire from a cultivator's attack, something stranger. It was as if the flames came from the very bowels of those sticks... and then came the impact of it, after which someone fell, or the shield we were using shattered with an indescribable violence."
Xuan Jinhai, like the others present, furrowed his brow. Everyone was thinking about what Xuan Tao had described. The sticks of wood and iron; there was something in his description that didn't fit with any known technique or with the magical objects used by cultivators. The sound of thunder, the explosion, the sensation of impact... everything pointed to something completely unknown.
Xuan Jinhai shook his head. With tense calm, he continued
"There's very little information," his grave voice echoed in the room. "It may be a new type of spiritual weapon, designed by external forces. But for now, we must consolidate our forces. We need to reinforce internal defenses. We cannot afford to be attacked again. Also," he said, pausing to direct his gaze at Xuan Tao, "you and the guards will investigate further, but covertly. We can't risk alerting our enemies. Only then can we make decisions based on facts, not assumptions."
Understanding the urgency of the situation, Xuan Fei, the Patriarch of the family, also approved the strategy with a grave tone that resonated like a hammer striking an anvil:
"I agree." His voice was like a clean cut. "Acting without information would be foolish. We need answers before we move. We cannot afford recklessness."
The other elders nodded silently. The weight of their words filled the room, but the tension still hung in the air, dense and heavy.
But the second elder was not as calm. The control he maintained over himself was evident, but he could barely contain the fury that pulsed beneath his skin. The anger over the losses they had suffered still burned within him, and though his face remained impassive, his voice, when he spoke, was like a roar under control.
"Agreed." The words, although seemingly calm, carried the anger of a man whose patience was beginning to run thin.
The atmosphere in the room had become even heavier. The air was charged with tensions that threatened to explode at any moment.
Each one present knew that the Xuan family was in a critical situation. They were being attacked by unknown forces, and in the shadows, other forces might be watching, waiting for the right moment to strike.