“Apparently the follow-up forces discovered and entered a Vespasian Tomb,” said Hecha. “But they seem to have disappeared. That’s all that Anna was able to get out of the disciple that she captured.”

“As much as I enjoy hearing about the accomplishments of your direct disciple, I’m quite the busy man.”

“Ah, yes,” she sneered. “Busy helping yourself to hoarded wine? It’s nice to see that Lord Sect Master’s favourite dog is hard at work in such a remote place so from where he’s been assigned.”

“Oh? That’s rich, coming from you. I’m surprised they were able to pry you off of that ridiculous throne that you had made for yourself.”

“Enough, both of you. Regardless of your association with these lessers, the fact remains that we have a task to complete, one that requires our full cooperation.”

“Sometimes it’s useful to surround yourself with people that carry different perspectives. If you two weren’t so busy getting off on every drop of blood that came your way then you might be able to see that.”

“You say worrisome things, Marcus. Don’t think that this goes unnoticed in the Core Domain, Hemmel and I included.”

As both of his guests made to go, the taller of the two turned his head to cast him a distrustful glance. “Your flippant attitude is the reason why it took you so long to gain the tenth seat. I wonder what sort of treasure you bribed Lord Sect Master with that was able to change his mind so suddenly, and so strongly.”

“And you’ll have to keep wondering, I’m afraid. Unlike the two of you I’ve been very busy during recent weeks, what with the Acquisition of the sixth largest of the easterly kingdoms. Rarely these days do I find myself with the time to enjoy wealthy man’s wine, so if you don’t mind…”

Hemmel shot him a subtle glare and pointed at the looming mass behind them. “The peak of that mountain. Tomorrow at dawn.”

The two great elders flew off into the evening sky, their black cloaks billowing as they quickly vanished from view. Though they were no longer within eyesight he could sense faint traces of their auras lingering on the horizon.

He eyed the fledgling kingdom that he had created in recent years, admired the scope of each settlement that he had founded. Well over a million people lived within his lands, which ran on for nearly a quarter of the distance between The Split—the pass that the disciples of the Ashen domains had seized in the northern regions of Hauss—and the Northern Wilderness. Dozens of cities and hundreds of towns and villages resided within his borders, all well fed and well protected. Who could ever imagine that such a society was run by a great elder of the Bloodhand Sect?

His eyes idled on the barracks that lined the great pinkish mountain like a thick brown belt, where an oppressive and malicious aura was slowly seeping into the surrounding lands. Tens of thousands of black knights bunked within the wooden halls, capable experts and murderers all. While this might not have been the case at the time of their enlistment, their minds had become warped after several years within this energy-rich region while under the influence of the menacing aura that emanated from the Red Mountain.

Perhaps some might be able to guess. He’d assured his subjects that he had cast protective arrayments all throughout his territories, though in reality he had done no such thing. The few hundred thousand that lived directly around the Red Mountain were destined to demonize within a matter of years. Once demonized the vast majority of people would become completely bereft of reason and their bodies would begin to take in Origin Energy from the surroundings at an astounding rate.

Although this world was immeasurably vast, people didn’t demonize often. When they did they were usually subdued as quickly as possible, for the longer they lived the stronger and the more unstable they would become. It was on an entirely different level than the changes that took place to other creatures when they underwent this process. Though they both were known to go mad with bloodthirst, beasts experienced a one-time surge in strength while demonized people were able to enjoy an immense increase in the rate at which they absorbed Origin Energy and converted it to inner essence. The trade-off was that a demonic person would eventually take in too much energy and explode from their inability to contain it. This happened every time without fail, though it all depended on the constitution and the cultivation level of the affected individual.

Marcus waited until he was sure that the others were gone before he produced a pair of identical talismans and sent out two sound transmissions, at which point he casually began to sip at his wine. It wasn’t long before two young men appeared on the slated rooftop, the light sounds of footfalls announcing their arrival.

“Master,” they said as one.

Garbed in black robes of fine quality, they stood at similar heights to one another, the one on the right broader of shoulder and longer of hair than his blond companion.

Marcus looked to the one on the left and held a hand aloft. “Give me the painting, Rane.”

Surprise flashed through the young man’s deep blue eyes, followed by a brief haze of hesitancy.

“It’s not often that you see Essence Fusion objects that are also talismans. You think me unable to sense the energy fluctuations of such a quality treasure?”

An ornate painting appeared in the air above Rane’s head, the canvas an empty slate of white.

“I will give it back once I return.”

“Return, Master?”

“There’s some work to be done for the sect. I shouldn’t be any longer than ten days, but until I return the two of you are in charge of things here. I am expecting five more pellets to arrive within that time. If they are late, you are to go and fetch them.”

“And what of the Acquisition, Master?”

“Rose is overseeing our forces in the north of the kingdom while her underlings remain on standby in my new domain.”

“Will she be okay on her own?”

“There are many other core disciples taking part in the invasion, and more waves will be arriving soon. She will have no shortage of assistance.”

This was likely what worried Maxus, judging from the glint of indignation that glittered within the depths of his dark eyes. The two disciples bowed low in acknowledgement.

He waved an arm. “You may leave.”

Once his subordinates had gone back to their lodgings he gazed into his chalice in quiet consideration. A muddled reflection of his face stared back at him with a tired smile that spoke of untold stress. He didn’t like the idea of going off into enemy territory in the company of four people that particularly resented him for his sudden rise to power. Even if the assigned assassination turned out to be true, there still existed a chance that his disgruntled companions might view this task as an opportunity to rid themselves of the annoying thorn that had pricked their senses of pride for the better half of the past decade.

Since the day I gained the five-hundredth seat, huh? He smirked at the thought of a sudden ambush at the hands of his allies. I will just have to outsmart them.

It would take around two days to reach the outskirts of the empire’s borders, at which point they would stop for a few hours to replenish the energies expended throughout their travels. At the earliest their attack would take place three days from now, though there was no guarantee that the group wouldn’t decide to observe the enemy’s movements for a time before deciding to act.

He let out a lazy yawn. It would be a shame if the imperial family caught wind of this plot. None of his peers were aware that he possessed an incredibly rare treasure that was capable of transporting its user to another location in an instant. In the event that they were surrounded by the empire’s experts, the others would have no hope of slipping away with such ease. The only problem was that cultivators at the Genesis stage were very difficult to kill, even for those higher up on the hierarchy of levels. If even one of the great elders survived then all of his plans would fall apart like a poorly built home during a terrible earthquake. How, then, might he make a success of this spontaneous plan? The answer was simple, albeit unforgiving. He just had to ensure that none of his allies made it back to their homeland.

Despite all of the horrible experiences that had hardened him into the man he was today, his heartbeat began to quicken. If his plan played out as anticipated then many vacancies would open up within the highest ranks of their sect as a result. As had been the case for the tenth seat that he had recently occupied, such positions usually remained open for several decades before a replacement was selected. The ongoing Acquisitions would last for several more years, at which point many of the stronger disciples would have advanced to the position of elder. As for the most talented of the younger generations, they would go on to fill seated positions and perhaps even reach the pinnacle of their organization just as the sect master and the top three great elders had done following their days as disciples during the conquering of Mour.

Rane, Maxus and Rose. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the heights that his faction would ascend to once his direct disciples settled into adulthood. The boys were on the fast track to breaking through to the Genesis stage before they reached their mid-twenties, and Rose wasn’t too far behind. And then there was Nolan, the strange boy that he had encountered by chance while following after Baelin Marx, the former occupant of the eighty-eighth seat.

At the middle levels of the Profound Entry stage, the boy was capable of combating people an entire stage above him in cultivation. He was also extremely spirit sensitive and much more astute than any youth that Marcus had ever met, his protégés included. Considering how quickly he’d grown in the weeks since he’d saved him, it was highly probable that the boy would attain the strength of a Genesis-staged cultivator before his twentieth year. This was eight years sooner than he, the most revered prodigy of his generation within the sect, had achieved. If the upper echelons were aware that they had antagonized a young man with such limitless potential then they would doubtlessly utilize a seated elder to efficiently nip this foreboding weed in the bud before it could mature.

He had indebted such a young man to him twice already, and would come to collect his dues once the fruits of his foresight had ripened within the necessary range. Once he had outlived his use, Marcus would force him to reveal the unknown core cultivation method that he practiced, the mysterious technique that enabled Otherworlders like him and those two companions of his to achieve such monumental attainments in cultivation within such a short period of time.