The Neutral Lands. The New Land of Dreams.

Days had passed since the Allfather pulled the Tree of Darkness up from the Abyss. Ever since the skies of the Neutral Lands had been draped in a curtain of grey and black clouds. Eternally burning obsidian flames filled the vast fields of the decrepit Neutral Lands surrounding the Tree of Darkness. Umbras spawned and encircled the eight Payircis protecting the Tree of Darkness, adding an additional layer of protection for the Black Masks’ headquarters.

Flying Umbras, Ground Umbras, Oceanic Umbras… It didn’t matter what element there was. The Allfather had created Umbras to counter all of the Alliance’s resources. Not to mention, the overwhelming mana that enveloped the Neutral Lands was too dense for any regular cultivators to step into. Just like that, the Alliance’s advantage of having armies that were millions strong had just vanished into thin air.

To combat the Black Masks at the Tree of Darkness, the Alliance needed to send elites that were powerful enough to withstand the immensely dense spiritual energy field. By Raphael’s estimates, only those above the Spirit Spectre realm. Talents that were lucky enough to break through the first barrier of mortality were able to fight within the new terrain.

Hence, in an angered plea, Raphael had ordered the three superpowers to stand down their armies and provide as many elites as they possibly could for the final fight. The Lantis Republic, now led by Shin, were the first to acquiesce. The full force of Guardian Sword was being sent out, including the Prince of Water himself. Not only that, Shin had called back all of his former comrades that had left him after the ten-year agreement was up.

Luminaries such as Suji Lasgeor, the Himmel Empire’s Son of War, and the Kori Federation’s Ice Fairy Sword, Haeun were called back to serve Guardian Sword in the upcoming war. On the side of the Lantis Republic, each one of the Eight Ancient Clans, barring the now weakened Heigui Clan, was sending out at least a thousand Spirit Spectres, with an array of Spirit Lords, Kings and Emperors assisting their every movement.

Not to be outdone, the Kori Federation and Himmel Empire had committed to a similar endeavour. The Kori Federation had all of their Master Sects send out hordes of their best talents. Even the regular Houses of Kori had sent half their elites to the Alliance’s cause.

However, the stars of the show were the five most prominent Master Sects. The Dalgeom Sect, the Dragon Tiger Gate, the Shaolin Temple, the Emei Church and the Khan Tribe. All five of them had sent a good number of their Spirit Venerates, each one of them more powerful than the other. In fact, the Dalgeom Sect had even gone out of their way to send Saint Geom, one of the three living Spirit Saints in the Kori Federation.

And yet… The Dalgeom Sect wasn’t the one that stood out from the pack. For generations, thousands of years before the Kori Federation came to be and the Master Sects were formed… One organisation stood heads above shoulders above the rest. And that was… The enigmatic Dragon Tiger Gate.

The Dragon Tiger Gate had by the most Spirit Venerates of the entire Kori Federation, plus it had the most Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments. If not for the fact that this current generation hadn’t spawned a Spirit Saint yet, the Dragon Tiger Gate would most definitely tower over the other four premier Master Sects, even though they were technically equal on paper. Sending in a record twenty Spirit Venerates, the Dragon Tiger Gate was serious about ending the prolonged war that had been plaguing the entire planet for the past few years.

Finally, the Himmel Empire. Unlike the Kori Federation and the Lantis Republic, they lacked the numbers and resources that thousands of years brought. After all, compared to the other two superpowers, the Himmel Empire was a relatively new nation that was being carried by the bloodline of the twentieth Spirit Immortal, Immortal Himmel. However, what they lacked in numbers, the more than made up with pure raw power. Instead of sending a thousand Spirit Venerates, the Himmel Empire sent the one being that the Alliance wanted the most.

“Saint Himmel… It’s an honour to finally see you in person,” Alliance Head Raphael bowed down to the silver-haired elderly man, who sat silently in his aether car. It was odd for the highest authority in the land to personally come and welcome a caravan, but given the person inside, it made total sense.

“Alliance Head Raphael, I’ve heard much about you.” Saint Himmel smiled, taking two strokes to his beard. “Forcing the three superpowers to bend to your will… Impressive.”

“Nothing of the sorts, Saint Himmel.” Raphael didn’t dare to raise his head. He didn’t dare to cross the Spirit Saint that was second to strength only to the Allfather. Especially since they needed Saint Himmel to fight the Allfather during the upcoming battle. “I am just looking out for the safety of our people. Doesn’t matter if they’re from the Himmel Empire, Kori Federation or the Lantis Republic. We all need to be united… to survive.”

“Quite a tongue,” Saint Himmel snorted but didn’t press the Alliance Head any further. He gently dismounted the aether car and made his way into the palace where all the other elites were waiting.

Speaking of other elites, a lean and handsome man rested his shoulders on the windowpane, watching the interactions between the Alliance Head and Saint Himmel. It wasn’t just that, aether cars from the Kori Federation were coming in from a distance, while ships from the Lantis Republic were docking in by the hundreds.

“By three they come… By three they come...” Shin remarked, beaming with delight.

“Has there been such a concentrated number of Spirit Venerates gathered in one place?” The black-haired beauty that accompanied Shin in his room pondered out loud.

“Never, not even during the legendary Summit that formed the Alliance.”

“Yeah, that was possibly the closest one.” Kanari scratched the bottom of her chin and chuckled. However, as her eyes turned to the blackened sky, Kanari couldn’t help but stifle a sigh. “But still… We’re finally reaching the final stretch… Once we uproot the tree, the tyranny of the Allfather will finally come to an end.”

“I sure hope so,” Shin nodded in agreement. “If all of these one-of-a-kind talents are unable to breakthrough the Allfather’s last-ditch attempt to ascend, no one can.”

“...” The couple held one another’s hands, gently calming both their hearts down. Everything that they had been preparing for had been boiling down to this moment. They left their children behind and brought all of their trusted allies to the final battlefield. It was time to fight the Allfather with everything that they had.

“*Knock* *Knock*. Is this the room of Shin Iofiel?” While the married pair were enjoying each other’s company, two loud thumps could be heard on the heavy oak door. The voice that called out to them was rather low and quite foreign-sounding. At the very least, Shin and Kanari both couldn’t make out who the man that disturbed their alone time was.

“Yes,” Shin hollered back at the man at the other side of the door. “Who is it?”

“Hahaha, Shin! So you’re really here!” Without even confirming that he was allowed in, the man pushed open the heavy doors, as if they were made out of paper. Shin was taken aback at first and was gearing up to reprimand the man. After all, he was the Prince of the Lantis Republic. Not everybody could just slam his door open without prior permission.

Alas, as Shin was about to give the man a piece of his mind, his throat choked up. The man that stormed into his room was a handsome, brown-skinned man, seemingly in his early thirties. Pure muscle bulged out from his comfortable white, cotton shirt and sweat dripped down his chiselled chin. The man was foreign-looking alright, with a complexion and appearance that was uncommon in the Himmel Empire or the Lantis Republic. However, Shin had seen the man once before.

No, it was a face that he could never forget. Why? Because the main reason why Shin got so famous in the first place was due to the sparring match that they shared back in the Summit.

“Lukman Ramal? The Prince of Sand?”

“Yours truly,” Lukman bowed like a royal, flashing a happy smile. It was the first time since the Summit that Shin had met the prodigy of the Tuareg Sect, but his jovial nature hadn’t changed one bit. “We finally meet again!”