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.