The mix of writhing darkness energy inside of Aydan was actually three different energies, all similar in their own ways. First was Ciaritzal’s energy. It was relatively small as a simple shard of something greater, but what there was of it was powerful and volatile. The shard had been taken into Aydan’s dantian, the core of his cultivation where spiritual energy was stored. There it reacted with Aydan’s own energy, and while it wasn’t necessarily trying to suppress it, that was the default reaction. While it could doubtless feel the blessing of the main body, a shard that had been separated for so long wouldn’t have the understanding of the entire situation.

Then there was the third energy, from the Society of Midnight. This energy also had its origin with Ciaritzal, though John felt it was more sinister. Of course, that was due in no small part to how it was trying to tear apart his uncle, seeping in through his wounds. The doctor taking care of Aydan had done his best to treat his physical wounds, but recklessly attempting to wrangle with the energy could easily make things worse. At the moment even Ciaritzal’s energy fighting off the intruder was causing serious lacerations inside of Aydan’s meridians.

John’s own energy burrowed deeper. It was not so easy for his energy to flow between himself and Aydan as with Matayal, having dual cultivated together for years now, but being from the same clan their energies didn’t clash as harshly as they might have.

The first thing John sought out was the intruding energy from the Society of Midnight. That was causing the most active damage and had the highest risk of immediate death. The shard in his dantian might affect his cultivation negatively in the future, but if he wasn’t alive for that… it would hardly matter.

With its originator not only distant but deceased, using Spiritual Energy Absorption to siphon off the darkness energy was not terribly difficult. Unfortunately John couldn’t afford to be slow and methodical in his approach at the moment, so he pulled it inside and ground it down with his cycle of elements working together. He lost far more than he gained, but it helped him quickly relieve Aydan of the danger.

The next step required great care. Against his enemies, John had little concern what removing a shard of Ciaritzal from them would do to their cultivation. In fact, he rather preferred to cause the most damage he could. In return the shards were quite eager to come to him, sensing the affinity he had. John crept his energy deeper, keeping it as well concealed as he could to avoid conflict with Aydan’s energy as he reached the dantian and to not alert the shard too early. If his uncle were conscious he could work together, but John unfortunately had to tear away some sections of energy. That would weaken him temporarily, but as long as he didn’t damage the structure it would cause no lasting harm. Aydan’s energy absorbed more comfortably into his own self, though he took little time to dwell on that.

When he reached the core of Aydan’s dantian where the shard rested, John surrounded it all at once with his energy. Aydan’s energy responded by attacking him instinctively, but John stood strong against it. Meanwhile, the shard happily latched onto his energy, trying to follow it towards its source. John clamped down on it, keeping a careful grip to slowly guide it out of the dantian, back through the largest meridians down one leg. The larger meridians were safer for this maneuver, and though the ones near the heart were even greater in size, the risk to vital organs was too great.

Aydan’s energy rallied together as he left the dantian, following after him to try to tear apart the intruder. Careful control allowed John to gain momentum from the attacks to help his outward progress. And then… he was free. The shard cleanly flowed into him to meet up with the other. There was little intelligence to be had among such small pieces, but they settled inside him content… but cautious.

Having sensed the significant damage to Aydan’s internals, John began pulling out what precious medicines he had. He was quite pleased that the mid Consolidated Soul Phase man had some as well, and he provided everything he could- except where the doctor indicated they would mutually interfere.

Exhausted, John looked over at Steve. “Thanks. You saved him, I presume?”

“That’s right,” Steve nodded.

“What brought you here?”

“That’s simple,” he said, “We intended to meet up with you and escort you to meet up with the clan. I got a bad feeling and we came ahead of our escorts. I’m sure they’ll reach the city soon.”

John nodded. Gut feelings were one of those things a cultivator couldn’t afford to ignore. One had nearly led to him getting killed with the first shard of Ciaritzal he retrieved, but while it wasn’t always safe, a cultivator’s instincts could lead them towards potential benefit or away from danger. John had the feeling his transmigration friend Steve’s lead him towards danger, and most of the time it seemed there was no benefit to that for the man himself. It was good for John, though, so he wasn’t going to complain. Maybe there was some connection because of their origins.

Yustina was present as well. She was not a transmigrator, but rather someone who had reincarnated from within this same world while keeping her memory. She was the third member of their little club, with Renato being the last.

“There was another group to be concerned about,” Yustina cautioned. “The Kartal clan, I believe,” she looked at a few tokens doubtlessly taken from their bodies. “Aren’t they up in the Blustering Peaks somewhere?”

“Those assholes? I thought they learned their lesson,” John grimaced. “I’m going to destroy them… later. I’ve already offered my aid to the Milanovics after all.”

“Their clan head was here,” Yustina added.

“Must have been Bora’s whining. His guards seemed smarter than that. What happened to him?”

“He didn’t seem happy fighting me, for some reason,” Yustina shrugged. “He ran off rather quickly. I thought it better to prioritize Aydan and the rest of your clan.”

“I agree with that,” John nodded. “But they might cause more trouble with the clan while I’m away. Ugh.”

“You could ask for Renato’s help,” Yustina noted. “He has at least a half-element advantage over the Kartal clan, and any allies they have might reasonably also be air element.”

“I suppose this is an attack on our alliance in some manner,” John nodded. “I should at least contact the Order of the Amber Heart. And the Brandle clan. They’re closer to the Kartal clan, I wonder if…” he shook his head. “Well, if there’s trouble Matayal will handle it. The message will take a while to arrive, but they should be made aware if they aren’t already.”

-----

John decided that Aydan would be sent back to the clan, along with some of the others. There would be some expenses for hiring additional guards from Vrona, but it would be well worth the cost and slight loss of face for hiring outsiders. Besides, they had the dead body of a Consolidated Soul Phase cultivator to display. John hadn’t carted the ones from out in the desert, but the battle that ultimately took place on the road would be of interest to the Green Sands. Such a brazen attack could at least sway the public opinion further against the Society of Midnight, and to a lesser extent the Shadowflame Disciples.

“What are the two of you doing here anyway?” John asked again. “I mean, obviously to escort us but… aren’t you rather important to the clan? When did you reach the Consolidated Soul Phase anyway? You weren’t there a few months ago.”

“So many questions,” Steve complained. “Uh, I’m only half part of the clan. Nobody can stop Yustina. And very shortly before we came here.”

“Come to think of it,” Yustina said, “The clan might not know yet.”

“That’s… not the most surprising thing I’ve heard. Though you’d imagine someone would have noticed your breakthrough.”

Yustina looked to the east where a dark cloud of smoke trailed off. “Zolvolj was… especially grumpy this time.”

“Are the clan’s structures alright?” John asked.

“They will withstand something little like a little lava and ash. Otherwise our clan would not have endured for so long.”

Along the way John couldn’t help but think about the third shard of Ciaritzal. It was unlikely that whoever what was would pursue them further, upon learning about the other defeats. Though with the two fire cultivators at his side, John kind of wanted them to make an appearance. He wasn’t afraid of much with such powerful support at his side. The only thing that could be better would be Matayal.

It wasn’t long before they came upon the rest of the Milanovic cultivators, as though they had been left behind several days prior the day of rest and going back towards them made them meet up quickly.

“Mistress Yustina,” said an exasperated, balding man with a ring of mixed white and green hair around the edges. “Please do not run off ahead of us again. You and master Lucanus are too important to risk… especially now.”

“You worry too much Sebastian,” Yustina replied. “We had to save Fortkran’s uncle from an assasination attempt. We were fine.”

“Just because you were successful doesn’t mean you weren’t reckless,” the man sighed. He then smoothly turned to John and bowed. “Good day, Clan Head. The Milanovic clan appreciates the support of the Tenebach clan in these times. Allow us to escort you the rest of the way back.”

“Of course,” John nodded in return. “The Tenebach clan looks forward to future fruitful exchanges between our clans.” The new cultivations of Steve and Yustina would of course influence their opinion as well, but the meteoric rise in cultivations wasn’t just limited to the two of them. Nor was it limited to just those who were allies. A greater number of Consolidated Soul Phase cultivators has been popping up in the surrounding regions in recent years, though the younger generations were most notable for rapidly rising to that level. John still had reason to consider himself above the others, but he wasn’t going to assume he would always come out ahead. He’d come far too close to the other side of the survival line a few times recently.

-----

The physical distance between the Milanovic clan’s core and the Shadowflame Disciples was rather large. It was the distance between the core of the Green Sands and along the southwestern border, and there were no roads that took the direct route through the desert between them. However there were certain resources that were worth fighting over. In the desert one of those was raw ore to make weapons. Steel weapons could be purchased anywhere, but higher quality metals were more coveted.

There was a certain material especially suited for fire cultivators present around the region. Greensteel ore was formed in areas of high volcanic activity- mining around Zojvolj had already drawn out what was easily accessible, but other pockets appeared from time to time. Word had come to the Milanovic clan of an unclaimed node of Greensteel ore, and they had secured the land for themselves.

Unfortunately the Shadowflame Disciples had produced permits that appeared legitimate enough that they seemed to have a claim too, though the Milanovic clan refused to believe it. It was enough, however, that the Green Sands as a whole wasn’t willing to interfere and instead was letting them resolve the conflict in the traditional way.

For that, they needed more, stronger cultivators… and so they had called upon their allies of various sorts. That included John, but also others. The aid of some would come at a price, but the value of the node would make it worthwhile.

When they arrived at the Milanovic’s clan grounds, John found it rather empty. It wasn’t a surprise, and there was still some activity. There were still guards and family members about, but many fewer than before.

“Clan Head Fortkran!” some of them approached John to greet him, specifically Tempkeit. “It is good to see you again.”

“And you as well,” John greeted him in return. “How has life here been for you?” Tempkeit had married into the clan when Alina had taken interest in him.

“I am quite happy. Though at the moment I am worried about Alina…” Tempkeit shook his head. “Of course, her talent and cultivation are far above my own. I just wish I could contribute to the fighting instead of just taking care of the kids.”

“That’s an important role,” John pointed out. “She wouldn’t be able to fight as well if she didn’t know you were safe and sound here, keeping the children safe.” Even John worried about Matayal and the kids despite their strength and the protection of the Brandle clan. There were legitimate concerns sometimes, but eventually logic overtook him and made him realize that they were as safe as anyone in their position could be. “I’ll let her know you’re thinking about her.”

“Of course,” Tempkeit nodded. “And uh…” he looked at Steve and Yustina. “Congratulations. I hadn’t heard about your advancements.”

“Oh, yeah. This is kind of our official announcement, I guess,” Yustina shrugged. “We’ll be heading out for the battlefield soon enough. I suppose we should take care of a few things before we go.” Yustina pulled Steve away, leaving Tempkeit looking after them with a bit of jealousy. It might not be fair that they could almost casually break through to the Consolidated Soul Phase while he was still struggling in the late Foundation Phase, but that was just the way the world was.

And John knew that the two of them worked quite hard, even if they didn’t always show it to others.