As Wu Guang stepped on the deck of the majestic 'Emperor's Fist', he for the first time got a look at the entire task fleet.

Comprised of 5 of the biggest ships of the entire Empire, 10 dedicated transport ships, and a few light scouts, it was a force enough to take over a power like the 'Three Hills Sect' in one fell swoop. Granted, the Eagle Kingdom was far stronger, but... Would not part of their army be occupied? And wasn't their fleet supposed to be blockading the usual, rune ships, routes?

Wu Guang aura could not reach the farthest ships, even so, he knew that there were exactly 5 thousand soldiers divided between the ships. And not common ones, all of them being considered elite.

For example, on the ship he was right now, there was no soldier below the initial Soul realm!

the commander of this force was one of the closest aides for the Minister of War, named Kong Ming. This man was not only a real expert, being on the peak of the Sage realm, but also counted with the help, albeit secret, of one of the two Warrior Lord cultivators that protected the emperor himself.

Speaking about Kong Ming, he was currently present on deck, seemingly overwatching the fleet.

Kong Ming was old, having crossed the one hundred years frontier. He had never managed to break from the shackles of the Yellow Realm, but he still was one of the peak experts of the plane, a title he carried well. Looking half his actual age and wearing a light scale mail made from some kind of Spiritual beast, he stood a head taller than Wu Guang.

With no need to interact with him, Wu Guang simply half-bowed in greeting and then quickly moved towards the port side of the ship.

A far smaller vessel could be seen nearby, keeping up the pace with the warship.

"Is that it?" Wu Guang asked the sailor that had a few moments ago called for him.

"Yes. If Lord waits for a few minutes, we will prepare a crossing"

"No need" Slowing down the flagship would affect all the other ships as well, and Wu Guang did not want to be the cause of it.

By using one's aura to control the qi below and applying the correct amount of qi from oneself, a cultivator could walk over water. Granted, the speed was slower and it was far more dangerous than sailing and so it was not used for travel between islands, but... for a distance of less than a mile? It suited perfectly.

*Whoosh*

Jumping over the rail, Wu Guang landed on the water without any sound. His aura controlling the water as to make him able to step on it, he simply walked towards the ship that would take him to Half-Island.

________________________________________________________________________

Six hours later, the small scout ship made landfall. Having been instructed that he should not announce his arrival, the place where he disembarked was located in the middle of the wild, eastern, forest-covered part. Anyway, it was only a few hours directly to the west from the Sect, miles that Wu Guang covered quickly and safely.

Another precautionary measure to make his arrival practically secret was that he would not enter the Sect via the main gate. In turn, he circled the invisible wall from afar, and via the Sect-owned forest approached the gate he had used a few times during his tests and training.

As expected, his arrival was already notified off, and so the gate appeared almost instantly as he approached.

"Young friend Wu Guang! I am glad that everything went fine. Elder Mo has made all the preparations follow me" The one that greeted him was no one else than Elder Chen, the Wisdom Palace Master.

________________________________________________________________________

Elder Mo had indeed made preparations to keep Wu Guang's arrival hidden. Except for the six people council and Zhen Mang, no one else in the entire sect had any idea. Even more, during the entire traject that Wu Guang covered while accompanied by Elder Chen, there was not even a single person. Some were ordered to do something on the other side, others had suddenly sent to train, while others were summoned by a meeting.

So from the moment, Wu Guang stepped onto the Sect grounds and the moment he entered the council room, he saw no one at all.

As he entered the concealed room, he took a glance around.

Nine tall throne-like chairs were placed around an enormous, strange-looking, statue that looked like a deformed lock.

"Is that it?" With no one present except Elder Chen, Wu Guang asked.

"Yes, that is the lock"

"And the entrance?"

"It is located in the room below this one"

"Understood. The process will take a few days, but my presence is not needed at all. After I place the key, we only need to wait for enough qi to gather. Still, Elder Chen, have been any arrangements about guarding it done? I doubt a second key could be made in time"

"Zhen Gan will be arriving shortly. He and Zhen Mang will take turns guarding the entrance. I will stay in the room itself"

"Good, I take that my arrival will be kept secret until the last moment?"

"Elder Mo has been considering not announcing it at all"

"I see, still, I will need to move around somehow"

"Do not worry, that is accounted for. He will fill you up about the details"

"Mm, understood"

The process of unlocking the Pocket realm was indeed simple, Wu Guang only was required to will for the key to appear and then insert it in the smallest indent of the enormous statue. As for the several days of wait, they were mainly to fill the insides with enough qi for a portal to remain stable and open.

What he did hid from Elder Chen, and mostly because he was instructed to was that this key was slightly different from the previous one. It included a small, very concealed rune set meant for alarming Wu Guang and the Refining Grandmaster that had created it in case someone else than the former touched it.

It wasn't that there was a reason to mistrust any of the council members that had open access to this room, but...

It was always better to have an extra card or two to play.

________________________________________________________________________

When Wu Guang left the council room, he was immediately picked up by Elder Mo, and in the same stealthy way taken to the 'Arts Hall'.

The elder knew that Wu Guang most probably would not be able to share much, so in place of asking about his journey to the empire, he simply updated him on the local situation.

In short, more than half of the mortals of the island had been moved into the wildlands. A few chose to remain in their lands, while others sought refuge in their respective powers or cities. The Qiu family had announced that they will not allow the Eagle Kingdom or anyone else to attack their lands. The internal fight is still unsolved, but they seemingly reached some kind of truce with such a threat coming closer.

"And the 'Leaf Shadows Sect'?"

"Officially they announced something similar, albeit I had heard that the Wangs are still trying to convince the Sectmaster to first try and speak with the invaders"

"Understood"

After that, Elder Mo proposed Wu Guang keep his identity hidden for now. Granted, no one would care about his sudden appearance with the war about the start, but...

"I see no issues with that, but I have a mission that will require a few helpers"

"I was informed of it by Deng Zian. I think the best would be to not tell anything and simply send them somewhere to meet with you"

"Agreed"

"Do you require anything for the matter with the Sect's protective formation?"

"No, I have both the means and instructions to activate it"

Hearing this Elder Mo nodded and took two items from his holding pouch. The first one was a rune-covered cloak meant to conceal the aura and presence of any Soul realm cultivator. As for the second, it was the identity badge of a high elder.

"High Elder?"

"Yes, with such an identity you should be able to move around freely and not be subjected to any questioning from the Discipline Palace because of the cloak"

"I take that no one except the council members knows then?"

"Indeed"

"Understood. As soon as I finish setting it up, I will wait for the headmaster and pass him the control. Afterward, I will ask for Elder Mo's assistance in making the arrangements for my team"

"That's fine. The badge has a few thousand contribution points, should you require anything in the sect. As for a place to stay in case you need it... Do you remember the tower where the written entrance exams take place?"

"Yes"

"The tower is currently not in use so you can use it during these days. Lady Xian will meet you there"

"Thank you, I will take my leave then"

________________________________________________________________________

Before visiting the Black Island, Wu Guang had always thought that Elder Mo was the one calling the shots in the Sect. But now, especially after this last talk, he was sure that it wasn't so. Granted, his position as the head core elder and the acting headmaster was true, but the real orders had always come from another person. A person that Wu Guang would meet shortly, after all, he required the assistance of this person to set up the formation.

Although a person wearing a hooded cloak meant to conceal one's identity was extremely suspicious, no one stopped Wu Guang while he briskly walked towards the aforementioned tower. And well, who would dare to? Especially with the golden, High Elder, identity badge on open display.

With the tower being not in use few people were hanging around it, and so Wu Guang managed to enter without being noticed.

Ascending to the second floor, he encountered that indeed it was furnished and could be used as a residence. Cultivators of and beyond the Soul realm did not sleep, preferring to meditate in place, but well, a comfy bed was never a bad thing.

Spreading his aura to cover the entire tower, Wu Guang sat down and began waiting.

He had yet to meet Lady Xian, the so-called Grand Protector of the Sect, and the only person openly in contact with the Black Empire. Still, he was already briefed on her status and abilities during his mental meeting with 'his' family's main branch head.

So when he sensed that someone had entered the tower, he immediately stood up, descended to the first floor, and respectfully saluted.

"Disciple Wu Guang greets Lady Xian"

"Should it not be Chen's clan, Chen Guang?" Slightly smiling the newly arrived woman questioned.

"I'm deeply sorry Lady Xian, but I would like to use the name I was born with"

"Mmm, that's fine as well. Rise"

Following her command, Wu Guang straightened his back and assumed a waiting position.

"No need to be so tense, you are here on direct orders of Chen Jiahao, so you are not someone that needs to be so respectful to a simple overseer like me"

"I understand Lady Xian, but I am also a disciple of this Sect and so have to be respectful with someone of your status"

"Fine, but you could at least treat me less formally... Maybe like you did to my younger sister?"

"Senior Xian Zhenya is the Lady's sister?"

"Yes, so you can refer to me as Senior as well. Anyway, I take that you were explained about what we will do?"

"Locate the 19 main connections of the Sect's protection formation and place a stabilizing orb in each. Afterward, activate the three cores. When the formation is ready to be activated, Senior Xian will be responsible for the creation of an extra core for the Headmaster's use"

"Correct. The connections are located all along the wall and can be accessed only from underground. This tower has also access to the catacombs used as a test dungeon by the Sect, so we will be using them"

"Understood"