“Ah… this is the life…”

“Isn’t it? Everything has calmed down!”

“Haven’t been able to enjoy spirit wine in a while, things really did improve now…”

“Yeah, even the prices have actually gone down! Did you hear why?”

“No, but I’m assuming that you won’t rest until you inform me about it.”

“You know me well my friend, listen to this. Apparently, the United Element Sect is spending some of their wealth on helping the areas that have been affected by those strange creatures.”

“They did? Why would they do that? This makes no sense, they won’t get much in return for their generosity.”

“Haha, that’s where you are wrong my friend, people are flocking to the western region! Now is the time to spend those spirit stones and coins!”

“Now that you mention it, I have seen a lot of merchants and new businesses opening up everywhere, so that’s it!”

“Indeed, they'll attract new people to settle down and reap the rewards later!’

“But… will the others take this lying down…They must have noticed the drop in population.”

“Perhaps but what can they do? The United Element Sect is like a meteor, would they dare to stir up trouble? The Heavenly Crane Sect already made everything clear, they won’t touch the West, would the Long Clan dare?”

“This is the Long Clan we are talking about… When was the last time that they weren’t the rulers? I don’t think the history books go back that long…”

“Do you think that they won’t take it lying down? Come to think of it, they haven’t been active that much only the outer sects have been active. What if they have been preparing?”

“Hey now, preparing for what?”

“Another war…”

“Uh…”

Two old men were having a conversation while sipping on some red wine and eating chicken drumsticks. They were inside an inn that was bustling with people. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood after the three emperors had been slain. Some of the people here had been forced to retreat but most just knew things through rumors.

While to the uninformed it seemed like everything was fine to the ones that knew the dynamics between powerful sects, it looked like a powder keg waiting to explode. The whole war seemed like a slap to the face of the Long Clan. It made them look incompetent to the entire population of the Empire. Even though they might have been capable of the same feat, it didn’t matter. They didn’t do anything during the one-year war period and it made them look weak.

To other sects, the Long Clan’s movements weren’t strange. It was normal for them to prioritize the central region to which the fights didn’t reach. Both the Heavenly Crane Sect and the United Element Sect performed well during this period. No enemies went up to their doorstep which didn’t give them a reason to act.

The cultivators that resided in the smaller sects understood what the Long Clan did but this didn’t mean that they didn’t feel some type of way about the whole thing. Even though they would have probably made the same decision, there was a problem. The United Element Sect appeared out of nowhere. They were like some type of saints, helping people without asking for much. Even now after they had taken over the western region, there was a stark difference.

The previous owners that were the Soaring Dragon Sect, were different. They acted similarly to the Long Clan in a more oppressive manner. The taxes were steep and they didn’t really do much to protect the lands. Unless a powerful demonic cultivator appeared they left everything up to the smaller sects.

The replacements were different though, they even cleared up the massive concentration of demonic sects up in the northwest. Crime was at an all-time low and they were even trying to recruit people to go to the demonic island. It was a new frontier that some saw as a chance to put their mark on the world.

With the decrease in the population came a lot of possibilities. New clans and sects were popping out left and right to fill the holes. Cities that had been destroyed by the demi-humans were being rebuilt and needed new management. Under the watchful eye of the new powerhouse in the region, everything was proceeding nicely.

Usually, everyone expected territory battles between the remnants of old powers and the new ones to occur. However, there existed a new policing force in the region, a strange group of mechanical beings called the Archangels. They wouldn’t allow for much bloodshed to occur between the larger groups and would pop out if the fighting got too drastic. Already many new and old clan leaders were apprehended and taken to the mines.

Usually, none of the great three powers bothered to minimize the infighting inside of their lands. As long as they were given their share of the pie everything was fine. No one really counted all the deaths or how many small clans perished. This policing force caused them to handle things differently and in a more peaceful fashion.

However, this didn’t mean that everything was all and well, instead of open conflict it was just hidden in the background. People expected a lot more silent assassinations and the growth of those types of underground forces if things continued.

“Stop trying to scare me, you drunk bastard.”

“Haha, calm down.”

One of the two men rose up from his seat in anger at the one that was insinuating that a war would occur. Soon the two were back to laughing but in the back of their heads, they weren’t sure about that possibility. The Long Clan had a reason to move in as some people were spreading bad rumors around them. There just needed a spark to light the fuse and another conflict could be upon them.

“Long Live the Golden Dragon! He is the true savior and true ruler!”

“You dare make light of the Azure Emperor?”

“What if I do, what are you going to do about it?”

The people in the in went quiet as they felt an oppressive force wash over them. The voices of people that were outside could be heard by everyone and drew their attention.

“Did you hear that?”

“Yeah, what’s happening outside?”

These two drunk men that were foundation establishment cultivators were able to feel a power greater than themselves. They both slowly rose up from their seats to go towards the opened window. There, not that far up in the air they saw two groups of people shouting at each other.

“What sect or clan do those people belong to?”

“I think the ones on the left are from the Yan Clan… but I don’t recognize the ones on the right, probably a newly formed force.”

The two men nodded at each other as they belonged to a smaller family that only had foundation establishment experts within their ranks. They kept their voices hidden just like everyone else here as it seemed that a fight was about to break out.

“Yan Clan… I think I’ve heard that name… Oh I know, that man that is arguing, his daughter was married off to someone from the Long Clan.”

“Didn’t they flee the moment the west became chaotic, they have a lot of nerve coming back now…”

“Did they come back to reclaim their lands? Hmph, they hid behind the Long Clan walls for all this time and now they just want everything to return to how it was?”

“Hey… this doesn’t look good…”

“What do they think they are doing?”

This city was a special one, it was on the border of the West and Central regions. Previously it was divided between the Soaring Dragon Sect’s and Long Clan’s sub-clans. Wang Long's appearance and destruction of that Sect made the Long Clan’s sub-clan the true owner. However, soon after they left in fright of the Demi-Human Emperor’s forces that were destroying everything.

After things had settled down the United Element Sect lay claim to this land. This location was quite far from their original region so none of their people had yet been stationed there. This left it up to the people that remained to claim it instead. The two old men assumed that the residing new clan had achieved some type of deal with the current Western giant.

“They are really going at it… we need to get out of here before something terrible happens!’

“You are right, we should try to lay low, nothing good can come from this.”

The two men that were watching over the fight with the other people gathered here started to slowly back away. The sky above them was starting to turn into a bloodbath as the two sides started to fight. They both knew that something terrible could come from this confrontation and were quick to jump out through one of the windows.

“Look, they are already here!”

“I think we should split up here my old friend, I wish you luck.”

“You too, stay safe.”

Soon the two men were running in two different directions while glancing up. They saw flying beings surrounded by a golden aura flying toward the city. They were the angelic beings that were left to patrol the skies by the United Element Sect. There weren’t that many of them as there was just too much space to cover in this vast Empire.

“I have a bad feeling about this, I must get everyone out of this city…”

The man was sweating all over as he had been living in this place for a while. He knew that the clan head of the people that were related to the Long Clan was a hot head. The man would certainly not let things go as for him the family name was everything.

“Quickly, pack your things, and let's depart, we need to get to a safe location!’

“Grandfather, what is happening?”

When he arrived at his home he was greeted by his son's wife. Before he could give her an explanation a massive explosion erupted behind him. When he glanced back he could only see a torrent of energy that could only be created by a nascent soul master or a costly treasure.

“Quick stop talking, get everyone together, we must leave this place before it becomes a battlefield…”

He could only dread while looking at the mangled angel automation being flung out of the explosion. A confrontation between the Long Clan and the United Element Sect was something everyone was dreading and this could have been the spark to set it off. Even though it could have been resolved with money he was not willing to wait around for another war between sects.