72. Past and the Present War
"I do not know his name, but he should be an elder of Ya Hall of Gen Zadan, a demonic sect up north. He specializes in camouflage and disguise and was aiming to take over our identities." Ingra explained as he handed three spatial rings he recovered from the dead assassin.
"Tell me about this conflict of yours." Clay inquired as he stored the rings. He already decided to help out but he will slowly make them do his bidding.
“Mrrgghh” Ingra cleared the table and laid a map.
"On the surface, they wanted our Sem Bagtu Alliance compensate for the death of the patriarch of a prestigious family and taking over a disputed land but in truth, they wanted to take over our Spiritual Veins. We have long known that two of the four major Spiritual Veins supporting Gen Zadan is rapidly in decline.
Fifty years ago, humans trespassed the Elven lands and kidnapped countless Alchemy Apprentices and Gen Zadan Sect stepped up and tried instigating a war convincing other Elven sects to conquer the municipality at the border, however Sem Sect was the first to decline despite the fact that they are neighbors with Gen Zadan. Later, Sem Sect formed an alliance with Bagtu Faction which we belong to.
We estimate that Gen Zadan has at least less than twenty-five Nascent experts which is the same number compared to our alliance thereby the impasse.
However, in about fifty years when the Peak Late Nascent elder of Sem Faction passes away, this impasse will be broken.
And you may guess, we won’t sit idly so we have just fixed an ancient Teleportation Array and five years from now, we plan on launching a full-scale retaliation.
If this esteemed master will help us, will certainly compensate if..."
Clay activated his aura to the 3RD Degree releasing a suffocating pressure interrupting Ingra then threw him a ring.
“Go back to your little alliance and tell them to prepare. I will show up in five days."
Ingra saluted with his fist then silently left the room with haste and vigilance.
Meanwhile, Clay looked at the map laid on the table. Ingra summarized and went straight to the point and said everything he needed to hear but he interrupted him when Ingra was about to beg for assistance. This world is ruled through power and he should start doing the same. It is a race against time, and he will intimidate and flaunt his power even if not needed.
He is glad to know the ongoing conflict is at its worst and he should be revered a hero once he lends his strength. Getting them fulfill his wish should be easier once he defeated their rivals.
However the problem is the act of defeating the enemies themselves. For a sect to have at least twenty-five Nascent Soul Experts, means that the sect has an enormous influence and their sect members should be thousands.
Even though they are of a demonic sect, he feels like not having the courage to stomach and bring forth carnage and cull such number of cultivators. And even if they were of the same sect who went after his life, he feels like his conscience would break and would not let him sleep or may not let him have peace in the afterlife.
He could still remember the bandits he killed on a random hill.
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Exhale!
"What difference does it make when I am dying anyway." Clay sighed in ambivalence.
He looked at the map laid on the table again as he thought of the plan. Convincing the alliance to do his bidding and establishing a sect is doable but the problem is ensuring the sect to continue his legacy.
Having seen how most cultivators are mad for power, his plan is probably going to last a few generations.
He already has an idea on how the filter reincarnates but coming up with an event that would last for thousands of years is the biggest hurdle.
"There must be a way this practice will be maintained like a ritual." Clay thought to himself.
At this point, the most viable option is to build a large-scale sacred sanctuary which opens every few years. Most sects already have them to encourage competition but he will make it accessible to everyone. And lastly, it has to be unique and equally accessible. Who knows if the reincarnate is zero Elemental Affinity like him.
As Clay was in deep thought, he saw blue marks on the map labeled Water Volcanoes.
Before the Unification War, Water Volcanoes were homes to Variant Elvens whose upper bodies are that of High Elvens but the portion below their waist looks like a tail of a snake. Humans refer to them as Naga.
“That’s it.” Clay exclaimed.
Clay remembered they were mentioned in Ancestor Avur's odyssey so he took out the book from the shelf and turned to the page about Core Formation Breakthrough Pill.
"I intentionally lost to my brother so that he may receive a Core Formation Breakthrough Pill. In exchange, they will allow me to roam freely. The truth is, I did not want to witness anymore in-fighting. In fact, I had not informed the Elders, but I broke through to Foundation Establishment without relying on pills and I believed that I could do it again to break through to Core Formation.
I headed towards north near Sab Angan Water Volcano and for twenty years, I had been a guard during Naga mating season.
It was there I had come to love rainy days.
Ul Al'iya clan believed that the reason Mother Nature is unable to birth Spiritual Veins is because of the imbalance caused upon by Black Qi eruptions and in an attempt to restore this balance, they built a Three Elemental Formation around the volcano and planted a Lammin Lotus Essence Flame at the center.
The Formation channels water at the center of the volcano and the Essence Flame in turn will heat and cause the water rich in Spiritual Qi evaporate into the air filling the atmosphere blessing kilometers and kilometers of vast lands when it rains.
The other reason the Formation was constructed is for Ul Al'iya clan to build a symbiotic relationship with the Nagas. Naga cultivators need to travel to fire volcanoes to temper their bodies but the Essence Flame at the center of the water volcano will give them a superior experience. These cultivators just need to collect and surrender the black goo substance excreted from their bodies during body refinement.
Combined with regular herbs, the black goo will be turned into an elixir which greatly improves the constitution of terrestrial cultivators. In fact, this elixir according to Ancestor Brung is necessary for cultivators to resist the first and second tribulation to become Nascent expert or Ascendants.
I was seventy when I broke through to Core Formation which still qualified me to open the reliquary left by first Ancestor.
Grandpa said that it contained Heaven Qi Crystals which can allow Peak Nascent Souls reach Ascension. Unfortunately, when I opened it later when I became a patriarch, it only contained a note that such crystals can only be found on planets near "hotspots". I do not know what that was, but it is probably a higher form of Spiritual Vein which Ascendants can only absorb.
Anyway, I was rewarded a lesser elixir and I still cannot believe I survived twenty years to get a chance to eat Naga excrements. As a patriarch, one must have the foresight to.. "
Clay closed the book as he was inspired on a better plan. He wants to study the feasibility in adopting the methods of this long-lost practice without repeating what happened to Ul Al'iya clan. It is still a mystery as to how exactly did Ul Al'iya colony perished but it is the least of his concerns.
The last problem is another Great Invasion.
During the time of immortals a.k.a Great Invasion, Gar Wahger Federation chose this planet for the expedition. And considering everything he knew so far, there is one more party involved called Immortal Blood Sect.
There are clues of their encounters if he recalls the ancient text back at Akwii colony and it worries him that another advance civilization will come conquering the planet in the future.
Sigh!
“You know what, let it be their problem.”
Clay sat and started meditating. Five days from now when his cultivation is fully stabilized, he will move to exterminate Gen Zadan.