Grand Elder Leo now was a deciding factor in the battle between the righteous and the Demonic schools. He was still probably far off the power of my grandfather and the Sect leader. But with his aberrant abilities, he would be able to hold my grandfather back for a length of time, allowing the Sect Leader of the Towering mountain Sect to wreak havoc.

That did not spell well for the continued power of my grandfather and the demonic way of thought as a whole. We would have to retreat from many of our positions of influence that we had managed to create in the balance.

All the demonic sects would have to move completely underground.

It would mean a huge resurgence in the sentiment to fight against my kin. Knowing they had the advantage, they would be fools not to press it.

The world would be dramatically shifting—all due to my master.

With his influence on the rise, mine grew considerably just from being his disciple. The prestige of an Infant transformation disciple equaled any elder in the sect.

My potential political power had just been shifted immensely. Having an Infant Transformation powerhouse behind you would do that.

The scope of my plans began to shift as things I had thought impossible. Would now be simple with the backing of one of the most powerful men on the continent. A wildly unknown entity. His only connection to the lower cultivators, his involvement with the sect, and the existence of me his disciple.

Those factors would grant me significant leverage. Nascent Souls would come begging to work for me. Any chance of reaching the infant transformation stage was more than worth sucking up to a young cultivator. That was the best plan for those who were weak at heart.

They should be strong and threaten to kill me for answers like any self-respecting demonic cultivator would do. I didn't have to worry about things like that happening to me while I was still within the confines of the sect.

The power that emanated off Grand Elder Leo was truly titanic. I had never seen my grandfather in action. To me, he had always just been a stern presence growing up. He was directing me in how to cultivate and fight—taking me through the actions of the soul, how it responded to certain stimuli.

It had never crossed my mind that he was capable of such extreme power. A single move from him would have decimated any force I had ever been a part of or created. It was a sobering thought.

Yet my passion for achieving even greater extreme power never faltered. The glowing green figure, staring down at the great obelisk that was coming crashing down. That was an image that would stay with me. The other nascent soul elders of the sect escaped soon after. No other sect was so lucky, however.

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The obelisk collapsed, sealing all other cultivators there to their doom. The resultant explosion ripped a hole in the earth that was larger than the Ghost devouring Sects headquarters.

Within a few years, it was going to be a birthplace of some cult pledging their allegiance to the Void destroying realm expert even if he was long dead.

So the cultivators from the Towering mountain sect began their journey back.

It took a few hours for the news to reach the rest of the cultivation world. Masters surge of energy had taken out all other sects surveillance equipment.

Once the general populace realized what had truly happened and that the Towering mountain sect had a new Infant Transformation powerhouse to join their ranks. There were parties in the streets. It seemed an era of darkness had come to an end. The light was going to shine across the continent from then on. I felt the soul of my prime begin to approach. His soul was weaker than I had seen it. The shock that the news must have been to him left him vulnerable.

I was his only point of contact that would be better able to make sense of the situation. The sect had gone into lockdown to prevent any major spread of information beyond the norm. It was clear that the elders had found something in the obelisk. Until that was safe behind the sects defenses, we would be on total lockdown.

"What is the news from the sect. When will the Elders be arriving with the bounty from the tomb? It would be our only chance to strike before we lose any chance of retrieving it."

His soul presence bore down on me. Even with its weakened state, I was no match for my prime.

"My master will not respond to me at the moment. I have tried every day since the tomb was first discovered. You have the same information as I do. Any information forums are in complete lockdown. The entire sect is running blind."

His soul glowered around me. He was feeling impotent and not liking it. Ever since he had reached Nascent soul, he was able to stick his foot into any matter that took his fancy.

Now the peak nascent soul elders of the demonic sects were meeting to discuss the future and if there were any possibilities to attack first and gain some advantage.

I think everyone was aware of the futility of such an action, but it may well be the only way to retreat peacefully to fight another day in a few hundred years.

"Grandfather is not pleased with your progress within the sect. You are to get in contact with your master as soon as you can, and then you will report back."

With that, the presence disappeared, moving on to what was probably planning the retrieval of whatever goods the exploratory team had managed to find. A plan that would be doomed from the start no matter what way you spun it.

I took my communication talisman once again from my storage ring, ready to try.

It was to my shock that it began beeping before I even started the call.

My master was trying to call me.

"Disciple greets the master and sends him one thousand congratulations."

"Thank you, Byren. I will be back within the next two days. beyond that, I will be training you until you reach the nascent soul stage yourself."