"Jiqin! What the hell was that?"
The guards called out. Unwilling to abandon their posts just yet they could only inquire about the strange voice in shock. The poor guard who had stepped out thought fast. A range of emotions passed his face. Incredulity, shock, disbelief, but eventually one emotion came which overruled them all remarkably quickly....greed! Naturally, he believed that finding Mei was a once in a lifetime good fortune, and his greed overcame his suspicions!. His face quickly sharpened and he whispered to the black sword.
"Oh wise one, you've reached a good place. I will tell you about it later, but you must be careful! I can take you away from this place and let you be free if you stay quiet, but if the others hear of this there will be a huge outcry and the evil Sect Head will probably get involved! At that time he will definitely try to interrogate Senior for your teachings!" The guard acted as if he was taking on a great personal risk to "save" Mei from the Sect Head. His reflexes were amazing as could be expected from a top cultivator of the Sects. Naturally his ability to seize benefits were second to none!
"Haha brothers it is nothing. One of my spirit beasts suddenly broke through and gained sentience! I've already sent it away." The guard called out to answer his comrades. His excuse was extremely suspicious but to be honest none of them expected anything to be going on in the headquarters of the White Horizon Sect so they let it pass.
"Heh, be sure to discipline your spirit beast well. Get back to your post Jiqin! If an elder notices you're missing there will be hell to pay for us all!" The older guard called back and Jiqin obediently returned to the other 12 guards. He whispered to Mei,
"Don't worry, once my shift is over, I will be able to explain everything you want to know Senior! I only ask that you perhaps pass on to me a few pointers or words of wisdom." Jiqin thought he was being clever pandering to Mei. Unfortunately...now that he was standing by the patriarch's door his usefulness was at an end!
"Kiddo do it now!" Mei instructed Lineir with a mental transmission.
BOOM!!!!! KRACKLE! SSSSSIIIIZZZLLEEEEE!!!
There was a flash of white light and another enormous explosion directly where Jiqin had been standing! Lineir had released a minor tribulation lightning which he had been avoiding undergoing for weeks! Naturally despite being inside the White Horizon Sect headquarter's, tribulation lightning was a force to be reckoned with! It instantly blasted through the roof of the sect pavilion and sensing the heaven defying properties of the sword Mei resided in, was diverted directly to the poor Jiqin who had been concealing the sword under his robe!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A miserable scream rang through the hallways of the Sect as the guards were unexpectedly struck by intense tribulation lightning! The unfortunate Jiqin suffered the worst of it and was roasted by a direct hit and knocked unconscious! The others were tossed to all corners of the room by the blast and coughed out mouthfuls of blood. The door to the Patriarchs chambers was forced open for a moment! In the confusion a dark shape flickered into existence over the wretched Jiqin's prone form and grasped a sword from under his robes. The shadow then stole through the door to the Patriarch's chamber right as the defensive formations kicked in and sealed it shut again! Naturally this shadow was Lineir...
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Success! Those fools will have no idea what happened when they investigate the matter and that Jiqin fellow won't wake up for hours. By then I will know exactly what the White Horizon Sect is up to and who is behind this!" Lineir crowed and advanced deeper into the chamber. He had immediately started concealing himself as soon as he entered the room and was confident that even the patriarch of the sect stood no chance of detecting him. Sure enough he came upon a figure meditating the lotus position. However, as Lineir was creeping up behind him preparing to capture him and soul search him there was a sudden burst of light and a projection screen formed in midair! On it a dark shape whirling with twisting shadows came to life!
"QIu Yan, how goes the project? Is the next batch of mortals ready for refinement yet? My Netherworld Refinement Sect is not very patient you know." A great sinister voice filled the quarters of the patriarch and the patriarch of the White Horizon Sect Qiu Yan began to sweat profusely as he answered,
"Yes sir your lordship. We of the White Horizon Sect will never disappoint your lordship! The next batch is awaiting transfer in the Great Space Transfer Array! It's just....my lord....we require more spirit stones to run the array!" Patriarch Qiu Yan was sweating visibly now. The dark shape on the wall writhed a bit but then chuckled,
"Very well, my disciple will send them to you shortly. But remember, if the shipment does not arrive on time...well I think you know what happened to your predecessor. Hahahaha" With a sinister laugh the projection vanished and the patriarch was left alone in the dark. Or so he thought...
"Goddamn, that bastard thinks that just because his sect is from the Divine Realm he can control me forever...."
Thwack!
"Ahhhh who the hell are you??" Patriarch Qiu Yan had enough time to cry out before Lineir knocked him unconscious and Mizuchi began the soul searching process. A moment later Mizuchi in her characteristic bored demeanor told Lineir what was going on.
"Wow...these guys are quite scummy. The White Horizon Sect, despite its branding has long since been controlled by the Netherworld Refinement Sect. The Netherworld Refinement Sect is actually a sect from your so called "Realm of the Gods" or "Divine Realm" and relies on regular shipments of mortals from this plane to refine various dark treasures. Your sister is likely being held in a transfer array a few rooms over. If you hurry you might be able to stop the array transfer. Heh goodluck though, the Netherworld Refinement Sect is way out of your league."
Instantly Lineir shot out of the Patriarch's chamber. He busted through the doors from the inside easily and ran out the hallway. The 13 guards were still recovering from the tribulation lightning and trying to awaken the poor Jiqin. As Lineir passed he released a devastating cloud of Madness Rain. Instantly all of them began to suffer from its effects and Lineir was confident that even if they survived he would not have to worry about being pursued. He rushed to the Space Transfer Array in record time blasting through anything and anyone in his way!
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
There was a buzzing noise as the array activated and Lineir saw an elder of the White Horizon Sect teleport away. In his hands was an orb filled with countless mortals! Numerous faces floated by in the orb which was clearly some sort of special treasure capable of holding people inside! Lineir saw the face of his sister in the thousands of faces in the orb with his cultivator sight! She looked up and stared directly into his eyes though her expression didn't change as if she didn't see him! Instantly Lineir prepared to unleash his most terrifying strike and destroy the teleportation array!
"Yiu!!!!! STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Lineir screamed at the transfer array but it was too late and with a flash of light the elder was gone along with the orb containing his sister! However, as he was about to attack, the array lit up again as if someone was being sent through! Lineir reined in his strike experiencing a slight backlash from going against his own energy!
"Someone's coming through the array to this side???"